Bullpen Woes Continue For Athletics as They Head to Toronto

One of the key issues for the Athletics that has continued to plague them is their bullpen, even after ending their 11-game skid. It was mentioned in the first game on the A's broadcast that the A's bullpen collectively is having one of the worst months on record for the franchise, dating back to 1901.

Their 6.03 ERA is third worst in the Majors. And in the seventh inning or later? 5.07, which is in the bottom five in MLB.

Hunter Brown (7-3) allowed one run and six hits in six innings, including Lawrence Butler's leadoff homer in the fourth inning. As advertised, Brown has swing-and-miss stuff, and the A's were making a lot of weak contact against him. Brown is definitely one of the elite pitchers in the American League if not all of MLB right now, and his performance on Tuesday against the A's was another high mark in his season.

This series, the A's weren't able to put enough runs on the board, either. The A's were outscored between the two games, 16-4. Great pitching performances from both Brown and Lance McCullers Jr. stifled any offensive threat from the green and gold.

On Wednesday, Jacob Wilson went 2-for-3 with a home run, and Rooker went 2-for-4 as well, but that would be about all they could string together against the Astros.

On a positive note, two of the newer faces had nice moments in Tuesday's game, with Denzel Clarke and Drew Avans collecting their first Major League hits in the sixth and ninth innings respectively.

With Kurtz and Urshela down, and the offense teetering, these young players making an immediate impact could be exactly what the lineup needs. Clarke has already been making a mark on the field defensively, with some nice reads and catches.

The A's will now head onto Toronto, where they'll face the Blue Jays for a four-game series. Left-hander Jacob Lopez will be the first to take the ball for for the A's, against righty José Berríos for Toronto. The A's will have to find a way to score early and often, while getting their bullpen back on track.

The Blue Jays bullpen has also taken a hit for different reasons. One of their key arms, right-hander Yimi Garcia was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement. He's been someone they rely on in later innings in a setup role, and will have to fill the hole.

It remains to be seen if the Blue Jays will have their regular lineup on Thursday, as Bo Bichette was held out on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers with lower back tightness. Blue Jays manager John Schneider says they are "being cautious" with him and putting him in as DH, along with resting him.

This may be a good sign for the A's if they can execute and take advantage of having their opponent's leadoff hitter sitting on the bench. Bichette is hitting .270/.319/.391 with four homers over 54 games this season.

With solid starting pitching and being able to hold onto the lead in later innings, the A's can start racking up some W's again to get back into the win column. First pitch is on Thursday night at 4:07 PDT.