The Athletics didn’t just stop the bleeding on Saturday night. They turned the whole series on its head.
After dropping 10 straight and getting shelled 23-4 by the Washington Nationals on Friday, the A’s answered with a 15-1 rout that came with a pile of history attached. J.T. Ginn set the tone by throwing 6 1/3 hitless innings, and once the offense got rolling, it never really let up.
Jacob Wilson opened the scoring with a solo homer in the first inning and finished 3-for-6 with two RBI. Carlos Cortes and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer chipped in doubles as the Athletics jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the end of the second inning.
The power kept coming from there. Tyler Soderstrom blasted a two-run homer in the sixth to make it 8-0, and Cortes added a homer of his own in the next inning. Then came the biggest swing of the night: a six-run seventh inning powered by big hits from Jeff McNeil and Shea Langeliers, who drove in three runs with a double to right.
The final margin was more than just a blowout. MLB’s Sarah Lang said the result marked the first time since 1895 that a team lost by 19 runs one night and then won by 14 or more the next. OptaSTATS also noted that the 14-run win was the largest by any MLB team to snap a losing streak of 10 or more games since May 24, 1955, when the Pirates ended an 11-game skid with the same 15-1 score.
Lang also said the Athletics’ offensive outburst produced the fourth-largest increase in run differential in MLB history, and the biggest such jump in nearly 30 years.
The A’s will try to finish off the series on Sunday, with a chance to claim their first series win since June 12-14, when they beat the Colorado Rockies. The rubber match is set for 1:05 P.T. and will feature Foster Griffin, who is 10-2, against Jacob Lopez, who is 4-3.
In Other News...
A's Suddenly Face A Tough Trade Question In The Outfield
The Athletics suddenly have a familiar deadline problem on their hands: teams are calling about their outfielders, and the asking price is pitching. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that several clubs have checked in on Oaklands active-roster outfield group, which puts a spotlight on a position that has become one of the more interesting parts of the roster as the As try to sort out what they have and what they might be willing to move.
Carlos Cortes looks like the clearest name to watch if Oakland decides to turn a bat into arms, while Henry Bolte carries the kind of long-term upside that usually makes front offices pause before dealing. Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, Denzel Clarke, Colby Thomas and even the outfield reps from Zack Gelof and Jeff McNeil all add layers to the decision, but the bigger question is whether the As see this as a chance to cash in on depth or as a group worth protecting while the rest of the roster keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Lopez Just Gave The A's Rotation A Reason To Hope
Jacob Lopezs first Major League start since May gave the Athletics a little something to work with, even in a 5-2 loss to the Nationals. After being optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas earlier in the season, the left-hander returned with a sharper look, working 4 1/3 innings and showing better execution under a limited pitch count.
Lopez finished with six strikeouts and did enough to keep Oakland in the game before the bullpen took over. Manager Mark Kotsay came away encouraged by the adjustments Lopez made after his time in the minors, and the outing hinted that the As may have found another rotation option worth watching as the season moves on. [Read more 🡒]
A's Just Made Another Roster Move That Could Signal More Coming
The Athletics finally had something to smile about Sunday, but the roster churn around them kept moving anyway. After a 15-1 win over the Nationals snapped a 10-game losing streak, the club followed with another notable transaction, a sign that the front office is still sorting through the edges of a roster that has been under pressure for much of the summer.
Oakland has already been willing to make changes in search of answers, and the latest move adds to that sense of flux. With the pitching staff and bench both in motion, the As are clearly not treating one big win as a reason to stand pat, and there could be more maneuvering ahead as they try to stabilize things around a team that just took a small step forward. [Read more 🡒]