Athletics maintain their rank despite significant home pitching struggles

Since moving their home games to Sutter Health Park, the Athletics have run into a bit of a problem. They have a hard time pitching at home. 

The field is an offensive player's paradise. West Sacramento has a launchpad effect, allowing the ball to travel further due to high temperatures and lower humidity. 

It's also a minor league ballpark, and getting used to the smaller field and fewer attractions has been difficult on some of the arms, like Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs. 

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Athletics maintain their rank despite significant home pitching struggles

Just to put it into perspective, Severino was 2-11 with the highest ERA across baseball at home last year, but went 6-0 with the 10th-lowest ERA across baseball when he was pitching anywhere else but West Sacramento.

Despite pitching in a hitter's paradise, the A's have gotten off to a solid start. They were ranked No. 11 last week, and after a 3-3 week, they remain as the No. 11 club, per Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller.

"If the A's are going to continue to hang around as a postseason candidate, they need to figure out how to pitch in West Sacramento. Heading into Sunday, they had a 6.35 ERA and .875 OPS against at home compared to 3.14 and .650, respectively, on the road."

Miller mentions that if the A's want to make it to the postseason for the first time since the 2020 season, they are going to have to tame their pitching numbers at home. 

The staff is putting too much pressure on the offense to be explosive when they're at home. That could get really dangerous, especially when some of these hitters are trying to get back on track, like Brent Rooker. 

The pitching staff will be a big focus the rest of the way. Everyone knows how good this offense can be, but it is the pitching staff that can either take this team to the playoffs or have their goals crushed before the season ends.

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