Quick — name five Oakland Athletics starters. Many outside of the Bay Area may have some trouble doing so. Most baseball fans would answer Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, and possibly Coco Crisp. The remaining starters, though, may remain a bit more anonymous, but it appears that the Athletics have found the formula for success. They lead the American League West by 3.5 games over the second-place Los Angeles Angels and have a record of 28-16 as play begins on May 19. What is their secret — other than who is on the team?
First, let us talk offense. With a team batting average of just .259, the Athletics lead the American League in runs scored with 235 in 44 games. That averages out to 5.34 runs per game. Someone has to drive in those runs, and the Athletics spread that joy around. First baseman Brandon Moss leads the team with 39 RBI with Josh Donaldson at 35 and Cespedes at 27. In fact, five players have 20+ RBI and a sixth (Jed Lowrie) is close with 18. Donaldson, Moss, and Cespedes also lead in home runs with 10, 9, and 7, respectively. This type of production spread throughout the lineup shows why the Athletics lead the league in runs scored.
On the mound, the pitching is just as good. While getting to use mostly a five-man rotation with little interruption, the Athletics also lead the American League in ERA at 2.92. That is less than three earned runs per game allowed! It helps that three of their starters are in the top 10 in the A.L. Sonny Gray is second at 2.10, the resurgent Scott Kazmir is sixth at 2.39, and Jesse Chavez in ninth at 2.54.
Only Detroit’s rotation is better (2.64 to 2.93), but in the bullpen, the Athletic lead at 2.90. They have also won 10 games. The blemish is in save opportunities — only 7 for 15 so far. However, with the starting rotation and the offense doing their jobs, the bullpen is just fine, especially if they can get that one set closer to finish out games.
The one flaw so far is the defense. The Athletics have committed 33 errors through May 18, good for third-most in the American League. Normally, poor defense would lead to some extra losses, but the pitching has overcome the errors; in fact, they have allowed only nine unearned runs
Considering that both the offense and the pitching lead the league in runs scored and ERA, respectively, we can very easily see why the Oakland Athletics have such a great record and good-sized lead in the A.L. West as play begins on May 19. This is no fluke either as the team has shown by winning two-straight division titles with nearly the same roster. They will not stop. Barring any unforeseen catastrophes, expect the Athletics to make it three straight division titles.
(PHOTO CREDIT: BrokenSphere, via Wikimedia Commons)
