The A’s were at home today at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona to face off against the NL West’s Colorado Rockies in Cactus League play. J.T. Ginn got the start against Chase Dollander for the Rockies.
Ginn got off to a rough start giving up his first earned run of the season on a three-run homer to Brett Sullivan in the bottom of the first inning. But the A’s bounced back in the bottom of the inning with a Shea Langeliers double followed by a Max Muncy single. Muncy followed with a stolen base, his first of the spring,
but was stranded on second.
In the second, Ginn gave up a Chad Stevens homers to center field to make the score 4-1, in favor of Colorado. Ginn ultimately pitched three full innings giving up four earned runs on four hits (two of them homers), two walks while striking out three Rockies. While it’s still early in the spring, only his third outing, I’m sure Kotsay was hoping for more from Ginn.
Luis Medina relieved Ginn in the fourth and promptly gave up two hits and his second earned run in as many innings. There will likely be more wiggle room for Medina since he missed all last year after his Tommy John Surgery and the fact that he’s out of minor league options.
Brooks Kriske replaced Luis Medina in the top of the fifth and he too gave up a home run, a two-run shot to center field to Kyle Karros bringing the score to 7-1.
Cade Marlow hit his first homer of the spring, his seventh hit in twenty at-bats, to tighten the score to 7-2 in the bottom of the sixth, but TJ Rumsfeld got that run back with the Rox fourth homer of the afternoon, this one off rookie reliever Kade Morris.
Colby Thomas got his first hit of the day in the seventh, a double driving in two runs to tighten the score to 8-5.
Morris continued to pitch three innings, giving up just that one earned run on two hits and a walk. He also struck out two Rockies. The Rockies tagged on two more runs in the ninth off Cole Miller, making his spring debut for the A’s. It was an inauspicious start, giving up three earned runs on two hits and two walks while not registering an out.
The A’s scored one last run in the bottom of the ninth on Thomas’ second hit and third RBI of the day. That brought the final score to Rockies 11- A’s 6.
