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Oakland Athletics: Will 2016 Be A Repeat of 2015?

By Samantha Riley

Apr 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Sean Doolittle (62) leaves the field after allowing a home run by the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox defeated the Athletics 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Sean Doolittle (62) leaves the field after allowing a home run by the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at the Oakland Coliseum. The White Sox defeated the Athletics 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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In 2015, the Oakland Athletics had a 19-35 record in one-run games

The Oakland Athletics are not off to a great start this season. Even though the A’s have only played two games, they lost both games by one run. This is an eerie déjà vu moment for Oakland because they struggled to win many of those one-run games in 2015. They ultimately lost a total of 35 one-run games last year.

However, in 2015, the bullpen was the main cause of these losses. This year, it is the starting rotation. The A’s need to break out of this funk fast in order to avoid a repeat of last season.

Last year, it was clear by early May that the Oakland Athletics performed poorly in one-run games. They were already 1-13 in one-run games by May 18. By mid-July, the A’s were 8-22. They ended the season with a 19-35 record in one-run games. So, for the 2016 season, the Athletics need to stop this habit quickly or they may fall back down the rabbit hole.

Hopefully these losses are just a result of the last minute rotation changes due to Sonny Gray going down with food poisoning — although it may have been the flu — the night before Opening Day. Now fully recovered, the A’s ace will pitch Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. The Athletics are always confident when Gray is on the mound, so he could be able to set a more positive tone for the season if he earns the win tonight.

However, a healthy Gray may not solve all of their problems. Oakland should be looking into alternative options when it comes to the rotation. It is clear that this is a weak spot on their roster. If they truly do not want a repeat of 2015, they are going to need to do something. The A’s cannot just wait around for Henderson Alvarez to come off the DL or prospect Sean Manaea to be ready for big league pitching. Oakland will need to be proactive to solve the rotation issues.

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The Oakland Athletics may need to make a few tweaks to their starting rotation, but the rest of their roster looks solid. These first two games may seem worryingly similar to the 2015 season, but the A’s know they cannot fall back into this routine. They will be able to get out of this funk and start winning games.