'Quiet confidence' helps Medina impress A's

OAKLAND -- Luis Medina's second Major League start went a whole lot better than his first.

Hours after being recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas, the A's 24-year-old right-hander pitched six strong innings Thursday against the visiting Rangers, limiting the league’s highest-scoring offense to three runs on five hits with three strikeouts in a 4-0 loss at the Coliseum.

“Super impressed,” Oakland catcher Shea Langeliers said of Medina's outing. “Came out and pounded the zone, landed offspeed pitches, threw his fastball for strikes and was efficient doing it, too.”

It was just the A’s seventh quality start all season, and a marked improvement from Medina’s debut last month against the Angels which saw him allow eight runs (seven earned) in five innings.

“Last start against the Angels, they got on his fastball pretty aggressively,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “So coming out tonight, the goal was to get a good mix of pitches, and he accomplished that really well. There was a lot of progress made from his first in the big leagues to this start.”

Added Medina: “Every game teaches you how you have to be and how you have to work. Every game is different. Every game, you learn something.”

Known for his electric fastball that can touch triple digits, Medina worked his curveball, slider and changeup into the mix as well, to Kotsay’s point.

He threw just 38 fastballs out of 87 total pitches, with 22 curves, 14 sliders and 13 changeups, and the mix helped keep the Texas lineup off-balance.

“Sometimes it just comes down to if he can land his offspeed for strikes and throw that when he’s behind in the count, ahead in the count, what not,” Langeliers explained. “It’s just going to make him that much better. It’s going to make his fastball more explosive and it’s just going to give him more opportunities to have success.”

Perhaps most notable, Medina didn’t issue a single walk Thursday, something that has plagued him so far in his young career. He's walked 15 in just 13 1/3 innings this year at Triple-A Las Vegas.

“Tonight was great to see a young starter go out with no walks, with three strikeouts, pitch through the sixth inning, less than 90 pitches,” Kotsay praised. “Those are all signs of things going in the right direction.”

Before the game, Kotsay suggested that Medina might have an opportunity to stick in the starting rotation if he performed well.

Medina did his part, and Kotsay confirmed afterward that he would indeed get another start.

“I think Luis will stay in the rotation moving forward,” Kotsay said. “With [Mason] Miller on the IL, I definitely see Luis getting another opportunity.”

Medina’s performance was certainly a welcome sight for an A’s team that has allowed runs at an alarmingly high rate. Oakland’s 7.34 ERA is nearly two full runs higher than the next worst team in the Majors (White Sox, 5.67).

Obviously, the run support wasn’t there Thursday, but Medina remained more concerned with his improvement.

“I put my focus on being the best,” he said. “I don’t know about results or what’s going to happen in the game, but I just put my focus on doing my job and being great.”

Just two starts into his career, Medina has already captured the attention of his manager and teammates alike.

“This kid’s a competitor and you can see it in his eyes,” Kotsay said. “You can see it in the emotion overall.”

Added Langeliers: “He’s got that quiet confidence about him. … He’s young, but he’s got an impressive mentality and the sky is the limit for him.”