JJ Bleday a Bright Spot in A's Loss

It's funny how many of the A's great defensive plays in the outfield have happened at Angel Stadium, with Clarke joining Ramón Laureano's catch and 321-foot throw to nab the runner at first base. Of course, there was also Yoenis Cespedes' bobble in left field followed by a dart to home plate.

The heroics did not only belong to Clarke in this one. There was some late-inning drama, which came from the A's pinch hitters. JJ Bleday hit his first career pinch-hit home run, a two-run shot in the eighth inning, and Max Muncy followed it up an inning later with a 2-run home run. He's shown a lot of improvement in the small sample we've seen since coming back from Triple-A.

I spoke to JJ Bleday during the last homestand, and we discussed his time back in Triple-A and his return to the A's, as well as the transition to playing the outfield at Sutter Health Park. He told me he took the time to "mentally and physically" reset in Las Vegas and tried not to focus on too much, other than utilizing the middle of the field.

He's felt more comfortable in his at-bats since returning, and that he's "seeing the ball better" and just missing a few pitches.

On the ballpark, JJ says they are finally figuring it out. Despite a lot of media, teams and players that have scrutinized the new digs, he says "this is our ballpark, and we have to own it and use it to our advantage."

Next, the A's will face Angels starter José Soriano who is 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA. The A's will counter with Mitch Spence who is 2-1 with a 4.09 ERA on the season. Spence will be making his second start of the season, though he's been with the team all year in a variety of bullpen roles. First pitch is on Tuesday at 6:38 PDT.