In the seven games since the All-Star break, the Athletics went 2-5 and allowed 35 runs in that span.
Results
FRI: CLE 8, ATH 6
JP Sears had a brutal start to his second half as Cleveland knocked him all over Progressive Field. He allowed six earned runs in four innings, including a pair of home runs. The A’s chipped away at the large deficit as homers from Shea Langeliers and Brent Rooker (the 100th of his career) and an RBI single from Nick Kurtz brought the score to 8-3 entering the 9th inning. With Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi still on the mound, Kurtz and Rooker hit back-to-back triples. After a Tyler Soderstrom strikeout, Langeliers doubled home Rooker. Emmanuel Clase entered and allowed a double to Miguel Andujar to make it 8-6. But, the star closer then punched out Max Muncy and pinch hitter Gio Urshela to end the comeback bid.
SAT: ATH 8, CLE 2
Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer off of Luis Severino in the 3rd inning. From that point on, it was all A’s. Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers each had RBI doubles in the 4th before an RBI single from Miguel Andujar put the visitors up, 3-2. Langeliers hit a two-run HR in the 8th, then Jacob Wilson and Kurtz added long balls in the 9th to extend the margin of victory.
SUN: CLE 8, ATH 2
Similar to Sears in the series opener, Jeffrey Springs had a tough time with the Guardians’ lineup. He allowed nine hits and gave up five earned runs in just four innings. Meanwhile, Cleveland starter Gavin Williams struck out 11 batters and only allowed one run on a wild pitch. Nick Kurtz did add a second run for the A’s with an RBI double off of Cade Smith. Osvaldo Bido allowed three runs in the final three innings to end the series.
MON: TEX 7, ATH 2
Lawrence Butler, playing CF for the injured Denzel Clarke, robbed a potential home run for Kyle Higashioka in the 2nd inning. But, Butler wasn’t able to stop all of the offense that was coming. Josh Jung hit a solo shot the next inning before Tyler Soderstrom’s RBI single tied it back up in the 4th. Then, rookies Cody Freeman answered with an RBI double and a three-run HR in back-to-back at-bats. Nick Kurtz stayed hot with a solo homer, but the Rangers tacked on two more runs in the 7th to extend their lead.
TUE: TEX 6, ATH 2
Lawrence Butler took Jacob deGrom deep to lead off the game. But, it would be the Rangers using the homer to get the win. Adolis Garcia tied things up with a solo shot in the 4th inning. Then, former Athletic Marcus Semien broke that tie with a HR of his own. Josh Smith extended the lead with an RBI single before Corey Seager’s three-run homer gave the Rangers some insurance. Shea Langeliers drove in a run with an RBI single in the 8th. The runs allowed were distributed pretty evenly across four A’s pitchers. J. T. Ginn allowed one run in five innings and Sean Newcomb allowed the homer to Semien and took the loss. Justin Sterner and Hogan Harris each allowed a pair of runs in relief.
WED: TEX 2, ATH 1
The series finale turned out to be an offensive staring contest on Wednesday. After a Corey Seager solo homer in the 3rd, the A’s finally answered in the 6th when Nick Kurtz doubled home the the tying run. He made it to third on an infield single from Shea Langeliers. But, Jon Gray entered the game and got pinch-hitter Tyler Soderstrom to fly out and end the inning. With two outs in the 7th, Wyatt Langford drew a walk against Jack Perkins. Jonah Heim blooped a fly ball to shallow left that should have ended the inning, but Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson allowed the ball to drop right next to them. Langford ran hard from first and scored the winning run on the “double” from Heim.
THU: ATH 5, HOU 2
The Athletics did not waste a solid start from Luis Severino. He went seven innings, allowing just two runs on four hits, and struck out eight (tied for a season high). Carlos Cortes opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in his MLB debut. In the 4th inning, Max Schuemann, filling in for Jacob Wilson at SS, added an RBI groundout, and Nick Kurtz stayed hot with an RBI double. Shea Langeliers extended the lead with a sacrifice fly in the 5th, and Luis Urias hit a solo homer in the following inning. The Astros scored both of their runs in the 7th before Michael Kelly and Mason Miller finished the game off. Miller recorded four outs on Thursday, picking up his 20th save,
What Else?
- Nick Kurtz was named AL Player of the Week by Major League Baseball. The rookie slugger has been exactly what the A’s would’ve hoped when they selected him out of Wake Forest in 2024. In his last 15 games, he is slashing .444/.524/1.037 with six home runs and 17 RBIs.
- Max Muncy and Denzel Clarke were placed on the 10-day IL this week. It’s a right hard fracture for Muncy. He will get a second opinion this week, according to MLB.com. For Clarke, it’s an adductor strain. In their absence, Colby Thomas made his return to the majors and Carlos Cortes received his first call-up. Last week, Cortes was added to the 40-man roster and has a 1.017 OPS with 17 homers and 24 doubles for Las Vegas.
- Josh Naylor was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to the Seattle Mariners yesterday. That move should kickstart some moves being made ahead of the 7/31 trade deadline. The Athletics seem like a safe bet to be at least moderately active in selling off some pieces this week as they sit at 43-62.
- Tyler Soderstrom is certainly a work in progress out in left field. He had a rough mental inning on Friday night vs. Cleveland. He had no urgency getting a throw in and allowed Jose Ramirez to get to third. Then, he forgot how many outs there were on Carlos Santana’s sacrifice fly and didn’t even attempt a throw home to try and get Ramirez. Then, there was the costly ball dropping between him and Jacob Wilson on Wednesday. He doesn’t need to be on Denzel Clarke’s level or anywhere close defensively. But, he can’t be a massive detriment to the team out there. His development as a left fielder will be crucial for this team’s roster construction moving forward with Kurtz and Brent Rooker locked in at 1B and DH, respectively.
- One of my prospects to watch in the System Spotlight this week was going to be Ben Bowden. That won’t be necessary as the 30-year-old LHP has been called up by the A’s. He was a 2nd round pick by the Colorado Rockies in 2016 and had a stint in the big leagues in 2021. Bowden didn’t allow an earned run in six appearances this month for Las Vegas. On the season, he has a 1.36 ERA, eight holds, and two saves. He replaces Hogan Harris on the big-league roster and 2019 first-round selection Logan Davidson was DFA’d to clear a spot on the 40-man.
System Spotlight
Steven Echavarria: In his last three starts, the 2023 3rd-round pick has allowed just two earned runs in 7.2 innings. He has 10 Ks in those outings and zero walks. Still just 19 years old, Echavarria is inconsistent but is showing some encouraging flashes in High-A.
Casey Yamauchi: The Hawaii native and University of Hawaii-Hilo product was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He hit .267 with 20 steals in his first full season of professional baseball last year. This season, his OBP is .330 and he has a .976 fielding % in 674 innings at second base. In July, his batting average is .314 and he’s only struck out five times.
Ayden Johnson: MLB Pipeline had the Bahamian teenager ranked as the #12 international prospect to sign in 2025. The 17-year-old has a .393 OBP with 13 steals and four doubles in 31 games in the DSL. He’s played primarily at 3B and will be a fun prospect to watch climb the ranks early in his professional career.
What’s Next?
The Athletics finish up their series vs. the Astros through the weekend. Then, they return home to host Cal Raleigh and the Seattle Mariners.
(Top photo of Jack Perkins, courtesy: Athletics)
