Fatrolf’s Sunday Sketches: The We’re Coming for You New York Edition

After a week of baseball, it’s clear that Houston feels the heat and is doing everything they can to not let up their lead again, but the A’s will not relent. With a chance at the number one spot in the division dancing at their fingertips, our bunch is pulling out all the stops to get away from the clutches of the Wild Card game.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way. Sean Manaea is to undergo arthroscopic surgery on the 19th. He is expected to miss possibly all of the 2019 season. Baseball, like life, is an unfair place.

Aaaand Brett Anderson is back! Woo hoo!

Okay, so maybe he didn’t have the best comeback outing. Maybe he gave up four runs and a walk in 3.1 IP to Baltimore and certainly aided in our missed opportunity at a sweep of the Orioles and a nudge closer to New York and Houston. Oh, well. Baseball happens.

However, Trevor Cahill had to return home for a back MRI on Thursday, missing his scheduled start yesterday against Tampa Bay. If all turns out okay, he could start twice at home next week, banking on his good health and low home ERA, reports Susan Slusser.

We’ve got Fiers on the mound to finish up the Tampa series. He has been phenomenal on the A’s. How phenomenal? It may only be a small sample size, but it’s a small sample size that has been raking in the goods for us, so no complaints. Fiers has started seven games and is 5-0 over 39.2 innings of work. He has only given up seven walks. His K/9 is 9.5, which is the best he’s done since a stand-out 2014 season for Milwaukee. However, his BB/9 of 1.6 is the lowest it’s ever been.

Stephen Piscotty had a 14-game hitting streak going that sadly came to an end in Friday’s win over Tampa Bay. To make up for it, Khrush decided to reclaim his place at the top of the HR leaderboard — again! He did it in exciting fashion, too, leading off the 10th on Friday and slamming dinger 42 to push the A’s to a win in Tampa. Back off, JD Martinez!

Sometimes it’s hard to fathom the numbers Blake Treinen has put up this season. He’s number four in saves with 37, but his ERA is a stunning 0.85 while fanning 94 batters. He has given up three runs in 30 games. He has not given up a hit in his last 10 games. All season he has given up exactly two home runs. The guy is having the best season of his career while being one of the top closers in baseball, and he’s doing it while still with us.

Reba report: she has a very soft head and I’m jealous of this man.

As the week wraps up, the gap between us and the Yankees has closed significantly since last week’s FSS. The Pinstripes have been faltering and the A’s have capitalized.

AL West: 3.5 GB Houston
Wildcard: 1.5 GB New York Yankees, 7.5 GA Seattle

Earlier this summer I complained how it sucks the A’s aren’t in the AL Central, because then we’d be in first place. Well, I do love complaining and the A’s have been winning a lot, and now with our record, we’d lead every division except our own and the AL East. We are one of four teams with 90 or more wins this season. Let’s take a look at the League leaders and where we (and New York) fall.

AL East: Boston .685
AL West: Houston .628
*New York Yankees .615
*Oakland A’s .604
NL Central: Chicago Cubs .588
AL Central/NL East: Cleveland/Atlanta .561
NL West: LA .550

We’ve managed this despite our too-vast stock of injured starting pitchers, and while constantly moving around pieces in our bullpen. Our pitching staff has not been able to stay consistent, but they’ve fought through to help keep this train rolling. We’ve finally left Seattle in the dust, it’s time to do the same to New York and Houston!