BALTIMORE — The top of the A’s starting rotation is comprised of flyball pitchers. That’s a good quality to have when pitching in the Oakland Coliseum. But it is becoming an issue on the road.
A’s starters struggled to keep the ball in the park over the weekend as they were swept in Houston and the trend continued with Marco Estrada in Monday’s 12-4 blowout loss to the Orioles.
Estrada surrendered six runs, four on a pair of two-run homers, over just four innings of work. The starting rotation has now combined to allow a total of 17 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings over the A’s past three games, with five home runs allowed.