The Athletics had the kind of start that should have set up a comfortable night, then watched it all evaporate.
Zack Gelof jumped them ahead with a three-run home run in the first inning, and for a brief moment it looked like the A’s might have something to build on after being swept by the Rays. Instead, the offense went cold and stayed there. From the second through the eighth, the Athletics managed only two more hits, both infield hits, and never scored again.
That lack of follow-through has become a problem fast. The A’s have now dropped four straight, a stretch that looks even harsher when you remember they had gone 7-3 over their previous 10 games before the Rays series. What looked like momentum has quickly turned into another reset.
There was also only so much room for error once Mason Barnett took the ball. He gave the Athletics 3.0 strong innings, but the fourth inning brought the collapse.
Back-to-back singles opened the door for three Guardians runs, and the game turned there. The takeaway was simple: after the second hit, Scott Blewett should have been in the game.
The bullpen, as it has been lately, did its job once it got the chance. Luis Medina and Elvis Alvarado handled the late innings without allowing a hit, with Alvarado issuing the only blemish, a walk in the eighth. That relief work has been one of the brighter spots for this club, and outside of the walk-off home run in the Rays series, that group has been excellent.
But the bigger issue remains the same: once the Athletics get a lead, they have to do more with it. A team with this much talent, even with injuries piling up, cannot keep letting games drift away after a fast start. If the A’s are going to turn these bullpen efforts into actual wins, they need to become a lot better when they’re in front.
In Other News...
A's Suddenly Have A Pitching Problem They Can't Ignore
The Athletics opened their final road series with a 5-3 loss to Cleveland, and the familiar issue that has been hanging around their staff showed up again. Mason Barnett got the start but could not settle in, as the Guardians chipped away early and turned the game with a steady enough offensive push to put the As in another uphill spot before the night really got moving.
Cleveland got the kind of lineup answers Oakland has had trouble matching lately, with Travis Bazzana and Jos Ramrez supplying the key swings while the bullpen finished the job. Once the Guardians handed the ball over to their relief corps, the As offense went quiet, and a game that felt winnable early ended as another reminder that the margins on the mound are getting harder to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Need These Key Bats To Wake Up Before This Skid Deepens
A four-game losing streak, capped by a sweep at the hands of the Rays, has left the Athletics searching for a quick reset as they head into a series with the Guardians. For a club trying to finish the season on better footing, the timing is tricky, because the lineup has not offered much margin for error and the recent skid has exposed how much the A's still lean on a few key bats to set the tone.
Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler have both been fighting through offensive struggles, while Jacob Lopez has remained a bright spot on the mound even as the results around him have turned. The A's do not need a miracle to stop the slide, but they do need their middle-order pieces to start producing again soon, or a short slump could start to feel a lot longer. [Read more 🡒]
A's Face A Real Catching Decision With Langeliers Uncertainty Looming
The Athletics season has already been dragged down by injuries to core players, and the catching picture has become another reminder of how thin the roster has been stretched. With All-Star Shea Langeliers sidelined and the club getting little offense from backups Jonah Heim and Brian Serven, Oakland has spent far too much time trying to patch together a position that usually has to provide stability.
Langeliers status is now one of the bigger questions hanging over the offseason, because the As do not just have to think about getting through the rest of this year. They may need help behind the plate even if he returns, and if the front office decides to look outside the organization, free agency could become part of the conversation as Oakland tries to sort out what its catching depth should look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]