The Athletics’ 18-run loss was ugly enough on its own, but it also did something more useful: it stripped away the feel-good haze from the recent stretch and showed exactly where the holes still are.
That matters because the A’s had gone 7-3 over their previous 10 games, and for a while it looked like the rotation might have settled into something workable. This one dragged the conversation back to reality.
Right now, the Athletics can mostly count on JT Ginn and Jacob Lopez to deliver steady starts, and that’s about it. Gage Jump’s regression only reinforces that point.
With Luis Severino’s future still hanging out there, the offseason priority is obvious. The Athletics need to put real focus on the starting rotation, and they need help from outside the organization. There’s still hope that Jump and Severino can either return or get things moving in the right direction, but the broader picture says the A’s need another arm to stabilize things.
The blowout also felt worse because of how it unfolded after Jump left early. Mark Kotsay turned to Seth Johnson, Joey Estes, and Yunior Tur, three pitchers who have been historically terrible this season. Had he gone to Brady Basso for a few innings and then recycled a pitcher from the series opener, the Athletics might have stayed within reach.
Instead, the game got away from them, and the approach gave off a sense of surrender. That’s not what you want to see this late in the season.
With Shea Langeliers back, there was at least a path for something more competitive if the deficit hadn’t ballooned so quickly. You can play the what-if game all day, but the real issue is simpler: Kotsay has to find a way to keep games from turning into routs and avoid looking content with losing.
The quietest part of the night may have been the one that says the most about the team’s ceiling. Lawrence Butler, Henry Bolte, Jeff McNeil, and Zack Gelof, the second-half core that’s been carrying the Athletics, went silent aside from Bolte’s run. Those four have been the heartbeat of the club since the break, and when they disappear like that, it’s a reminder that this team was never truly ready to chase a playoff spot this year, even when it sat first in the AL West back in May.
There is some relief coming next year, when Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson return. But the current core still makes up a major part of the lineup, and nights like this show how fragile things can still get. If inconsistency shows up again, it could limit how far the Athletics can go next season, even with a roster that should look more playoff-ready.
In Other News...
As Just Got Shea Langeliers Back With One Big Catch
Shea Langeliers is back on the active roster just in time for the Athletics to get another middle-of-the-order bat in the mix against the Mariners. The catcher was reinstated from the 15-day injured list after being sidelined since late July with a torn meniscus, and the club is easing him in as a designated hitter while still slotting him into the cleanup spot.
The move gives Oakland a familiar presence in the lineup without asking Langeliers to immediately handle the full grind behind the plate, a sensible step after the time he missed. To make room, the A's sent infielder Darell Hernaiz to Triple-A, a reminder that every return comes with a roster cost as the club tries to balance health, production and flexibility down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
A's Fans Have A New Reason To Worry About Gage Jump
The Athletics trip to Seattle turned ugly fast in Game 2, and Gage Jumps night only added to the concern around a club already searching for stability on the mound. Oakland was hammered by the Mariners and never found much resistance on either side of the ball, with Shea Langeliers providing the teams lone run in a lopsided loss that quickly got out of hand.
Jump was tagged for five runs in two innings before exiting early with shoulder tightness, a development the As will be watching closely given how little margin they have for any more pitching setbacks. The bullpen did not offer much relief after that, giving up 11 runs over 5.2 innings as Seattle piled on and left Oakland with more questions than answers heading into the rest of the series. [Read more 🡒]
As GM Search Is About To Define The Franchises Vegas Era
The Athletics front office search is starting to take shape at a time when the organization is trying to decide who will help guide its next chapter. Former Nationals president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and longtime As assistant GM Billy Owens have both been interviewed for the full-time general manager job, while James Click is also tied to the opening as the club weighs candidates with different kinds of experience. With the franchise heading toward its move to Las Vegas in 2028, this hire carries the feel of something bigger than a routine offseason transaction.
For an organization trying to steady itself through a transition that will define its Vegas era, the choice of general manager looms as one of the most important decisions it will make. The As are exploring a range of backgrounds as they sort through the job, which suggests they are not limiting themselves to one familiar lane or one traditional path. However this search plays out, the next baseball executive in line will inherit not just a roster, but the early blueprint for what the franchise wants to become. [Read more 🡒]