The Athletics won two of three against the Los Angeles Angels behind huge offensive performances. Then, they dropped two of three against the Boston Red Sox. But, despite the series loss, they ended Aroldis Chapman’s hitless and scoreless streaks and Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers hit their 30th home runs.
Results
FRI: ATH 10, LAA 4
The scoring got started early at Angel Stadium for both teams. After three consecutive walks to start the game, Tyler Soderstrom hit into an RBI double play with the bases loaded. Jacob Wilson singled home another run to put the A’s up by two. The Angels answered with four runs in the bottom of the frame, including back-to-back walks with the bases loaded by Mason Barnett. In the 3rd inning, Lawrence Butler grounded into a run-scoring fielder’s choice before Zack Gelof’s RBI single tied things at four. With the bases loaded, Wilson scored on a wild pitch to put the A’s ahead. JJ Bleday hit a three-run home run and Brent Rooker (after the bases were loaded again) was hit by a pitch to cap off a seven-run inning. Lawrence Butler’s solo homer in the 9th got the Athletics up to double digits. Barnett struck out eight and earned his first MLB win. He didn’t allow a run after the rough 1st inning.
SAT: ATH 17, LAA 4
The bats stayed hot in the second game of the series for the Athletics. Tyler Soderstrom hit a bases loaded, three-run RBI double in the 1st inning. Brent Rooker hit an RBI double in the 2nd before Colby Thomas hit a three-run home run to extend the lead to 7-0. Yoan Moncada hit an RBI triple in the 3rd to get the Angels on the board. Nick Kurtz hit a solo shot in the 4th and Tyler Soderstrom added an RBI groundout in the 6th, making it 9-1. With the wide margin, 2B Scott Kingery came in to pitch for LA. Carlos Cortes (1st career HR) and JJ Bleday hit three-run homers against the position player. The Angels picked up three runs in the final two innings against Scott McGough and Brady Basso. In the blowout win, the A’s totaled 21 hits and drew six walks.
SUN: LAA 4, ATH 3
With the sweep on the table for the A’s, the Angels managed to salvage the series finale. Jo Adell took Luis Severino deep for a two-run home run in the 1st inning. Willie MacIver answered with a solo shot in the 3rd. Bryce Teodosio’s RBI (ground rule) double put LA up 3-1 in the 4th. Tyler Soderstrom’s solo homer and Colby Thomas’ sacrifice fly leveled things up. But, Travis d’Arnaud hit a ground rule double in the 8th off of Osvaldo Bido and Kenley Jansen worked a 1-2-3 9th inning to secure the win.
MON: BOS 7, ATH 0
Facing one of the best pitchers in baseball, the Athletics could not get their offense going in the series opener. Garrett Crochet went seven innings, allowing just three hits (zero walks), and striking out ten. With Crochet throwing a gem opposite him, Luis Morales took his first loss and struggled for the first time in his MLB career. He lasted just 4.2 innings and gave up home runs to Trevor Story and Carlos Narvaez. The rookie RHP allowed five runs in total on seven hits and only struck out two. Brady Basso threw 2.1 innings in relief and allowed just one hit with four Ks. Scott McGough gave up two insurance runs for the Red Sox in the 8th inning.
TUE: BOS 6, ATH 0
Connelly Early made his MLB debut on Tuesday, getting the start in place of an injured Dustin May. He proceeded to tie a Red Sox debut record with 11 Ks as the Athletics were shutout for the second consecutive game. This was just the second time all season that they’ve been blanked in back-to-back games. Jeffrey Springs could not match his counterpart’s scoreless performance. He gave up four runs in the 1st inning, all courtesy of two home runs (solo shot by Romy Gonzalez and a three-run homer for Rob Refsnyder). Gonzalez added an RBI double in the 2nd and Masataka Yoshida capped the scoring with an RBI groundout in the 8th off of Michael Kelly. The A’s stranded 11 runners on base and went 1/10 with runners in scoring position.
WED: ATH 5, BOS 4
The A’s were able to salvage the series finale with some home runs and streak-ending success late. In the 1st inning, Shea Langeliers hit his 30th home run of the season. That marks a new career high for the catcher. After the Red Sox tied things back up, Nick Kurtz joined Langeliers in the 30-homer club. Mason Barnett allowed a pair of runs in the 3rd and 4th that put Boston ahead. Tyler Soderstrom’s two-run RBI double got the hosts back in the lead in the 5th. That advantage held until Elvis Alvarado folded (0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER) in the top of the 9th. With the score tied, Boston went to Aroldis Chapman, who had not allowed a hit since late July (50 consecutive batters faced). Langeliers put a halt to that as he doubled to start the inning. After Brent Rooker was retired, Lawrence Butler walked it off with an RBI single.
What Else?
- Nick Kurtz joined the Bash Brothers (Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) as the only Athletics to hit 30 home runs as rookies. There are a lot of ways to appreciate Kurtz’s rookie campaign, but the easiest one may be a quick glance at his Baseball Savant page. For those unfamiliar, the color coding goes from dark blue (worst) and gets lighter until it goes into light red and then dark red (best). Kurtz’s page looks like a fire truck in a children’s book. The following are his percentiles across MLB in some hitting categories: 95th in xwOBA, 96th in xSLG, 93rd in avg. exit velo, 96th in barrel rate, 91st in hard hit %, 98th in sweet spot %, 98th in bat speed, and 94th in walk rate. He should win the AL Rookie of the Year running away and will be a middle-of-the-order power bat for years to come.
- After winning the first seven matchups of the season, the Angels took the season series, 9-4. In the 13 matchups between AL West foes, the Athletics outscored the Halos by an 80 to 74 margin. The two teams boasting similar records in the bottom two spots in the division standings again this season. Whichever team expects to take a step forward next season will need to handle business in this season series.
- JJ Bleday, looking to showcase that he is a part of the team’s future, has been on a heater to start September. In 19 at-bats (six games), he has four home runs and a 1.526 OPS. A former first round pick by the Miami Marlins, Bleday is entering his first offseason of arbitration and at 27 years old, the A’s will have a choice to make on his fit for the roster moving forward.
- The rosters for all six teams were announced for the 2025 Arizona Fall League. The AFL serves as an opportunity for top prospects to face other top prospects and for players that dealt with injuries in the regular season to get more game action before the offseason begins. The A’s prospects combine with the Cubs, Marlins, Rays, and Yankees to form the Mesa Solar Sox roster. Pitching prospects Mark Adamiak, Corey Avant, Nathan Dettmer, Will Johnston, and Blaze Pontes made the Mesa roster. On the hitting side, the A’s are sending Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Tommy White, and Ryan Lasko.
- The latest progress in the new ballpark here in Las Vegas:
System Spotlight
Kade Morris: After ending August with a rough outing (8 H & 6 ER in 5.1 IP), he started September on the right foot. The 23-year-old RHP threw a gem on Saturday vs. Sacramento. He went six innings and allowed three hits and zero runs with nine Ks. He was excellent in Midland for a portion of the season and is still adjusting to Triple-A.
Leo De Vries: The young phenom has started off September in Double-A on fire. He has 12 hits in 33 at-bats, including two home runs and two doubles. His OPS is current 1.049 for the month and he’s still just 18 years old.
Lansing Lugnuts (High-A) 2025 Recap
62-70, 4th in Midwest League East division
Standout hitter: Tommy White
11 HRs, 18 doubles, .260 AVG, 22-year-old 3B (2024 draft pick)
Standout pitcher: Mark Adamiak
2.94 ERA, 21/23 saves/save opportunities, 24-year-old RHP (2022 draft pick)
Stockton Ports (Low-A) 2025 Recap
57-75, last in California League North division
Standout hitter: Cameron Leary
9 HRs, .386 OBP, 44 steals, 23-year-old OF (2024 draft pick)
Standout pitcher: Tucker Novotny
97 Ks in 77.2 IP, one save, 22-year-old LHP (2024 draft pick)
ACL Athletics (Rookie) 2025 Recap
25-35, 4th in the ACL East division
Standout hitter: Ramon Landaeta
.812 OPS, 3 HRs, 19-year-old C (2023 international FA signing)
Standout pitcher: Wilfred Alvarado
1.88 ERA, 25 Ks in 14.1 innings, 19-year-old RHP (2023 international FA signing)
What’s Next?
The Athletics will host the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend before they travel to Fenway Park for another series vs. the Boston Red Sox.
(Top photo of Lawrence Butler, courtesy: Athletics)
