A’s Outfield Defense Is A Problem They Can’t Ignore

On Wednesday afternoon the A’s, who had stunned Dylan Cease by putting up 6 runs in the 1st inning and 9 ER on his ledger overall, mustered only 2 measly hits, both singles, in a 2-1 loss.

When your offense sputters to that level it’s hard to blame anything else on a loss. And yet even then you can point the A’s outfield defense as a “difference maker” in the game. Twice JJ Bleday reprised an all too familiar act, taking a circuitous route on a shallow pop fly only to have it land on the grass despite his diving attempt.

One of those times allowed a precious run to score, both are caught by an accomplished CFer with better initial reads and jumps and more foot speed. It’s remarkable the…