Oakland A's Spring Training Game #4: Graveman early leader for Cy Young Award

The Oakland A's moved to 3-0-1 in the 2015 Cactus League with a 7-2 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kendall Graveman was the star on the mound, starting the game and throwing two scoreless innings with a strikeout and a pair of hits allowed. Catcher Josh Phegley had the biggest day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and three RBI.

Here's a rundown of the top performers:

Pitchers

- Kendall Graveman: 2 innings, 0 runs, 1 K, 2 hits
- Fernando Rodriguez: 1 perfect inning
- R.J. Alvarez: 1 inning, 1 run, 1 K, 2 BB, 0 hits

Hitters

- Josh Phegley: 3-for-4, 3 doubles, 3 RBI, 2 runs
- Mark Canha: 2-for-3, double, 3 runs
- Billy Burns: 2-for-3, stolen base, run
- Tyler Ladendorf: 1-for-4, RBI, stolen base
- Andy Parrino: 1-for-3, double, RBI

A personal update from baseballgirl, live from Salt River:

Sure enough, the first thing you notice is the new clock, proudly affixed to the bottom of the scoreboard. The clock counts down from 2:30 between each inning, presumably to start to train the players, coaches and umpires as MLB implements the new time-saving rule in this upcoming season. Graveman looked solid in his quick start, Canha displayed some real power, hitting a ball over A.J. Pollock's head in center field, Semien sadly won't bat 1.000 for Spring Training. Apparently Phegley hits well on lack of sleep; he has a newborn at home, and I had a moment seeing Canha wearing Josh Donaldson's #20. Moment of silence needed. More to come this weekend.

In her recap of the game, Jane Lee of MLB.com had this to say about Graveman's outing:

That allowed Graveman the chance to work on his timing out of the stretch, something he's been improving on with bullpen coach Scott Emerson. The fact he was still able to make quality pitches while doing so was all the more encouraging. He was particularly happy with his sinker, getting four ground-ball outs. ... [He] also utilized the cutter he accidentally discovered just last August and hopes to locate it more consistently as a weapon away from a right-handed hitter and in to a lefty.

Joe Stiglich of CSN had this to say in his recap (which includes a brief interview with Graveman):

The best of those plays came from shortstop Marcus Semien, who went up the middle to grab Brandon Drury's chopper and made the off-balance throw to first for the out. Semien went 1-for-4 and is hitting .667 (6-for-9) in three games.

More on Phegley:

Melvin on Phegley: "He's doing a lot of things we’re taking notice of right now. The reasons we got him are showing up right now."

— Jane Lee (@JaneMLB) March 6, 2015

***

We're one day closer to real baseball!

It's beginning to look a lot like baseball!! ⚾️⚾️ #OneMonthAway #Athletics pic.twitter.com/QoJD7GrKtw

— Stomper (@Stomper00) March 6, 2015