May 10, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher Derek Norris (36) waits for the pitch during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco FIeld. Seattle defeated Oakland 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The main problem starts with Derek Norris. After an 0 for 2 night with a walk Norris’ average has dropped to a dismal .218 and his on base percentage has dropped to .364. Now some may argue the above average on base percentage makes Norris have at least some value offensively. However, when you are a slow base runner and have no one hitting behind you either your value is exponentially diminished.

Coupled with those numbers for Norris comes the more alarming stats that show Norris has become a rally killer. With runners on base Norris is hitting .243. With runners in scoring position he is hitting .263. With the bases loaded Norris has not gotten a hit in his three plate appearances.

The only positive that comes from a Norris at bat it seems is that he averages over four and half pitches per at bat. That accounts for over 14 pitches a game. That is one player costing a pitcher an entire inning worth of pitches on one hitter.

The rest of the lineup behind Norris has been a revolving door of disappointment recently as well. This includes Nate Freiman, Adam Rosales (who has been getting hot in his defense), Eric Sogard, etc. When the top of the lineup is getting on base the bottom of the lineup has to be fundamental in their approach. They need to start getting runners into scoring position or simply moving them up 90 feet closer. Good things happen when runners get on base for most teams, but for the A’s it seems to be a non issue of leaving them stranded. Through 33 games played the A’s had left 233 runners on base good for a Top 10 worst in baseball standing. For a team who has to scratch runs to win leaving men on base at that rate has to change.

The A’s offense, mainly Derek Norris, has struggled as of late. With the pitching staff struggling too the disaster radar is starting to flicker a little. The A’s need the 7-9 hitters to begin to produce. This does not necessarily mean getting on base or driving in runs, though that would be nice obviously. More so this means they need to continue to move runners forward thus giving the top of the lineup the chance to do what they are supposed to do.

Apr 27, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics infielder Josh Donaldson (20) hits an RBI single against the Baltimore Orioles in the third inning at O.Co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Now it is 2013. And Donaldson has picked up right where he left off. After two weeks of struggling at the plate Donaldson has again caught fire with multi hit games in half of his multi hit games coming in the last week including a four hit game against the Baltimore Orioles. He is hitting .319 with a .394 on base percentage and is slugging at a .911 clip. While it is only the first month of the season there is reason to believe can continue his success, not necessarily at the same rate, but definitely improve last season’s numbers.

From what I can tell Donaldson has made an adjustment to his swing. He has moved his hands back and higher than he used to. This causes his hands to drop straight into the zone smoothly and efficiently. At the beginning of last season Donaldson struck out a lot especially on fastballs. This was because he had a long loopy swing that caused him to be late to the ball with his bat even if his hands were on time.

On top of this Donaldson seems even more comfortable at third base. Last season was a transition year for him as he was moved from catcher to third. The organization felt it had enough depth at catcher and not enough at third. They did not want to keep Donaldson’s bat at Sacramento so they made the switch and so far it has paid major dividends. After spending an entire year there last season and knowing the job is his outright this year has proven to be a major confidence booster for Donaldson.

The A’s have another diamond in the rough with Donaldson. They continue to polish him and things keep getting better. The A’s need production from the corners and in Donaldson they have not missed yet.

Apr 20, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Jarrod Parker (11) reacts after he gave up a solo home run to Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Matt Joyce (20) during the second inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I mentioned in the offseason that Parker along with his fellow young arms could see a backlash from throwing more innings last season than they ever have in their careers. So far that prediction has unfortunately for the A’s proven true.

Parker’s struggles have not only cost the A’s wins on the days he has pitched but also cost the A’s relievers by taxing them and making them unavailable for the next night. The taxing on the bullpen more times than not proves harmless. However, the A’s need all the wins they can get especially early on in the season.

Parker’s struggles stem from the location of his pitches, especially his fastball. Parker has allowed 13 free passes in just over 23 innings pitched. His WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) is 2.14. This number should be around 1.5 or lower for reference. His fastball is being destroyed because it is being left up and over the plate and hitters are not missing it. This is evident from the .402 BABIP (or batting average of balls in play). The good news in this case is that the number is higher than normal and thus you can expect it to drop down sooner or later.

Parker will have to figure out a way to lower his fastball. His velocity has not dropped off and therefore is not a concern. Parker’s changeup is his out pitch. If his fastball struggles though so too does the changeup because it is set up and based off of his fastball.

His confidence is noticeably dwindling, but with a good start against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Tuesday night maybe he can right the ship. The A’s need Jarrod Parker to turn things around quickly. He was a major cog in the machine that was the 2012 AL West Champion Oakland Athletics. Right now he looks more like a man who could be headed for Sacramento sooner rather than later. This solution is probably coming quicker than Parker thinks with the way Dan Straily has pitched in Sacramento (minus his start Monday night).