The Athletics are trying to salvage the series, and they need help from a few familiar arms and bats if they want to do it.
After four straight losses to the Royals and Friday’s shutout against the Astros, the margin for error is basically gone. With four key players sidelined by injury - Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers - the A’s are leaning harder than ever on the next wave of contributors. The question now is which players can actually give them a chance to finish the series on a better note.
Zack Gelof is one of the clearest names in that conversation. He’s become the Athletics’ fifth-most-dangerous bat in the lineup, and since coming back from injury he’s hit .220 with a 0.782 OPS, plus seven RBIs and three home runs.
But the recent trend has not been kind. Over his last four games, Gelof is hitting just .143 with one hit in his last 14 at-bats.
With Jeff McNeil and Henry Bolte carrying much of the offensive burden, the A’s need Gelof to snap out of it if they’re going to stay competitive.
On the pitching side, Brady Basso has quietly separated himself from a bullpen that has been a mess. In August, he has worked 9.0 innings, allowed only six hits and given up just one run.
That kind of stretch makes him a real factor for the rest of the series. Mark Kotsay could even choose to use Basso as an opener for Jack Perkins in Game 3, which would give the Athletics a possible edge in the finale.
That plan comes with a catch, though. If Basso is used early, the team loses its best current reliever and may have to turn to weaker options late in Games 2 and 3. It’s the kind of tradeoff that can shape a series.
Jacob Lopez is the other arm who could swing things. Since the break, he’s posted a 2.48 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, and he showed recently against the Rays that he can go deep enough to limit the number of pitchers needed behind him.
In that outing, Lopez finished the seventh inning while allowing two runs. The problem came next, when the bullpen gave up eight runs in the following inning.
If Lopez can give the Athletics something close to that same level on Saturday, they’ll be in much better shape for Game 3. And if Basso is indeed used as an opener, Lopez’s length could help soften the downside, setting up Luis Medina, Elvis Alvarado and Hogan Harris to handle the rest without forcing the A’s into the same late-inning scramble.
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Jacob Lopez Gave The As Something They Desperately Needed
Jacob Lopez gave Oakland exactly the kind of start it had been searching for, working six innings and piling up nine strikeouts while keeping the Astros quiet enough for the As to stay within striking distance. The outing helped steady a club that had been slipping, and it came with enough swing-and-miss to suggest there was real life behind the result, not just a good day at the office.
The offense finished the job late, with Donovan Walton and Jonah Heim helping spark a three-run eighth inning that flipped a 3-1 deficit and pushed the As to a 4-3 win. It snapped a five-game losing streak and, more importantly, gave Oakland a reminder that it can still win a tight game when the pitching holds and the lineup finds one decisive burst. [Read more 🡒]
A's Finally Have A Reason For Real Optimism Right Now
For much of the summer, the Athletics have been hunting for signs that a young core and a few emerging arms might finally give the rebuild some traction. Lawrence Butler has supplied one of the most encouraging ones since the break, turning a rough first half into a far more dangerous second act at the plate, while Jacob Lopez has quietly become the most reliable starter in the rotation and Elvis Alvarado has helped steady the back end of the bullpen.
What makes that trio matter is how different the paths have been. Butlers power has started to play again, Lopez has been missing bats at a rate that gives Oakland a chance every time he takes the mound, and Alvarado has given the As another late-inning arm they can trust. The question now is whether those gains are the start of something more lasting, or just the latest brief run of promise in a season that has asked for patience all along. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Final Month Suddenly Matters For A Few Future Core Pieces
With the final month arriving and a playoff push all but off the table, the Athletics are suddenly in evaluation mode, and a few young pieces are getting a chance to matter beyond the standings. Alika Williams has been part of that shuffle in the infield, while Lawrence Butler has started to show the kind of bounce-back the club wants to see after his injury. For a team sitting at 50-80 with 32 games left, these are the kinds of late-season looks that can shape what the roster starts to resemble next year and into 2027.
The bullpen picture is starting to carry some of the same future-facing stakes, too, with Elvis Alvarado drawing more attention as the season winds down. Oakland is trying to sort out which arms can be trusted to hold down meaningful innings when the games matter again, and Alvarados recent run has put him squarely in that conversation. The last stretch may not change where the Athletics finish, but it could say plenty about which names belong in the core picture when the organization turns the page. [Read more 🡒]