The A's made it to the AL Wild Card Series, but have been subject to early, noon start times in each of the three games. Many players on the team have made it clear they're not a fan of it.
Manager Bob Melvin, before the series began, said he didn't like it. He even admitted he was a bit cranky during the first game of the series as he arrived to the Oakland Coliseum.
A’s outfielder Ramón Laureano and reliever Jake Diekman echoed Melvin’s sentiments that it’s too early for these ballgames.
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"I mean we're waking up at, what, 6:30, 7 o'clock in the morning for these f--king games? But I mean, you just got to take it and you know, what I do, is just go to sleep at 7:30 p.m.,” Laureano told reporters on Thursday. “I try to fall asleep at 7:30 or 8 p.m. It's just an adjustment."
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Diekman was vocal about how much he hated the start times before the question was even finished being asked on Thursday.
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“I think it’s horse s--t,” Diekman said. “I’m sorry, but we’re the second seed and we play three noon games in a row, that’s terrible. Sorry about interrupting you, but I had to get that off my chest.”
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Diekman added he doesn’t believe day games necessarily are bad for the players, but having a huge chunk of the A's 30 home games this season during the day didn’t sit well with him.
“It’s really no difference, but it’s just getting your body, ready to go, I think now the third game we’re all used to it from the first and second game, but I think we’re probably used to it by now," Diekman said.
"Do I think it’s fair? Not really. Do I think it stinks? Yeah, a little bit. But that’s the time slots we had. If we want better time slots then we win today and we’re basically guaranteed that.”