Jack Perkins' first start of 2026 was a mixed bag, and Mason Barnett looked like the best version of himself out of the bullpen — though the sweeper usage against Houston leaves some questions worth asking.
Last weekend Jack Perkins, then a member of the A's bullpen, said that he enjoys starting because if he gave up three runs in the first inning, he could still salvage the start from there by shutting the opposing team down.
Four batters into his first start of 2026, he'd allowed a three-run homer to Houston Astros DH Isaac Paredes, but true to his word, he more or less shut down the 'Stros from that point forward.
While his final line will say that he gave up five earned runs, two of those occurred because of a ball that got past right fielder Carlos Cortes to score Yordan Alvarez even with his 5th percentile sprint speed. Christian Walker (18th percentile sprint speed) finished with a triple and an RBI on the play.
The final line reads four innings pitched, five hits, five earned runs, two walks and six strikeouts.
Still, it was enough to earn Perkins another look in the A's rotation, this time with a higher pitch limit. On Friday he was limited to 75 pitches, which got him one batter into the fifth inning, who he walked.
"One bad pitch really, to Paredes in the first," is how A's manager Mark Kotsay described his starter's outing. "Outside of that, I thought he did a great job."
Kotsay also mentioned the misplayed ball in right, saying that the outcome wasn't great and the final line wasn't ideal, but, "overall, outside of the first inning, I thought he did a nice job."
Mason Barnett Makes a Statement
Earlier in the week, the question that Kotsay was fielding most frequently was who would be getting the start for the A's on Saturday, Mason Barnett or Kade Morris. Both were called up this week, and while Morris will be making his MLB debut, Barnett is far from a seasoned vet himself, having just 24 1/3 career innings under his belt.
Morris earned the nod for the A's, leaving Barnett in long relief. On Friday, in relief of Perkins, he delivered. The 25-year-old right-hander tossed four shutout innings, giving up just one hit and a pair of walks while striking out seven batters on 64 pitches.
"That outing for Barnett is probably the best we've seen him," Kotsay said after the game.
What's worth watching with Barnett is that it looked like the A's gameplan against Houston was to go heavy on sweepers. Perkins typically throws his about 31% of the time, but it was up to 43% on Friday with a 42% whiff rate.
Barnett threw his sweeper 21% of the time last season, and 14% of the time in his two prior big-league innings this season, but on Friday night that was up to 30%. His sweeper generated six whiffs on nine swings, good for a 67% whiff rate.
So how much of this performance was having the right arsenal against the right team in a game in which the opponent had a 5-0 lead until the sixth, and how much of it was Barnett's own transformation?
Carlos Cortes' Defense
Cortes has been the A's starting right fielder since Sunday, May 17. The two games before that he had sat against a right-handed starter, and since that date he hasn't sat a game except for when a left-hander is on the mound.
Since that time he is still batting .279 with a .426 OBP, four runs, two RBI and a 139 wRC+ (100 is league average). The bat is still working for him, and his on-base has vaulted him to the top of the A's lineup most games these days.
But his defense in right field could be what ends up opening the door for more opportunities for other outfielders.
Among all right fielders in baseball this season, Cortes' -5 outs above average rank 84th among 84 right fielders with at least ten attempts. There have been 388 players in baseball with at least 10 attempts at their defensive position, and Cortes ranks tied for 371st.
The team's defense started off strong but has become a weak point for the club recently. If his bat slows down at all, or Butler starts to get even a little warmer, the A's could decide to go with a defense-first option instead. The problem is, the offense has been either red-hot or ice cold, and Cortes has been a steadying force offensively, so they need that bat in the lineup most days.
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