The Athletics got the full weekend experience in one messy burst: a blowout loss, a roster shuffle, then a runaway win that finally snapped the skid.
Friday night opened the second half of the 2026 MLB season with a drubbing at home. The pitching was rough, the offense never got going, and the A’s looked nothing like a team ready to steady itself after the break.
By Saturday, the front office was already moving pieces. Recently DFA’d right-hander Aaron Civale was traded to the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitcher Aiden Moffett.
Moffett is 22 and has made seventeen relief appearances for the Cubs’ Single-A affiliates. Civale, who began the season on a good note for the A’s, had fallen apart down the stretch before the break, going 0-6 with a 10.17 ERA in his final six appearances.
Then came the turnaround. Saturday night, the A’s ended their 10-game losing streak with a 15-1 demolition of the Nationals.
It was the same Washington club that had blown them out the night before, but this time the Athletics flipped the script in a big way. J.T.
Ginn was in complete control, and the bats backed him from the jump. The offense put up five runs in the first inning and never let up, with Ginn carrying a no-hitter into the seventh before losing it with one out in the frame.
He finished with his eighth win, lowered his ERA to 3.46, and watched the A’s pile up 15 runs on 13 hits, their highest total of the season. Jacob Wilson led the charge with a 3-hit, 3-run, 2-RBI night at the top of the order.
Saturday also brought more roster churn. Justin Sterner went on the 15-day injured list with a right knee injury, and right-hander Geoff Hartlieb was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to take his place. Joey Meneses was designated for assignment in the corresponding move.
Sunday settled things back down a bit, at least on the scoreboard. Jacob Lopez started and worked 4-plus innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out six.
He took the loss, leaving him at 4-4 on the season. After the chaos of Friday and Saturday, it was the kind of game that brought the weekend back to earth.
In Other News...
Braves Deadline Focus Just Raised The Stakes For An Injury Hit Staff
With the trade deadline closing in on Aug. 3, the market is starting to take shape, and the Braves are already being linked to the kind of pitching help that usually comes at a premium. Atlanta is looking for a playoff-caliber starter or reliever, which only adds urgency across the league for clubs trying to line up the right fit before the deadline chatter turns into actual deals.
For Oakland, the bigger picture is different. The As are expected to sell, and the logic is familiar for a team in that spot: move veterans or other appealing pieces and try to bring back young pitching, the one area every rebuilding club can never seem to stockpile enough. The next few days should tell whether that plan turns into real movement or just more calls and speculation. [Read more 🡒]
Jacob Lopez Suddenly Gives The A's Rotation Hope They Desperately Needed
Jacob Lopezs path back into the Athletics rotation has been anything but straightforward. He began the year struggling as a starter, got sent to the minors, then returned in a bullpen role before the club needed him again after the Aaron Civale trade. Now hes suddenly in the third spot of the rotation, a turn that says as much about the As search for answers as it does about Lopezs own progress.
The encouraging part for Oakland is that Lopezs recent work has given the staff something it badly needed: a reason to believe the rotation might not be a total dead end. His first start back was strong enough to matter even if it was brief, and it comes at a time when the As are trying to sort out whether they need to chase another starter or can keep building from within. If Lopez holds this level, the ripple effect could shape how the front office approaches the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]