OAKLAND, Calif. — Mason Miller was electric as advertised, but the Athletics remain in a state of system-wide failure.
The buzz created by the rookie right-hander had worn off by the time the Chicago Cubs beat the the A’s, 12-2, Wednesday at the Coliseum before a crowd of 12,112, much of it there to see the visiting team.
The loss completed an 0-6 homestand, just the second winless homestand of six or more games at the Coliseum since the club moved West in 1968. The other came last season. It dropped the Athletics to 3-16 with seven straight losses and 13 of the last 14 as they depart for a road trip to Texas and Anaheim to face the Rangers and Angels.
Miller, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound right hander who was given a “soft” 80-pitch cap by manager Mark Kotsay, showed the kind of velocity, stuff and control that more than justified his call-up despite 28 2/3 innings of minor league experience.
“All morning, I couldn’t wait to get started,” Miller said. “My control was a little sporadic, but I chock that up to nerves and I think I settled in as the game went along.”
Kotsay was gone by the time Miller hit his limit, ejected for arguing a pitch clock violation that resulted in a called third strike against Aledmys Diaz. Miller departed after 4 1/3 innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs, having thrown 81 pitches, 51 for strikes. He struck out out five, walked just one and threw 16 fastballs that hit or exceeded 100 miles per hour on the radar gun.
Miller’s most jaw-dropping inning was the second, when he struck out the side and threw seven pitches of 100 mph or more. The victims were the 4-5-6 hitters in a formidable Chicago order — Cody Bellinger, Edwin Rios and Patrick Wisdom.
“It was awesome. I think I definitely settled in and got the nerves out of the way in the first,” Miller said. “The second inning was definitely my best inning as far as execution on my pitches. I was really happy with it.”
Wisdom, the Saint Mary’s college product with a team-high eight home runs, had pitches with speeds of 102.3, 102.5 and 101.5 in succession The 102.5 fastball was Miller’s highest reading of the day.
“You have to make your decisions all that much quicker and get ready even earlier,” Wisdom said. “He’s electric.”
With a wipeout slider in the high 80s plus a cutter in the mid 90s, Miller instantly becomes the Athletics' most potentially dominant pitcher provided he works ahead in the count and maintains his composure.
For the most part, both traits were in evidence against the Cubs, who improved to 11-6 and got six innings from left-handed starter Justin Steele (3-0).
“You think about this kid, the short journey in terms of innings pitched in the minor leagues,” Kotsay said. “To come here, face a good lineup with the nerves and settle in, I thought Mason did an unbelievable job for his first time on the mound.”
Chicago broke through against Miller for a run in the fourth when Ian Happ doubled home Dansby Swanson, who had walked. They got another run in the fifth when Eric Hosmer led off with an infield single and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Tucker Barnhart. It was the last hitter Miller faced.
Pitching on four days rest and with his highest pitch count this season, Miller conceded to tiring in the fifth.
“I knew I was going to be OK out there,” Miller said. “I’m glad to get the first one out of the way and now I can get back to focusing on pitching and getting guys out. I’m happy with how my outing went today. There’s some things I’d like to change, but I try not to be super critical of it today and just enjoy the moment.”
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers was as impressed with Miller’s composure and demeanor as he was the velocity and the break on his slider and cutter.
“He was really calm. Seemed like himself,” Langeliers said. “Even in the game plan, he had certain things he wanted to do with certain hitters and it was impressive, especially for a debut, to juts come in with that calmness with information like that.”
While no fun to hit against, Barnhart liked what he saw from the visitors' dugout.
“He throws a fastball that really, really gets on you,” Barnhart said. “That’s obvious with the velocity, but the metric side of things is pretty special. He was landing breaking balls and throwing cutters to lefties. It’s difficult to commit to something out over the plate. I’m anxious to watch him grow. As a player you want guys in the league like that.”
Miller avoided taking a loss when rookie Jordan Diaz tied the game with an RBI double to right in the fifth, tying the game 2-2.
From then on, it was all Cubs — as it was throughout the three-game sweep.
Chicago scored 10 runs in the last four innings off the A’s beleaguered bullpen. Nico Hoerner, from Stanford by way of Oakland, was 3 for 5. Wisdom helped break the game open with a two-run triple in a four-run sixth inning. Hosmer hit a solo home run, his first, in the eighth inning.
The sweep was on the same level as the A’s earlier three-game trip to Tampa Bay, where they were thoroughly dominated in every area, scored five runs and gave up 31. The A’s were outscored 26-3 over three games against the Cubs, with Chicago getting 39 hits to 15 for the A’s. Cubs hitters hit .336 over the three games to .165 for the A’s.
Kotsay was doing his best to be upbeat and optimistic as the A’s take to the road having had sole possession of last place in the American League West since April 7.
“It’s easy to get down, to be pointing fingers in this situation,” Kotsay said. “I think our focus is on the positives and building on those with these young players and staying in the mindset that it’s a long season and is just the start of the journey.”
