Athletics' Jharel Cotton: Racks up seven whiffs Sunday

Cotton (3-0) struck out seven in Sunday's 11-1 Cactus League victory over the Brewers, giving up an earned run on four hits and a walk over 5.2 innings.

Analysis:

Cotton's one mistake came against Ryan Braun; the young righty struck out the veteran slugger twice, but Braun also homered off him in the fourth. Otherwise, it was a solid bounce-back effort for the 25-year-old, who struggled with his control against the Mariners last Tuesday despite picking up the win. According to Joe Stiglich of CSN Bay Area, Cotton was particularly pleased with how he was able to use his fastball to set up his off-speed offerings. "This one, I was more on the attack, using my fastball more so I can set up my changeup and off-speed pitches," Cotton said. "I know everybody raves about the changeup, but I need my fastball to be there so I can throw that pitch off the fastball."