A's reliever Lou Trivino rounds into form to shut down Yankees

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OAKLAND — With the A's leading 6-3 and set to face the heart of the Yankees lineup Monday, manager Bob Melvin had a decision to make. He could send starting pitcher Trevor Cahill back out for a sixth inning of work, or he could turn to 26-year-old rookie Lou Trivino.

Melvin chose the latter, and it paid off in a big way. Trivino proceeded to strike out Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Hicks, and Miguel Andújar on 14 pitches, and the score held up as the final in Oakland's win over the Bronx Bombers.

“I don't do him any favors,” Melvin joked. “For a young guy, he's typically either the fire man with guys on base or he has to go through the middle of the order.”

Stanton, Hicks, and Andujar batted second, third, and fourth on Monday. They rank first, second, and fourth, respectively, among Yankees hitters in home runs. 

“Those guys are really good hitters,” Trivino said. “To be able to do that, it definitely boosts [my] confidence.”

After a brief rough patch, Trivino looks like he's back to being the dominant pitcher we saw during the first half of the season. In his last four games, facing elite competition in Houston, Seattle, and New York, Trivino has tossed four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and two walks, with seven strikeouts.

“It's just me trying to attack the zone,” he said. “I know lately I've been struggling not being as aggressive in the zone, throwing a lot of pitches. I'm trying to get back to where I was within my delivery, trying to stay behind the ball, stay through the ball. I felt good today, so Lord willing, this is a sign of good things to come.”

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From August 8-27, Trivino allowed nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings, and he saw his ERA nearly double from 1.16 to 2.29. That led to speculation of fatigue, as he climbed over 60 innings for the season. But Trivino insisted he felt great physically and just had to focus on his mechanics.

“Sometimes my delivery gets a little out of whack,” he explained. “My body gets ahead of my arm. It's frustrating when it happens. When it happens, everything is a little flat. Hitters can see it a little bit better. It's just kind of working through that. I'm blessed that I was able to do that, and hopefully, Lord willing, we can continue this.”

“This is becoming a long season for him, but after a little bit of a rocky period, which everybody is going to have, he's really responded here recently,” Melvin added. “When you have stuff like that, you should feel pretty confident.”

For the season, Trivino is 8-2 with a 2.15 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He has struck out 74 batters in 67 innings, and should receive some votes for American League Rookie of the Year. But Trivino is just happy to be an instrumental part of a terrific A's bullpen.

“I've loved it,” he said. “I'm thankful that BoMel believes in me and that the guys believe in me as well. With whatever they want me to do, I'm just thankful that I'm able to do it and hopefully we can continue to succeed.”

 

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