OAKLAND — Once thought to be the weakness of the team, the A's starting rotation has been nothing short of brilliant recently.
In their last 20 games, Oakland starters have gone 11-3 with a 2.22 ERA. From reinvented veterans such as Brett Anderson, Trevor Cahill and Edwin Jackson, to the youngster Sean Manaea, to trade acquisition Mike Fiers, the A's rotation has been the best in baseball this month.
With a potential wild card game on the horizon, there has been much debate about which A's pitcher should get that start. For most of the season, Manaea seemed like the easy choice. The 26-year-old looked like an early All-Star candidate, going 4-1 with a 1.00 ERA in April, which included a no-hitter against the league-leading Boston Red Sox.
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Since then, Manaea has been up and down, posting a 7.18 ERA in May, and recovering with a 2.84 ERA in June. Two of his last three starts have been shaky, and his inconsistency makes it hard to run him out there in a winner-take-all game.
Jackson, Anderson, and Cahill all deserve strong consideration, based on their experience and their recent success. If Oakland were to host a must-win game, it would be hard to ignore Cahill, whose 0.85 home ERA leads all major league starters. But it has been a completely different story away from the Coliseum, where Cahill's ERA has ballooned to 6.62.
If Anderson keeps pitching the way he has in August, he would be a strong candidate. The 30-year-old left-hander has a 0.68 ERA in his last four starts, allowing just two runs all month. A's manager Bob Melvin recently said that this new version of Anderson might be even better than the old one.
Jackson had a rough start Wednesday, but he put together four consecutive strong outings before that. Since joining the A's, he has allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts. Jackson's experience and calm demeanor also would serve him well in a high-pressure game. The moment would not be too big for him.
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An argument really could be made for any of the A's five starting pitchers, but at the moment, Fiers appears to be the best option. The 33-year-old has been lights out since coming to the A's from Detroit, going 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA in three starts. Over his last 10 outings, his ERA is a miniscule 1.81, allowing three runs or fewer in every game.
Fiers also has shown the ability to make adjustments between innings, or even during an inning. Take Monday against Texas. After a shaky start in which Fiers threw 45 pitches through two innings, including a rare walk and hit batter, he and catcher Jonathan Lucroy found a way to right the ship. Fiers retired the final 18 batters he faced and earned the win.
Between his talent, mental toughness and postseason experience with Houston, Fiers has to be considered the go-to guy in a must-win scenario.