Athletics head on difficult eastern swing vs. Rays, Orioles as a work in progress

The Athletics came out of a three-game series against one of the better teams in the American League with a sense of optimism.

Yes, they lost two of three to the Cleveland Guardians. But the series included two clutch game-tying homers that forced extra innings sandwiched around a walk-off win in the ninth.

They lost both of the 10-inning games, 12-11 in the series opener and 6-4 on Wednesday. In terms of wins and losses, it was the same result as the opening series against the Los Angeles Angels — one win, two losses.

But considering the A’s went silent in the second two games against the Angels and lost by a combined 19-1 after a 2-1 victory on Opening Night, the series against Cleveland was a major upgrade in terms of quality of play.

“There are some wins in this team,” first baseman Ryan Noda said. “They’re coming.”

The A’s, with their roster turnover, are the land of opportunity for young players. Noda was a Rule 5 acquisition from the Dodgers playing in the big leagues for the first time. There is going to be a great deal of blind optimism.

The A’s will take those good vibes on the road against baseball’s hottest team Friday for a three-game series. The Tampa Bay Rays are 6-0 and have won every game by four or more runs. Then come four games against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

Baltimore made the kind of quantum leap the A’s are dreaming of this season, going from 52-110 in 2021 to 83-79 in 2022 to a viable playoff contender in 2023.

By the time the A’s get back home on April 14 for six home games against the Mets and Cubs, it will be cause for celebration if they’re anywhere near .500 whether the home fans recognize it or not.

Here are three reasons why the A’s bear watching, with or without fans in the seats:

So far, so good

The clutch gene

The A’s could go the rest of the season and not see two game-tying home runs as clutch as the ones they had against Cleveland. Seth Brown’s two-run shot to center came against Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, to whom comparisons to Mariano Rivera are warranted, tied the game 10-10.

Two days later, Jesús Aguilar saw a dozen pitches, fouling off seven of them, before connecting on a three-run shot to left center against Tim Herrin. It turned a listless 4-1 game into a 4-4 tie.

In the opener against the Angels, veterans Tony Kemp and Aledmys Díaz drove in eighth-inning runs in a 2-1 win. Kemp had the walk-off base hit in a 4-3 win over Cleveland Tuesday night.

The A’s have delivered clutch hits in the eighth inning or later four times in six games. For now, anyway, they’re comeback believers because they’ve experienced it.

Brown’s every-day opportunity

Considering the circumstances, Brown’s best at-bat may not have been the one against Clase. After Aguilar’s home run Wednesday, Brown came up against Herrin and hit a 103-mile-per-hour blast to center that looked headed for a home run. Myles Straw made a leaping catch at the fence, saving either a homer or extra bases.

It came against Herrin, a left-hander.

Brown has been a platoon player in the A’s eyes, with a .162 batting average and four home runs in 136 plate appearances against lefties and a .240 average with 42 home runs in 739 plate appearances against right-handers.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay said Brown has changed his swing path and took note of the Wednesday blast against Cleveland. He’s been in the lineup batting either third or fourth for every game and that’s not likely to change for a while. The A’s leader with 25 homers and 73 RBIs last season, it’s not unreasonable to expect 30-plus homers and 90-plus RBIs if he can hit lefties with some authority.

Mad(Bum) for Muller

At 6-foot-7, 250 pounds and a competitive mean streak that so far has enabled him to work out of trouble, Kyle Muller, the key figure in the three-way trade that sent Sean Murphy to Atlanta, has looked the part of a No.1 starter.

At his height, with an arm angle that’s difficult for batters to pick up, a comp for Muller would be Madison Bumgarner. Muller, like Bumgarner, was a devastating high school hitter and was going to pitch and hit at Texas before opting to get his career started after being drafted.

Like Bumgarner, the radar gun doesn’t always show what hitters are up against when it comes to Muller. He had 11 swings-and-misses against Cleveland and was solid in both outings, going 5 innings against the Angels and 5 2/3 against the Guardians. The next step is getting into the seventh.

Areas of concern

To err is Oakland

The A’s hit the road without having played an errorless game during a six-game homestand. They had one in each of the first five games and two in the finale, giving them the league lead in errors through Wednesday.

The last time the A’s made errors in six straight games was 1970. The longest such streak is 10 games in 1976.

The offenders so far: Kemp with two errors, catcher Shea Langeliers with two and Aguilar, Ramón Laureano and Noda with one each.

With young starting pitchers and rotating arms in the bullpen, buttoned-up defense is a must if there is any hope to get to .500 and beyond.

Mix-and-match bullpen

Similar to a year ago, Kotsay has embraced a philosophy of “27 outs” and he and pitching coach Scott Emerson arrange their bullpen in the best way to get to that figure.

They do this not because it’s some sort of revolutionary concept, but because they don’t have a no-doubt closer to help arrange the order of succession from middle relief to set-up men.

The closer at this point could be Dany Jimenez, Trevor May or Jeurys Familia — maybe even Sam Moll if the ninth inning was loaded with left-handed hitters, since he’s the lone lefty in the pen.

It’s been a rough go so far for middle man Domingo Acevedo, who gave up two inherited runs charged to Muller Wednesday and so far has surrendered five hits and three earned runs in 3 1/3 innings.

Nick Allen’s offense

The A’s middle infielder appears to be settled in at shortstop this season after moving between second and short a year ago.

Allen’s defensive skills are undeniable at either position and if the A’s are going to struggle defensively, he’s a good player to have in the lineup at shortstop in a no-shift environment that enhances athletic defenders.

But Allen hit .207 a year ago in 100 games and 326 plate appearances. He’s 0-for-9 so far in four games. Kotsay stuck with Allen with the winning run at third base in the ninth Wednesday. Allen hit a comebacker for the third out.

If he continues to struggle at the plate, the likelihood is that one of their two drafted talents (Brown being the other) will be a starter only against left-handed pitching, giving way to Diaz against right-handers.