Notes: Piscotty scratched; Irvin making case
The A’s outfield depth took another hit on Friday after Stephen Piscotty was scratched from the lineup due to left wrist soreness just minutes before a 6-1 loss to the Cubs.
Piscotty’s wrist issue comes during a week where the A’s have already sidelined two other outfielders in Ramón Laureano (left side soreness) and Buddy Reed (right quad strain). Though Piscotty’s injury is not considered to be too serious, A’s manager Bob Melvin said the outfielder will likely be held out of games through the team’s off-day on Sunday.
“We just wanted to try to get ahead of this thing,” Melvin said. “He’s feeling tendinitis to an extent and is having a little trouble getting loose. He takes a few swings and then it gets loose. We’re just trying to get him through the off-day and, hopefully, he’ll be back playing again.”
In nine Cactus League games, Piscotty is batting .150 with eight strikeouts in 25 plate appearances. He’s looking to bounce back after hitting just .226 in 45 games last season.
Tony Kemp, who has primarily played second base with Oakland, replaced Piscotty in the lineup and played left field. Chad Pinder moved from left to Piscotty’s usual spot in right.
With Laureano, Piscotty and Reed all down for an unknown amount of time -- and other outfielders like Luis Barrera, Greg Deichmann and Skye Bolt recently optioned from big league camp -- the A’s might have to get creative in how they configure their outfield in the coming week.
“We’ve got a lot of outfielders down right now,” Melvin said. “We’re having to make sure we can finish some games with outfielders. We might have to call somebody back up just to try to finish up games because we have quite a few outfielders that are out.”
Irvin quietly making his case
The A’s trade for Cole Irvin from the Phillies in January was viewed as merely a move to provide pitching depth in the Minor Leagues. But with Mike Fiers trending towards not being ready for Opening Day as he deals with inflammation in his left hip, Irvin is becoming a surprise option for the open slot in Oakland’s rotation.
Entering in the sixth inning on Friday, Irvin finished the game by tossing four scoreless innings and limiting the Cubs to just two hits. He did not issue a walk and struck out a batter.
Irvin has now allowed one run or fewer in all four of his Cactus League outings this season, posting a 1.50 ERA with eight strikeouts and just one walk in 12 innings. Even if Fiers were to be ready to pitch by the start of the regular season, Irvin has emerged as a candidate to pitch in Oakland at some point early in the season.
“We’re still stretching him out to be a starter, so nothing has been decided there,” Melvin said of Irvin. “Depending on Mike, we know we have four starters. It’s the fifth spot that is still up for grabs at this point. [Irvin's] sinker is terrific, and he uses his breaking ball just enough. He’s still competing. Whether it’s giving us length in the bullpen or starting, he’s certainly had a good showing for us.”
Up next
The A’s travel to Tempe, Ariz., for a 1:10 p.m. PT game against the Angels on Saturday. Right-hander Chris Bassitt takes the mound for his third spring start. Righty Jaime Barría will start for Los Angeles.