waiting in the wings
The Oakland A’s – one of the surprise teams in the majors this season – don’t appear to need bullpen help at the moment; they haven’t lost a game they’ve led after eight innings. But if or when they do need some relief corps reinforcements, former Ole Miss star Bobby Wahl looks ready for the call. Pitching at Triple-A Nashville, the gas-throwing right-hander has nine saves in 10 chances, a 2.65 ERA and a 3-2 record in 30 games, all but one in relief. He has fanned 53 batters in 34 innings. He recently was named to the Pacific Coast League team for the July 11 Triple-A All-Star Game. The 26-year-old Wahl was a fifth-round pick out of Oxford in 2013 and slowly climbed the ladder in the A’s system to reach the big leagues in May of last year. He had a rough debut and then went down with an injury. He wound up having surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. He pitched only 22 2/3 innings all told in 2017. The A’s took Wahl off the 40-man roster in the off-season, but his work this year might be good enough to warrant another shot in the big leagues. … Mississippi State alum Kendall Graveman, the A’s opening day starter the last two years, is also on the Nashville roster but remains on the disabled list with an arm injury. He hasn’t pitched since late May. He was 1-5, 7.60 ERA for Oakland this season.