MILWAUKEE -- The Athletics missed out on achieving what would have been their first .500 record through their first 22 games of a season since 2021, but the bigger concern might be the status of a starting rotation member.
In the bottom of the third inning of Sunday’s 14-1 loss to the Brewers at American Family Field on Sunday, starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs winced in pain while coming off the mound attempting to field an infield single hit by Sal Frelick. After being evaluated by director of sports medicine Brian Schulman, manager Mark Kotsay quickly decided to pull Springs from the game with the A’s already trailing by six runs.
Later in the game, the A’s announced that Springs was removed from the game due to right hamstring soreness. Afterward, Kotsay revealed that Springs had been dealing with flu-like symptoms over the past few days, which may have exacerbated his fatigue following a long first inning in which he threw over 30 pitches and saw the Brewers record a franchise-record six stolen bases in one inning -- becoming the first team in at least the Divisional Era (1969) to accomplish the feat (per MLB.com’s Sarah Langs).
“It’s a lower hamstring, I would say tightness or cramp,” Kotsay said. “I think it was just the long innings and the dehydration.”
Kotsay indicated that Springs will likely undergo further evaluations through the team’s off-day on Monday, though neither he nor Springs had concerns about the injury becoming a long-term issue in the immediate aftermath.
“I’m alright,” Springs said. “I think it was a cramp in my hamstring. It started in the second inning and got a little bit worse trying to get over to first base.”
Losing Springs for any period of time would not be ideal. The A’s traded for him this offseason to co-anchor the rotation alongside Luis Severino, and through his four starts, Springs entered Sunday tied for the Major League lead with three wins.
If Spring were to miss time, the A’s would likely reach down to their pitching depth at Triple-A Las Vegas for a replacement, with Joey Estes and top prospects Gunnar Hoglund (A’s No. 14 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) and Mason Barnett (No. 3) the likely options.
Springs’ next turn in the rotation would come on Saturday against the White Sox at Sutter Health Park.
“We’ll see how tomorrow is and look at it day by day,” Springs said. “In my mind, I’ll be good to go.”
Sunday’s series finale got out of hand early, with the Brewers constantly applying pressure by wreaking havoc on the basepaths throughout the afternoon. The A’s ended up allowing nine stolen bases, which tied the franchise record for most in a single game.
Seven of Milwaukee’s stolen bases came while Springs was on the mound, taking advantage of a tell in his delivery by running almost every time he utilized a high leg kick to the plate.
“Anything that could have went wrong felt like it did,” Springs said. “I didn’t control the running game. Too many walks. Just a poor effort on my part to not make any adjustments to stop that kind of stuff. I’ll look at it, work on it and fix it.”
The A’s were stifled offensively by Brewers starter Logan Henderson, who in his Major League debut racked up nine strikeouts in six innings and allowed just one run on a Seth Brown solo shot.
Sunday’s loss, however, highlighted what continues to be a rough start to the season on defense. The A’s committed a season-high four errors, which brought their total to 21 on the year and ranks second-most in the Majors behind only the Red Sox.
"There’s no doubt our defense has let us down in a few games and a few opportunities to win games that we’ve had slip away,” Kotsay said. “The metrics don’t lie. We’re aware of it. … Those are things that we’re talking about and addressing.”
Overall, the A’s will take the positives of what was an overall encouraging road trip. They went 4-2 against the White Sox and Brewers, and will next return to West Sacramento for a six-game homestand that begins on Tuesday against the American League West-leading Rangers.
“We took care of the games that we felt good and competitive in,” Kotsay said. “Coming off this trip, 4-2 is not a great road trip, but a good road trip.”