Adding injury to insult, A’s lose two relievers amid skid

Not only are the Oakland A’s mired in one of its worst starts to a season in franchise history, but also players are dropping like flies.

A day after losing utility player Chad Pinder to a left knee sprain, the A’s placed relievers Burch Smith and Reymin Guduan on the 10-day injured list.

Right-handed reliever Smith will sit out with a groin strain and left-handed reliever Guduan with a left thumb sprain incurred in a collision with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger in a race to first base in the ninth inning of Monday’s 10-3 loss.

The A’s called up outfielder and first baseman Seth Brown and right-handed reliever Jordan Weems to fill the roster spots. Brown, 28, made his debut with the A’s in August 2019 and collected 22 hits in 28 games which included eight doubles and two triples. But his big league time since has been limited. He played seven games without a hit in 2020. The left-handed hitter had a solid spring this year, particularly later in the Cactus League schedule, going 7-for-31 with three home runs.

Guduan joined the A’s bullpen in the wake of closer Trevor Rosenthal’s shoulder injury to start the season. The 29-year-old has had a rough go of it, used in mop-up innings with the A’s on the wrong end of several blowouts already. He’s given up nine earned runs in 2 2/3 over three appearances.

Guduan and Smith join a long list of A’s regulars now sitting on the injured list: Pinder, Rosenthal and starter Mike Fiers are on the 10-day IL. Outfielder Ramón Laureano is day-to-day with a wrist injury suffered sliding into first base in the second game of the season. Sean Murphy returned Monday from his own wrist injury that he suffered when hit by a pitch on Opening Night.

The A’s injuries only add to their difficult start to the season. The team is 0-5 for the third time in franchise history and the first time since 1987. They’ve been outscored 45-12 through their first five games against the Dodgers and Astros.

The bullpen has been the most-used in MLB so far. A’s relievers have pitched 23 innings and hold a 7.43 ERA, sixth-worst in the league through five games.