James Kaprielian: "This is My Journey. It's Just Part of My Path"

A's starter James Kaprielian has impressive outing against the Texas Rangers in the loss

James Kaprielian didn't know he was starting Saturday's game against the Texas Rangers until late Friday night. He went out and turned in easily his best start of the season, and completed seven frames for just the fourth time in his career. 

He went 7 IP, gave up 6 hits, allowed 3 ER, walked one and struck out 7. 

The first run came in the first inning, when former teammate Marcus Semien singled to lead off the game, then proceeded to steal second and third. Nathaniel Lowe brought him home with an rbi single. 

Josh Smith led off the third with a double, was advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, and was brought home on a Semien sac-fly. Lowe led off the fourth with a booming homer to left. After that homer, Kaprielian settled in and retired 11 of 12 hitters with the lone exception being a hit batter. He got into a little trouble with two down in the seventh, but pitched his way out of it.

The difference in this start compared to his others this season is that Kap was trying to get back to himself and go out there and compete instead of thinking about his mechanics.

He was a little anxious early on, but then felt that he and catcher Shea Langeliers clicked. "There was just a time where I'm going fastball in and I'm executing it, and I'm just going for it and being the aggressor, being the hunter. It wasn't that question in the back of my mind today 'can I execute this pitch?' I was just goin' for it."

He also said that being in Las Vegas was a breath of fresh air. "I give credit to Fran [Riordan], B.C. [pitching coach Bryan Corey], and the team for welcoming me, being helpful, and helping me just kind of feel like an athlete again on the mound. I think that's the way I thrive. My mechanics are never going to be perfect, and I think the fact that we are able to embrace that and understand that that's what makes me me, and makes me deceptive, makes my stuff break the way it does, I think that's going to help get me back on track."

For a player that has been in the big leagues for any amount of time, going back to the minors is never easy. Including Saturday's game, Kaprielian has made 59 appearances on a MLB mound, including 51 starts. Still, he had a feeling that a return to the minors could be on the horizon ahead of his demotion. 

"If I'm being honest, I thought that it would be the end of the world. It had been something that had been clouding me for a long time and I felt like it was coming. The world kept spinning when I heard the news. I took a day or two to collect my thoughts. I'm very fortunate to have my family, my support system back home, my girlfriend, and all these people who keep me on track."

"Right away I just kind of bought into it. This is my journey. It's just part of my path. It's not always come up to the show and stick here. I think it was important for me to try to buy in and go down there and be a good teammate and to continue to learn from those guys down there. Just do what I have to do to get back on track. I think we're starting to see things move in the right direction."

"It felt like the end of the world, and I quickly realized it wasn't." 

There has not been a determination for the next steps with Kaprielian on the A's roster, and that's ok according to him. "If they want to send me down again, that's whatever. I'm going to continue to work. I'm going to continue to be the person I am. I'll be the last one to find out, and that's ok. I'm just gonna be where my feet are."

The A's were being no-hit into the seventh when Jace Peterson lined a single to right off Ranger starter Jon Gray. "His changeup was working pretty good today, so I knew first at-bat he started me off with it, second at-bat he didn't, but I kind of figured with two outs there he might go back to it, so I was kind of looking for it." 

Peterson was also the primary focus of two big plays in the game, one on defense, and one on a controversial play at the plate. 

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— Oakland A's (@Athletics) May 13, 2023

The A's third baseman said that the bullpen did a good job of telling him "Mound! Mound!" as he approached the bullpen mound on his phenomenal catch in the second. 

After Peterson broke up the no-hitter with two down in the seventh, Ramón Laureano doubled, which led to a play at the plate that left everyone in the ballpark a little confused by both the initial ruling, and then the replay review upholding the out call. 

You be the ump … safe or out? 🧐 pic.twitter.com/Z0o07OU5ud

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Mark Kotsay said that if he had gone out for an explanation, he wouldn't have been around. "I'm not sure how they miss this one today. The tag is on the back, the leg is in front. I'm not sure how he made the call out to begin with, where the tag is placed and the runner's leg is. Overall, really disappointed with that call. It changed the game. It's 3-1 in the 7th with two outs and Ramón Laureano's on second base. It's just a different game. When it stands, it means they didn't have an angle, but there were two angles that we had that clearly show he's safe."

Notes: Zach Neal made his first appearance on a big-league mound since April 3, 2018 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. L.A. DFA'd him and then traded him to the Reds just a couple of days later, before re-acquiring him from the Reds in July. Neal spent the 2019-2021 seasons pitching in Japan before signing a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies last spring. 

Neal went two innings and gave up a two-run homer to Ezequiel Duran. He also struck out three and walked none.