Spence (7-8) took the loss against the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing two runs on eight hits and no walks with two strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Spence surrendered a leadoff homer to George Springer and was pulled an out shy of a quality start after allowing three hits and a run in the sixth. The rookie has pitched well since the All-Star break, yielding two earned runs or fewer and working into the sixth frame in each of his four outings. On the season, he owns a 4.33 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 86:31 K:BB across 106 innings and lines up to face the Mets on the road next week.
Spence (7-7) took the loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over 5.2 innings while striking out six.
Both runs charged to Spence came across in the top of the third when the right-hander walked Cavan Biggio to open the frame before then surrendering back-to-back hits with two outs. The 26-year-old pitched well outside of that frame, however, generating 13 swings and misses in the contest while reaching the six-strikeout mark for only the fourth time this season. Spence has now allowed two or fewer runs in three consecutive starts, surrendering just one home run over that stretch. On the downside, he's also walked multiple batters in four straight outings.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Nabs second straight win
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Spence (7-6) picked up the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks over six innings while striking out three.
Spence allowed two men to reach in the opening frame but was able to work his way out of the jam before going on to allow a solo homer from Nolan Schanuel in the third. That would be the only run allowed by the right-hander on the night as he induced 11 whiffs en route to securing his second straight win. Spence has allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last five starts and now has three wins in July. However, he's also walked multiple batters in three straight, posting a 12:10 K:BB over that stretch.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Earns sixth win
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Spence (6-6) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Spence allowed a run in the third inning and was pulled at 85 pitches after yielding another in the sixth. He generated only six swinging strikes but limited hard contact and received plenty of early run support. On the season, the 26-year-old owns a 4.67 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 75:26 K:BB across 88.2 innings and lines up for a rematch with the Angels next week.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Hit hard early in loss
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Spence (5-6) took the loss against the Phillies on Saturday, allowing six runs on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts over 3.2 innings.
Spence struggled to throw strikes and served up a season-high three home runs before being pulled with two outs in the fourth inning. The righty's five walks were also the most he's yielded in a game this season, and the Phillies made him pay. He will take a 4.75 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 72:23 K:BB across 83.1 innings into the All-Star break.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Hit hard early
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Spence (5-5) took the loss Sunday against Baltimore, allowing five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk across six innings. He struck out five.
All four runs charged to Spence came in the first inning, when he allowed a solo home run to Anthony Santander and a three-run home run to Heston Kjerstad. Spence was able to settle in afterward, and would have kept the Orioles off the scoreboard if it weren't for a dropped flyball with two outs in the third inning that allowed a run to score. Since the start of June, Spence owns a 5.01 ERA and a 32:6 K:BB across 41.1 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Phillies in Philadelphia next weekend.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Rebounds in rematch
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Spence (5-4) allowed one run on six hits and a walk while striking out five over 5.1 innings to earn the win over the Angels on Tuesday.
Spence was tagged for six runs over 5.1 innings in his last start, which was also against the Angels. He bounced back this time, limiting the damage on his line to a Nolan Schanuel sacrifice fly in the fifth inning. Spence is still looking for consistency as a starter, but he has been able to complete at least five frames in each of his last seven outings. He's at a 4.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 61:17 K:BB over 73.2 innings through 20 appearances (nine starts) overall. The 26-year-old is projected for a tough home start versus the Orioles this weekend.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Rocked by Halos
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Spence (4-4) took the loss Tuesday, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk across 5.1 innings against the Angels. He struck out six.
Spence surrendered his most runs in an outing this season Tuesday, with five of those runs coming in the fourth inning. The rookie right-hander allowed the first four batters he faced in the fourth to reach safely before Mickey Moniak cleared the bases with a grand slam. While Spence has been a bit inconsistent as a starter, he owns a 4.40 ERA in starts along with a 34:9 K:BB over 43.0 innings. He's projected for a rematch against the Angels early next week.
Spence allowed two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against Kansas City on Thursday.
Spence was victimized by Kansas City catcher Freddy Fermin, who who belted a pair of solo homers against him. However, Spence fared well against the remainder of the Royals lineup and finished with his second quality start of the campaign despite the two long balls he surrendered. Spence's seven strikeouts Thursday were a career-best mark and well above his season norm -- he entered the contest with either three of four punchouts in each of his previous six outings.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Tagged with four runs
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Spence yielded four runs on nine hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in a no-decision Friday. He struck out three during the loss to the Twins.
Spence worked around some light threats for most of his start and gave up just one run through five frames. He was two outs away from a second straight quality start before Max Kepler ripped a three-run shot, and Spence was removed from the game shortly thereafter. Since moving into the rotation, Spence has posted a 3.69 ERA through six career MLB starts. His next outing is projected to be at home against Kansas City.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Turns in quality start
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Spence yielded two runs on five hits over seven innings in a no-decision Sunday. He struck out three during the loss to the Blue Jays.
Spence allowed a two-run single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the second inning but otherwise kept Toronto's offense quiet. After tossing a season-high six innings in his last outing, Spence set a new personal best Sunday while delivering his first MLB quality start. He posted a 4.26 ERA through 25.1 innings out of the bullpen before joining Oakland's rotation; through five starts, Spence has registered a 3.12 ERA with an 18:6 K:BB through 26 innings. His next start is lined up to be in Minnesota.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Navigates through six innings
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Spence (4-3) took the loss Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out three over six innings.
Spence was able to toss two shutout frames before the Mariners doubled four times in the third, leading to three runs. Spence would allow an additional run in the fourth but was able to go six up and six down over the next two innings to end his outing. Spence was able to reach six innings for the first time this year, though he battled around plenty of hard contact and only punched out three batters against a Mariners team that has the highest strikeout rate in baseball against righties. The 26-year-old owns a 3.86 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 37:13 K:BB in 44.1 innings and lines up for another start over the weekend against the Blue Jays.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Sharp in fourth win
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Spence (4-2) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing only one hit and one walk over 5.1 scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Rays. He struck out four.
A Rule 5 pick out of the Yankees' system this offseason, Spence has been impressive since moving into the rotation for the A's, delivering a 2.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through 13 innings over three starts. The 26-year-old right-hander got stretched out to 98 pitches (61 strikes) Tuesday, and even once Oakland's staff gets healthier, Spence figures to remain in the rotation as long as he's producing strong results. He's set for a tough test in his next outing, a road start in Atlanta this weekend.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Getting another turn in rotation
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Spence will start Tuesday's game against the Rays, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Spence will make a third consecutive start for the A's after opening the season as a long reliever. Spence has lasted 4.2 innings and 3.0 innings across his first two starts, yielding three runs and striking out eight over that stretch. He's thrown 77 and 70 pitches during those two outings, respectively, and shouldn't be a viable fantasy option in most formats.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Lasts three frames in no-decision
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Spence did not factor into the decision in a loss to the Rockies on Wednesday, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks over three innings while striking out four.
Spence got knocked around early, surrendering a leadoff single to Charlie Blackmon to open the contest, followed by a two-run shot off the bat of Elias Diaz three batters later. Those would be the only two runs allowed by the right-hander on the night, though he continued to struggle with his command, needing 27 pitches to get through the third inning alone. Spence has been unable to get through five innings in either of his first two starts and also matched his season high with three walks Wednesday.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Awarded second start
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Spence is slated to start Wednesday's game against the Rockies in Oakland.
He'll be making his second straight turn through Oakland's injury-depleted rotation. After working mostly as a long reliever for the first seven weeks of the season, Spence was already fairly stretched out for his first MLB start last Friday in Kansas City. He tossed 4.2 innings (77 pitches) and took a loss to the Royals while striking out four and giving up one earned run on five hits and one walk. The Athletics should give Spence a longer leash Wednesday if he pitches as efficiently against the Rockies as he did in his 4.2 innings in Kansas City.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Yields one run in no-decision
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Spence did not factor into the decision Friday against Kansas City, allowing one run on four hits and no walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out four.
Spence fared well in his first major-league start after tossing his first 25.1 MLB innings out of the bullpen. The rookie right-hander generated nine whiffs over 77 pitches, the second time in four May appearances he's worked more than 70 pitches. Should Spence draw another turn in the Oakland rotation, he would be slated to face the Rockies at home.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Drawing start Friday
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Spence will start Friday in Kansas City, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
It will be the first major-league start for Spence, who has posted a 4.26 ERA and 22:7 K:BB over 25.1 innings covering 11 relief appearances. The Rule 5 pick will be pitching on three days' rest after allowing two runs over two-thirds of an inning Monday in Houston, so he likely won't be able to pitch deep into Friday's contest. Spence has gone three-plus frames in six of his relief appearances, including a season-long 4.2-inning outing May 5 versus the Marlins. He could wind up piggybacking with Kyle Muller, who is also available to work multiple innings.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Works in long relief Sunday
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Spence struck out five over 4.2 innings of relief in Sunday's 12-3 loss to the Marlins, giving up four earned runs on six hits and one walk.
Spence entered the game in the second inning after starter Joe Boyle was blasted for four runs in the opening frame before being pulled from the contest. Oakland placed Boyle on the 15-day injured list Monday with a back issue, so his absence will create an opening in the rotation. Given that he tossed a season-high 72 pitches in long relief Sunday, Spence should be reasonably stretched out for starting duty, though it's unclear if he'll rate as the Athletics' top option to take Boyle's next turn in the rotation, which comes up next weekend in Seattle.
