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Last season, the Athletics were one of the most exciting teams to watch. They had no trouble hitting the ball long over the fences, but it was the pitching staff that held them back.
Coming into the new season, the A's were looking to change that. They signed Aaron Civale to a one-year deal, and he was operating well for his new club.
But last week, the team learned they would be without Civale for a few weeks. He was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder tendinitis, which is a huge blow as the timetable for his return is currently up in the air.
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Rotation disaster and a cold week push the Athletics down the ranks
Civale is not the only pitcher who was recently placed on the IL. The A's also lost Luis Severino after he exited early from his Friday start against the New York Yankees. He is currently on the 15-day IL as well while dealing with a right shoulder strain.
Compile that with what the A's did last week, and things are not pretty. They were swept by the Seattle Mariners and then could only win one game against the Yankees over the weekend.
With this, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter had no choice but to bump the team down from No. 16 to No. 20 in his latest power rankings.
"Losing Aaron Civale and Luis Severino to injury last week was a major blow for the Athletics, while Jacob Lopez was also optioned to the minors after struggling to a 6.75 ERA in 50.2 innings."
It's tough to win games when the starting rotation is missing some key pieces, no matter how good the offense is. Hopefully, Gage Jump can take charge and lead the way for his club after making his MLB debut recently, because this team needs it.
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