A's notes: Puk's arm ailing, Lucroy…
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A's notes: Puk's arm ailing, Lucroy winning fans, team offers creative ticket plan
By Bay Area News Group and Daniel Brown |
PUBLISHED: March 21, 2018 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 6, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.
PHOENIX — After spending most of spring training looking like he was on the fast track, it appears A.J. Puk has hit the brakes.
The A's shut down the pitching phenom with biceps soreness, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The paper, citing an anonymous source, reported Wednesday that the injury is not believed to be serious and quoted the source as saying that Puk should resume throwing "sometime fairly soon."
Still, anything involving the 6-foot-7, 220-pound left-hander is enough to sound an alarm.
Manager Bob Melvin declined to comment on Puk on Wednesday after a 3-3 tie with the Milwaukee Brewers in Maryvale. Melvin said only that the pitcher has not thrown since his last outing, on March 15.
In that game against the Seattle Mariners, Puk gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings. When the pitcher was among the nine roster cuts days later, there was talk about Puk's fastball staying a notch or two below last year's mid-90s range.
"I think it'll get there," Melvin said that day. "I think the fact that he was working on different things and really concentrating on his two-seamer and changeup, maybe not at the point in spring yet where the velocity picks up. Some guys get here and they have their velocity right away and certain guys it takes a little bit."
In all, Puk went 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in 10.2 innings this spring. Batters hit .184 against him.
— Count right-hander Daniel Mengden among the A's pitchers happy to have catcher Jonathan Lucroy behind the plate.
Mengden had his best, and longest, outing of the spring Wednesday, allowing two runs over 6 1/3 innings, then credited Lucroy for his game-calling.
In fact, Mengden had been looking forward to the pairing since getting word a few days earlier that the two-time All-Star would catch his next start.
"I was really excited about that," the pitcher said. "He's a good receiver, great game manager. He's been around a long time."
Mengden carried a shutout into the sixth inning before Eric Thames hit a two-run homer on a slider that caught too much of the plate.
In all, the staff seems to be settling down as Opening Day draws near. The A's had a 7.45 ERA over their first 10 games and has a 4.07 ERA over the past 16 games.
Melvin said the addition of Lucroy, who signed a one-year, $6.5 million deal on March 12, will continue to pay off.
"I mean, this guy has his own book," Melvin said. "He's talking to these pitchers before the game. In spring training, rarely do you have an extensive scouting report on guys. But (Lucroy) always has an opinion. The guys know that he's into it, and he's prepared, and I think that shows up."
— The A's introduced a new program that will allow fans to pick their price for seats in Section 322 at regular-season Wednesday home games. A minimum $1 donation will be required, and proceeds from "Community Impact Wednesdays" will benefit the A's Community Fund. For information, go to: athletics.com/impact
— The A's deemed right-hander Jharel Cotton's elbow ligament reconstruction "successful" after Dr. Keith Meister performed the operation at Trinity Park Surgery Center in Arlington, Texas. Cotton will return to Oakland on Sunday to begin his rehabilitation process.
Daniel Brown