As the Athletics continue to plummet in the AL West standings, they will now be without their hottest hitter and most consistent pitcher as Joshua Kuroda-Grauer and J. T. Ginn hit the injured list.
Results
FRI: WAS 23, ATH 4
With a nine-game losing streak entering the All Star Break, the Athletics hoped to turn things around in the 2nd half. Instead, that portion of the schedule began with the worst loss of the season thus far. Gage Jump went 3.2 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) and striking out eight. Jose Suarez relieved him and allowed two runs. The game got blown open as the Nationals tagged Justin Sterner and Yunior Tur with six runs apiece. Brady Basso managed to pitch a scoreless frame. With the lopsided score, Carlos Cortes threw an inning and allowed the final five runs for Washington.
Offensively, Tyler Soderstrom and Shea Langeliers each hit a home run. Henry Bolte knocked in a run on a ground-rule double. Tommy White, making his debut, started at first base and hit a double (1/4 on the night). The massive defeat ran the winless streak to double digits.
SAT: ATH 15, WAS 1
The A’s turned the page from Friday’s blowout loss as swiftly as possible. J. T. Ginn struck out the side to start the game. Then, Jacob Wilson homered to lead off the bottom of the 1st inning. Carlos Cortes and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer had back-to-back RBI doubles to make it 3-0. An RBI single from Jonah Heim and Lawrence Butler knocking in another run by grounding into a fielder’s choice put five runs on the board in the 1st against Zack Littell.
Kuroda-Grauer picked up another RBI in the 2nd. Tyler Soderstrom’s two-run HR in the 6th made it 8-0. Meanwhile, on the mound, Ginn was doing his best to match the excellence of the offense. For the second time this season, he entered the 7th inning without having allowed a hit. But, with one out in the 7th, Keibert Ruiz’s single ended the no-hit bid and Ginn’s outing. He struck out seven batters and walked three. The A’s responded with six more runs in the bottom of the frame (Cortes HR, McNeil & Wilson RBI singles, Langeliers RBI double). McNeil added another RBI knock in the 8th (against a position player) and the Nationals scored their lone run in the 9th on a sacrifice fly against Luis Medina. At long last, the losing streak was over.
SUN: WAS 5, ATH 2
Jacob Lopez allowed a run on a groundout in the 3rd inning to open the scoring in the series finale. Tyler Soderstrom responded with an RBI single later in that inning. Harry Ford put the Nationals back in the lead with an RBI double in the 4th.
Elvis Alvarado allowed back-to-back home runs to CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews in the 5th to extend the lead to 5-1. An RBI single by Jacob Wilson in the 9th was the final run of the game as the A’s actually outhit the Nats (11-7) but dropped took two of three at home in the series.
MON: ATH 5, ARI 2
Joshua Kuroda-Grauer opened the scoring this series with his first MLB home run, a solo shot in the 2nd inning. Jacob Wilson added a solo HR of his own in the 5th. A’s starter Jeffrey Springs ran into trouble in the 6th. He allowed a leadoff double before Ketel Marte hit a game-tying, two-run HR. The next batter, Geraldo Perdomo, reached on a bunt single, ending Springs’ night (5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 K).
With two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the 7th, Jeff McNeil stepped in as the pinch hitter for Alika Williams. The veteran singled off of Kevin Ginkel and scored two runs to put the A’s in front. Ginkel followed that with a wild pitch to Henry Bolte, which allowed Tommy White to score from third and make it 5-2. After allowing a leadoff single, Hogan Harris struck out back-to-back hitters. But, a five-pitch walk of Tyler Locklear made it first and second with two outs. Harris proceeded to strike out Ryan Waldschmidt on three pitches, including an ABS challenge on the final strike of the game.
TUE: ARI 6, ATH 5 (10 innings)
Jack Perkins walked Ketel Marte to begin the bottom of the 1st inning. After a pair of flyouts, he allowed a single to Gabriel Moreno. Max Kepler made Perkins pay as he hit a three-run HR to put Arizona up early. Lawrence Butler tripled to begin the 3rd and Alika Williams brought him home with an RBI single to get the Athletics on the board. That scoreline was unchanged until the 7th.
Two walks and a wild pitch put Geoff Hartlieb in a sticky situation. Marte added another run for the Diamondbacks with a sacrifice fly. But, Jose Suarez relieved Hartlieb and ended the threat with back-to-back strikeouts. Shea Langeliers hit a solo home run in the 8th to make it 4-2. With two outs and nobody on in the 9th, Donovan Walton hit a triple off of Paul Sewald. Jacob Wilson followed that up by tying the game with a two-run HR. Hogan Harris pitched a clean 9th inning and the A’s took their first lead of the game in the 10th (Heim sacrifice fly). But, Luis Medina walked the bases loaded to start the bottom of the 10th and Nolan Arenado tied it up with an RBI single. Then, two batters later, Ildemaro Vargas walked it off with an RBI single of his own.
WED: ARI 15, ATH 5
Tyler Soderstrom opened the scoring with an RBI groundout in the 3rd inning. The Diamondbacks answered with solo home runs from Corbin Carroll and Nolan Arenado in the 4th off of Gage Jump. Jeff McNeil tied things back up with a solo shot of his own in the 5th. Then, the wheels fell off for the Athletics.
Ketel Marte scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the 5th. Two pitches later, Gabriel Moreno took Jump deep. After a walk to Arenado, Ildemaro Vargas doubled home after run and ended Jump’s day (4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 5 K). Yunior Tur allowed two more home runs in the inning, making it 9-2. Tur returned for the 6th and gave up runs on a wild pitch and a single. He finished with eight earned runs allowed in just 2/3 of an inning as Hayden Juenger allowed the inherited runners to score. Jonah Heim, Tyler Locklear, and Lawrence Butler notched RBI singles and Alika Williams added a sacrifice fly to round out the scoring. With the blowout loss, it was another series defeat for the plummeting Athletics.
What Else?
- How bad are things for the A’s right now? Well, they only have two more wins than the Angels in the battle for last place in the AL West. They haven’t won a series since beating the Rockies in the second series at Las Vegas Ballpark (and their lone loss of that series was a 23-9 demolition). At the end of that series, 6/14, they were just one game behind first-place Seattle and they actually led the division in late May. Now, their playoff odds are .5% according to Fangraphs and instead of a big step forward from 2025, it may be more of the same or even a step back.
- Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s electric start to his MLB career came to a very painful halt this week. On Monday, he hit his first career HR. But, that was overshadowed by fouling a ball directly into his…swimsuit area? He composed himself to hit a single and played the field the following inning before needing to be replaced. Then, the update arrived that he needed emergency surgery for a ruptured testicle. Currently, there is no timeline for when he will be able to return to the diamond. Max Muncy was recalled in his place and will likely split time at 3B with Donovan Walton.
- In addition to Kuroda-Grauer, J. T. Ginn also hit the injured list. He was added to the 15-day IL with a blister and Mason Barnett was called up to replace him. Ginn has been the club’s most consistent pitcher this season and his absence is going to loom large as the Athletics look to get back anywhere near contention.
System Spotlight
Gavin Turley (Low-A): After starting the season in High-A with Lansing (.111 AVG in eight games), Turley was assigned back to Stockton in Low-A in late-April. While his season as a whole is far from encouraging, he’s been much better in July with a .999 OPS and he hit a pair of home runs on Sunday. A fourth round pick in 2025, the Athletics are going to need more progress from the 22-year-old outfielder.
Davis Diaz (Double-A): After slashing .302/.417/.491 in Lansing, the former Vanderbilt catcher moved up to Midland. In his first 30 games in Double-A, he has a .364 OBP and has hit three home runs and four doubles. With an .853 OPS on the season, he could make himself a quality depth option at catcher.
Daniel Bucciero (High-A): The Athletics’ ninth round pick in 2025 began his professional career this season in Low-A. In 75 games with Stockton, he had a .409 OBP, .890 OPS, and ten home runs. That earned him a promotion to Lansing earlier this month. He hit his first home run in High-A on Tuesday. He’s primarily a third baseman, but he’s also seen time at the corner outfield spots.
What’s Next?
The Athletics travel to Minnesota tonight to take on the Twins. Then, they return home to face the red-hot Boston Red Sox at Sutter Health Park.
(Top photo of J. T. Ginn, courtesy: Athletics)
