Johnson's struggles continue in loss
Updated 11:38 pm, Thursday, May 29, 2014
Jim Johnson can't seem to pitch a clean inning at the Coliseum. The reliever also can't seem to figure out why.
"I don't know what to tell you," Johnson said. "Balls are finding holes. I'm throwing pretty good pitches. I just feel like I'm in a little bit of bad luck. I don't think it's as bad as it really seems - but I think everybody else thinks that way."
Everybody else probably means a good number of Oakland fans. Many of the 21,860 at the Coliseum on Thursday booed Johnson after he gave up two runs on three hits in the seventh inning of a 5-4 loss to Detroit.
Does that booing affect him?
"What am I supposed to do?" was Johnson's understandable response.
Johnson recorded 101 saves with the Orioles over the previous two seasons. The A's acquired him from Baltimore in December to be their closer.
He now is a middle-innings reliever with a 6.55 ERA. At the Coliseum, his ERA is 14.04 (13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings).
Manager Bob Melvin has had to mix and match in his bullpen.
"We've been leaning on (Dan) Otero an awful lot, and (Luke) Gregerson, too," Melvin said. "Guys have to respond to the opportunities they get. We'll continue to try to find a good spot for (Johnson) and get him going."
Cook update: Reliever Ryan Cook threw another bullpen session Thursday. Cook is on the disabled list with a forearm strain. A shoulder problem in spring training forced him to spend the first six games of the regular season on the DL.
Cook said that in Thursday's session, "I felt 10 times better than when I came back from the shoulder thing." The right-hander explained that the "10 times better" referred to the sharpness of his pitches.
" 'Pitch-ability,' I guess you could say," Cook said, coining a neat word. "Obviously, I felt healthy (when returning from the shoulder problem), but I didn't know that my 'pitch-ability' was as good as it feels right now."
If Cook feels fine Friday, he could pitch in a rehab assignment Saturday.
Russell update: Addison Russell, the A's No. 1 draft pick in 2012, played four innings at shortstop in an extended-spring training game in Arizona on Wednesday. Russell is returning from a hamstring injury. The A's listed no timetable for Russell joining one of their minor-league clubs.
A's on deck
7:05 p.m. CSNCA
Richards (4-1) vs.
7:05 p.m. CSNCA
Skaggs (4-2) vs.
1:05 p.m. CSNCA
Weaver (6-3) vs.
A's leading off
40 years later: The A's will honor their 1974 World Series team with functions before their games Friday and Saturday nights. Players expected to be at the Coliseum include Rollie Fingers, Bert Campaneris, Vida Blue, Sal Bando and Reggie Jackson (Jackson on Saturday only).
- Steve Kroner
Steve Kroner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.