Who will be the A's No. 5 Starter with Joey Estes Optioned?
Yesterday, the Athletics optioned right-hander Joey Estes to Triple-A Las Vegas after a pair of rough starts to begin the season. The 23-year-old had totaled just seven innings in those two outings, giving up 15 hits, 12 earned runs, and six walks while striking out five against the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies.
A's manager Mark Kotsay cited his drop in velocity from last year to this year, as well as a lack of command over his secondary offerings as the reasons for the decision.
With Estes down, the A's called up 32-year-old Jason Alexander, but he is not on the roster to take over Estes' spot by the sound of things. As we discussed yesterday, Mitch Spence, who was in competition with Estes for that fifth spot, ended up tossing 4.1 innings out of the bullpen on Sunday in Colorado, so Alexander is in West Sacramento to serve as the fresh long-man.
The A's have not formally made a decision about who will take over the fifth spot in the rotation. A decision will likely be made by Kotsay and the front office following Wednesday's game against the San Diego Padres.
The way this all works out will depend on how Jeffrey Springs and Osvaldo Bido end up pitching on Tuesday and Wednesday. If one of them is roughed up and Alexander is needed to eat a chunk of innings, then the chances are that Spence would remain in the bullpen as the relatively fresh bulk reliever heading into the weekend series with the New York Mets.
In that scenario, Alexander would be sent back down to Las Vegas, while the A's promote the player that would end up being the starter on Saturday. Right now, it would appear as though J.T. Ginn would be that player, given his hot start to the season. Through two outings, Ginn holds a 1.64 ERA (0.62 FIP) with a 51.4% strikeout rate and a 5.4% walk rate.
The one hangup could be that Ginn last pitched on Thursday, so he'd have more than a week in between starts.
He's banging on the door for his next opportunity, and he's more of a ground ball pitcher, which could be a great fit for the A's new home ballpark.
If both Springs and Bido end up going five or six innings and the bullpen is in good shape, then Spence could end up getting the nod on Saturday instead, since he just pitched on Sunday in relief of Estes, lining him up perfectly to take over that spot in the rotation.
There is also a third option, and this one relies less on what exactly happens in the next two games. With the off-day on Thursday, the A's could also just skip the fifth starter in the rotation this turn, and continue rolling with their rotation.
In this scenario, Severino would get the ball on Saturday, and Springs would start on Sunday. The A's also have an off-day on Monday, April 14, and would be able to stay on turn with just a four-man rotation.
In fact, with off-days scheduled for April 10, 14, and 21, the A's wouldn't need a fifth starter until April 25 when they face the Chicago White Sox at home.
All of these are potential options, but the most likely outcome is either Ginn or Spence taking on that fifth spot in the rotation. While the A's would be able to get away without a fifth starter for a couple of weeks, it's still early enough in the season that you don't necessarily want to be heaping innings on guys just yet, as they continue to build up.
The determining factor between Ginn and Spence could end up being how many pitches each would be projected to be able to handle. Spence was able to throw 56 pitches on Sunday, so he'd likely be good for around 70-75 as a starter. Ginn was able to toss 82 in his last start on April 3 and could be good for around 95-100.
Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.