April 16, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics first baseman Shane Peterson (left) forces out Houston Astros center fielder Justin Maxwell (44)during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Right now the A’s sit at 17-14, and haven’t found a consistent winning formula since the 9 game winning streak that put them ahead of the curve in the first place.  Losing games like they have recently should begin to open some eyes as to what imperfections exist within the 25 man roster.  This is a team that is good enough to contend, good enough to perhaps win the AL West once again, but they cannot sit back and simply expect it to happen for them.  The burden is on Billy Beane to make moves and continue to fine tune the roster in order to make that happen.

As of this moment, there are a few candidates playing for the River Cats in Sacramento who would be able to fill the remaining needs on this roster.  I detailed yesterday the weakness that still exists in the middle infield, specifically with Eric Sogard, and the possible candidates who could help boost the team’s offense.  In that case, Jemile Weeks, Grant Green, and the rehabbing Hiroyuki Nakajima were presented as viable upgrades.

Meanwhile, as the River Cats lead the PCL Southern Division with a 17-13, there are a few other members of the Triple A squad who could theoretically help the Athletics right now.  The first one on the list would be Shane Peterson.  Peterson has posted a very good .304/.450/.457 line through 118 plate appearances, briefly made his MLB debut when Brandon Moss went on paternity leave, and is capable of playing all 3 outfield positions as well as first base.  As you may or may not have noticed, the A’s outfielders have had quite the knack for finding the disabled list thus far, so Peterson’s talent and versatility would be an asset to the team.

An old friend by the name of Daric Barton is quietly having an excellent season down in Sacramento, posting a .300/.446/.500 line in 118 plate appearances.  The complication with Barton of course is the fact that he was designated for assignment prior to the beginning of the regular season, so someone else would need to be removed from the 40 man roster to make room for him as well as from the active roster.  Barton is certainly a polarizing figure, but his skills could prove valuable in Oakland if he were able to translate them to the major leagues.

Michael Taylor is now with the Athletics, after Chris Young was placed on the DL, and he’s been great in Triple A so far this year.  Taylor was once thought to be a possible cornerstone for the Athletics future, and while that may have passed, there’s still hope he can contribute at the major league level.  This may be his best chance yet.  With Coco Crisp and Young on the shelf they need to use this opportunity to see if Taylor has figured out how to use the tools he has in the Show.

There have been rumblings over the last couple weeks for the Athletics to eschew finances and start the arbitration clock of Michael Choice.  By the numbers, it might seem that doing such a thing wouldn’t be the craziest idea ever.  Choice is hitting .302/.420/.528 with 6 home runs and a team leading 26 RBI.  Choice is very much built in the Yoenis Cespedes mold, and should become an impact player at the major league level at some point.  That time may be soon, but I don’t think it’s quite yet.

The A’s could also use a pitcher who can help bridge the gap between a struggling starting pitcher and the bullpen, or eat up a few innings in extra frames so the previously scratched starter isn’t forced into duty.  This would have been Travis Blackley, but the A’s jettisoned him from the organization, a move I imagine many regret making now.  This is a perfect role for Pedro Figueroa, who is able to pitch multiple innings, and could be stretched out into a full time starter if needed.  He may be a little wild at times, but he can get hitters out at baseball’s highest level.  He hasn’t dazzled though in Triple A, with a 6.94 ERA in 11.2 innings of work, and he has walked 9 batters in that span.  So he will need to right the ship before he can be considered for a call up.

Right now, there really isn’t another strong long man candidate, maybe Billy Beane can somehow convince the Astros to give Blackley back?

There are other honorable mentions for the most productive River Cats, Stephen Vogt sits atop that list, the young catcher is hitting an impressive .394/.448/.691 and many thought he should have gotten the call up over Luke Montz.  If he keeps hitting like that, he may force his way onto the roster somehow.  Sonny Gray gets an honorable mention as well, he’s posted a 2.61 ERA in 31 innings with 25 K’s to 12 walks.  He should be in a starting rotation though, no long relief duty for this young hurler.  Hideki Okajima has also been solid as well, pitching to a 2.40 ERA in 15 innings of work, his presence in the Athletics bullpen seems more likely at some point in the near future.

There are many ways to improve this Athletics team, but Billy Beane and co. can take comfort in knowing the solutions to their problems may already be in their possession.  It’s up to them to realize just who will best serve their needs.  The perfect solution has to be in there somewhere, right?

This group of players is often overlooked, but they are essential to any team’s success.  They spend most of their time finding ways to past the time during the games, but when they’re called upon they have to snap into game form in a matter of minutes and enter in some very dicey situations.  They’re expected to bail out starters, and walk the tightrope constantly, and if they’re good at it the team will have great success holding onto leads.  The bullpen for the Athletics really came together in 2012 and became a strength down the stretch.  A mix of firepower and deception, with an adrenaline pumping emotion undercurrent made the Athletics bullpen a force to be reckoned with.

August 2, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics bullpen dance to “call me maybe” during the eighth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The likes of Grant Balfour and Ryan Cook, along with Sean Doolittle get the bulk of the spotlight for the manner in which they dominate hitters in the late innings, but the middle relievers led by Jerry Blevins, Pat Neshek, Jordan Norberto, Evan Scribner, Travis Blackley, Pedro Figueroa and new addition Chris Resop will bridge the gap between the starters and the late inning guys.  So the question is whether or not they will continue to be a strength in 2013.

ZiPs Projections

Grant Balfour: 61 games, 57.1 innings, 3.14 ERA, 57 K, 3.23 FIP

Ryan Cook: 67 games, 68.1 innings, 3.42 ERA, 66 K, 3.52 FIP

Sean Doolittle: 61 games, 71.1 innings, 3.15 ERA, 83 K, 3.04 FIP

Jerry Blevins: 59 games, 57 innings, 3.79 ERA, 51 K, 3.83 FIP

Pat Neshek: 57 games, 56.2 innings, 3.49 ERA, 48 K, 3.32 FIP

Jordan Norberto: 48 games, 55.1 innings, 3.90 ERA, 53 K, 3.98 FIP

Evan Scribner: 52 games, 59 innings, 4.27 ERA, 50 K, 4.16 FIP

Travis Blackley: 26 games (13 starts), 88 innings, 4.40 ERA, 61 K, 4.30 FIP

Chris Resop: 55 games, 58.2 innings, 4.30 ERA, 49 K, 3.83 FIP

Pedro Figueroa: 52 games, 4.82 ERA, 61.2 innings, 40 K, 5.10 FIP

There are many other relievers who may find themselves riding the pine down the left field line in 2013, like Mike Ekstrom, Jesse Chavez, Andrew Werner, and perhaps even a youngster like Arnold Leon.  Time will tell as the guys in the back end of the bullpen begin to go through the revolving door.

Balfour, Cook, and Doolittle are all expected to build on their strong 2012 seasons, and ZiPs thinks two of them will do just that.  Balfour became a truly dominant pitcher when he took charge of the closers role late in the 2012 season, and there is very little doubt that he’ll let that go.  I expect Balfour to lead the charge in 2013, and his numbers may look even better than ZiPs thinkgs.  Cook walked a bit of a tight rope when he struggled with his control, and it caught up with him at times, and it may do so once again for the 2012 All Star.  Sean Doolittle has the talent to continue to dominate hitters, and will take his stuff to a whole new level this year.

Jerry Blevins was still prone to the long ball, despite his success otherwise.  If he can cut those down, he can easily beat his projections, but if he doesn’t then his good fortune that kept his numbers down in 2012 will likely run out.  Pat Neshek absolutely needs to face right handed hitters unless there is literally nobody left to pitch to a lefty, his wild deception and nasty movement will give hitters fits, a 3.49 ERA seems like it very well could be a bit high.

Jordan Norberto and Evan Scribner will be mostly in lower leverage situations unless they prove too dominant to ignore, they’ll both take their lumps, but will provide the A’s with many valuable innings throughout the season.  Travis Blackley will be the long man when he’s in the bullpen, but as ZiPs projects will likely grab a few starts here and there, I don’t know if he’ll get up to 13 starts, but 6-8 seems more than reasonable.  He won’t blow anyone away necessarily, but he’ll get the job done when he’s needed, his projections seem about right.  Besides, his midseason hashtags on Twitter are top notch (#canwin #ourbad).

Then there’s Chris Resop, the new guy in the mix.  He’ll be in a similar role to that of Scribner and Norberto, pitching in mostly low leverage situations.  A 4.30 ERA seems about right for him.  Pedro Figueroa will likely ride the I-80 corridor numerous times between Oakland and Sacramento, his projections will probably be about right if that’s the case.

With that, I officially conclude the evaluation of the ZiPs projections for 2013.  These projections are often a bit on the conservative side, as evidenced by many of the numbers expected from various members of the Athletics roster.  The fact remains no matter what though, this is the team to beat in the AL West in 2013, and they seek to defend that title and build on the success of 2012.

May 23, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Jered Weaver (36) pitches the ball against the Oakland Athletics during the third inning at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

TURNING POINT:  Jarrod Parker wasn’t at his sharpest by any stretch of the imagination, but he at least limited the damage to two innings tonight.  For most of the game the A’s trailed by a 2-0 deficit established in the 2nd inning, and as Parker tried to battle through the 7th inning he faced adversity once again.  After inducing a groundout from Howard “Don’t Call Me Howie” Kendrick, Parker surrendered the 3rd base hit from fresh off the DL Erick Aybar and the 2nd single from Chris Iannetta to put 2 on with 1 out.  The two runners were moved to 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs on a Mike Trout ground ball to the right side that he nearly beat out.  Then grizzled veteran Torii Hunter came up in a clutch 2 out situation and delivered what many deemed to be the knockout blow with a solid single up the middle to drive in Aybar and Iannetta.  The Angels led 4-0 and with Weaver cruising this game was all but done.]

ON THE HILL:  Jarrod Parker had major trouble finding the strike zone tonight, and for the most part the Angels had trouble making him pay for it.  His line of 6.2 innings, 9 hits and 4 ER, with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts certainly could have been even uglier if the Angels had capitalized on his wildness.  He did throw 58 of his 98 pitches for strikes, but earlier in the game he was right around 50% on balls versus strikes percentage until he got in a mini groove in the middle innings.  Pat Neshek took over in the 7th inning and retired the side on a strikeout after hitting Albert Pujols with a pitch..  Pedro Figueroa handled the final 2 innings on just 1 hit and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts.  The bullpen as a whole should be fairly well rested now that they’ve had 2 full days off with the exception of the 2 batters faced by Neshek.

AT THE PLATE:  There certainly isn’t much to talk about regarding the A’s with the lumber tonight, they got owned by one of baseball’s best.  Only Derek Norris, Brandon Moss, and Brandon Inge reached base tonight with base hits.  Inge did have 2 hits including a double and the first hit of the night for the A’s.  Everyone else in the A’s lineup put up nothing but zeroes tonight.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  The A’s are out of a playoff spot for the first time in some time having fallen behind the Angels in the AL West and wild card standings.  It’s not time to panic just yet because there is still a lot of baseball to be played, but it seems abundantly clear that it is time to recognize that the tidal wave of momentum that fueled the best July the Athletics franchise has ever seen is gone.  I’ve written over the last couple days about the fact that the bullpen and the shortstop position need upgrades and soon.  Eric Sogard simply is not a Major League shortstop, he seems like a good guy but character isn’t going to win games.  Adam Rosales has more business being in Oakland than Sogard, but he’s a bench player.  I believe Billy Beane will not sit by and watch this go on, hopefully I’m right.  Tomorrow night the A’s will try to stop this streak and even up this series against the Angels starter everyone in the 510 loves to hate CJ Wilson (9-7, 3.27 ERA), the veteran Bartolo Colon takes the hill for the A’s with a 8-8 record and an ERA of 3.55.  Nothing would take the sting out of a complete game shutout like knocking around the straight edge lefty Wilson.