The A's have yet to announce a starting pitcher for Sunday's game in San Diego against the Padres, though it's typically the spot that Jacob Lopez would hold in the rotation.

A couple of days ago we noted that Gage Jump has been turning a corner the past two starts, but argued that he'd need more of a track record of that success to get the call. We also noted that he'd be on short rest on Sunday, so if anyone new is getting the call, it's not going to be him. 

Ahead of Friday's game, A's manager Mark Kotsay discussed the plans for Sunday without giving away what to expect.

"Jacob's lined up for that day. We're gonna see how we get there right now. This is a 16-game stretch, so it's a grind to go through these stretches. You see our bullpen's been pitched a lot. There's always opportunity — whether we choose to insert someone, whether we choose to open someone, we're going to leave our options open for Sunday and see how this series plays itself out." 

Kotsay's answer runs the gamut of options, from inserting a new starter into the mix to simply using an opener to help get some length from Lopez. 

The left-hander has a 6.14 ERA on the season, which looks awful, but a deeper look shows that he's actually been much better from the first through fourth innings, generally before he hits the 65-pitch mark. 

In innings one through four, Lopez has totaled 35 2/3 innings, giving up 32 hits, 12 earned runs, 22 walks and striking out 24 in that span. That works out to a 3.03 ERA. 

His biggest issue has been in the fifth and sixth innings, where he has totaled just 8 1/3 innings through nine starts, giving up 17 hits, 18 earned runs, eight walks and striking out eight. That comes to an ERA of 19.44. 

That has also put the A's in an odd spot, because he's been great for the first four innings. If he can just get through five at that same pace, that's a valuable pitcher to the club. He's shown enough in those early innings to buy himself some time to figure things out. 

But with the vagueness surrounding Sunday's start, the A's at least appear open to exploring alternatives for how Lopez is deployed.

The option that makes the most sense may simply be using an opener in front of Lopez and treating him more like a bulk reliever, allowing the A's to piece together five or six strong innings.

I asked Kotsay about that strategy on May 3.

"There's always ways to look at using openers, whether they're successful or not. Watched a game last night they used an opener and it didn't go well. Getting a guy through the lineup a third time generally plays itself out based on runs, based on how he's seemingly pitched for the previous four innings. 

"Like you said, it's something that stands out right now. There's always options on the table to see how we manage that situation, but we still see Jacob as a valuable starter, and someone that has had success in the past while being able to manage a lineup a third time."

Whether the A's turn to Lopez or someone else on Sunday, the numbers make it pretty clear that some sort of adjustment could be beneficial. Through four innings, Lopez has generally given the A's a chance to win. After that, opponents have pushed his ERA to nearly 20.00.

With the bullpen already stretched during this 16-game run, maximizing Lopez's effectiveness while preserving arms for next week's series against the Mariners may be the balancing act the A's are trying to manage. 

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