Elephant Rumblings: Rooker’s swing dialed in for spring

Happy Friday, Athletics Nation!

Opening Day is just six days away, and two prominent Athletics appear to be ready for a hot start to the regular season.

Brent Rooker has shown steady improvement throughout Spring Training and spoke with Martin Gallegos at MLB.com about the swing adjustments that he feels have helped him hit “multiple home runs in recent games.” Does this presage another 30-plus home run season? Let’s hope so.

On the other side of the ledger, Paul Blackburn threw six hitless innings on Wednesday, leaving little doubt—in my mind, at least—that giving Alex Wood the opening day start was indeed an unwarranted snub. Jason Burke at SI.com reviewed Blackburn’s solid spring, which we should hope will carry into the regular season.

Burke notes that Blackburn is one of just two A’s starting pitchers with a WHIP below 1.00 this spring. The other is JP Sears, who is also probably more deserving than Wood to start next week’s season opener against the Guardians.

How does the gambling scandal revolving around Shohei Ohtani and his former translator have anything to do with the A’s? Scott Ostler at the San Francisco Chronicle makes the connection—and the case that the ever increasing prevalence and accessibility of gambling in sports is having a pernicious effect on baseball—and possibly your wallet.

Remember folks, the house always wins in the end.

Have a wonderful weekend, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Rooker corrects swing to great effect as A’s wrap spring training
• Paul Blackburn’s solid spring with the A’s
• Shohei Ohtani is a wakeup call that sports’ gambling problem is getting worse ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Guide to Year 2 of MLB’s new rules: The ‘cat-and-mouse’ game is on as the sport evolves ($)
• Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers keep mum in aftermath of interpreter theft accusation ($)
• MLB breakout candidates: CJ Abrams, Jordan Walker and others set to leap forward in 2024 ($)
• Year of the splitter? Once a dark art, the pitch is primed to take over baseball ($)
• Breaking down each division and predicting winners
• The top lineups entering the season, ranked 1-10
• Giants laud Renel Brooks-Moon at Oracle open house, but don’t explain her departure ($)
• Q&A: Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr. on MLBPA power struggle, Tony Clark’s future ($)
• The Opener: Montgomery, Lorenzen, Reds
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

ST batting leaders.

Hernaiz makes the RockHounds highlight reel.