MESA, Ariz. — A’s pitcher Jharel Cotton’s strong start to the spring just took a big hit.
After another impressive outing which saw Cotton hold the Giants hitless through four innings of work with three walks and five strikeouts Monday, manager Bob Melvin revealed Tuesday morning that the reason for Cotton’s somewhat early exit from the game was due to elbow soreness he had mentioned in the dugout.
Melvin had noticed a drop in velocity on Cotton’s fastball in the third and fourth inning, and had suspected something was wrong with the pitcher. After consulting with team trainers, the club decided to send Cotton back to the Bay Area.