 Birtsas appeared in four games as a minor leaguer for the Oakland A's before receiving a promotion to the big league club.With the A's already losing 10-0 to the Boston Red Sox, Birtsas made his major league debut on May 3, and pitched the final two innings without allowing any more runs while striking out three.After finishing two more games without allowing any additional runs to score, Birtsas made his first start on May 23, against the Baltimore Orioles.