MESA, Ariz. — When it comes to throwing strikes, A’s pitcher Paul Blackburn is usually the last guy manager Bob Melvin has to worry about. But making his sixth appearance of the spring, Blackburn was just off.
Surrendering a home run to Chris Taylor to lead off the game was just the beginning of what was a bad day at the office for Blackburn. He allowed seven runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts through 3 1/3 innings in Tuesday’s 8-2 loss to the Dodgers.
Expected to begin the season in the A’s starting rotation, Blackburn’s was probably not enough to change those plans, but it was a bit of a shock to manager Bob Melvin.