Minor open to any role A's, Melvin give him in playoffs

Share

Mike Minor dazzled on the mound the first game of a doubleheader against the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. The A’s fell 5-1 at the Oakland Coliseum, but not before Minor struck out seven across five-plus innings.

Minor allowed just one run in the sixth which prior to that, he had not allowed a run against the Mariners in his previous 13 innings. However, that didn’t mean A’s manager Bob Melvin was ready to make decisions for the playoff rotation yet.

Download and subscribe to the Balk Talk Podcast

“Great again, he’s pitched really well against that team,” Melvin said after the game. “His breaking ball seems to get better and better, maybe had his best velocity consistently this year as well, so pitched really good.”

When asked about the possibility of Minor coming out of the bullpen in the playoffs, Melvin said he was open to the idea, but didn’t lay down anything concrete.

“Yeah I think anything’s possible,” Melvin said. 

Minor, from the moment he was traded to the A’s, said he was open to whatever role the team would give him. He made his Oakland debut out of the bullpen and said he hasn’t been told where he will throw in the postseason.

“I’m just kind of here,” Minor said after the game. “Whenever they need me to do. They haven’t talked to me about a role or anything like that. I know a lot of the other guys are throwing better than me, so I’m assuming that those guys are going to get most of the work, if they need me for anything, then I’ll be there.”

RELATED: How Chris Bassitt went from vying for rotation spot, to A's best pitcher

When asked if he was open specifically to a bullpen role, Minor said yes, but admitted there are a lot of talented arms there already.

“If they need me to step in and do whatever then, like I said before, yeah -- I’ll be there,” Minor said. 

If the A's win Game 2, and if the Minnesota Twins lose to the Cincinnati Reds, the A’s still would secure the No. 2 seed in the AL playoffs Saturday.

Contact Us