Elephant Rumblings: starting pitching depth being tested

MLB news roundup

Welcome to another new week, AN!

The A’s dropped their series opener against the division-rival Houston Astros yesterday, getting pummeled 9-2 in an embarrassing loss. The Astros have struggled this year to a 16-25 record and could end up being sellers if they don’t start turning things around, possibly putting Star third baseman Alex Bregman on the trade block. The A’s would love to see that but losing against them only gives them hope of a possible comeback. Fangraphs and bettors still give the Astros a close to 50/50 shot at the postseason but that’s nowhere near the certainty that they believed at the outset of the season. Houston won’t tear it down to the studs but we could see a sell off, especially if the A’s can take a couple of these games on their own turf.

On the Athletics’ side of things the starting rotation continues to fall apart due to injuries. First it was rookie right-hander Joe Boyle who went down with a lower back strain, putting him on the shelf for at least the next couple weeks. Then we got news that veteran lefty Alex Wood has been pushing through his own injury, this time a much more serious shoulder problem. We don’t know how his visit with the doctor went just yet but it’s feeling more and more likely that Wood will miss some time. And then to top it all off, the club announced that staff ace Paul Blackburn has a broken foot and was placed on the IL today. No timetable, just news that he’s in a walking boot. It would be a minor miracle if Blackburn returns before the end of June.

And that’s not all! Left-hander Ken Waldichuk, the main return piece for trading Frankie Montas to the New York Yankees, is set to have elbow surgery that will almost surely sideline him for the rest of the 2024 season, putting a pause on his development as a future rotation piece. Waldichuk already had surgery at the end of last year so the fact that he needs another is anything but good. If it is the dreaded Tommy John surgery then there’s a chance we might not see Waldichuk until 2026. He’s taken the mound at the Oakland Coliseum for the last time.

On the more positive side of things, this season is already going much better than last year, mainly because we get to see so many young players making their big league debuts and helping the team win. It wasn’t fun watching Jace Peterson and Vimael Machin taking reps at the hot corner when we knew neither of them were long-term players. It is exciting to watch guys like Brett Harris, JJ Bleday, Darell Hernaiz and Tyler Soderstrom get at-bats and show the world what they got.

Have a happy Tuesday everyone! And go A’s!

A’s Coverage:

• A’s drop first game in Houston 9-2
• Paul Blackburn placed on IL
• Ken Waldichuk to undergo elbow surgery
• It’s Fun When “Let the Kids Play” Works
• Nevada Supreme Court rejects ballot measure on A’s ballpark funding

MLB News & Interest:

• MLB agrees to deal with Roku to streak Sunday games
• Giants place outfielder Lee on 10-day IL with shoulder injury
• Cubs place reliever Alzolay on IL with forearm strain
• Orioles could pursue closing help at deadline
• Brewers’ Rhys Hoskins leaves game with unknown injury
• Mets’ Senga: Need more time before return to big leagues
• Reds place JT Friedl back on IL with thumb fracture
• Outfielder David Peralta opts out of Cubs deal
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Always love hearing about improvement from the young players:

Cool!

Kotsay speaks on Blackburn: