The Athletics left Wednesday with more than a win over the Twins. The result gave them back-to-back series victories, a sign that something has started to click in Sacramento even while the club remains well below .500. The lineup has shown more life lately, and so have both the rotation and the bullpen.
Alika Williams was one of the biggest reasons why. He has spent the season carving out a reputation as one of the Athletics’ quieter success stories, and Wednesday added another line to that case.
Williams went 2-for-4 with a triple, a double and two RBIs. For the year, he is hitting .268 with a .720 OPS, and when that bat is paired with his speed and defense, he looks like a useful infielder.
That kind of production creates an interesting roster question once the Athletics are healthy again. Williams has played well enough to force a conversation, especially with Jacob Wilson in the picture. The options seem straightforward enough: keep Williams on the bench, or consider moving him this offseason or near next year’s deadline if he keeps hitting like this.
Brady Basso also gave the Athletics a much-needed lift. Mark Kotsay recently used him as an opener for Jack Perkins, a setup that made sense on paper but came with a cost: it takes Basso away from his usual late-game role.
After getting knocked around by the Astros in his last opener assignment, he bounced back with one of the sharpest bullpen outings the Athletics have gotten all year. He worked 2.0 innings, allowed one hit and needed just 15 pitches to do it.
That performance is exactly why the opener role may not be the best fit for him going forward. If Perkins needs one, Basso probably shouldn’t be the answer, because his value late in games is too important for this team.
JT Ginn, meanwhile, kept doing what he has mostly done this season, even if the standard has slipped a bit lately. He has been the Athletics’ most reliable starter overall, but August has been a tougher stretch. In five starts this month, he has thrown 29.0 innings with a 4.66 ERA.
Against the Twins, Ginn lasted 6.0 innings and gave up four runs, including three home runs. It was not the clean outing the Athletics wanted from their top starter, though reaching six innings still helped limit the number of arms needed to finish the game. There is also a sense that a real blowup start could be coming at some point; Wednesday had the feel of a night Ginn got away with giving up more than the final line showed.
In Other News...
As Overcame A Brutal Start To Take A Satisfying Series Win
A brutal start did not keep the Athletics from finishing off a satisfying series win over the Twins, thanks to a lineup that kept punching back and a bullpen that steadied the game when it mattered most. J.T. Ginn was tagged for six runs and three homers over six innings, but Oakland still found the runs it needed in the sixth and then handed the rest to Brady Basso and Elvis Alvarado.
The late push turned a rough afternoon into a needed victory, and it gave the As another reminder that games can flip quickly when the middle innings break their way. Alvarado closed the door after Basso kept the Twins from adding on, and the result was a series win built on resilience rather than perfection. [Read more 🡒]
As Get A Bigger Test Than Expected This Weekend
An off day gives the Athletics a chance to reset before a weekend series at Sutter Health Park that looks a little more meaningful than it did a few days ago. Baltimore comes to town after reshaping its roster in a trade that sent catcher Adley Rutschman and others away for prospects, a move that was supposed to signal a pivot toward the future but has not kept the Orioles from staying in the thick of things.
For Oakland, the series is about more than just the opponents name. The As are trying to sort through a pitching plan that is still taking shape, with Jacob Lopez among the arms expected to be in the mix and Brandon Young, Shane Baz, Jack Perkins and Jeffrey Springs also listed as possible starters. Official schedules are not locked in yet, which leaves the matchup details unsettled, but the test itself is clear enough: a team trying to climb meeting another that has kept its postseason chase alive. [Read more 🡒]
A's Take Another Look At A Bullpen Arm Worth Watching
The Athletics added another arm to a bullpen that has been asked to keep plugging holes while the club waits on several injured regulars to return. With Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers all on the injured list with different timetables, Oakland continues to sift through the margins for pitching depth, and this latest move brings in a reliever with some size and some intrigue at a moment when every roster spot matters.
Chris Roycroft, a 6-foot-8 right-hander, was claimed off waivers from the Rays and placed on the active roster, giving the A's another look at a bullpen piece worth monitoring. To make the move work, Hayden Juenger was sent to Triple-A Las Vegas, a reminder of how quickly the back end of a roster can change when a team is trying to cover innings and stay flexible. [Read more 🡒]