A's bewildering start, by the numbers

After missing the previous three games due to injury, Ramón Laureano returned to the A’s lineup and provided a much-needed spark with a booming RBI double off Clayton Kershaw and an early 1-0 lead in Tuesday night's game with the Dodgers. That jolt was the first real hint of positive momentum felt through the first six games of the regular season.

It lasted for about 10 minutes.

Prior to Laureano’s RBI in the bottom of the first inning in front of a reduced-capacity Coliseum clamoring for something to cheer about, the A’s had not led in their first 45 innings of play to start the season. The lead quickly evaporated in the second on a game-tying double surrendered by starter Chris Bassitt. The right-hander proceeded to allow back-to-back homers to Max Muncy and Edwin Ríos in the third, which laid the groundwork for the A’s to trail the rest of the way as they dropped their sixth consecutive game to start the season, 5-1.

An abysmal start to the year has now reached historic heights for Oakland. The A’s 0-6 record matches the 1916 Philadelphia A’s for the worst start to a season in franchise history. That 1916 club won its seventh game and ended up losing a franchise-record 117 games, which is the third-highest loss total by any team in the modern era.

To call this opening to the 2021 campaign a stunning development would be an understatement. Coming off their third straight postseason appearance and first American League West championship since 2013, the A’s entered this season with visions of a deep playoff run as serious contenders for a World Series title. So far, their current pace is leading them in a concerning direction.

The last time any franchise lost its first six games in a season was 2016, when both the Braves and Twins suffered the same fate. Each team got off to an 0-9 start, ultimately finishing the year with 93 and 103 losses, respectively.

“I think everyone is just looking at themselves in the mirror and asking what we can do better and clean up,” Bassitt said. “It’s six games into a six-month season. But it sucks to start this way because we know how good we are.

“I think it’s more just embarrassing. It’s not so much a panic, long term. It’s just embarrassing right now.”

After Tuesday’s loss, the A’s have now been outscored 50-13 in six games. The closest margin of defeat in those six has been four runs, twice. The other three losses: seven, seven, seven and eight.

Here’s a deeper look at the factors that have contributed to such a shockingly sluggish start:

Pitching woes
A’s pitchers have combined for an 8.00 ERA through six contests, which is among the worst in the Majors. Their 13 homers surrendered leads all Major League pitching staffs. A starting rotation that was expected to be a strength this year has struggled. A's starting pitchers have allowed 24 runs in 22 innings and taken the loss in all six games, marking the first time that's occurred in club history.

Tuesday’s game saw slight improvement in that department, with Bassitt becoming the first A’s starter to complete six innings this season. His loss boiled down to two mistake pitches in the third inning that resulted in back-to-back homers by Muncy and Ríos. Both pitches came on 1-2 counts. Both missed up in the zone and were crushed, a fastball to Muncy and a curveball to Ríos.

Though Bassitt only issued one walk, he was displeased with his lack of control. The end result: Four runs allowed on nine hits.

“I don’t know if I hit a spot all night, to be honest,” Bassitt said. “My location was just awful. I haven’t had many teams when I’m missing a lot of spots hit me like that. We’ll make adjustments and I’ll clean it up.”

In a 2020 campaign that saw him finish eighth in AL Cy Young Award voting, Bassitt allowed just three earned runs and no homers in 37 1/3 innings pitched at the Coliseum. In two starts at the Coliseum in 2021, he’s allowed seven earned runs and two long balls in 11 1/3 innings.

A slumping offense
The A’s .169 team batting average ranks lowest in the AL. On Tuesday night, the offense was silenced by Kershaw, who produced a brilliant seven-inning, eight-strikeout performance, allowing just one run allowed on four hits.

Six of nine hitters from Tuesday’s starting lineup are batting .167 or lower. The trio of Matt Chapman, Elvis Andrus and Mitch Moreland have combined to hit .089 (5-for-56) through six games.

“We could do something a little different tomorrow,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said when asked of a possible shakeup with the batting order. “We have [Seth Brown] here and he may get a start tomorrow. We only have so many guys and typically the guys on the bench have been injured. There’s only so much you can do.”