Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Ruled out for Opening Day
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Blackburn (finger) will begin the season on the injured list, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blackburn is dealing with a fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand. He is still able to play catch but has to wait for the injury to heal to do anything else, and evidently the Athletics anticipate that taking awhile. It's not clear at this point how long Blackburn might be sidelined.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Opening Day in jeopardy
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Blackburn might not be ready for Opening Day due to a fingernail avulsion on his pitching hand, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Blackburn is still able to play light catch, but he'll have to wait for the nail to heal before he can do anything else. The injury appears unrelated to the flexor tendon sheath tear in his right middle finger which ended his 2022 campaign. If healthy, Blackburn might be the Athletics' Opening Day starter.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Enhancing pitch arsenal in spring
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Blackburn, whose 2022 season ended in August due to a finger injury, has been working on refining his changeup this spring, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. "It gives me another weapon," Blackburn said. "Going forward, being able to throw more changeups to righties will open up a cutter and curveball for me."
Blackburn was a first-time All-Star in 2022 before seeing his career-best season cut short, but it's that injury that has partly inspired his desire to refine his changeup for more frequent use against right-handed hitters. Gallegos notes the physical limitations the right-hander had with respect to throwing all his pitches most of the offseason -- he was only able to use his fastball and changeup for an extended stretch -- led to him tinkering with the latter after only throwing it on 43 occasions during same-handed matchups in 2022. Blackburn didn't have much success with the offering in his first taste of game action since last August on Sunday against the Reds, however, with Blackburn noting a good number of his changeups went "straight into the ground" despite a couple of others prompting swings and misses.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Finger no longer an issue
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Blackburn (finger) enters spring training fully healthy after his 2022 season ended due to a tear of the flexor tendon sheath in his right middle finger, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
"I feel really good right now," Blackburn said Wednesday, adding that he's been pain-free since beginning a throwing program two months ago. Blackburn made the All-Star team in 2022 after posting a 3.62 ERA in 18 first-half starts, but he struggled in three second-half outings before the injury. The 29-year-old's fantasy ceiling is quite limited since he plays for the A's and doesn't get strikeouts, but he could still be a solid innings-eater if he stays healthy.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Receives $1.9 million for 2023
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Blackburn (finger) agreed to a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the A's on Friday to avoid arbitration, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blackburn enjoyed a breakout early in 2022 with a 2.26 ERA through his first 13 starts, but he struggled after he suffered a finger injury in July before being shut down for the season. The 29-year-old should be healthy for the start of spring training and will open 2023 as a key piece in Oakland's rotation.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Transferred to 60-day IL
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Blackburn (finger) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday.
His right middle finger will be in a splint for the next six weeks, so Blackburn's season is over. He was a great story in the first half of the season, but his production plummeted over his final eight starts (7.94 ERA), in part due to the finger discomfort he dealt with over his final four starts. Blackburn will be a key part of Oakland's rotation in 2023.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Pitched with pain before shutdown
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Blackburn (finger) revealed Friday that he pitched through progressively worsening discomfort during his final four starts of the season before being shut down Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. "I was hoping that it would just kind of go away," he said. "... It just never went away. It got worse."
The right-hander was a first-time All-Star in 2022, and his 8.41 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 2.7 HR/9 over the 20.1 innings covering his last four starts are largely explained by what was ultimately revealed to be a torn flexor tendon sheath in his right middle finger. Blackburn apparently suffered the injury in his preparation for his July 13 start against the Rangers, the outing that marked the beginning of his slump. The combination of the increasing pain and the inability to extend his finger and finish pitches ultimately caused the early end to Blackburn's season, and although he'll be in a cast for up to eight weeks, he's expected back at full strength for spring training.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Out for season
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Blackburn will be shut down for the rest of the season after visiting a specialist for inflammation in his right middle finger Tuesday, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The 29-year-old landed on the shelf after posting a 2.26 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 51:17 K:BB across 71.2 innings over his first 13 starts of the season to earn a trip to the All-Star Game. However, he had a 7.94 ERA across his past eight starts before moving to the injured list last week. It's not known if he'll require surgery or whether he's expected to be ready for the start of spring training next year.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Avoiding surgery for now
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Blackburn was diagnosed with a torn flexor tendon sheath in his right middle finger Tuesday and will wear a splint for the next six weeks, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blackburn was ruled out for the rest of the season earlier Tuesday, and the specifics of the injury, which was previously diagnosed as inflammation, are now known. At this point the 29-year-old is expected to avoid surgery, but he will be re-evaluated in three weeks. Blackburn had a breakout during the first couple months of 2022 and finishes the campaign with a 4.28 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 89:30 K:BB across 111.1 innings.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Heads to IL with finger issue
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The Athletics placed Blackburn on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with an inflamed right middle finger, Matt Kawahara of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
Blackburn had been scheduled to start Wednesday's series finale with the Angels, but the finger injury forced the Athletics to scrap those plans. The All-Star right-hander may been dealing with the issue for multiple starts, as he had posted an 8.79 ERA and 1.67 WHIP over 14.1 innings in his three outings since making his first appearance in the Midsummer Classic. JP Sears, one of the players the Athletics acquired in last week's trade that sent Frankie Montas to the Yankees, was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and will pick up a spot start Wednesday in Blackburn's stead.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Serves up four homers
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Blackburn (7-6) allowed four earned runs on six hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings to earn the win Thursday against the Angels.
Blackburn allowed a home run in each of the first four innings, yet he still managed to earn his seventh win of the season. He has had a significant problem with the long ball across his last eight starts, serving up 12 homers in only 39.2 innings. Unsurprisingly, he has an 8.04 ERA in that span. Overall, Blackburn has a 4.28 ERA with an 89:30 K:BB across 111.1 frames on the season.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Spins five shutout frames
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Blackburn registered a no-decision during Saturday's 3-2 loss to the White Sox, allowing five hits while striking out four in five scoreless innings.
Blackburn cruised through four easy frames and escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the fifth to submit his second scoreless outing of July. With the top of Chicago's lineup due to bat a third time in the sixth, manager Mark Kotsay opted to pull the 28-year-old at 62 pitches, though Blackburn was effective by tossing 41 strikes with eight whiffs. Blackburn has compiled a 4.15 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 86 strikeouts in 106.1 innings across 20 starts. He's scheduled to pitch again next weekend against San Francisco.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Crushed for 10 runs
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Blackburn (6-6) allowed 10 runs on 10 hits and two walks over 4.1 innings Sunday, striking out five and taking a loss against the Rangers.
Blackburn allowed four runs through the first four frames of Sunday's game, including three during the first inning. Things got worse from there as he gave up four runs in the fifth and was charged with two more while David McKay was on the mound. Blackburn posted a 2.26 ERA through his first 13 starts of the year, but over his last six outings, he's 0-4 with a brutal 9.40 ERA. The 28-year-old righty will look to turn things around on the road against the White Sox next week.
Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Struggles with control in loss
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Blackburn (6-5) took the loss against Texas on Wednesday, allowing five runs on three hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out four batters.
Blackburn didn't give up any extra-base hits in the contest, but Texas took advantage of his poor control to hand him the defeat. The right-hander threw only 55 of 101 pitches for strikes and issued four free passes -- the second most he's given up in a game this season. Three of the walks came in the first inning, when the Rangers scored all five of their runs against him. Blackburn started off the season incredibly strong, but he's begun to fade of late. Over his past six starts, he's posted a 6.46 ERA and 1.60 WHIP across 30.2 innings.
Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Allows two home runs in loss
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Blackburn (6-4) gave up six earned runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out six over four-plus innings to take the loss in an 8-3 defeat to the Astros on Friday.
Blackburn got off to a very good start by facing the minimum number of batters through three innings and striking out five of them. However, he started to unravel when Alex Bregman went deep in the fourth. Blackburn wasn't able to right the ship and was pulled without having recorded an out in the fifth after another home run to Martin Maldonado. The 28-year-old right-hander began the season on a high note with a 2.15 ERA through the end of May, but he appears to be coming back down to earth after being shelled by the Astros and posting an ERA of 5.13 in June. Look for him to start next week at Texas.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Tosses 6.1 shutout frames
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Blackburn pitched 6.1 scoreless innings against Seattle on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out five. He did not factor in the decision.
Blackburn stranded three runners in scoring position over the first two innings before settling in and retiring 14 straight batters. The right-hander was pulled while ahead by a run with one out and one on in the seventh, but he had to settle for a no-decision when the Mariners tied the score in the following frame. This was Blackburn's first quality start since June 10 and only his second such performance over his past nine outings. He's slowed down a bit after a remarkable start to the campaign, but the veteran still has a strong 2.90 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 67:22 K:BB over 87 frames overall.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Fans seven in no-decision
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Blackburn allowed three runs on five hits and two walks over five innings in Monday's loss to the Yankees. He struck out seven and did not factor in the decision.
Blackburn was taken deep twice in Yankee Stadium on Monday with Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton each a ripping solo shot against the 28-year-old. After giving up just two home runs over an eight-game stretch, Blackburn has allowed four over his last two outings. He's also seen his ERA jump from 1.70 to 3.12 since May 30. Blackburn is expected to take the mound in Seattle this weekend.
