A's Bullpen Finds Footing as Front Office Keeps Swinging

Since August 22, the Athletics are 10-8. While that may not seem like much, given the number of injuries the club has been facing and the difficulty the team has had with finding pitching throughout the year, this is a positive step at the end of the season.

The past two series have also seen the A's take three of four from the Seattle Mariners and two of three from the Toronto Blue Jays — two teams still clawing for a postseason berth. 

Since that date, the A's pitching staff as a whole has a 4.28 ERA (3.99 FIP), which ranks 16th (and 9th) in MLB. The bullpen has taken a big step forward in this span, holding a 2.81 ERA that ranks 5th in MLB while recording a league-leading seven saves. Elvis Alvarado (4 saves) and Hogan Harris (3 saves) have closed out those games. 

Part of this can be explained by the A's starting pitchers generally going at least five innings, which helps keep the bullpen more fresh. Manager Mark Kotsay also has a slew of arms that can provide more than three outs out of the bullpen, which provides more rest in between appearances for those relievers. Having a fresh bullpen leads to having a successful bullpen. 

But staying fresh is just one part of the equation. Another, as Kotsay explained after Wednesday's win over Toronto, is that the organization has kept bringing in fresh arms to get a look and provide them with an opportunity to be a part of this team moving forward.

"I think the best thing that we did was make moves, and continually make moves over the last six weeks to try to identify guys that we could find that got hot, and we found a couple, which is great," Kotsay said. "That's what we have to do going forward." 

Kotsay also mentioned that the club has been doing a better job of executing game plans and executing pitches. No qualified member of the A's bullpen has an ERA over 3.00 since August 22, with Luis Medina's 2.70 ERA (2.50 FIP) being the highest of the group.

One of the key additions to the bullpen in the second half has been Scott Blewett, 30, who was designated for assignment by the St. Louis Cardinals on July 22, and since joining the A's on July 30 he has a 2.39 ERA across 26 ⅓ innings.

The veteran right-hander is one of those names that has frequently been mentioned as a standout performer in the recent influx of bullpen arms, and has certainly helped settle things down, leading to better results overall. 

The question moving into the final few series of the season is which players will carve out a role for themselves on the 2027 team, and which will be seen as depth options heading into the offseason.