Anatomy of Athletics nine-game winning s

The 60-game season is approximately one-quarter complete and the stand alone atop the standings at 12-4. The A's have won nine consecutive games, the longest winning streak in baseball this season, and they swept the AL West rival in three games this past weekend. ."Being able to sweep and extend our lead in the AL West is great," left-hander told reporters, , following Sunday's win ( ). "Having the ability to win these big games early in the season is big for us." , up from 25.0 percent the day the nine-game winning streak started. and . Play this well and accolades will follow. Oakland has been the best team in the American League this year.How have the A's won nine straight games? Well, by being a really good team, first and foremost. These four factors stand out as well. Montas and Ba sitt have been incredibleIn spring training and again in summer camp, the A's planned to use righty in the bullpen, . A.J. Puk's shoulder injury and Luzardo mi sing time with COVID-19 forced the A's to put Ba sett back in the rotation and he's been brilliant, allowing just two earned runs through three Conor Sheary Kids Jersey starts. NYM SP #40 ERA1.08WHIP.90IP16.2BB4K15 "Another terrific game -- seven innings against that lineup," after Ba sitt held Houston to one run in seven innings Friday ( ). "This time of year we're only looking for him to go six. In a close game, as well, where every pitch meant something. He's off to a great start." , the club's Opening Day starter, came into the year with something to prove after last year's breakout season was interrupted by an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension. Was the 2.70 ERA in 15 starts before the suspension the real him or a mirage? Thus far this season it looks like the real Montas. NYY SP #47 ERA1.57WHIP1.00IP23BB9K22 "He's gotten to the point now where he doesn't really care who he faces, he just likes pitching," Melvin told reporters, , after Montas held the Astros scorele s over seven innings Saturday ( ) Pat Lafontaine Kids Jersey . "Last year he really came into his own. He came into this season really looking forward to leading the way. He's feeling it at this point. That all comes with maturity and his multiple pitches." (8.03 ERA) and (5.63 ERA) have struggled in the early going and Luzardo only recently joined the rotation after beginning the year in the bullpen. Montas and Ba sitt have really carried the rotation in the early going and it's no coincidence they combined for four starts (three runs in 26 2/3 innings) during the nine-game winning streak. Timely hitting...Truth be told, the Athletics are not off to a great start offensively this year. They're averaging 4.44 runs per game, which is only slightly better than the 4.36 league average, and as a team Oakland has managed a .213/.321/. Dylan Cozens Kids Jersey 377 batting line. Once adjusted for ballpark, that is only three percent better than league average. is off to a very slow start (.211/.243/.296), though he did hit a leadoff home run Saturday. and hit back-to-back home runs Sunday......and are just now really starting to get it going. (54 OPS+), (88 OPS+), and rookie catcher (70 OPS+) haven't contributed much at the plate. The A's best hitter has been center fielder , who's authored a .278/.406/.519 batting line and is .The A's aren't getting much offense but they are getting timely offense. They're hitting .271/.416/.562 in close and late situations, which are defined as plate appearances in the seventh inning or later in which the game is tied, the team is leading by one, or has the tying run at least on deck. Four times during the nine-game winning streak Oakland did not take the lead for good until the seventh inning or later, including scoring two runs in the bottom of the 13th to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 win Friday. "Our offense is struggling a bit and for us to win these games that we're winning is going to pay such extreme dividends in the end," . "I can't be more proud of our guys. We're grinding every out."When the bases are empty, the A's have been six percent worse than the average offense. When there are men on base, they've been nine percent better than average, and when there are runners in scoring position, they've been 11 percent better. Feel free to chalk that up to clutchine s. I see the A's as a team with really good hitters who have underperformed when the bases are empty, and once that sorts itself out, their offense will be dynamite. As things stand, they've gotten enough timely hits to win nine straight....and also timely defenseOakland is not just getting the big hit. They're also making big plays in the field too Scott Wilson Jersey . The A's turned 72.2 percent of balls in play into outs last season, third best in baseball behind only the Astros (73.0 percent) and (72.9 percent), and they brought back the same roster this year (mostly). That means the much improved Semien and two Gold Glovers in Chapman and Olson on the infield. The Athletics have turned 72.9 percent of batted balls into outs this season, which is better than last season but only middle of the pack because the MLB batting average is currently .230. Pitchers have been ahead of hitters in the early going and lots more outs have been made. That's not to take anything away from the A's, of course. Their defense has been solid.Case in point: Chapman robbing of an RBI single in the 10th inning Friday night:The A's have made only six errors this year, the sixth fewest in baseball (the and have fewer errors but have also played way fewer games because of COVID-19 outbreaks), and they lead baseball with a plus-7.9 Ultimate Zone Rating. In English, that means their defense has saved about eight more runs than the average team in the early going. The middle relief has been stellarDuring this nine-game winning streak the Athletics trailed in the sixth inning or later four times and in the fourth inning or later six times. They've been able to consistently come back to win games because the middle of their bullpen has been stellar. They've prevented the other team from tacking on runs and given the offense a chance to get back in the game. (two runs in 8 1/3 innings) remains entrenched as closer and veteran (7 2/3 scorele s innings) has served as his primary setup man. Check out some of the other arms in the A's bullpen:IPHRERBBKHRLHP 6 2/3200490LHP T.J. McFarland5 2/3400020RHP 7722171RHP 10 1/34001100RHP J.B. Wendelken6410260Total35 Curtis Lazar Jersey 2/321328341That's a 0.59 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP in over 35 innings from five middle relievers. Petit has been consistently great the last half-decade, so what he's doing is no surprise. Diekman learned a new slider that has paid dividends this year -- -- and McFarland and Wendelken have done solid work in the past."We only had Lou (Trivino) left and (Daniel) Mengden for length. It was important," . "He was pitching well and kept his pitch count low. To only give up one run in three innings w