The Athletics finally had a night that looked nothing like the mess they’ve been trying to crawl out of.
After getting buried in a bad series against the Rays, they opened against the Rangers with a performance that actually had some snap to it. For one game, at least, the pieces lined up.
The offense came alive, the bullpen held up, and the whole thing felt a lot more like a team trying to reset than one stuck in free fall. There’s still a long way to go, but with 40 games left, this was the kind of win that leaves a small opening for a turnaround.
The bullpen had been the biggest drag on this stretch, and the numbers coming into the series told the story. Athletics relievers ranked last in the majors with a 5.66 ERA, sitting 0.31 points behind the Royals at No.
- That kind of gap has been central to the collapse, and with only Seth Johnson added at the deadline, there hasn’t been much help on the way.
So Mark Kotsay kept a tight leash on the game. Once he saw any trouble, he went to the phone.
It would have been nice, from a development standpoint, to see Drew Rom finish his inning after throwing 0.2 innings or Luis Medina do the same after 1.1, but the caution made sense. The Athletics’ bullpen still covered 3.2 innings, allowed just one hit, and surrendered only two baserunners.
The offense had its own clear engine in Jeff McNeil, who put together a huge night at the plate. He went 4-for-5 with a go-ahead home run, two doubles, a single, and three RBIs.
That kind of line doesn’t just pad a box score; it drives the entire game. If McNeil keeps producing like this, the Athletics have reason to think bigger over the next few weeks.
He’s been locked in lately, too. Over his last 10 games, McNeil is batting .394 with a .962 OPS, along with six RBIs and a home run.
That kind of stretch has helped keep the offense dangerous even though the Athletics are still only 3-7 in their last 10. With the bullpen steadying up and J.T.
Ginn and Jacob Lopez lined up for the final two games, the path toward a series win suddenly looks a lot clearer.
Carlos Cortes has been doing his share as well. In his last 10 at-bats, he has piled up seven RBIs, and he’s driven in at least two runs in each of his last three games. Against the Rangers, he set the tone early with a three-run double in the first inning, a swing that helped the Athletics keep control from start to finish.
Cortes has been uneven across the season, but right now he looks like the kind of player who can fuel a push. Maybe it won’t be enough to drag the Athletics into playoff territory. But if the goal is to close the year with some momentum, he and McNeil are giving them a real chance to do it.
In Other News...
Luke Mann Is Giving The A's A Farm System Story To Watch
Luke Mann kept making noise for Midland on a night when the RockHounds came up short, launching two home runs in a 9-7 loss to Amarillo. Devin Taylor and Bobby Boser also chipped in offensively, but the A's affiliate never quite recovered after starter Corey Avant allowed three runs over four innings and Diego Barrera was hit hard in relief, taking the loss.
Even so, Mann's surge is turning into one of the more interesting developments in Oakland's system. He has been the type of bat who can change a game in a hurry, and his recent run has given the A's something worth tracking closely as Midland keeps grinding through the Texas League schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Let Early Surge Slip Away In Another Costly Loss
The Athletics got a lift from Henry Bolte, who went 3-for-5 and launched a three-run homer, and J.T. Ginn gave them a chance by working six innings in his start. Even so, the early push was not enough in a 5-3 loss to the Texas Rangers, a result that kept Oakland from stringing together back-to-back wins and left the club with the worst record in the sport.
Oakland has shown flashes in spots, but the larger pattern keeps coming back around in the same frustrating way. The Rangers leaned on MacKenzie Gore to get into the sixth inning, then turned it over to a bullpen that finished with 3 1/3 scoreless frames, and now the series heads to its finale with Jacob Lopez lined up for the Athletics against Cody Bradford for Texas. [Read more 🡒]