Spring finally has sprung for the Athletics.
Jeffery Springs pitched six innings of nearly flawless baseball, and the Athletics scored in the top of the first inning to beat the Texas Rangers on Thursday at Globe Life Field.
The veteran lefty had struggled with his control in his previous two outings, both blowout losses, but had his stuff working against the Rangers. Springs didn’t overwhelm the Texas lineup but kept them from getting on base for most of the game, allowing only two hits and one walk.
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SIGN UP HERE “He came out establishing his fastball, which was a conversation we’ve had over the last five days,” manager Mark Kotsay told reporters after the game. “He went out and pitched with that aggression, which is a good sign. Any time you challenge yourself… today was a challenge, and he stepped up.”
With the Athletics racing to the lead on a first-inning RBI single by Miguel Andújar, Springs had to protect the lead as he took the mound, and he did just that by forcing Texas into a 1-2-3 inning.
Athletics strike first 👊 pic.twitter.com/MZxFWlpVna
— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 1, 2025
The 32-year-old struggled in the early innings in his previous two starts, giving up a combined nine runs.
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Kotsay credited Springs' change in mindset, which allowed him to brush off the previous two starts and focus on getting through the early innings without allowing any runs.
“Yes, his struggles have been in the first two innings, but after that he seemed to settle in and pitch pretty well,” Kotsay said. “But that was obviously after giving up runs. So, the goal was to get him out there and challenge him to get that zero. It’s not always easy when you have those struggles to maintain your confidence, and I wanted to make sure that [he knew] that we hadn’t lost confidence in him and give him that opportunity.”
Six shutout innings for Jeffrey Springs 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8ZPQ5qTrkb
— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 1, 2025
The win bumped the Athletics to a 17-15 record, just two games back of the Seattle Mariners in the American League West. Springs' solid outing is a blueprint for the team moving forward: timely hitting and lockdown pitching.
Now, the Athletics head to Miami to face the Marlins for a three-game set, looking to build on their positive momentum of winning their last three series.