The Athletics’ slide has reached a point where even the small signs of life don’t mean much anymore. They’ve now dropped 23 of their last 29 games, and a 2-1 loss in a three-game set against the Twins only sharpened the picture.
That series was supposed to offer a little proof that things were stabilizing after the All-Star break, even if the Athletics still hadn’t won a series. Instead, it brought another gut punch: Shea Langeliers, one of their most important players and one of the names drawing trade interest ahead of the deadline, tore his meniscus and could miss the rest of the season.
That changes everything. Langeliers wasn’t just a possible trade chip.
He was the Athletics’ top home run hitter and a clubhouse leader, and losing him means losing 23 home runs and 51 RBIs that simply won’t be easy to replace. With the deadline only days away, that kind of production is not something the Athletics can realistically patch together on the fly.
There had been some reason for optimism on the mound. Since the break, the pitching staff has looked better, with Jacob Lopez and Luis Morales turning in strong outings.
Both were brought up as replacement options from the minors, though, which tells you plenty about where the roster stands. Maybe they’ve earned longer looks.
Maybe not. For now, the Athletics are still waiting to see whether those performances are a real shift or just a short-term spark.
The depth issue is getting harder to ignore, too. The club recently signed 38-year-old Dallas Keuchel to a minor league deal, and that move only underscored how thin things are.
Jeffrey Springs could end up on the IL, J.T. Ginn is already there, and the list of reliable options keeps shrinking.
That matters when you’re trying to figure out what this team can actually be.
Saturday’s loss was a perfect snapshot of the problem. The Athletics managed only three hits in 30 at-bats, and that came while the pitching staff held the Twins to two runs. In other words, the arms did enough to win, and the offense still couldn’t carry its end.
And it’s not just the fringe pieces going quiet. The Athletics’ best bats haven’t been dependable enough either.
Nick Kurtz was 0-for-25 before breaking through with a three-run homer on Sunday, while Jacob Wilson, one of the better contributors since the break, went 0-for-16 during the series. When the top of the lineup can’t steady the team, the whole thing starts to tilt fast.
In Other News...
As Latest Bullpen Shuffle Says Plenty About Their Pitching Depth
The Athletics latest bullpen move was less about one arm than the bigger picture around the staffs depth. Right-hander Geoff Hartlieb was designated for assignment to clear a 40-man roster spot after Oakland acquired Scott Blewett from the Cardinals, another sign the club is still sorting through the back end of its pitching mix as it tries to find usable innings.
Hartliebs time in Oakland this season has been uneven, and his track record over parts of seven major league seasons has made him vulnerable in a crowded roster squeeze. He now has five days to be traded, placed on waivers or released, and if he clears waivers there is still a path for him to decline an outright assignment and choose free agency instead. [Read more 🡒]
A's Make Another Bullpen Move As Pressure Keeps Building
The Athletics kept reshaping their pitching mix this week, adding another arm as the roster continues to absorb the ripple effects of a busy stretch. Oakland picked up Scott Blewett from the Cardinals for cash considerations, a low-cost move that fits the clubs need to keep piecing together a staff while injuries to Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker and the Aaron Civale trade to Chicago have added more pressure to the bullpen picture.
Blewett arrives with a chance to help sooner rather than later, and the timing matters for a team that has been forced to keep searching for workable innings. The As also brought former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel into the organization, another sign they are casting a wide net for pitching help as they try to stabilize a staff that has been asked to do a lot in a short period of time. [Read more 🡒]