Sears allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners on Thursday.
Sears threw just 59 pitches (40 strikes), but Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports this was likely a tactical decision rather than anything influenced by injuries, as the Athletics didn't want Sears to go a third time through the order. The lone blemish on his line was a Ty France solo shot in the first inning, making this his third straight start where he allowed three runs or fewer. Sears lowered his season ERA to 4.70 with a 1.10 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB through 53.2 innings over 10 starts. He's projected for a challenging home start versus Atlanta next week.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Effective again Saturday
Rotowire
Sears allowed two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six innings in a no-decision against Houston on Saturday.
Sears' outing got off to a rough start when he allowed two first-inning runs, but he rebounded from there and held Houston scoreless for the following five frames. The southpaw finished with his third quality start of the campaign and didn't allow any homers for just the second time this season. Sears posted an uninspiring 6.23 ERA over five starts in April, but he's been much better in May, recording a 3.57 ERA through four starts. Though he's yet to record a win this season, Sears is beginning to pick up steam as a fantasy option in deeper leagues, with his 9.4 K/9 being particularly enticing.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Solid in no-decision
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Sears allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out six over 5.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Rangers on Sunday.
Sears did well in this start aside from a two-run home run by Robbie Grossman in the first inning. Adolis Garcia also knocked an RBI single in the third, but the Athletics were briefly able to pull even in the seventh to get Sears off the hook. The southpaw now has a 5.27 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 44:9 K:BB through 42.2 innings across eight starts. He's lined up for a tough road start in Houston for his next time on the mound.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Starting Sunday
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Sears' start has been pushed to Sunday vs. the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
James Kaprielian, who was just recalled from Triple-A, will slot into Mason Miller's (elbow) spot in the rotation Saturday, pushing everyone else back a day. Sears will matchup against Andrew Heaney on Sunday.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Coughs up three homers
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Sears (0-3) allowed five runs on six hits over 5.1 innings Monday, striking out four and taking a loss against the Yankees.
Sears looked strong to begin his outing with four scoreless frames. He gave up a two-run shot to Oswaldo Cabrera in the fifth followed by two more homers in the sixth. Sears has now allowed 10 long balls in 37.1 innings, resulting in an unsightly 5.54 ERA. Still searching for his first win of the year, he's expected to face the Rangers at home this weekend.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Tosses six scoreless innings
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Sears did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing four hits and two walks over six scoreless innings in a 7-2 loss to Seattle. He struck out seven.
Sears turned in his first scoreless outing of the season, but he missed out on his first win as Oakland's bullpen couldn't maintain a 2-0 lead. It was excellent rebound game for the southpaw after allowing six runs over 4.1 innings during his previous start against the Angels last week. While the 27-year-old has an ugly 5.06 ERA with seven homers allowed, his 1.19 WHIP and 34:8 K:BB provide some small hope for a turnaround. Sears is tentatively slated to face the Yankees in his next start.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Hit hard by Angels
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Sears (0-2) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 4.1 innings.
Sears made it through two scoreless innings before Los Angeles hung a five-spot on him in the third frame. The big blow was a three-run home run off the bat of Brandon Drury, which was the seventh homer Sears has given up across five starts this season. The southpaw turned some heads with 11 punchouts over six innings against Texas his previous time out, but he fell back to earth with just four strikeouts Thursday. Sears has mostly failed to impress as a full-time starter this season, posting a 6.23 ERA and 1.23 WHIP through 26 frames.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Punches out 11
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Sears gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over six frames in Friday's win over Texas. He struck out 11 and did not factor in the decision.
An ugly first inning put a damper on an otherwise impressive outing by Sears. All four runs he allowed came during that frame, including Jonah Heim's three-run blast. Sears' 11 strikeouts and 17 whiffs both flew by his previous career highs of seven and 12, respectively. He's now sporting a 23:4 K:BB, albeit with six homers allowed, through four starts. Sears is projected for a road matchup with the Angels next week.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Hurt by long ball
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Sears did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out three.
Sears pitched well overall but was punished by the long ball in Sunday's outing. The 27-year-old allowed a solo blast to Tommy Pham in the second to get the scoring started for the Mets. He eventually retired 13 straight batters before allowing another solo home run in the sixth, this time to Francisco Lindor to put the Mets back up 2-1. Sears earned his first quality start in three tries this season and now sits at a 4.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 12:2 K:BB over 15.2 innings. He's tentatively lined up to face the Rangers on the road next weekend.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Takes first loss
Rotowire
Sears (0-1) took the loss Monday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk over five innings against the Orioles. He struck out four.
Sears struggled to find the strike zone and threw only 55 of his 90 pitches for strikes. He gave up a two-run homer in the bottom of the first inning and a solo shot in the third before exiting with a 3-1 deficit. Sears has surrendered six runs on 11 hits while fanning nine and issuing two walks over his first 9.2 innings of the 2023 campaign.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Pulled in fifth vs. Guardians
Rotowire
Sears didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against the Guardians after allowing three runs in 4.2 innings on eight hits. He walked one and struck out five.
Sears didn't give up a run in the third, but gave up two in the fourth including a solo homer to Gabriel Arias. He was pulled in the fifth after giving up an RBI double to Jose Ramirez, but the Athletics were able to come back to win to prevent Sears from picking up the loss. It also wasn't a very efficient start for the southpaw, as he needed 98 pitches to get the 14 outs. Sears has a scheduled start Monday against the Orioles, and isn't a recommended option for that outing.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Lined up as No. 5 starter
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Sears is lined up to start for the Athletics on Tuesday against the Guardians, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Sears appears to have won the No. 5 spot in Oakland's season-opening starting rotation, as Adam Oller and Adrian Martinez are listed as available relievers in Thursday night's Opening Day game versus the Angels. Sears, 27, posted a 4.69 ERA and 36:18 K:BB in 48 innings last year with the A's after being acquired from the Yankees in the Frankie Montas trade.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Gets roster spot, role undecided
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Sears has made the Athletics' Opening Day roster, but whether he'll serve as a starter or reliever is yet to be clarified, Ben Ross of MLB.com reports.
Both Sears and Adam Oller (illness) will open the regular season with the big club after each garnered experience as starters and relievers during their rookie 2022 campaigns. If the decision on which of the two will open in the rotation were to be based solely on last season's numbers, Sears would be the clear-cut choice -- his 6-3 record and 3.86 ERA was exponentially better than Oller's respective 2-8 and 6.30 figures in those categories. However, Sears was shakier this spring, posting an 0-1 mark and 5.19 ERA in 17.1 Cactus League frames. The revelation on who'll get the starting call may not come for several days, as the first turn in the rotation that would go to either Sears or Oller isn't slated to come until Tuesday, April 4.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Scuffling in spring
Rotowire
Sears has allowed five earned runs on eight hits over 4.2 innings while recording six strikeouts across his first two Cactus League starts.
The left-hander is competing for a spot in the starting rotation after turning in a solid 6-3 record, 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP across 17 appearances (11 starts) as a rookie in 2022. Jack McGruder of MLB.com reports Sears has been working at refining his slider all offseason and used it very effectively against the Cubs in Thursday's start; all three runs allowed by Sears came off his fastball, while the southpaw racked up two strikeouts of Eric Hosmer and induced an inning-ending double play from Cody Bellinger with the slider.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Working behind opener
Rotowire
Sears will be available behind opener Adam Oller during Saturday's game against Seattle, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Sears was initially listed as the starting pitcher for Saturday's matchup, but the team will give Oller some work to begin the game after he was reinstated from the injured list Friday. Sears hasn't been particularly effective recently, posting a 10.43 ERA and 2.11 WHIP in 14.2 innings over his last four appearances.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Clobbered by Mets
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Sears (6-3) took the loss during Sunday's 13-4 defeat at the hands of the Mets, allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 3.2 innings.
Sears limited New York to one run through two frames before permitting two runs on four baserunners in the third and three runs on three baserunners in the fourth. The 26-year-old has experienced an erratic September that features two successful starts, during which he's surrendered two runs across 11 combined innings, but a more concerning three poor starts with 17 runs permitted across 9.2 innings. The culmination is an 8.27 September ERA after posting a 2.53 mark in his first four starts with Oakland. He'll look to get back on track next weekend against Seattle.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Whiffs seven in win
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Sears (6-2) earned the win during Tuesday's 4-1 victory over Seattle, allowing an unearned run on one hit and three walks with seven strikeouts in five innings.
Sears was lights-out aside from a 37-pitch second inning, when a pair of two-out walks forced in the lone run. The 26-year-old fired 53 of 86 pitches for strikes with nine of the swinging variety en route to a career-high seven strikeouts. The impressive start snaps a two-turn rough patch, during which Sears permitted 11 runs across six innings. He carries a 3.58 ERA into his next start, scheduled for Sunday against the Mets.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Struggles again Wednesday
Rotowire
Sears gave up five runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three batters in a no-decision versus Texas on Wednesday.
Sears made it through a scoreless first inning before giving up four runs in the second and another in the third. The big blow against him was a three-run homer off the bat of Marcus Semien that gave Texas its first lead. Though Sears exited the game down four runs, he avoided a second straight loss thanks to a ninth-inning Oakland comeback. The southpaw has had a rough go of late, allowing 11 earned runs and five homers over six innings across his past two starts.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Crushed in loss
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Sears (5-2) took the loss Thursday against the White Sox, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out two in two innings.
Sears got off to a rough start as the first two batters he faced, Elvis Andrus and Yoan Moncada, welcomed him with back-to-back homers. In the second, Andrus singled in a run and Moncada launched a three-run shot to give Chicago an early 6-0 lead. Sears had allowed only three home runs in his first 49.1 innings this season but allowed three more Thursday before recording five outs. The poor showing ballooned his ERA from 2.37 to 3.33 for the season. His next start will likely come in the middle of next week on the road against the Rangers.
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Athletics' JP Sears: Allows two runs
Rotowire
Sears did not factor into the decision against the Orioles on Friday, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking one over six innings.
Sears tossed 55 of 81 pitches for strikes across six frames of two-run ball Friday, picking up a quality start. It was his second quality start this season, which have been his last two games. Oakland seems to be giving him a longer leash than the Yankees and Sears has impressed, going 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA in five games since the trade. The lefty will take a 5-1 record and a 2.37 ERA into his next appearance.
