PEORIA, Ariz. –- Jesse Hahn’s most impressive work Wednesday night was extracting positives from an outing that was a mess by box-score standards.
Such is the nature of spring training, when pitchers judge success more on how they feel than what the numbers say. And the numbers weren’t pretty for the A’s right-hander in a marathon 13-12 victory over the Seattle Mariners that took 3 hours, 45 minutes to complete.
Hahn lasted just 1 2/3 innings and was tagged for seven earned runs, all of which were scored with two outs.
“I was throwing strikes. Whatever I wanted to do with my fastball I was doing it,” Hahn said. “Honestly, I just got hit. I just got beat out there. It was just one of those bad outings. (But) I was very satisfied with my stuff.”
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Hahn’s ERA rose from 6.00 to 10.97 after his fourth Cactus League start. He’s allowed 13 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings, and nine of those 13 runs have come in the first inning, as Hahn had trouble finding his rhythm early in games. He was on the verge of working out of a first-inning jam, but then Chris Iannetta hit a two-run double to right and Seth Smith tripled in a run on a ball that skipped by a diving Jake Smolinski.
“He feels really good,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said of Hahn. “He just had trouble finishing guys off. He left a few curve balls up in the zone with two strikes and they hit some fastballs in predictable counts.
“He feels great, that’s a good thing. And he’s throwing hard. Maybe we’re not seeing the sink we normally see from him. I think we only got two ground balls from him today.”
In Hahn’s defense, not all of the eight hits off him were lasers. But he didn’t help himself in the second, when after retiring the first two batters, he issued two walks as part of a four-run rally that drove him from the game after 68 pitches.
Still, Hahn wanted to improve his fastball command coming off his previous start, and he believed he did that. But he added:
“I need to do a better job of putting hitters away. Even if I do give a hit up or walk someone, I have to get right back in there and throw strikes and (battle) the next guy a little better than I did.”
NOTEWORTHY: Mark Canha had a busy first inning in his first start ever in center field, but he acquitted himself well and ended the first with a fine running catch in the left-center gap.
Melvin said he wasn’t sure yet if Canha would get another look in center during exhibitions.
[STIGLICH: A's experiment with Canha in center field]
Chris Coghlan drew his first start of the spring at third base and went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Melvin said before the game that infield coach Ron Washington has been impressed with Coghlan at third in workouts. He figures to see some time there spelling Danny Valencia.
HEALTH UPDATES: Sean Doolittle, on the shelf recently with a triceps strain, threw 20-plus pitches in a minor league game and came out of it feeling good. He gave up one hit and one run, according to Melvin, who was pleased more than anything that his closer felt fine physically.
Outfielder Sam Fuld’s shoulder was feeling better after he received a cortisone injection and a platelet-rich plasma injection. Melvin said that likely wouldn’t impact Fuld’s timeline for recovery. He’s expected be out a minimum of three weeks, which would have him opening the regular season on the disabled list.
ODDS AND ENDS: John Axford and Ryan Madson each threw an inning in the same game as Doolittle. Each gave up one run. … Sonny Gray also will throw in a minor league game Thursday, as the A’s want to ensure Gray gets up to the 90-pitch mark. Unlike the Cactus League, they can manipulate game conditions in a minor league contest to make sure that happens. … Smolinski hit a three-run homer against Seattle and finished with four RBI.
