In addition to losing Shea Langeliers for the rest of the season, the Athletics dropped five of seven games this week against the Twins and Red Sox.
Results
FRI: ATH 2, MIN 0
Jacob Lopez started the series opener and turned in a much-needed strong effort. He went five innings and allowed just one hit and struck out four batters (while also walking four). The Athletics got on the board in the top of the 5th inning. With one out, they loaded the bases with a Tommy White doubled sandwiched between two walks. Lawrence Butler hit a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0. After a wild pitch allowed White to move to third, he tried to score and was thrown out at home by a comfortable margin to end the inning.
Tyler Soderstrom singled home Henry Bolte to double the lead in the 6th. With one out, Geoff Hartlieb walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the frame. Jose Suarez entered the game and got an inning-ending double play. The Twins registered their second hit of the game in the 8th, but Elvis Alvarado got a double play and a flyout in his lone inning of work. Hogan Harris picked up a save, securing a big season-opening win for the visitors.
SAT: MIN 2, ATH 0
Kendry Rojas, stepping in as the spot starter after Mike Paredes was injured in warmups, gave the Athletics fits. In his four innings of work, he allowed just one hit (a 1st inning single for Tyler Soderstrom) and struck out five. Brady Basso was the opener for the A’s and gave up zero runs and two hits in 2.1 innings.
Mason Barnett served as the bulk man and allowed the only two runs of the game. Between the first two outs in the 6th inning, he walked Josh Bell and allowed a double by Royce Lewis. Alan Rosen brought both players home with a two-run RBI single. Jose Suarez finished off the inning and Hayden Juenger and Luis Medina pitched hitless frames. But, the Athletics only mustered three hits as a team and zero came from Nick Kurtz in his return. His day ended with a golden sombrero, a baseball term for a four-strikeout performance.
SUN: MIN 11, ATH 8
The Twins jumped all over Jeffrey Springs early in the series finale. He allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits in the 1st inning. The 2nd began with a single and a walk before he recorded an out. But, an apparent injury ended his outing right there. Luis Morales was thrust into duty and allowed a run on a balk and another on an RBI single. That made it 6-0 Minnesota after two innings. The Twins added another run in the 4th on a Jonah Heim throwing error.
Nick Kurtz got the Athletics on the board with a three-run home run in the top of the 6th. After a sacrifice fly by the Twins made it 8-3, the A’s made things interesting in the 7th. Donovan Walton drew a bases-loaded walk. Jeff McNeil’s RBI groundout cut the lead to 8-5. Carlos Cortes, pinch hitting for Henry Bolte, plated another run on a sacrifice fly. But, the Twins scored one in the 7th and two in the 8th off of Geoff Hartlieb. McNeil and Cortes picked up RBIs in the 9th, but it was not enough to avoid another series loss.
MON: BOS 4, ATH 2
The series opener started off well for the Athletics as Tyler Soderstrom hit a solo home run in the bottom of the 1st inning. On the mound, Jack Perkins didn’t allow a hit through the first five innings. But, things took a turn in the 6th. Perkins allowed a leadoff double before getting two groundouts. Then, he walked Willson Contreras and was relieved by Jose Suarez. That move did not pay off as Suarez walked Wilyer Abreu to load the bases. Ceddanne Rafaela followed that with his first MLB grand slam to put to the Red Sox up 4-1.
Jonah Heim answered back, leading off the bottom of the 6th with a solo shot. The Athletics had a decent chance to make something happen in the 9th against Aroldis Chapman. Colby Thomas led off with an infield single. After Tommy White struck out, Nick Kurtz grounded into a fielder’s choice. But, a throwing error allowed Thomas to reach second base safely. With two on and one out, Chapman locked in and struck out Henry Bolte and Alika Williams to end the threat and the game.
TUE: ATH 4, BOS 3
Henry Bolte opened the scoring with an RBI single in the 2nd inning. On the other hand, Boston couldn’t get their offense going against Gage Jump. The rookie starter went six innings and allowed just three hits, walked four, and struck out seven.
In the 7th, Brian Serven made it 3-0 with a two-run home run. The Red Sox finally answered in the top of the 8th. Working his second inning in relief, Luis Medina allowed a leadoff single and walked the following batter. After getting a double play ball, he walked Willson Contreras to end his outing. Hogan Harris entered and allowed an RBI single to Wilyer Abreu to cut the lead to 3-1. He struck out Ceddanne Rafaela to end the threat. Lawrence Butler, appearing as a pinch hitter, doubled home Tommy White (who went 4/4 on the day) in the bottom of the frame to push the lead back to three runs. Connor Wong took Harris deep for a two-run HR in the 9th, but that was as close they would get as the A’s ended a three-game slide.
WED: BOS 4, ATH 2 (10 innings)
The game started on a sour note for the A’s as Nick Kurtz was hit with a pitch and left the game after the 1st inning ended. But, Jonah Heim turned the mood around as he started the scoring with a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd. Jahmai Jones answered with a solo HR of his own in the 5th off of Jacob Lopez. Keeping the solo home run theme going, Lawrence Butler hit one in the bottom of the frame to put the Athletics back in front.
In the 6th, Caleb Durbin led off with a single. Tommy White dropped a foul ball off the bat of Romy Gonzalez, who used that extra chance to hit a fly out to right but advance Durbin to second. Hayden Juenger relieved Lopez (5.1 IP, 7 H, 8 K) and gave up an RBI single to the second batter he faced, Nick Sogard, to tie the game at two. Each team had some chances, but the game instead went into extra innings. On the third pitch of the 10th, Andruw Monasterio took Jose Suarez deep for a two-run, go-ahead HR. The A’s went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to secure the loss.
THU: BOS 5, ATH 4
The Athletics got on the board first as Jacob Wilson hit an RBI single off of Sonny Gray in the 3rd inning. Continuing a decent run of play, Lawrence Butler doubled home Jonah Heim in the 4th to make it 2-0. Donovan Walton added an RBI single later in the frame. But, A’s starter Mason Barnett could not protect the lead in the 5th. He allowed an RBI single to Andruw Monasterio. Then, Ceddanne Rafaela doubled to left field and scored Monasterio, but Donovan Walton’s error on the relay throw allowed the tying run to also score.
The Athletics got back in front in the bottom of the 6th as Carlos Cortes hit a sacrifice fly. Luis Medina was tasked with pitching the 8th inning, and things went wrong quickly. Wilyer Abreu hit a solo home run to tie the game at four. Then, on the first pitch he saw, Willson Contreras went back-to-back with Abreu to put Boston in front. Despite an Alika Williams double in the bottom of the 9th, the A’s could not muster a game-tying run and dropped the finale and the series.
What Else?
- Despite the brutal downturn of this season, the A’s could still hang their hat on the major breakout season for Shea Langeliers. But, when things go bad, they go all the way bad for the club. Their All Star catcher tore his meniscus running the bases and will be out for the rest of 2026. He joins Brent Rooker, who underwent season-ending knee surgery earlier this month, on the shelf, and those are two of the biggest bats at Mark Kotsay’s disposal. Jonah Heim will slot in as the everyday catcher and Brian Serven was called up from Triple-A. Speaking of Triple-A, there is no heir apparent waiting to step in down the stretch. The Aviators typically run out veterans Chad Wallach or Bryan Lavastida behind the plate this season (when Serven is not with the club).
- How bad is the pitching situation for the A’s right now? They just signed 38-year-old Dallas Keuchel to a minor league contract in 2026. Since his last MLB appearance in 2024, he’s pitched in Japan and the minor leagues. Even in his prime (2015 Cy Young winner, 2x All Star, 5x Gold Glove) in the mid-2010s, the lefty’s fastball was not lighting up the radar gun (sitting just below 90 MPH) and he relied on limiting hard contact. With the way the ball flies out of Sutter Health Park, it may be a rough match if he makes it up to the big leagues. His debut in Triple-A over the weekend didn’t go especially well as he allowed four runs on four hits in two innings.
- In addition to Keuchel, two more veteran pitchers joined the mix this week. Scott Blewett arrived via trade (for cash considerations) after he was DFA’d by the Cardinals. The 30-year-old journeyman has appeared in one MLB game this season, pitching two scoreless innings on 7/21. In 44 career MLB appearances, he carries a 4.10 ERA. Geoff Hartlieb was DFA’d by the A’s to make room for Blewett on the active roster and the 40-man. Moving Mark Leiter Jr. to the 60-Day IL, Connor Thomas was claimed on waivers from the Braves. On Monday, he had about as bad of an outing as one can, allowing 11 runs on ten hits (five walks) in just 2.2 innings against the Mets. In 12 games with Triple-A Gwinnett, the 28-year-old had a 1.98 ERA.
- There is not a lot of chatter around trades for the A’s. Their brutal summer has taken them comfortably out of buying mode and injuries and ineffectiveness have taken some of the possible options to sell off the table. Hogan Harris is the player that seems most likely to be moved, but it could be a quiet deadline for the Athletics on Monday.
System Spotlight
Johenssy Colome (DSL): A top five international free agent signing in January, Colome is heating up recently in the Dominican Summer League. In his last ten games, the 17-year-old is slashing .353/.532/.647 with three doubles, two triples, and four steals. MLB Pipeline lists him as the #4 prospect in the organization.
Breyson Guedez (Low-A): Simply out, the 18-year-old outfielder hits. After signing in 2025, he put up an .855 OPS in the DSL last season. Playing for Stockton this year, he has 24 doubles and five home runs, carrying an .800 OPS. Now a top ten prospect in the system, he’s been especially good lately with a ridiculous .404 batting average in his last ten games.
Yunior Tur (Triple-A): After a brutal cameo in the big leagues (14 earned runs in 2.2 innings), the Cuban RHP was optioned down to Las Vegas on 7/23. He pitched on Sunday and allowed nine runs on seven hits…while only recording one out. With no outings since then, there’s a chance he’s dealing with an injury or the organization just wants to let him reset. But, things have gone off the rails for the 26-year-old the past few weeks.
What’s Next?
The Athletics welcome the Detroit Tigers to Sacramento for a weekend series. Then, after the trade deadline, they travel to Cincinnati to take on Terry Francona’s Reds.
(Top photo of Shea Langeliers, courtesy: Athletics)
