Elephant Rumblings: Sizing up the A’s after first 2023 homestand, road trip

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

After one homestand and one road trip, the A’s are sitting at 3-10 on the 2023 season. That’s about a 37 win pace. Yes, I know 13 games make up a small sample, and I’d be willing to bet that A’s will pick up said pace—I’m confident they’ll easily win over 50 games this season!

Setting aside all snark, last weekend’s games were tough to watch, but the bats came alive in Baltimore this week, and Ken Waldichuk looked much improved on Wednesday in his third start of the season. All in all, the series at Camden Yards was a lot of fun even though the A’s came out of it with just one win to three losses.

Things won’t be great this season, but they will get better, and there are plenty of interesting Oakland Athletics storylines to follow as the season progresses. Esteury Ruiz is dazzling on defense and improving on offense. Brent Rooker came out clobbering against The Birds. Ramon Laureano is playing more like The Laser we love from a few years ago. All of this and more is happening against a backdrop of hope and anxiety over whether Oakland will be home to the next competitive A’s roster.

For now, though, let’s take an unflinching look at how the A’s rank in some key statistical categories with the regular season less than one tenth complete.

• 51 runs (T-25th) equal to the Mets, who have just arrived in Oakland for a three-game series
• 13 home runs (T-19th)
• 40 bases on balls (18th)
• 117 strikeouts at the plate (13th—the Giants have the most with 131)
• 10 stolen bases (T-9th).
• .231 batting average (T-25th)
• .667 OPS (27th)
• 7.65 ERA (30th)
• 25 home runs allowed (30th)
• 60 walks allowed (29th)
• 92 strikeouts (28th)
• .286 batting average against A’s pitchers (29th)

All in all, these numbers portray a middling to marginal offense and some of the worst pitching in the big leagues. I don’t know that the situation will improve drastically in terms of rankings, but the nominal figures should regress to less catastrophically abysmal levels. I mean, there is no way A’s pitching will finish 2023 with a 7.65 ERA.

Right?

A’s Coverage:

• Toster: A’s claim Richard Lovelady off waivers, move Freddy Tarnok to 60-day IL
• Ashford: A’s lose in walk-off fashion to the Orioles
• Kawahara: A’s pitching, led by starters, off to historically rocky start ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• McCullough: 13 reasons the Tampa Bay Rays are 13-0 and making history ($)
• Franco: Orioles To Option Cole Irvin
• Gonzalez: Matt Williams back with Padres following cancer surgery
• Kleinschmidt: Bobby Witt Jr. hits foul ball to dad, former MLB pitcher Bobby Witt Sr.
• Dierkes: 2023-24 MLB Free Agent Power Rankings
• Adams: Rule 5 Draft Update: April 2023
• Passan: Salt Lake City group joins MLB expansion chase
• Gelb: Phillies’ Bryce Harper is preparing to play first base in 2023: Inside the team’s ‘full go’ plan ($)
• Today in Baseball History

Best of Twitter:

Roster moves.

19 AB in 14 hours? :o

Stevenson takes POTD honors.