The Oakland A’s pitching staff was always going to be an evolving team effort in 2019. They began with five starters and eight relievers, but behind them were lots of MLB-caliber reinforcements waiting in the minors for their next turn, plus some top prospects inching closer to debuts, and even more injury cases eyeing midseason returns.
All of that meant the sky was never truly falling when the staff opened the year on an inconsistent note. Granted, these early games count too, but the long-term fortunes of the club weren’t tied to the specific handful of names on the Opening Day roster.