Joel

Kuhnel

It seems Drew Rom’s stay in the Milwaukee pen could be very brief. Kuhnel was DFA’d by the A’s on Friday after blowing a save chance on Thursday. The 31-year-old journeyman had a 4.21 ERA, four saves and a 14/6 K/BB in 25 2/3 innings for the A’s. He’s out of options, so he’ll go right on to the major league roster.

The 31-year-old hurler came on with a three-run lead to protect in the ninth inning against the Cubs on Thursday afternoon and gave up four runs on five hits to take the loss. That appears to have been the final nail in his coffin. Kuhnel posted a respectable 4.21 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 14/6 K/BB ratio over 25 2/3 innings while notching four saves in 25 appearances for the A’s. He shouldn’t be out of work for long.

Kuhnel’s first save chance since Apr. 20 was a complete bust, though not actually a blown save. That went to Luis Medina, who came in with two on and the lead down to one and then gave up back-to-back singles to end things. Still, this was all Kuhnel’s mess. He was the Athletics’ early season saves leader despite opening up in the minors, but there’s a reason he hadn’t had any chances in a long time. He shouldn’t see another any day soon.

After finishing off a four-run lead last night, Perkins gave up two singles and a double today to blow his second save chance in two tries this month. This might take him out of the mix for a spell, increasing the chances that Joel Kuhnel and Scott Barlow could wind up with saves. Barlow pitched a scoreless eighth today for his eighth hold.

Joel Kuhnel got five outs between the eighth and ninth tonight, but since it was 5-1 when he entered, he wasn’t in line for a save. Leiter came in with one on in a 5-2 game in the ninth and walked Isaac Collins before striking out Jac Caglianone to end the game. It’s his third save, but he has a 6.23 ERA and seems to be only a minor part of the Athletics’’ closer-by-committee situation at the moment.

This was an odd one for the A’s, as their most frequent ninth-inning choice of late, Joel Kuhnel, was brought in to the game in the fourth inning after J.T. Ginn got hurt. He pitched out of trouble then and starter Jacob Lopez went on to work the fifth, giving up what proved to be the Rangers’ only run of the game. From there, Justin Sterner, Hogan Harris and Perkins protected a 2-1 lead over the final four innings. It’s the second straight A’s save that’s gone to Perkins, who has a 3.18 ERA and a 15/3 K/BB in 11 1/3 innings over six appearances. Given the way the A’s like to use him, he probably won’t turn into their true closer. Still, he might be the most rosterable A’s reliever right now.

Kuhnel got a double-play ball from J.P. Crawford after a leadoff single, but he just gave up three more singles afterwards, with Josh Naylor’s ending the game. The run is the second he’s allowed in 7 2/3 innings since the A’s called him up. He remains 4-for-4 in his save chances, and he’ll probably be the clear favorite for saves in Sacramento until he blows one.

Kuhnel did give up a run on a double by Leo Rivas to score Cole Young, but it came in a game the A’s were leading 6-3 at the time. The 31-year-old was able to get J.P. Crawford and Cal Raleigh to fly out as the tying runs to procure his fourth save of the campaign. He should continue to see save chances for the foreseeable future.

Mark Leiter Jr., who was brought in with a 6-2 lead in the eighth, gave up a three-run homer to Jake Burger, necessitating Kuhnel’s early entrance. All worked out for the A’s, though, as Kuhnel retired the four batters he faced. He’s 3-for-3 saving games and has yet to allow a run since being called up on Apr. 7. There still isn’t much reason to believe Kuhnel will be an above reliever going forward, but he’s definitely the pitcher worth rostering in the A’s pen at the moment.

Hogan Harris and Scott Barlow also pitched hitless innings in setup roles today. Kuhnel generated three easy groundballs with his sinker today, needing a total of four pitches in the process. There’s not really any projecting him as an above average reliever going forward, but he’s probably the favorite for saves in the Athletics’ pen, even though he only just joined the team 10 days into the season.