MESA, Ariz. - Taking the mound for his first exhibition start, Andrew Triggs tried to treat it just like any other outing.
Ask the A's right-hander, and that's his approach this entire spring.
With Sonny Gray sidelined possibly for all of April with a lat strain, Triggs may find himself a much bigger piece to Oakland's pitching staff than originally planned. He entered camp fighting for the fifth starter spot, but for as long as Gray is out, everyone else in the rotation mix suddenly takes on a more prominent role.
Triggs steadied himself after a shaky first inning Saturday, holding Texas to one earned run over 3 1/3 innings in a game the A's won 8-7 in walk-off fashion at Hohokam Stadium.
Triggs, who broke through to the majors for the first time last season at age 27, is as even-keeled as anyone in the A's clubhouse. He said his mindset hasn't changed in light of Gray's injury.
"My goal is to be ready, to make good pitches in April wherever that may be."
Sports
Struggling to command his breaking stuff early against the Rangers, Triggs gave up a quick run in the first, though a throwing error from first baseman Yonder Alonso contributed to that. From there the right-hander settled in, retiring eight in a row at one point. He left after a one-out triple by Will Middlebrooks in the fourth, and another run was tacked on his pitching line when Tyler Sturdevant gave up Jared Hoying's sacrifice fly.
"I liked my breaking balls better the first two times out (in relief)," Triggs said. "But you have to have days like today, when it's not your best and you have to learn how to pitch off other things. For the most part, I'm pretty pleased with where I'm at. But today was a good learning experience on making things work for you when they're not necessarily the best."
It's a nice opportunity for Triggs, who spent 2016 on a constant shuttle between the majors and Triple-A. His eight separate stints with the big club last season are believed to be an Oakland record.
In three spring outings, Triggs has allowed just one earned run in 7 1/3 innings. He's allowed seven hits but has yet to walk a batter.
A's manager Bob Melvin said Triggs would eventually draw a Cactus League start despite appearing in relief for his first two outings. With Gray out, you can write in Kendall Graveman, Sean Manaea and Jharel Cotton as the A's top three starters, with Triggs, Jesse Hahn and Raul Alcantara among the leading candidates for the final two spots.
After spending much of last season pitching in relief for Oakland, one focus for Triggs this spring is honing his changeup. That pitch is a potential weapon against left-handed hitters, who batted .277 off him last season compared to.235 for righties.
"My strikeout rate was better against lefties than against righties, which was a first," Triggs said. "But generally, that's where the changeup and cutter really factor in, just giving you more sequences to work with against lefties."
