'He stepped up and answered': Springs leads A's shutout vs. Rangers

ARLINGTON -- It usually doesn’t take long to tell what kind of performance Jeffrey Springs is going to turn in for the Athletics in any given start this season. Springs allowed 14 first-inning runs over his previous six starts before Thursday -- no MLB pitcher had allowed more -- and 22 of the 25 runs he has surrendered this season were in the first two innings.

So it obviously boded well for Springs when he had an easy 1-2-3 first inning in Thursday afternoon’s 3-0 win over the Rangers at Globe Life Field. By the time Springs strode out to start the fifth inning, he had faced only one hitter more than the minimum, yielding just a single and a walk, which was quickly mitigated by a double play. Two runners reached on a single and a Miguel Andujar error in the fifth, but Springs escaped the jam with a strikeout.

Springs allowed only two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings to earn the win.

“I was pitching to both sides -- honestly, pitch selection hasn't been the best on my part, and I need to throw the ball to both sides of the plate better, and that's been the focus [since] the last outing,” Springs said. “Just better pitch selection, better execution. ... I felt like I got very predictable for a number of starts.”

Manager Mark Kotsay said he saw a much more aggressive version of Springs on Thursday than in recent outings.

“He came out establishing his fastball, which was a conversation that we've had over the last five days,” Kotsay said. “Any time you've had your struggles, you challenge yourself. Today was a challenge, and today, he stepped up and answered.”

Springs only threw 68 pitches (45 strikes) Thursday, but Kotsay had two compelling reasons to pull the left-hander when he did: first, to allow him to leave the game on a high note, instead of potentially having to hand the manager the ball after allowing a baserunner or two; and second, because Kotsay trusts his relievers.

“Any time we can get a lead into the seventh inning, I feel pretty good about our chances to win that game,” Kotsay said. “And for Jeffrey, it was a positive outing. It was a positive way to walk off the mountain. And I like doing that. I think there's something behind getting a guy building, trying to build confidence. If you send him back out there and you have to go get him, he's walking off the mountain with a different attitude.”

After three quick outs in a perfect sixth frame, Springs turned the ball over to a generally trustworthy A’s bullpen that blanked the Rangers, whose offense has been bereft of production for much of the season with the fewest runs per game in the American League (3.22), to take another series from Texas. Mitch Spence, T.J. McFarland, Justin Sterner and Mason Miller combined for three scoreless innings.

The Athletics got enough offense to win thanks to Andujar’s RBI single in the first, Jacob Wilson’s RBI single in the seventh and Luis Urías’ sacrifice fly in the eighth.

In just 10 days, the A’s went 5-2 against the Rangers as they won two of three in West Sacramento and three of four in Arlington. The Athletics jumped from last in the American League West to third, leapfrogging the Rangers and Angels, in that span.

“We’ve been facing [Nathan] Eovaldi, [Jacob] deGrom and then today, that guy [Tyler Mahle] hasn't been hit by really any team in the big leagues so far,” Wilson said. “[It’s] something that we take pride in -- being able to have good at-bats against good pitchers and just being able to get runners in scoring position.”

Miller slammed the door with a nine-pitch ninth and has converted all 10 save opportunities he’s had this season. But it all started with Springs, who hopes he has turned a corner with the strong outing.

“I need to do better,” Springs said. “I expect more out of myself. I feel like we’re [all] throwing the ball really well, except for me. We’re a really good team. If I can figure out what I’ve been doing wrong -- which I feel like I have a good understanding of now -- and start putting together better outings, we’re going to be in a really good spot.”