The Athletics took two out of three against the Baltimore Orioles last weekend. Then, the lone win against the Tampa Bay Rays was another scoreless showing for Jacob Lopez. That gave the team yet another week of .500 baseball.
Results
FRI: BAL 3, ATH 2
With two outs in the 1st inning, J. T. Ginn walked Gunnar Henderson. Adley Rutschman followed that with a two-run home run. Ryan Mountcastle made it back-to-back homers when he launched one 433 feet to center. Ginn only allowed one more hit the rest of his outing and finished with nine Ks. Luis Urias had a sacrifice fly in the 5th, and Tyler Soderstrom added an RBI single in the 8th. But, the Athletics couldn’t get the crucial hits throughout the game. They left seven runners on base and went 1/5 with runners in scoring position.
SAT: ATH 11, BAL 3
Shea Langeliers hit a two-run home run in the 1st inning to open the scoring. Gunnar Henderson responded with a three-run HR in the bottom of the inning. Brent Rooker answered with his own three-run blast to put the Athletics back ahead in the 3rd. Darell Hernaiz added a sacrifice fly in that frame to extend the lead. The Athletics piled on in the 5th as they scored five more runs. Rooker, Langeliers, and Gio Urshela hit RBI doubles and Luis Urias added an RBI single. On the mound, Jack Perkins picked up his first win in his second start. He didn’t give up a hit after the 1st inning, finishing with five Ks and one walk in six innings.
SUN: ATH 3, BAL 2
Luis Morales got his first start for the A’s in the series finale. He walked five batters in just 2.2 innings but allowed zero hits and had four Ks. Jordan Westburg took Ben Bowden deep in the 5th to put Baltimore ahead. Colby Thomas leveled things up with an RBI single in the next half inning. Coby Mayo got the Orioles back in front with an RBI double in the 7th. Willie MacIver would get the last laugh as the backup catcher knocked in Darell Hernaiz and Lawrence Butler with a double in the 9th inning. Elvis Alvarado picked up the win as he picked up the final five outs and allowed zero hits.
MON: TBR 7, ATH 4
Jeffrey Springs had a rough go of it against his former team. In the series opener, he only last 3.1 innings and gave up four earned runs on seven hits and only struck out two. A Christopher Morel 400 foot homer in the 4th inning put the Rays up 4-0. Shea Langeliers answered with a home run of his own in the following inning. But, Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero hit back-to-back jacks off of Osvaldo Bido to open the 7th. A Tyler Soderstrom three-run shot made the score line more respectable at 6-4. But, Lowe hit a sacrifice fly in the 8th and the Tampa Bay bullpen allowed just one hit over 2.1 innings to secure the win.
TUE: ATH 6, TBR 0
It was just another day at the office for Jacob Lopez at this point in his hot stretch. The lefty, acquired from the Rays, allowed just four hits and zero runs in seven innings. He struck out nine and didn’t walk a single batter. That was his fourth consecutive start (24 innings) without allowing a run. Colby Thomas and Lawrence Butler led the way on the offensive side. Thomas had an RBI double in the 2nd inning and a sacrifice fly in the 4th. Butler added an RBI double in the 4th and scored on an error. A wild pitch in the 5th scored another run before Butler capped off the scoring with an RBI single in the 8th.
WED: TBR 8, ATH 2
The Rays jumped all over J. T. Ginn in the series finale. He allowed five earned runs on six hits (one HR) in just two innings. Trailing 6-0 in the 3rd inning, Lawrence Butler got the A’s on the board with a solo home run. Gio Urshela added an RBI single in the 5th. To cap off a rough game for the Athletics, Junior Caminero took Elvis Alvarado deep for a two-run home run in the 9th. The A’s only had four hits (three singles and Butler’s HR) on the day.
What Else?
- Since the All-Star break, Jacob Lopez has quite simply been one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball. He has a 1.55 ERA in five starts (29 innings). In that span, he has struck out 34 batters and has a 0.93 WHIP.
- After his absurd July power surge, Nick Kurtz has cooled off in August. He has zero home runs in 11 games and has just three RBIs. He got a day off on Wednesday and will be a player to watch as he navigates deeper into his first full professional season.
- Despite the cold stretch, Kurtz is the favorite to win AL Rookie of the Year. According to BetMGM odds, Kurtz is a -10000 favorite to bring home the honor. He opened the season at +8000. Jacob Wilson’s lengthy absence has derailed his chances after he was previously the clear front-runner.
- Unlike Kurtz, Shea Langeliers is scorching hot to start this month. The A’s catcher has seven home runs in his last 15 games. His OPS in July was .952 and through 12 games in August, it’s 1.216.
- In the injury department, Austin Wynns was moved to the 60-day IL, ending his season. Luis Severino went on the 15-day IL with an oblique strain. According to MLB.com, Denzel Clarke is expected to start a rehab assignment with Las Vegas today.
- With temperatures still sitting squarely in the triple digits, the A’s ballpark construction is moving along. This was the progress as of yesterday evening on the team’s always streaming ballpark construction cam.
System Spotlight
Gage Jump: MLB Pipeline’s #62 overall prospect is still enjoying a very successful first professional season. Promoted to Midland in May, the 22-year-old LHP has a 1.90 ERA in 22 appearances in 2025. He’s struck out 119 batters in 99.1 innings across High-A and Double-A. He hasn’t allowed multiple earned runs in a game since June. While there is some anticipation of a Triple-A call-up, the team seems to be throttling down his innings so that may have to wait until 2026.
Devin Taylor: The Athletics’ 2nd round selection in last month’s draft has started his professional journey off on the right foot. Assigned to Low-A Stockton, Taylor has a .964 OPS with three home runs in nine games. Considered a polished college bat entering the draft, the Indiana product is showcasing that skill in the first games of his MiLB career.
Mason Barnett: I wrote earlier this season about some concerning stats for the 24-year-old. His ERA is still far too high at 5.63, but he’s striking out A LOT of hitters. In his latest start on Saturday, he went six innings, allowed just one run on three hits, and struck out nine. In his seven appearances across July and August, he has 51 Ks in 35.2 innings. On the season, he has 116 Ks in 110.1 innings. While he needs to limit the damage he allows, that level of strikeout stuff should be something to build upon.
What’s Next?
The Los Angeles Angels will come to town this weekend as the Athletics look to avoid a season sweep. Then, the A’s will travel to Minnesota to take on the Twins.
(Top photo of Jacob Lopez, courtesy: Athletics)
