What's Wrong With Oakland? 5 Ways The A's Can Turn It Around
The baseball season is more than 30 games deep and the Oakland A's have nothing but a disappointing 12-22 record to show for it.
The team is young and filled with potential, but so far this year they have posted the second-worst record in the league. In an already weak division, the A's season is far from over - here are some key improvements they will have to make to turn their season around:
- Stay Healthy
In the team's latest injury report, Ike Davis, Ben Zobrist and Eric O'Flaherty joined A.J. Griffin, Sean Doolittle and Jarrod Parker on the disabled list. Those starters missing time hurts the A's, but not as much as the lack of pitching.
Like I said, this team is young - with all these injuries, several prospects could get their brief stint to help out the club. Until we see it, the vets are going to have to stay healthy.
- You go, Coco
Coco Crisp has had 21 at-bats in 5 games this year after starting the year on the disabled list. He has no hits, one walk, six strikeouts and he's induced a double-play. With Sam Fuld filling in his spot this year - and only hitting .206 with five RBIs - Crisp's presence would help this club a ton at the top of the lineup if he can get going.
- Busted Bullpen
The A's have had some great bullpens in the past, but this year's group has fans shaking their heads in the later innings.
Tyler Clippard and Evan Scribner have been terrific thus far, but everyone else has been a disappointment. Fernando Abad and Dan Otero somehow lost their form from last year, posting ERAs over 5.50. If the A's want to hold a lead, they need to get guys like Abad and Otero to pick up some slack.
- Let Burns run wild
The A's have a weapon. He's no secret in the minors after stealing 128 bases over the last two seasons and the A's have him on their bench. Yes, it's Billy Burns.
This guy is fast - like, deadly fast. He should be spot starting in the outfield instead of the struggling Fuld. His ability to put pressure on the defense and opposing pitchers is a rarity. That kind of pressure could translate into a whole lot of runs. I say let the kid run.
- C'mon, it's just one run
We all know how exciting Green Collar baseball can be: late innings, tight scores, high-intensity endings. While that may be true, this year the A's have lost 11 out of 12 one-run games. While they have been consistently close and not blown out, they need to figure out a way to win these games where one swing of a bat can tie or give them the lead.
Russell Preston - KHTK Sacramento
