The Athletics and Angels are in a spot where every small thing feels amplified. The A’s have dropped back-to-back series, and with Oakland sitting just one game ahead of Los Angeles for fourth place in the AL West, this one has plenty riding on it for both clubs.
One name worth watching right away is Brady Basso. Injuries have thinned out the Athletics’ rotation enough to push him into a spot start, and while the results have been uneven, there’s at least a case for a better outing here.
Basso has shown stretches of success recently, even if this season he has not worked beyond the fourth inning. That makes this prediction a little fragile, but the setup is there for him to surprise.
Bigger picture, the outing does not change his role moving forward in 2027, so there’s a sense that he can go after it without much to lose. If that version shows up, the Athletics could get a gem.
Shea Langeliers is another key piece in this series. Since returning from injury, he has been serviceable, but not much more than that.
He is hitting .250 with a rough .530 OPS, and that falls well short of what the Athletics need from him if they want any kind of offensive lift. The expectations for his return were already low, but the production has still been subpar.
Against the Angels, the A’s need somebody to provide a jolt, and Langeliers is the most obvious candidate. If he doesn’t do it, someone else has to.
The bullpen, though, may be the most encouraging part of the picture. In the Guardians series, Athletics relievers gave up just three runs overall, and two of those came from Chris Roycroft and Geoff Hartlieb in the 12-6 loss in the second game.
Even with that blemish, the group still came away looking solid in context. Against Los Angeles, the bullpen has a chance to prove it can be more than a short-term bright spot.
The numbers are starting to back that up, too: the Athletics have four pitchers with a sub-2.0 ERA in their last 5.0-plus innings - Medina at 6.2 IP, 0.00 ERA; Hartlieb at 6.2 IP, 1.35 ERA; Alvarado at 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA; and Roycroft at 6.1 IP, 1.42 ERA. That kind of stretch suggests a unit that has turned a corner, and the Angels could be the next test where that holds up.
In Other News...
A's Infield Suddenly Looks Thin Even With Joshua Kuroda-Grauer Back
The As got a needed lift with Joshua Kuroda-Grauer back on the active roster, but the infield picture still feels more fragile than it did a week ago. Oakland reinstated the rookie from the 60-day injured list and cleared a spot by putting Max Muncy on the 10-day injured list with left knee chondromalacia, a move that underscores how quickly the depth chart has thinned around the middle infield.
Kuroda-Grauer had made a strong early impression before his injury interruption, and his return gives the club at least one familiar glove and bat to lean on again. But the roster shuffle also came with another hit in the background, as J.T. Ginn was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot, leaving Oakland with even less margin for error as it tries to piece together the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Two New A's Utility Pieces Are Making This Roster Decision Tough
In a season when injuries kept opening doors for the Athletics, a few players have turned those chance looks into something more permanent. Zack Gelof has already locked down a starting job and is expected to stay in the infield next season, but the more interesting roster conversation now centers on the two utility additions who gave the club real flexibility when it needed it most.
Donovan Walton and Alika Williams have both fit the kind of profile Oakland can use, players who can move around and help cover multiple spots without forcing the rest of the infield to shuffle too much. Walton arrived on a waiver claim and Williams came in a trade, and both have made enough of an impression that they are now part of a decision the A's will have to sort through when they start shaping next year's roster. [Read more 🡒]
As Farm Leaders Just Put Several Familiar Names Back In Focus
The latest look at the Oakland Athletics farm system puts a familiar group of names back in the spotlight, with the statistical leaders spread across Las Vegas, Midland, Lansing and Stockton. It is the sort of inventory that matters this time of year, when player development is the story and every category offers a quick read on who has been producing, whether it is at the plate, on the bases or on the mound.
Among the position players, Ali Camarillo and Devin Taylor stood out in batting average, while Taylor also showed up near the top of the system in the broader on-base and overall production categories. Brayan Buelvas added another layer to that conversation by pacing the organization in slugging, a reminder that the As minor league picture still has multiple ways to measure progress, even before any of those names make their next move. [Read more 🡒]