OAKLAND — A’s manager Bob Melvin had hoped Arizona’s struggles at the plate would continue for a few more days, but as Sean Manaea found out, that slump might be over.
Manaea was pummeled by the Diamondbacks for his worst outing of the season, allowing a season-high six runs on eight hits with two walks and just two strikeouts over 3 2/3 innings of work in Friday’s 7-1 loss.
The changeup, Manaea’s go-to pitch, was ineffective most of the night as it was often left out over the heart of the plate. It was that same changeup that was responsible for the knockout blow in the fourth when Paul Goldschmidt tagged it into left field past a diving Chad Pinder for a triple that drove in two runs.