Estrada makes A's debut: 'It went pretty well'

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Thrown into live game action for the first time in the green and gold Sunday, A’s starter Marco Estrada was promptly greeted by a pair of homers from his new division mates.

Mike Trout and Albert Pujols went back-to-back for a combined three runs off Estrada, who otherwise looked strong in his Cactus League debut.

“The pitch to Trout was actually where I wanted it,” Estrada said. “He’s a good hitter. Then I missed the one to Pujols, which I wasn’t too happy about, but overall, I thought it went pretty well.”

The veteran right-hander went three innings in the A’s 4-1 loss to the host Angels, yielding six hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

“It’s nice to get out there again and feel like you’re part of the team and get your work in,” Estrada said.

“Obviously, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but I made a lot of good pitches. I think at the end I started leaving pitches up a little bit.”

Estrada was also wary of tipping his pitches, which he’s been prone to do in the past -- particularly when throwing his changeup out of the stretch.

“It was the first thing I was told in camp,” he said. “I gotta be careful with that, because guys do look for it.”

Estrada, 35, was hurt by the home run at a startling rate last season, allowing 29 of them in 143 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays. It’s been a common trend in his 11-year career, one he hopes to buck while pitching within the vast Coliseum.

The A’s took this into consideration when signing him to a one-year, $4 million deal this winter.

"He definitely knows how to pitch," Trout said. "He's got good stuff. He's not overpowering, but he can locate. If you can locate in the big leagues, you'll go a long way. It's a battle every time with him because his ball moves late and he's got a good changeup. It's going to be a battle all year facing him, facing the guys over there in Oakland. It's going to be fun."

Estrada is expected to line up behind likely Opening Day starter Mike Fiers, which means the two are tentatively scheduled to pitch in regular-season games against the Mariners in Tokyo on March 20-21.

Fiers threw in a simulated game on the Minor League side on Sunday, and the A’s anticipated both to surpass the 60-pitch mark by the end of Sunday, meaning they should be close to 100 by the time they depart for Japan.

“I’ll definitely be ready,” Estrada said. “I just need a couple out there. It’s more about me being comfortable again and getting the fans, the adrenaline that kicks in.”

Worth Noting

• Right-hander Grant Holmes, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the A’s No. 12 prospect, also made his Cactus League debut Sunday, tossing a perfect inning in relief. Holmes was sidelined for almost all of 2018 with shoulder issues.

The pitcher was one of more than a dozen players included in the latest round of cuts following Sunday’s game. Along with Holmes, infielder Jorge Mateo and outfielders Skye Bolt and Luis Barrera were optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas.

In addition, pitchers Dean Kiekhefer, Kyle Lobstein, Parker Bridwell, Jake Buchanan, Kyle Finnegan, Miguel Romero and Norge Ruiz, catchers Jonah Heim and Beau Taylor, and infielder Corban Joseph were reassigned to Minor League camp.

That leaves 45 players in A’s camp with 11 days remaining before the team leaves for Japan.