Coming out of the trade deadline, the Athletics have received some impressive performances from a previously shaky rotation. The team went 3-3 in their six games to start off the month.
FRI: ATH 5, ARI 1
The Athletics scored all the runs they would need on Friday night in the 1st inning. Sandwiched between a Brent Rooker sacrifice fly and a Carlos Cortes RBI single, Shea Langeliers hit a two-run home run. Tyler Soderstrom knocked in another run with a ground-rule double in the 4th. A Corbin Carroll sacrifice fly in the 7th was the lone Arizona run. Jacob Lopez started for the A’s and went five scoreless innings. Luis Morales made his MLB debut and allowed the Carroll sacrifice fly.
SAT: ARI 7, ATH 2
Ketel Marte hit a solo home run off of J. T. Ginn in the 1st inning. But, Tyler Soderstrom responded with a two-run double in the 3rd to put the A’s ahead. Then, it was all Diamondbacks. They scored three in the 5th to regain the lead. Alek Thomas hit a home run in the 6th and Corbin Carroll added one of his own in the 9th. Adrian Del Castillo added a sacrifice fly in between. Eduarniel Nunez, acquired in the Mason Miller trade, made his ATH debut. He went 1.2 innings and walked two, allowed the Carroll home run (and one other hit), and struck out one.
SUN: ARI 6, ATH 4
Jack Perkins made his first MLB start on Sunday after previously appearing only out of the bullpen in his brief MLB career. It did not go well as the rookie allowed four runs on five hits in just three innings of work. Nick Kurtz trimmed the lead in half as his two-run RBI single in the 5th made it a 4-2 game. But, Blaze Alexander, who added an RBI single later on, took Elvis Alvarado deep to push the lead back to three. Max Schuemann scored a run on an RBI groundout and JJ Bleday hit a home run in the series finale loss.
TUE: ATH 16, WSH 7
Getting production from the leadoff spot was not a problem for the Athletics on Tuesday. In his first game at the top of the lineup, Shea Langeliers took Mackenzie Gore’s fourth pitch of the game deep. That was the first of three home runs for the catcher, who had five hits in six at-bats. JJ Bleday added a two-run RBI single and Darell Hernaiz hit a solo shot to give the A’s a five-run 1st inning. The lead would grow to 9-0 before the Nationals finally answered. Despite Langeliers’ homer barrage, Bleday finished with a team-high six RBIs. The Athletics finished with 24 hits as a team in the blowout series-opening win. One negative takeaway is Eduarniel Nunez giving up four runs and not getting through a full inning of work.
WED: WSH 2, ATH 1
Jeffrey Springs did not allow a baserunner in the first five innings of the game. In the top of the 6th inning, Tyler Soderstrom took reliever Konnor Pilkington deep to open the scoring. But, in the next frame, Washington got their first hit off of Springs as catcher Riley Adams hit just his seventh home run of the season to tie the game. The game remained tied into the 9th. In the top of the inning, the A’s went 1-2-3. With Michael Kelly on to try and take things to extra innings, Robert Hassell III hit a leadoff double. The hit (with just 84 MPH exit velo) to right field had a 70% catch probability (Baseball Savant), but it bounced off of Colby Thomas’ glove as he attempted to make the diving catch. Then, after Jacob Young struck out on a failed bunt attempt, CJ Abrams walked it off with a bloop single to left. The teams combined for only eight hits as the game ended in just two and a half hours.
THU: ATH 6, WSH 0
Jacob Lopez followed up Springs’ excellent Wednesday outing and pitched the best game of his MLB career. He allowed just three hits, zero walks, and struck out ten batters in 7.2 innings of shutout baseball. Colby Thomas hit his first career home run, and Tyler Soderstrom hit his 21st of the season. Thomas added a sacrifice fly, as did Shea Langeliers, and Nick Kurtz finished the scoring with an RBI groundout. Justin Sterner relieved Lopez and recorded the final four outs without allowing a baserunner.
What Else?
- Both included in trade rumors before the deadline, Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs have pitched well recently. The Athletics have won Sevy’s last four starts. In those four starts, he’s thrown 23 innings, allowed eight runs (only one HR), and has 22 strikeouts. Springs had a rough outing vs. Cleveland on 7/20. Since then, he’s pitched 18 innings, allowing just seven hits (four runs) with 17 Ks.
- With Jacob Lopez’s superb outing yesterday and that recent stabilization of Sevy and Springs, the Athletics are getting some solid pitching to start this month. In the first week of games in August, they have the 12th-best ERA and 8th-fewest hits allowed in the league. Those stats are a far cry from their season totals: 3rd-worst ERA and 4th-most hits allowed. Sure, they played the Diamondbacks and the Nationals, and neither of those teams is an offensive juggernaut. But, any improvement in the performances on the mound will be a huge boost down the stretch and into the offseason.
- Let’s take a deeper look at Lopez. I highlighted early this season that he has a very unique profile in the 2025 baseball landscape. He doesn’t throw hard (8th percentile fastball velo) and does not induce much contact on the ground (3rd percentile GB rate). But, he limits hard contact (92nd percentile exit velo and 94th percentile hard hit %). That profile has led to some significant ups and downs in his starts this year. But, it’s been all up recent. Lopez has not allowed a run in his last three starts (17 innings) and has 19 Ks in those outings. His K/9 is up to 10.89. Cy Young front-runner Paul Skenes has a 10.13 K/9 to put Lopez’s into context. Still just 27 years old and getting his most extended run in the majors, the A’s might have something in their future rotation with Lopez.
- There will be growing pains for Eduarniel Nunez as he continues to get Major League opportunities in the future. His early outings after being traded to the A’s were especially rough. Before being optioned to Las Vegas on Tuesday, he pitched in two games for the A’s. The stat line? Six hits, five earned runs, and four walks in just 2.1 innings.
- On the other side of that major trade, Mason Miller has pitched in three games and is 1/2 on save opportunities with a 6.00 ERA. JP Sears allowed ten hits and five runs in his lone start for the San Diego Padres. He was optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday.
- Based on the initial post-deadline games, it seems that Jack Perkins will take Sears’ spot in the rotation. Also, Michael Kelly is getting the first crack at the closer role vacated by Miller. Perkins struggled in his first career start on Sunday. Meanwhile, Kelly has given up five hits in just 1.2 innings and has allowed a run in two of his three August appearances.
- Austin Wynns went on the injured list earlier this week with an abdominal strain. Willie MacIver was recalled to replace him. In his last seven games for Las Vegas before the call-up, MacIver had an .824 slugging percentage and hit two home runs.
System Spotlight
Henry Baez: Acquired in the Mason Miller deal, Baez won his debut for Double-A Midland on Saturday. The 22-year-old went five innings, allowed three runs, and struck out six. Last night, he allowed three earned runs and had 4 Ks across 5.1 innings in a losing effort. His two final starts before the trade actually came against his new team. In those two outings vs. Midland, he threw ten innings and allowed just one run on five hits with 6 Ks.
Edgar Montero: Signed as an international free agent in 2024, Montero is thriving in his second season of professional baseball. The 18-year-old was a DSL All-Star this season and has a 1.148 OPS in 45 games. He’s hit nine home runs and has added nine steals.
Riley Huge: The 23-year-old reliever had an excellent July for Stockton. He made eight appearances and only allowed runs in just one of them. Huge finished the month with a 1.69 ERA and 23 Ks in 10.2 innings. He had a rough outing (3 runs in 1.2 IP) to start off August. But, the 13th round selection in 2024 could be a lefty reliever to keep an eye on.
What’s Next?
The Athletics are off to Camden Yards for a weekend series vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Then, they will return home for a three-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays.
(Top photo of Jacob Lopez, Courtesy: Athletics)
