BOSTON -- The calendar still says September, but the atmosphere at Fenway Park on Wednesday night screamed October. Though the A’s aren’t in the postseason hunt, their opponent in this three-game series in Boston is in the midst of a playoff race.
Taking the mound in front of a loud, sold-out crowd hungry for the postseason was the latest test for A’s No. 9 prospect Mason Barnett, who went four-plus innings in the Athletics’ 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Red Sox.
“I think for Mason, obviously, first time pitching a big game, [in a big] environment, that he just didn't have the best command,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “And I think that facing a team a second time is challenging. And for Mace there's a lot of balls in the middle of the plate, and there's a lot of loud contact. Overall, I mean, it was good for him to experience and good for him to go through.”
Called up to plug a hole in the rotation left by starter Jacob Lopez, Barnett made his Major League debut on Aug. 30 against the Rangers. Since then, he’s faced the Angels and now the Red Sox in back-to-back outings for a 7.56 ERA through four starts.
On Wednesday night, Barnett gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits, struck out two and walked three. When he arrived in the big leagues, Barnett’s walk rate of 4.92 per nine innings in the Minors was a concern. He escaped his Major League debut without issuing any free passes, but has since walked at least one in each of his three ensuing starts.
“It's somewhat typical for young starters,” Kotsay said. “He just really wasn't executing pitches. And I think when they're starting to barrel baseballs, there's a likeliness of guys trying to make better pitches instead of just executing. I think that's just kind of a combination of what took place tonight for Mason.”
Barnett found himself a few times in a favorable count, but was unable to put hitters away. After giving up a leadoff single to Jarren Duran in the third, Barnett got Trevor Story into a 2-2 count before Story hung in for four more pitches to walk. Though he felt his stuff was competitive, Barnett walked away from Wednesday’s start with takeaways for future outings.
“A lot of these hitters are really good at just extending the at-bats, and I’ve got to be better, and it lets me know that I’ve got to do better,” Barnett said. “Put them away a little bit faster and be a little bit more efficient.”
With the postseason out of reach, the A’s focus is to finish out the remainder of the regular season strong. And with a roster full of young players, many of whom are playing in their first full big league season, every big game provides a valuable experience.
“I think for us, every start is valuable for these young guys to go through,” Kotsay said pregame. “Never want to get too judgmental on performance, as opposed to just how they kind of go through the lineup, how they handle themselves.
“Young guys in this environment that haven't been here, you don't always know what to expect. But the goal is obviously getting through five or six innings and hopefully have an opportunity that he keeps us in the game and [gives us] a chance to win.”
Wednesday marked the 11th straight game in which an A’s starter has gone fewer than five innings. Even with the task of having to cover a lot of innings, the Athletics’ bullpen has pulled its weight and more, entering Wednesday with the best save percentage in the Majors (50%) dating back to June 20.
Five relievers combined to cover 5 1/3 innings after Barnett exited, with just one earned run charged to Tyler Ferguson and the unearned walk-off run scored by Nate Eaton against Michael Kelly. Prior to Boston’s game-tying run in the sixth, Ferguson escaped a bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the fifth inning.
“Fergy’s throwing the ball really well,” Kotsay said. “The bullpen in general, we've done a nice job. These guys have worked really hard. I think over the last six games, our starters haven't got out of five innings. So they've been working really hard. Tonight was another night of that. They obviously kept us in the game, gave us a chance to win.”