"K" stands for KirK

9 innings, 7 k's... who would have ever thought that Saarloos had that in him? Frankly, I was hoping that Saarloos would start to turn the corner and pitch one more inning then his usual 5+, but this is completely unexpected.

While I don't think he will continue to pitch like this, there may be a change that helps Saarloos pitch deeper into games:

Saarloos, featuring a modified curve that Kendall went to again and again, was at his butt-kicking best in the finale of a four-game series at Safeco Field.

...

Saarloos said he'd been tinkering between starts with the grip on his curveball, which he said "has never been what you'd call a quality big-league pitch." The result is a harder-breaking pitch that helped snap his three-start, 17-inning streak without a strikeout.

Hopefully, Saarloos can give the A's some very nice pitching depth to make moves and/or alleviate the financial future of the team.