OAKLAND – The A’s are likely going to need another starting pitcher if they move Frankie Montas to a contending team prior to the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 2.
Zach Logue got a chance to audition for the potential role Thursday and had somewhat positive results.
The left-handed Logue allowed doubles to former Athletic Robbie Grossman in the third and fifth innings, respectively, that scored a combined three runs as the A’s lost 7-2 to the Detroit Tigers in the first game of a double-header at the Coliseum.
Logue, called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to be the 27th player for the double-dip, allowed five hits and struck out four over six innings as he gave the A’s a chance to open the unofficial second half of the season on a positive note.
Domingo Tapia, though, gave up three hits and two earned runs in 1⅓ innings of relief, as the A’s (32-62) lost the opener of an eight-game homestand.
The A’s have given opportunities to a few pitchers in the fifth rotation spot and Logue, acquired in March as part of the Matt Chapman trade, left a good impression as made his fifth start for the A’s this season.
“We are getting looks at different guys that are in that spot, and Zach being one of them,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “I thought Zach left a good impression today. He threw the ball great.”
Grossman’s double in the third scored Jeimer Candelario and Javier Báez as it sailed over Chad Pinder’s head and went off the left-field wall. Grossman’s second double, a soft fly ball to center that fell in front of a diving Skye Bolt, scored Riley Greene for an unearned run as the Tigers (38-55) took a three-run lead.
Logue was the winning pitcher in the A’s 3-2 victory over Houston on July 9 in Oakland. He allowed two runs in the second inning, but, using a three-pitch mix, kept the Astros off balance from there and lasted five innings, retiring each of the final 11 batters he faced.
Logue (3-5) took the loss Thursday but lowered his ERA to 4.79 from 5.16. He was looking to win back-to-back starts for the first time in his big league career.
“I think I’ve done a decent job, especially the last two games,” Logue said. “I had some rough starts in May when I was up here. But when they’ve called upon me the last two times, I felt like I’ve done a decent job. So hopefully, at some point, I’ll be in the rotation a little bit more normally.”
The A’s managed just two hits, two walks, and two unearned runs against Tigers starter and Hayward native Tarik Skubal, who struck out nine in six innings and improved to 7-8 on the season.
The A’s didn’t get a hit until the fifth inning but trailed 4-2 in the seventh after a Seth Brown solo home run. Oakland had runners on first and third with one out, but Tigers reliever Alex Lange fanned both Nick Allen and Skye Bolt to end the threat.
While Kotsay was looking for a lengthy start from Logue, he was going to take a more cautious wait-and-see approach with Montas, who is starting the second game of the doubleheader.
Montas hasn’t pitched in over two weeks and missed his last two starts as he dealt with inflammation in his right shoulder.
Montas exited his July 3 start against the Seattle Mariners after just one inning and two days later, an MRI revealed the inflammation. Montas had a cortisone shot on July 6, and since that point, he and the A’s have been cautious about when he would return.
On July 16, though, Montas felt good after a bullpen session, clearing the way for a return to game action.
Kotsay said he didn’t have a specific pitch count in mind for Montas, but would have to manage his workload in his first start back
“You never want to put some number on it, and then be stuck to it,” Kotsay said. “We’ll assess how Frankie feels throughout the game and how far he can go. I would assume he’s excited about getting on the mound, that this wasn’t something (long-term).”
