Jeffrey Springs (hip) MRI shows no structural issues

Springs gave up seven hits, walked two and struck out three. He fell to 3-12 with the loss. Springs pitched slightly better in his last start, but overall he hasn’t looked particularly sharp in either of his two starts since returning from the injured list. He has a 6.08 ERA. Springs isn’t a recommended fantasy option in his next starts against the Orioles at home on Sunday.

Springs pitched his way to a decent final line in his first start off the injured, but was not very sharp. He could not find the zone over the first few innings. By the end of the third, he’d walked three batters and hit another. Then, he began to challenge the Royals’ hitters and was hit much harder. In the end, he forced just six swings-and-misses and barely held his fastball over 90 mph after the second inning. Next up, he’s scheduled for a terrifying two-start week against the Twins and Orioles with both starts coming at home in Sacramento.

The Athletics’ answer to Springs’ longstanding hip issues was to have him take one start off, pitch once in A-ball and then bring him back to the majors. He’ll face the Royals tonight.

Springs’ hip has been a problem since at least April, though this is his first IL stint of the year. It’s not yet clear whether this will be a brief rest to try to get him closer to 100 percent or if he’s being shut down. The left-hander has a 6.17 ERA in 22 starts this year. With Springs going down, both Mason Barnett and Jack Perkins should keep starting for now. One was expected to be removed from the rotation with J.T. Ginn back.

Springs struck out two batters in the ballgame. All of the damage done against him was inflicted by Kevin McGonigle, with a solo homer in the third inning and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Springs threw just 44 of his 86 pitches for strikes, getting seven whiffs and posting a CSW of 22 percent. He’ll carry an unsightly 6.17 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and an 88/44 K/BB ratio (108 innings) into Thursday’s tilt against the Reds in Cincinnati.

It’s unclear exactly what occurred, but the left-hander was visited by the training staff during the second inning and the decision was ultimately made to remove him from the ballgame. Springs was charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk in just 1 1/3 innings of work. He’ll head for further evaluation. Expect the A’s to have an update on his status after the game.

Springs pitched five scoreless frames before giving up a double and a game-tying Ketel Marte homer to start the sixth. He was then pulled after a Geraldo Perdomo bunt single. Fortunately, that runner was stranded, and Springs was charged with two runs or fewer for the first time in 10 starts since May 17. He’s still lost nine straight decisions since mid-April, however. He’ll likely make his next start Sunday in Minnesota.

Springs struck out four, raising his ERA to 6.08. The lefty has now given up five or more runs in five of his past six starts. He wasn’t great in his first season with the A’s last year, but his performance lately has been much worse. The A’s host the Nationals coming out of the All-Star break. That makes Springs an easy sit for any deep-league managers desperate enough to consider him.

The Dodgers brought two runs in to score against Springs in the first inning on two hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly. Tommy Edman then got to Springs in the third with a three-run blast. A solo homer by Miguel Rojas in the sixth would bring in a sixth run before Spring departed with one out at 92 pitches. The 33-year-old left-hander ends the day with a 5.79 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, and an 80/33 K/BB ratio across 93 1/3 innings.

It was one-run through five, but while facing the top of the lineup for the third time, he allowed a walk and a single with one out in the sixth. He was pulled then and both runners came around to score after he left. It makes one wonder why Mark Kotsay left him in the game in the first place if he didn’t trust him to carry on at 87 pitches, especially since his next batter was a lefty he’d already retired twice in Rafael Devers. Springs wasn’t involved in the decision today, but he has dropped seven in a row after opening the season 3-0. Even with the late runs scoring, this still rates as his best outing in June. He’ll take a 5.52 ERA into his next start against the Dodgers.