Waldichuk's changed-up game plan pays off

OAKLAND -- The pitching matchup between Ken Waldichuk and Chris Bassitt on Tuesday naturally provided the rebuilding A’s a mixture of a nostalgic look into their past and a glimpse into what they hope will be a brighter future.

Bassitt, of course, pitched for the A’s from 2015-21. Over that six-year span, he battled some early inconsistencies. By the end of his tenure, he had morphed into an All-Star and ace of the staff, a role Oakland believes Waldichuk -- rated the club’s top pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline entering this season -- is talented enough to one day blossom into himself.

As the game unfolded, it became clear that both pitchers were performing at the height of their capabilities. Waldichuk and Bassitt traded zeros all night, with neither starter truly blinking at any point.

The A’s 7-1 defeat to the Blue Jays at the Coliseum was one mostly decided by their bullpen. While Bassitt finished with eight innings of one-run ball, A’s relievers combined to allow six runs in the seventh after taking over for Waldichuk, who blanked Toronto across six scoreless innings and departed in a scoreless tie.

“It was pretty fun just going back and forth to see who would crack first,” Waldichuk said. “[Bassitt] was just able to keep that pitch count down and go deeper. But going back and forth dueling was pretty cool.”

As a result of Waldichuk entering the day fourth among Major League rookies in strikeouts (114), one downfall the left-hander has often run into in his first full season in the big leagues is early high pitch counts, a result of chasing those punchouts.

On Tuesday, Waldichuk upped the efficiency on the mound, getting through his first four innings on 57 pitches. A pair of walks in the fifth and sixth led to his departure after completing the sixth at 90 pitches. Still, he walked away with a stellar outing against a team that is in the upper echelon of offenses in the league, limiting Toronto to four hits and three walks with three strikeouts as he produced his third quality start of 2023.

“That was an amazing outing for Ken in terms of handling that lineup and going through it successfully,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “We talk a lot about his ability to continue to improve and make the adjustments. That’s a highlight there for the kid. He dominated the zone. Mixed his pitches. Landed some breaking balls. He threw his changeup to get some soft contact and got some double plays. Just an outstanding job.”

Waldichuk credited his changeup -- a pitch he only threw for two called strikes and zero whiffs in his previous start at Seattle on Aug. 29 -- for allowing him to pitch deeper this time out. In addition to the changeup generating seven of his 13 whiffs on Tuesday, it was also a pitch he leaned on to produce several early-count outs, thus keeping his pitch count relatively low.

“It is vital,” Waldichuk said of his changeup. “With how my four-seam kind of carries up and my slider moves towards a righty, I need something that moves away with them to keep them honest. With those three pitches, I think I can see more success.”

With likely five more starts left in the season, the A’s want to see Waldichuk develop more consistency putting together deeper outings like he did on Tuesday. The overall numbers are not overly attractive -- Waldichuk’s ERA sits at 5.63 over 31 games (20 starts) this season.

Over the past month, however, encouraging signs have formed. In his last eight games (seven starts), Waldichuk has posted a 3.38 ERA (15 earned runs in 40 innings pitched), with 39 strikeouts and 18 walks.

“Ken has been pitching better,” Kotsay said. “I think [his] progression has been throwing more strikes. Utilizing that changeup can be very valuable for him in the long term. … Getting him deeper into games is the goal.”