The Athletics have some momentum to carry into their series with the Rays, but that won’t be enough on its own. At 7-3 over their last 10 games, they’ve finally put together a stretch that looks more like a team finding its footing. A series win here would not change their place in the standings, but it would say plenty about what this group could look like next year when it’s healthier and more settled.
Brady Basso is one of the biggest swing pieces in Game 2. With no JT Ginn available, Basso is stepping into the starter role, and the Athletics need him to give them length.
He has earned that trust by being useful in just about any situation and by handling multiple innings without much trouble. In his last outing against the Blue Jays, he worked 4.0 innings and allowed only three hits.
That matters because his outing could shape the whole series. If Basso is out after 2.0 innings, the bullpen gets stretched thin fast, and that would leave very little help for the series finale. But his recent run - 9.1 innings of 1.93 ERA baseball - gives the Athletics reason to believe he can hold up his end.
Shea Langeliers is another player the Athletics need to keep producing, even if it’s still unclear whether he’ll play all three games, or even two. He gave them a big lift in the Mariners series, going 2-for-4 with four RBIs, and that kind of output matters in a lineup that doesn’t have much margin for error.
When Langeliers is rolling, he can change a game in one swing. The Athletics saw that in the series finale against the Mariners, when his game-tying two-run single helped swing the moment. Against a Rays team that can make mistakes expensive, they need that kind of impact again.
Closing these games is the other piece that has to hold together. The Athletics have some confidence right now with Hogan Harris working the eighth and Elvis Alvarado handling the ninth, but the setup has to start with Harris.
If he can stop the Rays from building late momentum before the final frame, it makes Alvarado’s job much cleaner and helps the Athletics avoid the kind of late-game lapses they had in the first meeting between these teams on Aug. 10.
In Other News...
As Suddenly Face A Bigger Rotation Question With Gage Jump
Gage Jumps rookie season is over before the Athletics had a chance to see how far it might carry him down the stretch. The left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 13 with a shoulder issue, a setback that adds another layer to a pitching staff that has already had to keep adjusting as the year winds down. Joe Rock was recalled in the corresponding move, giving the club another arm to sort through while the bigger picture keeps coming into focus.
Even with the current concern, the As are already looking ahead to what their rotation could look like in 2027, and Jump had been part of that conversation as a young arm worth watching. The question now is how much of that future group returns intact, how much changes through additions, and where a pitcher like Jump fits once he is healthy enough to rejoin the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Lawrence Butler Is Forcing A's Into A Tough Outfield Call
Lawrence Butlers recent stretch has given the Athletics a much-needed jolt at a time when the roster has been thinned by injuries and the lineup has had to lean on younger players in bigger spots. He has worked his way into prominent batting order positions and looked far more settled at the plate, turning what once felt like a development year into something closer to an everyday role.
The timing matters because Oakland is heading toward another offseason with outfield pieces to sort out, a crowded mix of options and a new general manager preparing for both a playoff push and the long-term buildup to the clubs move to Las Vegas. Butlers surge has made him harder to ignore, and it only sharpens the question of how the As want to shape their outfield going forward. [Read more 🡒]
As GM Search Is Suddenly Defining The Start Of A New Era
The Athletics front-office reset is moving quickly after the club fired longtime GM David Forst and turned the reins over to Dan Feinstein on an interim basis. The search for the permanent job has already started to take shape, with James Click emerging as one of the early names tied to the opening and the process now carrying the feel of a defining decision for the next phase of the organization.
Oakland has also interviewed Mike Rizzo and Billy Owens, adding another layer to a search that mixes outside experience with familiar internal ties. Owens has spent a long time in the organization, while Click and Rizzo both bring previous GM experience, and the club is aiming to settle on its choice before the end of the season. For a team trying to chart a new course, the next hire may say as much about where the As want to go as any move on the field. [Read more 🡒]