How Athletics Can Get Back on Track Against Rays

In Mason Barnett's last start, he would only pitch 4.1 innings, while allowing five hits and five runs, along with three home runs. Obviously, fewer runs would be preferable, but the bottom line for Barnett is that he needs to figure out how to last past the fifth inning. If he can do so, the A's should have a chance of winning.

While it is unlikely that Barnett can put on a masterclass, he has gotten close. Only on July 30, vs. the Red Sox, he would pitch 5.0 innings while allowing just four hits and three runs. Clearly, this outing was far from perfect, but if he can replicate that, the A's offense should be able to provide ample run support. This would also help the struggling bullpen out for the rest of the series.

Keep Up the Aggressive Base Running

The Athletics' base running in the past two games has been nothing short of impressive and lucky. In the loss on Monday, we would see Jeff McNeil steal a base and score from first on a double, despite being in the 19th percentile in sprint speed.

Carlos Cortes also took a poor jump early in the game, setting up a throwing error with two outs that allowed Tyler Soderstrom to score from third. With how wild the Athletics' base running has been, there is a feeling that this could be the key to turning not only the series around, but the season.

Bullpen Needs To Improve

Obviously. But with the Athletics using three relievers in just 2.0 innings, this will put pressure on the rest of the series. However, the Athletics would also use four relievers in Game 1, the last series vs. the Red Sox, and would do just fine to finish the series. The only problem is that the Athletics will have Barnett and Jack Perkins on the mound to finish the Rays' series, which will mean more calls to the bullpen than normal.

In Game 2, the Athletics will likely turn to Brady Basso, Luis Medina, or Hogan Harris. On paper, this group is very strong, but in practice, we could see a complete meltdown. And as we saw in the loss on Monday, once the Rays get hot, they stay hot. Meaning, Kotsay needs to have guys ready as soon as there is someone on first.