OAKLAND, Calif. – Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Aledmys Díaz and Brent Rooker followed that with solo homers in the fifth and sixth innings, respectively.
But once again, the A’s allowed too many runs — and far too many free passes – for Oakland’s offense to keep up.
The A’s pitching staff continued a historically bad start to the season Friday, allowing 17 hits, and an Oakland-record 17 walks Friday in a 17-6 loss to the New York Mets before an announced crowd of 11,102 at the Coliseum.
James Kaprielian walked a career-high seven batters and allowed six earned runs, including a second-inning grand slam to Francisco Lindor, in just 3 2/3 innings, his shortest outing in three starts this season.
The A’s bullpen didn’t fare much better against the Mets, Lindor in particular.
After Langeliers’ home run — his third of the season — cut the Mets’ lead to 6-3 after four innings, the Mets essentially put the game away with another six-spot in the fifth inning.
Hogan Harris, making his MLB debut after he was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas earlier Friday, began the inning and allowed five walks and six earned runs. That included a three-RBI double to Lindor, as Harris lasted just one-third of an inning. Lindor’s seven RBI were a career-high.
Jeurys Familia allowed four walks in 1 1/3 innings and Carlos Perez walked one as the A’s set the Oakland record for free passes.
The franchise record for walks is 18, set by the 1916 Philadelphia A’s.
The A’s loss was their eighth in nine games. In their series with the Orioles in Baltimore, Oakland scored 24 runs but won just one of four games, as they allowed 29.
Oakland entered Friday with a team ERA of 7.65, easily the worst in MLB and more than a full run higher than the Detroit Tigers, who had the second-highest total at 6.24. The A’s have now allowed 118 runs, most in Oakland history over the first 14 games of a season, and 77 walks, most in the big leagues.
A’s pitchers also hit two batters Friday, just for good measure.
Kaprielian, who had off-season shoulder surgery, now has a 12.15 ERA in 13 1/3 innings. He’s already allowed 12 walks in his three starts, after giving up 59 in 26 starts and 134 innings last season.
In the second, Kaprielian walked Daniel Vogelbach, Luis Guillorme, Brandon Nimmo and Starling Marte on four-seam fastballs before Lindor deposited an 85 mph changeup over the center field wall.
The A’s season-opening streak of 14 consecutive games without a win from a starter is the longest such streak in Oakland history. A’s starting pitchers didn’t earn a win in the first 10 games of the 1979 and 1997 seasons.
