Reeling Mules Face Difficult Roster Decisions

Mired in the midst of a 6-game losing streak, the Oakland Mules are searching for ways to pull themselves out of their two month funk. While the callup of OF Corey Hart from AAA Aliquippa temporarily sparked the offense in May, 4/5 starting pitchers Livan Hernandez and Russ Ortiz have struggled with control, walking nearly 6 batters per 9 innings between the two.

Pitching woes, combined with a distinct lack of timely hitting, place the Mules among the ML basement in one-run games (9-15, .375). When asked to address this concern, GM Brian Beck responded, "Look, we've got some guys right now that are struggling to get on base. When everyone's clicking, this is a fun team to watch offensively" (referring to the team's HL-leading 84 stolen bases), "but as a manager, there's nothing more frustrating than watching a sub-.300 OBP guy get thrown out on a botched hit-and-run. We've got to start making contact more consistently if we're going to pressure opposing pitchers like we were in April."

Regarding the pitching staff, "We've got 6 or 7 arms that I can put out there and know what I'm going to get on a nightly basis, and 4 or 5 that are more up-and-down than my golf swing. The talent's there - Russ (Ortiz) pitched a complete game shutout a month or so ago, and then a couple of weeks later, he can't get out of the first inning. I don't know what to make of it."

Expect trade talk to pick up as the All-Star Break approaches. While it may be a stretch to expect the Mules to catch Seattle at the top of the HL West, clearly anything less than last year's 80-82 finish will be considered a disappointment.