Perkins pushed aside by red-hot Red Sox

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.

Perkins couldn’t keep the ball in the park, as he allowed three homers to Gleyber Torres, Max Clark — Clark’s first as a big-leaguer — and Kevin McGonigle, respectfully. Outside of those homers the 26-year-old did whiff nine, but he allowed six other hits in a disappointing effort despite the punchouts. Perkins. While he did pitch well against them last week, fantasy managers may want to look elsewhere for a streamer when he faces the Red Sox on Friday.

Perkins was lifted with the shutout intact and two on with two outs in the sixth. José Suárez replaced him and then walked Wilyer Abreu before giving up a grand slam to Ceddanne Rafaela that accounted for all of Boston’s scoring on the night. As a result, Perkins dropped to 2-6 despite turning in his best outing of the season. He allowed just one hit and struck out four while throwing only 69 pitches to get his 17 outs. He’s of little interest in fantasy leagues, but he definitely deserved better tonight. He’ll face the Tigers this weekend.

Perkins surrendered a three-run homer to Max Kepler in the first inning. He settled in to allow just three more baserunners through four more scoreless innings, ending his day after five innings with four strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 6.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 76/24 K/BB ratio across 62 2/3 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Sacramento on Monday.

Ultimately, Perkins was saddled with three runs on those two hits and a pair of walks in his three innings of work. Working behind an opener, he took over with one out in the second inning and cruised until Jake Rogers tagged him for a solo shot in the third inning. He then gave up a two-run blast to Zach McKinstry before exiting in the fifth. Perkins got five swings and misses on 67 offerings on the evening, posting a CSW of 21 percent. He finishes the first half of the season with an uninspiring 6.87 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 72/23 K/BB ratio over 57 2/3 innings in his 24 appearances (six starts).

Perkins also issued four walks on the night, though he did pile up eight strikeouts. The Marlins exploded for six runs in the opening inning, including a three-run blast by Heriberto Hernandez and a solo shot by Jakob Marsee. They tacked on another in the second before Perkins settled in. The 26-year-old righty got 10 swings and misses 91 offerings in the game, posting a CSW of 33 percent. He’ll carry a 6.75 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and a 70/21 K/BB ratio (54 2/3 innings) into his final start of the first half on Thursday against the Tigers in Detroit.

Perkins struck out five and walked one in his best showing in five starts since moving into Sacramento’s rotation. He still has a 6.65 ERA in his new role and a 6.00 ERA in 51 innings overall, but he’ll probably stick as a starter and face the Marlins next weekend.

Perkins ran into trouble in the second inning when he allowed two singles and a three-run home run to Donovan Walton; however, he was pretty solid otherwise. He struck out eight and walked two while throwing 62 percent of his pitches for strikes and posting an 18 percent swinging strike rate and 31 percent CSW. Perkins leaned into his sweeper more often than usual and posted a 28 percent swinging strike rate on that pitch alone. He did struggle to command his four-seam fastball and changeup to lefties, so that could remain a problem, but he showed off a five-pitch mix with three fastball variations and decent swing-and-miss stuff. He could be worth an add in deeper formats ahead of a three-game stretch against the Angels, Marlins, and Tigers.

Perkins held the Pirates scoreless through three innings, then gave up a run on two hits in the fourth. He then stranded two runners in the fifth before giving up a solo homer to Bryan Reynolds to lead off the sixth. The following batter would reach on a hit, and that would be the day for Perkins, departing at 85 pitches with six strikeouts. The 26-year-old right-hander will take a 6.15 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and a 49/14 K/BB ratio across 41 innings into a start against the Angels in Sacramento on Sunday.

Gary Sánchez and Jackson Chourio homered off Perkins, who hasn’t pitched very well in either start since being added to the A’s rotation last week. It seems likely that he’ll remain a starter after Kade Morris was sent down Wednesday, but he’s only of interest for fantasy purposes as a reliever. He’ll likely face the Pirates next week.