ANAHEIM – Middle relievers usually toil in anonymity.
Their good outings get lost in the details of the postgame analysis. Most of the time when reporters do crowd around their lockers after a game, it’s because things took a disastrous turn on the mound.
So imagine Dan Otero’s surprise Monday night that he was fielding questions about all that went right. Oakland’s bullpen, and Otero in particular, clocked some overtime and came up huge to finish out the A’s 6-3 victory that began a four-game series at Angel Stadium.
“This is a more joyous occasion,” Otero observed.
It was a needed win for the A’s, who at 7-7 have yet to generate any true momentum. This four-game set against the defending American League West champs finishes off a 10-game road trip, and the series got off to a positive start.
But what a needed game this was for the bullpen in particular. Manager Bob Melvin talked before the game of the search to “get the right recipe” for the relief corps, which entered Monday having allowed the most homers (seven) in the majors and absorbed the most losses (four).
Interim closer Tyler Clippard had yet to even take the mound for a save opportunity through the first 13 games. He finally notched his first save in an A’s uniform Monday, though he made things interesting by walking two in the ninth and bringing the tying run to the plate.
But it was Otero’s work that stole the spotlight.
Entering in relief of starter Kendall Graveman with no outs in the fourth, Otero stranded two runners that inning and went on to hold the Angels scoreless over a career-high four innings, allowing just one hit and no walks.
“Dan Otero single-handedly gave us a chance to win this game tonight,” catcher Stephen Vogt said.
He did it by rediscovering the sinker that’s such a key to his success.
“Lifesaver,” Melvin said of Otero’s performance. “What looked like it was going to be a 10-8 game, he comes in and shuts it down. To go that long and only throw (42) pitches was terrific. The sinker was back. We'd seen the ball moving a little bit with more run than sink. He made a little adjustment.”
Otero, who took the loss Friday against the Royals and gave up a crucial homer to Nelson Cruz in a loss on the last homestand, credited Vogt for spotting a bug in his mechanics. Otero had been turning his left shoulder inward and getting too “rotational” in his delivery.
“That’s something I’ve been cognizant of when throwing in the outfield, warming up every day,” Otero said. “I noticed tonight it was good. And it helps all my other pitches when I can stay in line, can stay through the catcher instead of spinning off to the first baseman.”
But there was much more to this victory. There was Vogt, subbing in for Ben Zobrist as the No. 3 hitter and cranking a three-run homer in the third that put the A’s ahead for good. There was shortstop Marcus Semien, who shook off a fielding error that led to an Angels run and responded with a solo homer to provide some cushion.
And there was the defense.
Center fielder Sam Fuld made a diving catch to rob David Freese and end the third after Los Angeles had scored off Graveman to close to within 4-3. First baseman Ike Davis made a great backhanded play in the first and then reached far over the railing of the first base dugout in the fifth and snagged Mike Trout’s pop fly with his teammates right below him.
“I don’t know if you saw it, but I got really excited,” Otero said. “Anytime you don’t have to throw another pitch to that guy, it’s a really good thing.”
Graveman wasn’t his best, but Melvin liked the movement on the rookie’s pitches more so than in his first start, when he also exited in the fourth.
Graveman will get his opportunity to smooth things out. On Monday night, his teammates out in the bullpen showed they had his back.
