The Athletics are deep into a stretch they can’t afford to keep dragging out, and their next series against the Twins offers a chance to stop the slide.
They’re past the halfway point of the season and sitting in a spot they never wanted to reach. Back in May, the A’s were in control of the AL West.
Now, the picture looks very different, and the urgency is obvious. The season is still alive, but if momentum is going to show up, it has to start somewhere.
This series could be that place.
The biggest reason for optimism is the way the starting rotation has looked since the second half began. It hasn’t been perfect, but it has been serviceable.
The trouble is that the bullpen has become more and more unreliable at the same time. That puts a premium on the starters doing more than just getting through a few innings.
If the A’s fall behind early and force the bullpen into action too soon, they’re putting themselves in a bad spot.
That means the starters need to hold the line longer than they have been. A rough four-inning outing with three runs allowed won’t cut it if the relief corps is going to be taxed again and again. Fresh arms later in the series matter, and the A’s need their rotation to help preserve them.
On offense, Jacob Wilson and Shea Langeliers have been carrying the load since the All-Star break. Wilson has been the hotter of the two, hitting .370 with a 1.097 OPS, while also leading the Athletics in that span with three home runs and six RBIs.
Langeliers has been right there with him, batting .364 with a 1.189 OPS. He’s added two home runs and five RBIs of his own, giving the lineup a real jolt of power.
If those two keep producing, the Athletics give themselves a legitimate shot to win the series, and even sweep it.
But the skid goes beyond injuries and pitching. The Athletics have gone 40 days without winning a series, and Mark Kotsay’s decisions have been part of that story too.
The most recent example came in the extra-inning loss to the Diamondbacks, when the team burned through six relievers. That alone shrunk the bullpen for the rest of the series, but the move that stood out most was Kotsay turning to Luis Medina in the top of the 10th after Medina had thrown 36 pitches the night before.
Back-to-back high-leverage spots were never likely to work out.
In Other News...
Jacob Lopez Gives Athletics Hope In Shutout Win Over Twins
Jacob Lopez kept giving the Athletics a reason to believe, working five scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Twins at Target Field. He allowed just one hit while navigating four walks and striking out four, and the As backed him with enough offense in the middle innings to make the early pitching effort count. Tommy White, Lawrence Butler, Donovan Walton, Tyler Soderstrom and Henry Bolte all had a hand in the scoring, helping Oakland turn a tight game into one it could actually finish.
The Twins tried to push back, but the As kept finding the right pitch, the right play and the right defensive answer when the game started to tighten. Oakland scored in the fifth and sixth, then leaned on a mix of pitching changes and timely defense to keep Minnesota off the board, a formula that has been hard to come by at times this season. For a club still looking for signs that its young pieces can hold up in a close game, this was the kind of shutout win that at least offers a little hope. [Read more 🡒]
A's Big International Bet Is Starting To Feel Very Real
Breyson Guedez already looked like one of the Athletics most intriguing international bets when he signed for a $1.5 million bonus during the 2025 period, but the early returns in his stateside debut have only sharpened the interest. The Venezuelan outfielder has settled in with Single-A Stockton and, after a slow start, has begun to show the kind of bat-to-ball ability and impact contact that can make a young prospect stand out quickly in the California League.
Guedezs production since June has put him on the organizations radar in a much bigger way, especially for a club that is trying to build around upside wherever it can find it. The As have seen enough to believe there is real ceiling here, and his rapid rise through the summer has made the next step in his development feel a lot less theoretical than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Just Turned To A Former Ace For Rotation Help
With injuries thinning out the rotation, the Athletics have taken a low-risk look at a familiar name in Dallas Keuchel, who is trying to work his way back into the majors on a minor league contract. For a club that has been scrambling to patch together innings, the move fits the moment: Oakland needs depth, and Keuchel brings the kind of veteran track record that can at least make him worth a closer look.
The timing matters because the As have been hit by setbacks with J.T. Ginn and Luis Severino, leaving the staff even more vulnerable as it tries to stabilize. Keuchels last MLB action came with the Brewers in 2024, and his recent results have trended the wrong way, so this is very much a comeback bid rather than a sure thing. Still, for a team searching for any reliable rotation help it can find, the door is open. [Read more 🡒]