The Athletics finally snapped out of their slide in a big way Saturday, beating Boston after dropping nine straight. That run had looked especially flat, the kind of stretch that can make a season feel like it’s slipping away for good. Instead, the A’s answered with a win that showed there’s still some life left in the room.
They did it without a full-strength lineup, too. With a good chunk of the starters still out, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson were the names that had to carry the load.
They delivered. The trio accounted for four of the Athletics’ seven runs, and Soderstrom continued to be the biggest bat in the series.
Soderstrom had already provided the only offense in Friday’s loss, launching a solo homer when the A’s were already buried by nine runs. He came right back Saturday with another home run, giving him back-to-back games with a long ball.
Since the break, Soderstrom leads the team with five home runs, is batting .263 and owns an .830 OPS. He also leads the club with 12 RBIs over that span.
On the mound, Gage Jump gave the Athletics exactly the kind of outing they needed. It wasn’t spotless, but it was solid.
He worked 6.0 innings, gave up six hits and two runs, and struck out a career-high 11. Both runs came in the bottom of the first, and after that Jump settled in and kept Boston from adding on.
That kind of response matters for a staff that has had plenty of rough patches. Jump has shown enough since the All-Star break not to let the slow start define him, even if the efficiency still needs work. For the Athletics, holding a dangerous lineup to two runs is a win in itself.
And make no mistake, this was not a soft landing spot. Since July 26, the Red Sox have gone 10-2, with both losses coming against the Athletics.
Beating the hottest team in baseball the way they did Saturday doesn’t erase the damage of the injuries, the pitching issues, or the two ugly losing streaks that have wrecked the season. But it does suggest the A’s aren’t completely done yet.
If they can follow it up with a win Sunday, the idea of a late turnaround gets a little more believable.
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As Front Office Shakeup Just Put Mark Kotsay On The Spot
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What makes the next step so important is the scope of the job the new hire is expected to inherit, because the person stepping in will have broad authority over both roster decisions and the overall direction of the club. That puts Kotsay squarely in the spotlight as the Athletics continue to struggle, and it raises the possibility that the front-office shakeup may not be the only move before long. [Read more 🡒]