With Spring Training injuries to Jharel Cotton, A.J. Puk, and Paul Blackburn, the A's desperately needed someone to step up and solidify the starting rotation.
While most of the attention has gone to Sean Manaea, and rightfully so, veteran right-hander Trevor Cahill has delivered three strong starts since joining the A's from Triple-A Nashville.
The 30-year-old took the loss Sunday at Houston, his first of the season, but still picked up a quality start, allowing three earned runs in six innings and striking out five. Cahill probably deserved a better fate, as the A's committed four errors behind him.
For the season, Cahill has allowed six earned runs in 18 innings for an ERA of 3.00, second-best among Oakland's starters, behind only Manaea's American League leading 1.03. Cahill has given up 13 hits and five walks, translating to an impressive 1.00 WHIP, and he has struck out 19, better than one per inning.
So far, this has certainly been the best-case scenario for Cahill and the A's, who agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract in March. Last season, Cahill posted an ERA of 4.93 between Kansas City and San Diego, but he has looked sharp in his second stint with Oakland.
Cahill has relied heavily on his sinker and changeup, and he has located both pitches well. He has thrown 175 strikes compared to just 96 balls, a strike percentage of 65%, ranking in the top-40 in baseball.
As a unit, the A's starting rotation has performed much better over the last two weeks, combining for an ERA of 3.43. Not coincidentally, Oakland has gone 9-4 over that stretch. Cahill has been a big part of the recent success, and that has to be encouraging for A's fans.
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