ARLINGTON, Texas – If Sean Doolittle is the A’s primary closer this series against the Rangers, you can thank Adrian Beltre.
The Rangers’ third baseman has begun the season on the disabled list, which means the 2-3-4-5 slots in the Texas lineup include three left-handers with Shin-Soo Choo, Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor broken up only by right-hander Mike Napoli.
It’s a good setup for the left-handed Doolittle, who had left-handed hitters average just .206 against him last year and just .197 for his career. Beltre, who has always been tough on lefties, owns a .429 average against Doolittle, so sticking him in the middle of the Texas lineup would change A’s manager Bob Melvin’s considerations for closing.