The Athletics ended their losing streak at 11 games as the search for consistency continues.
(Featured image of Willie MacIver from the win on 5/25. Courtesy: Athletics)
Results
FRI: PHI 4, ATH 3
Recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Las Vegas, Jacob Lopez pitched a gem for the A’s. He gave up a leadoff home run to Trea Turner, then allowed just two more hits and struck out eight Phillies across seven innings. Philadelphia added three runs off of Mason Miller in the 9th to extend their lead. A Nick Kurtz three-run bomb in the final frame brought the final scoreline to 4-3. This marked the 10th straight loss for the A’s.
SAT: PHI 9, ATH 6 (11 innings)
The losing streak appeared set to end as Brent Rooker’s solo homer in the 8th inning gave the A’s a 6-5 lead. With Miller on for the save, Max Kepler tied the game with a home run of his own. Philadelphia scored three runs off of Mitch Spence in the 11th inning to extend the winless streak for the A’s.
SUN: ATH 5, PHI 4
For the first time since May 13th, the Athletics won. Jacob Wilson set the tone with a home run to start the bottom of the first inning. Logan Davidson added a two-run double in the same frame. After the Phillies battled back to tie things up in the 5th inning, Trea Turner’s home run in the 8th gave them their first lead of the day. Lawrence Butler tied things up with an RBI triple before rookie Willie MacIver stole the show. Making his MLB debut, the 28-year-old catcher knocked in Butler with a single to put the A’s ahead. He closed the show as well, throwing out Johan Rojas attempting to steal second base for the final out.
TUE: HOU 11, ATH 1
JP Sears got the start in the series opener vs. the Astros. He only lasted 3.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs and ten hits (three HRs). Jose Altuve hit two of those home runs and totaled four hits on the day. A Lawrence Butler solo home run in the 4th inning prevented the shutout.
WED: HOU 5, ATH 3
The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the 3rd inning on back-to-back RBI doubles from Jacob Wilson and Brent Rooker. After the Astros tied things up, Wilson out the visitors back ahead with a solo homer in the 5th. In relief of Luis Severino, Justin Sterner proceeded to allow three runs in two thirds of an inning.
THU: TOR 12, ATH 0
It was not a pleasant welcome to Canada for the Athletics as the Blue Jays scored eight runs in the 2nd inning. Bo Bichette and George Springer added home runs in the 3rd, and Alejandro Kirk tacked on a sacrifice fly in the 7th. The A’s only totaled four hits and struck out 13 times.
What Else?
- A’s ace Luis Severino notched his 1,000th strikeout in his start in Houston. Also, he is now 50th on the career strikeout list for active pitchers.
- Lawrence Butler is heating up lately. Over the last week, he’s hitting .391 with one home run and three doubles.
- Unlike Butler, Tyler Soderstrom’s hot start at the plate is cooling off in a big way. After hitting nine home runs between March and April, he’s only hit one in May. His OPS is .634 this month and he’s slashing .217/.286/.296 in his last 30 games.
- Nick Kurtz left the extra innings loss (5/24) after going first to third on a single in extra innings. He’s now on the 10-day IL (retroactive to 5/25) with a left hip flexor strain.
- Similar to some other top relievers around the league, Mason Miller has come down to Earth a bit after his breakout 2024 campaign. He has been the victim of some tough luck between the expected numbers and the actual numbers (xERA 3.41 to ERA 5.79 and xBA .196 to BA .232). However, there are some trends (courtesy of Baseball Savant) that seem to be more responsible for the regression thus far. Barrel %: 5.7 in 2024 (82nd percentile) vs. 17.6 in 2025 (1st percentile). Hard hit %: 32.5 in 2024 (92nd percentile) vs. 50 in 2025 (6th percentile). Fastball run value: 90th percentile in 2024 vs. 31st percentile in 2025.
- As expected, Denzel Clarke did get the call-up on Friday for his MLB debut. It’s been a tough start for the well-regarded prospect as he’s struck out 15 times in 19 at-bats with just one hit.
System Spotlight
Gage Jump: A Competitive Balance selection in 2024, Jump has made his first taste of professional baseball look easy in 2025. The lefty made six appearances (five starts) with High-A Lansing and posted a 4-1 record with 45 Ks in 31 innings and a 2.32 ERA. He was promoted to Double-A, where he’s now pitched 19 innings over three starts and has a 0.95 ERA with 22 strikeouts.
Luis Morales: The A’s #4 prospect (MLB Pipeline) was nearly perfect in his AAA debut on 5/24 for Las Vegas. He went six innings, allowing zero hits, one walk, and struck out seven batters. Following that performance, Morales was named the Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week. Earlier this month with Midland, he had 11 punchouts in a seven inning two-hit performance. Last night, he had a rough outing against Oklahoma City, the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A affiliate.
Wei En Lin: The 19-year-old pitcher signed as an international free agent this year. In nine appearances (six starts) with Low-A Stockton, the Taiwanese lefty has 60 strikeouts in 41 innings.
What’s Next?
The A’s will finish their four-game series north of the border over the weekend. Then, they will return home for a four-game set vs. the Minnesota Twins.
