MESA, Ariz. — Reliever Sean Doolittle is inching closer and closer to his first Cactus League appearance.
The lefty was sharp while facing hitters Saturday morning during a 20-pitch session, weaving in a few effective changeups as part of the workout.
“It was a really good day with the changeup,” Doolittle said. “I threw it three or four times. I’m starting to feel more comfortable with it.”
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SIGN UP HERE The A’s are bringing Doolittle along cautiously after two consecutive seasons of shoulder woes. But getting him into the fold will be big for an A’s bullpen that is also ready to welcome another reliever.
Santiago Casilla, the former Giant who was delayed almost three weeks by visa issues in the Dominican Republic, is expected to make his Cactus League debut Sunday against the Chicago Cubs. As for Doolittle, he’s going to meet with the training staff Sunday morning to decide whether his next outing will be in a game or another live batting practice session.
The lefty had another reason to smile Saturday besides his encouraging work on the mound.
For the second spring in a row, Doolittle hosted a group of military veterans who were honored before the A’s 8-7 exhibition win over Texas. The group of 11 included U.S. Marines and their corpsmen from the Wounded Warrior Battalion in San Diego. The Jake Peavy Foundation helped arrange for the trip to Arizona.
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Honoring veterans, and working to draw attention to their cause, always has been close to Doolittle’s heart.
“It was great, I really enjoyed it,” he said. “I think they had a lot of fun. I know they enjoyed meeting Rickey (Henderson). Rickey spent some time with them.”
NOTEWORTHY: Manager Bob Melvin will return to the team Sunday after being away for two days to be with his mother, Judy, who passed away Friday. Bench coach Mark Kotsay has assumed managerial duties in his absence.
STOCK RISING: Ryon Healy is on a tear so far. Starting at third base Saturday, he went 3-for-3 with three RBI, including a two-run homer, in the win over the Rangers. Healy has driven in at least one run in six of his seven games, and his 10 RBI rank second in the Cactus League. He’s hitting .350 (7-for-20).
LIGHTER SIDE: Dave Kaval saw his two teams play two games Saturday — in two different states.
The A’s president, who doubles as the San Jose Earthquakes’ president, was in Mesa and stayed for the entirety of the game at Hohokam Stadium, which began at 1:05 p.m. (MT). Immediately after, Kaval bolted for the airport to fly back to the Bay Area to catch a 6:45 p.m. (PT) game between the Quakes and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Avaya Stadium.
Kaval documented the entire A’s portion of his day on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #DavesDoubleheader.
PROSPECT WATCH: Right-hander Logan Shore, the A’s second-round draft pick last June, came over from minor league camp for the first time and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the ninth with two strikeouts. Shore was a teammate of lefty A.J. Puk, the A’s first-round pick, at the University of Florida, and he’s considered a future piece of the A’s pitching puzzle.
“He was pretty much everything that was talked about,” Kotsay said, singling out the good command that Shore had.
It was a good finish to the afternoon for Oakland, as young third baseman Renato Nunez hit a two-run homer to tie the game 7-7 in the eighth. Then Max Schrock, another prospect, delivered a walk-off ground rule double to win it in the ninth.
ODDS AND ENDS: Relievers John Axford and Ryan Madson combined to give up seven hits and four earned runs in two innings of work. … Raul Alcantara, competing for a rotation spot, is scheduled to start Sunday against the defending World Series champion Cubs at Hohokam.