Athletics Drop Spring Opener In Loss To Padres

But baseball!

Well it wasn’t the outcome we wanted as the A’s dropped the spring opener to the Padres 10-3, but at least baseball season is officially in full swing!

The very first batter of the game was right fielder Lawrence Butler, who is reportedly engaged in extension talks with the Athletics. He got things started with a double on the very first pitch of the game, picking up right where he left off when he ended last season on an absolute tear. Young shortstop Jacob Wilson had a productive out and moved Butler to third before first baseman Tyler Soderstrom brought him home with an RBI single for the quick lead:

It’s only a couple seasons ago that Soderstrom was the organization’s top prospect. While he shot up the minor league ladder he’s been struggling to break out in the major leagues up to this point. He’ll be getting a chance to change that this season and this is a good and encouraging start.

On the mound for the Athletics was rookie right-hander JT Ginn, who entered today in a huge uphill battle for an Opening Day roster spot. He surrendered a hit to the human-hit-machine Luis Arraez but also collected two strikeouts in his first inning of work this spring. Nice first inning of work.

Things unraveled hard in his second inning of work though. The right-hander got lit up, surrendering five runs and not even finishing the inning. He finished the day after 36 pitches, which was likely around his limit for the first game. Offseason addition Justin Sterner replaced Ginn and allowed a pair of hits that scored runs charged to Ginn.

Over the next seven innings the A’s used seven more pitchers. The highlight was left-hander Brady Basso, who pitched perfect third and fourth innings with a pair of strikeouts. We also saw pitching prospect Mason Barnett get into the game, pitching one scoreless inning with a couple walks and a strikeout.

Back on the offensive side of the game for the Athletics, things were especially quiet. Prospects Denzel Clarke and Max Muncy both went 0-for-2, and outfielder Esteury Ruiz, who seemed like an afterthought entering spring, also went hitless in two at-bats today. Two other infielders, second baseman Zack Gelof and third baseman Luis Urias, stayed in the game long enough to go 0-for-3 in their first game back in action. Not the best day from the bats.

Outside of Lawrence Butler. Already with a double and run scored under his belt, Butler one-upped himself in the sixth when he blasted a 2-run home run to right field:

It’s only one game but this guy seems like he’s on a mission already. The club needs to get his signature on an extension sooner than later if they’re smart. He’s about to explode and have a huge year. All-Star, perhaps?

Welp, not the best outcome, and the hope of a perfect spring record is now gone. The bats were less than exciting today outside of Butler, Ginn didn’t look good in that second inning of work but the rest of the pitching staff mostly had positive results today. The rust is definitely real and they’ll be shaking it off for the next few weeks.

We do it all again tomorrow, with a matchup with the Rockies on tap. It’ll be the spring debut of offseason addition Jeffrey Springs in the Green & Gold colors as he takes the ball for the first time in an A’s uniform. Expect to see him on a similar pitch count as Ginn was today, with a target of two innings.