The Athletics optioned Spence to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.
The transaction comes one day after Spence was torched for eight runs over six innings in a loss to Atlanta. Spence was not scheduled for another start before the All-Star break, so the A's have replaced him with some bullpen protection in the form of Osvaldo Bido. It's possible Spence gets another chance in the big-league rotation after the All-Star break, although he won't be eligible to be recalled until July 25.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Lit up by Atlanta in loss
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Spence (2-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out five batters over six innings.
Spence's outing began in ominous fashion, as Ronald Acuna led off the contest with a solo home run against him. That set the tone for a disastrous outing by the right-hander, as he surrendered a career-worst five homers and eight earned runs. To his credit, Spence was at least able to preserve the Athletics' bullpen a bit by tossing six frames, but this was a continuation of a recent poor stretch for the 27-year-old. Spence has lost each of his past four starts, posting a 7.84 ERA and 1.60 WHIP while giving up nine long balls over that span.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Loses lead in sixth frame
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Spence (2-4) took the loss against Tampa Bay on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five across five-plus innings. He did not issue a walk.
Spence was in control through the first five innings, with his lone blemish coming in the second when he gave up an inside-the-park home run to Jake Mangum. Spence entered the sixth looking to collect his first quality start of the season, but things quickly got out of hand after giving up a solo homer to Josh Lowe before yielding a two-run long shot to Yandy Diaz just two batters later. Spence has given up four earned runs in two of his last three outings, and in his six starts he sports a 3.64 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He is slated to start against Atlanta at home next week, which might be his last turn in the rotation before the All-Star break.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Tagged for four runs in loss
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Spence (2-2) took the loss against Cleveland on Saturday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three batters over 4.2 innings.
Spence's downfall was the second frame, when he gave up all four of his runs and six of his eight hits. Outside of that, he notched three 1-2-3 innings and just two singles. The four runs were a season-worst mark for Spence, who came into Saturday having allowed just two runs over 17 frames across his previous four starts. He'll try to get back on track in his next start, which is tentatively scheduled to be a tough road matchup versus the Yankees.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Limits Astros to one run
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Spence allowed one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out two batters over five innings in a no-decision against Houston on Monday.
Spence served up a solo homer to Jose Altuve in the first inning, but he kept Houston from scoring over his final four frames. The right-hander recorded just one 1-2-3 inning and induced only six whiffs, but this was still a nice outing overall. Spence has been impressive since joining the Athletics' rotation early this month, allowing only two runs while registering a 10:2 K:BB over 15 innings across three starts. He's tentatively slated to face Cleveland at home in his next appearance.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Turns in scoreless start
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Spence allowed three hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Angels on Tuesday.
Spence has allowed one run over 10 innings across two starts since joining the Athletics' rotation. He stretched out to 75 pitches (50 strikes) in Tuesday's start, so he should be close to a full workload within his next couple of outings. His strong performance as a starter has trimmed his ERA from 4.38 to 3.67, and he's added a 1.20 WHIP and 45:15 K:BB over 49 innings this season. The right-hander is not guaranteed to stay in the rotation once J.T. Ginn (quadriceps) is ready to be activated from the injured list -- it'll likely come down to Spence or Jacob Lopez for the No. 5 starter role, but Spence has the better numbers.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Getting another start
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Spence is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Angels in Anaheim.
After making his first 22 appearances of the season out of the bullpen, Spence moved into the rotation last week and came through with an impressive outing in Thursday's win over the Twins. He allowed a solo home run to Matt Wallner but otherwise kept the Twins off the board through five innings, striking out four while scattering three hits and one walk. Spence will be awarded another start for his efforts, and a strong showing versus the Angels could be enough to solidify his spot in the rotation on a longer-term basis.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Making case for fifth starter role
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Spence gave up two runs (one earned) over 3.1 innings with three strikeouts and two walks in Sunday's Cactus League loss to Arizona. He has a 1.13 ERA with a 6:2 K:BB in eight innings this spring.
Spence may be the leading candidate for the fifth starter role and has outperformed Joey Estes and Osvaldo Bido so far this spring. However, the final two spots in the Oakland rotation are uncertain at this point. While Spence had a subpar strikeout rate last season (19.4 percent), he did have an above-average groundball rate (48.4 percent) and swinging-strike rate (10.4 percent).
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Takes loss in season finale
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Spence (8-10) allowed six runs on seven hits and struck out five without walking a batter over 4.1 innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Mariners.
Spence hadn't allowed more than three runs in any of his previous six starts, but he struggled late in his outing Sunday. The Mariners put up two runs in the fourth inning and another four runs in the fifth, capped off by a Cal Raleigh home run. There were some promising stretches for Spence, but the 26-year-old rookie also had some struggles, ending the year with a 4.58 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 126:44 K:BB over 151.1 innings across 35 appearances (24 starts). Spence should have a good chance of making the Athletics' rotation in 2025.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Can't make it to five innings
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Spence did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's win over the Rangers, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings.
Spence found himself with traffic on the bases in every inning but the second, leading to runs for the Rangers in the first, fourth and fifth innings. He has now gone fewer than five innings in two of his last four starts and has allowed a homer in three straight after Nathaniel Lowe took him deep in the fourth. Spence has also allowed 29 hits in his last 21 innings, but he has only given up eight runs over that span. The 26-year-old now owns a 4.35 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 121:44 K:BB in 147 innings and tentatively lines up for one final start against the Mariners this weekend.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Nabs eighth win
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Spence (8-9) picked up the win in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over the Cubs, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out six.
It's the right-hander's first win since July 27. Spence didn't pitch poorly during that eight-start winless streak, however, posting a 4.01 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 35:13 K:BB over 42.2 innings. He lines up to make his final start of 2024 at home next week against the Rangers.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Goes seven innings vs. Houston
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Spence allowed two runs on seven hits across seven innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Astros. He struck out two.
Spence was sharp Thursday, with both Houston runs coming on a Jason Heyward homer in the second inning. The 26-year-old Spence has pitched to a 3.66 ERA over his last 10 starts (54 innings), lowering his ERA on the season to 4.33 with a 1.35 WHIP and 113:41 K:BB across 137.1 innings. Spence currently lines up for a road matchup with the Cubs in his next outing.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Takes no-decision versus Tigers
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Spence allowed a run on eight hits and struck out six without walking a batter over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Tigers.
Spence was a little generous with the contact, but he was able to effectively limit the damage. He threw 70 pitches (48 strikes) in his shortest start since a 2.2-inning mess versus the Mets on Aug. 15. The right-hander is at a 4.42 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 111:41 K:BB through 130.1 innings over 31 appearances (20 starts) this season. His next outing is projected to come in Houston.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Season-high 10 strikeouts in loss
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Spence (7-9) was charged with the loss against the Rays on Wednesday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk over seven innings. He struck out 10.
Spence looked sharp early, shutting out the Rays over the first four innings while allowing just two singles in that span. The right-hander would begin to struggle in the fifth, however, allowing back-to-back hits to open the frame, along with an RBI double with two outs from Yandy Diaz as Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead. Spence would also cough up a two-run shot to Jose Siri in the seventh, marking the third consecutive start in which he's given up at least one home run. On a positive note, Spence generated 16 whiffs in the contest en route to tallying a season-high 10 strikeouts. It also marked only the second time this season that he was able to make it through seven innings, with the previous one coming back on June 9 against Toronto.
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Athletics' Mitch Spence: Allows two runs in loss
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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.
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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: 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.
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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.
