MESA, Ariz. — So good was Sean Manaea’s changeup in his first spring start that Giants superstar Buster Posey was singing its praises.
In Saturday’s second start, Manaea simply didn’t have a feel for the pitch. The A’s lefty got knocked around for five runs (four earned) in 1 2/3 innings and the A’s absorbed a 15-5 drubbing from the Cleveland Indians at Hohokam Stadium.
Such is the nature of early spring, when a pitcher’s command can desert him from one outing to the next without explanation.
“I just wasn’t throwing it for a strike,” Manaea said.