The A's don't have a talent problem in the bullpen. They have a mentality problem. Three converted starters-turned-relievers are the key to unlocking this team's potential — and on Sunday we talked with two of them. One has found it. The other is still searching.

The A's finished the month of May with an 11-17 record after a tough homestand to finish the month, going 1-5 against the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees, and getting outscored 47-20 in the six-game span. Obviously the pitching staff wasn't up to par at home, and it certainly doesn't help that veterans Aaron Civale and Luis Severino ended up on the IL, either. 

The A's team ERA in the month of May ended up at 4.75, ranking them 24th in MLB. That broke down to a 4.72 ERA from the starters — including Sunday's meltdown from Jacob Lopez — and a 5.05 ERA for the bullpen. The pitching staff as a whole just wasn't where the A's need it to be, and part of the problem is the bullpen's roles. 

The main issue is that no closer has separated themselves from the pack this season, which has left everyone in the bullpen open to be used at any time, based upon matchups and how the game is playing out. Without that final boss at the end of the game just looming, the roles are less defined. 

Some days, this works out great. Manager Mark Kotsay does a great job of balancing the pieces he has to work with each day to try and piece together the winning puzzle. Some days his guys have it, and sometimes they don't. That's normal, and part of a regular season.

But when the strategy doesn't go according to plan and a pivot is needed, that's when the A's get into trouble. Based on both stuff and location pitch modeling data, the guy in the ninth should end up being Jack Perkins. He has a Stuff+ grade of 102 and a Location+ of 105, giving him the best combination of the two grades. 

The A's also realize that this is a brand-new role that they're asking Perkins to embrace after coming through the minors as a starting pitcher. On Saturday night he came into the ninth inning with a five-run lead in an effort to get him some late-inning confidence. 

Instead, he recorded a strikeout, then allowed a single and a walk, struck out Anthony Volpe and allowed a second walk to load the bases for Ben Rice. It was at that point that Perkins was removed from the game. 

Over the weekend, Kotsay mentioned that he'd much rather get beat on allowing hits than giving up walks. If those baserunners had reached on base hits, Kotsay may have let Perkins continue to see if he could get out of the threat. It was the walks that made the decision. 

On Sunday morning, Perkins and Kotsay had a meeting before the game, which basically consisted of the manager telling his righty that his stuff is nasty and that he has to go out there and attack hitters. The righty also has the best strikeout rate on the team at 28%, and one of the lowest walk rates at 5.9%. 

On Sunday afternoon, Perkins was called upon to deliver the A's from the 13-run third inning, securing the final out of the inning and racking up seven outs total without allowing a baserunner. 

"Really placed a big emphasis on [attacking hitters] today," Perkins said after the game. "To be able to do that against their lineup, I feel like just continues to instill confidence in myself that I can get even the best in the game out. It's up to me to pound the zone, and be the aggressor." 

During our morning conversation, the focus was on being able to flip that switch and kick it into a higher gear on the mound, when needed. 

Part of that tightrope walk comes with this being a new position for Perkins, and learning about how to be mentally ready for a save opportunity in the ninth, where even one run allowed could be the difference between a win and a loss, rather than giving up three in the first inning and then firing six shutout innings to follow. 

There is a different level of pressure, and it takes time to adjust. 

Hogan Harris has turned himself into a tremendously reliable relief arm for the A's. After a tough rookie season, the left-hander has been primarily a bullpen arm for the green and gold and has put up a 2.95 ERA since 2024 across 103 1/3 innings with an ERA+ of 144 (100 is league average). 

Harris isn't the most refined pitcher on the staff, but his mindset on the mound is what has set him apart. At the end of the 2025 season, Kotsay described his attitude on the mound as a "F--- you" mentality, where he could give up a home run, immediately flush that, and then strike out the side. 

AthleticsRoundtable spoke with Harris before Sunday's game as well, and asked him how he found that mentality within himself.

"It took a little while, to be honest. Honestly, I never felt it until they trusted to put me in leverage. You just gotta feel that adrenaline once, and then once you feel it  — for me at least — once I felt it I kind of figured out what I wanted to feel before I went in."

He also warned that you have to be wary of getting too excited, because then you start going crazy.

"I'd say the biggest thing is just learning that middle ground, where it's just you want to be excited, but you also want to be under control."

Harris also touched on how he prepares during the offseason, which involves throwing as hard as he can while under control. Essentially he's looking to maximize his velocity while also being able to throw enough strikes in order to be effective. 

His mindset is basically that he'd rather get beat by hits than walks, because at least they earned it that way. He's also confident enough in his stuff that he's not going to get beat very often, which is supported by a .212 batting average against.  

That is what Kotsay seems to be getting from Perkins, and even Luis Medina, who has shown flashes of the same vulnerability on the mound. Medina is in the bullpen after missing the 2025 campaign while recovering from Tommy John surgery, while a lack of options didn't allow for him to try for a starting spot.

He's taken to the new role well, posting a 2.88 ERA across 25 innings of work, along with a 1.20 WHIP. Like Harris, he's not getting hit much, holding a .204 BAA. 

The duo of Medina and Perkins — two starting pitchers that have found their way into relief roles by different means — could end up being the two most important pitchers on the A's roster the rest of the season. If they combine to form the eighth and ninth inning pair, then all of a sudden the rest of the bullpen can start to fall into place.