JJ Bleday Homers, Aviators Lose Home Opener

JJ Bleday went deep in the 6th on a ball that left the bat at 102.7. He finished the night 1-for-5, but he has hit safely in all four Aviators' games and has any many walks (2) as strikeouts in the early going. 

Bleday was acquired in the 1-for-1 swap of former top draft picks with the Marlins that saw A.J. Puk head to Miami.

After starting the season 0-for-7, Kevin Smith added two singles and a walk to his totals on Tuesday. He is now 7-for-18 overall, and 7-for-11 since that 0-for-7 beginning. He has four home runs in the early going.

Dérmis Garcia also went 2-for-5 with an rbi in this one. He is 5-for-15 this season (.333) and has only struck out twice. Limiting those strikeouts is going to be paramount to getting Garcia another crack at the roster in Oakland after striking out over 40% of the time last season. 

Billy Sullivan (Cristian Pache trade) worked his second scoreless outing of the season, giving up one walk and striking out two. He threw 60% sinkers, which averaged 95 mph but topped out at 97.7. He also mixed in a cutter, a slider, one changeup and one curve. 

Miguel Romero, fresh off his performance in the WBC, worked a scoreless ninth needing only ten pitches and striking out two. Six of the ten pitches he threw were changeups, but the strikeouts came on a sinker to Yonny Hernández and a slider to Luke Williams. Both were swung on and missed.

Hernández was claimed by the A's off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks in early November, but after the A's signed Aledmys Díaz and Jace Peterson he was DFA'd by the club and traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations.

On Wednesday, Colton Eastman will make his organizational debut after signing a minor-league deal with the A's at the end of March. 

Jason Burke is the Managing Editor of Inside the A's and the host of the Locked on A's podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @ByJasonB