The Athletics played back-to-back series against the Cincinnati Reds and Boston Red Sox, both battling for playoff positions. The A’s swept the Reds and won two of three at Fenway as they thrive playing the role of spoiler.
Results
FRI: ATH 3, CIN 0
Three solo home runs was all it took for the Athletics to win the series opener. Lawrence Butler led off the game with a solo home run against Brady Singer. Carlos Cortes also took Singer deep, putting the A’s up 2-0 in the 3rd inning. In 4.1 scoreless innings, J. T. Ginn allowed just two hits and struck out six. He departed in the 5th with a leg injury (reported postgame as cramping). Tyler Ferguson, Hogan Harris, Justin Sterner, and Sean Newcomb kept the shutout intact. Cortes added a second solo shot in the 8th off of Chase Burns to finish up the scoring.
SAT: ATH 11, CIN 5
Luis Severino’s start was highlighted by two home runs he allowed. Will Benson hit a two-run home run in the 2nd inning and Tyler Stephenson hit a three-run shot in the 4th. Between those two homers, the Athletics got two home runs (Brent Rooker and Carlos Cortes) in the 2nd and a two-run 3rd courtesy of a wild pitch and a ground rule double. With the score tied at five, the A’s took the lead back with a Jacob Wilson RBI double in the 7th. Lawrence Butler added an RBI single in the 8th. Then, the signature moment of the game as Nick Kurtz OBLITERATED a Scott Barlow fastball nearly 500 feet. Officially, it was a 493-foot grand slam, marking the longest home run in Major League Baseball this season and the longest grand slam in Statcast history.
SUN: ATH 7, CIN 4
It was a home run heavy series finale on Sunday. Noelvi Marte and Will Benson hit home runs in the first two innings to put Cincinnati up 3-0. In the 4th inning, Jacob Wilson and Colby Thomas hit solo shots. Nick Kurtz stayed hot with a two-run homer in the 5th to put the A’s ahead. Brett Harris had the only non-HR RBI on the day as his double extended the lead in the 6th. Brent Rooker hit a two-run homer in the 7th before Sal Stewart wrapped up the scoring with a solo shot in the 8th. Michael Kelly set them down in order in the 9th for his first career save. With the Reds clinging to hopes of a wildcard playoff berth, this was a huge sweep by the A’s, who are simply trying to play good baseball to end the season.
TUE: ATH 2, BOS 1
The A’s picked up their fifth consecutive win as a new series began in Boston. With the Red Sox battling for playoff positioning, they could not get the crucial hits vs. Jeffrey Springs & Co. on Tuesday. The hosts scored their lone run in the 3rd inning on a Carlos Narvaez double and Lawrence Butler throwing error. The Athletics answered back in the 6th with both of their runs. Tyler Soderstrom hit a double to score Jacob Wilson. Then, Brett Harris’ RBI single brought Soderstrom home as the winning run. Springs, Mitch Spence, and Hogan Harris allowed eight total hits but held Boston hitless (0-7) with runners in scoring position. Spence got the win in relief and Harris picked up the final four outs of the game to record his 3rd save of the season.
WED: BOS 5, ATH 4 (10 innings)
The five-game win streak for the A’s came to an end in extra innings on Wednesday. After Boston scored one run in the 1st inning, Darrel Hernaiz tied it up in the 2nd with a sacrifice fly. Rob Refsnyder took Mason Barnett deep for a solo shot in the bottom of the frame. In the 5th, Boston starter Lucas Giolito loaded the bases with one out before being lifted. Justin Wilson walked Lawrence Butler to give the A’s the lead. After a Colby Thomas strikeout, Hernaiz plated two more runs with an RBI single. The Red Sox pulled a run back in the bottom of the 5th, but they left the bases loaded, still trailing 4-3. Trevor Story’s RBI single in the 6th tied things up. Tyler Soderstrom and Jacob Wilson got base knocks against Aroldis Chapman, but Butler struck out to end the 9th-inning rally. Nick Sogard’s fielder’s choice in the 10th walked it off for the Red Sox.
THU: ATH 5, BOS 3
The series finale started off great for the Athletics. Lawrence Butler doubled, Brent Rooker homered, Nick Kurtz doubled, and Tyler Soderstrom hit an RBI single before an out was recorded. The Red Sox scored one run in both the 1st and 2nd innings to pull back to within one, 3-2. Boston shortstop Trevor Story played a pivotal role in the remaining three runs being scored. In the 3rd, he threw wide of first base and allowed Kurtz to score on the error. In the 7th, he made another errant throw to first and Butler scored from third as Kurtz was safe at first. Story partially redeemed himself with a solo home run in the 8th. But, it was not enough as the A’s took two of three at Fenway Park.
What Else?
- It was a big week for Lawrence Butler. He joined the 20/20 (home runs and steals) club for the first time in his young career. On Monday, he received the esteemed honor of being the Athletics’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The prestigious award, per MLB.com, “annually recognizes the MLB player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions both on and off the field.” For Butler, he created the L4W Foundation as a way to inspire and assist the underrepresented inner-city youth with baseball training, mentorship, and financial education. You can vote on the award now by clicking here. The charismatic outfielder also appeared on Dugout Discussions with Chris Rose this week, which you can check out below.
- There is one team in Major League Baseball with three 30 home run hitters in the same lineup: the Athletics. Brent Rooker joined Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers when he went deep off Brayan Bello yesterday. It’s the third consecutive season with 30 HRs for Rooker. While it’s natural to get excited about the young stars like Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson, and Lawrence Butler, Rooker is one of the most reliable power bats in all of Major League Baseball.
- J. T. Ginn has had a nice month of September thus far on the mound. After holding Boston to two runs on five hits yesterday in six innings, his ERA is 1.76 in three starts (15.1 innings) and the A’s have won all three of those outings. While his numbers on the year are not great, the 26-year-old will benefit from a strong end to the 2025 season.
- The team’s recent success, especially against teams battling for playoff positioning, is a testament to manager Mark Kotsay. While they have no pressure as a team down the stretch, it would be easy to mail it in for wind down a disappointing season. But, instead, Kotsay has his young A’s playing the role of spoiler. Between navigating leaving Oakland to playing in a minor league ballpark to an extremely young lineup, Kotsay is showing his managerial prowess and should be the skipper for years to come.
System Spotlight
Midland (Double-A)
Midland handled Amarillo in two games to win the best-of-three division series. In Game 1, Leo De Vries and Nate Nankil hit home runs in the first two innings to put Midland up 3-0. The RockHounds added three more runs in the top of the 6th, assisted by two wild pitches. That allowed Gage Jump to exit in the 6th (4 H, 0 ER, 8 K, 5.2 IP) with a 6-0 lead. The Sod Poodles proceeded to score seven runs against the Midland bullpen across the final three innings. But, RBI singles from De Vries and Cole Conn in the midst of the Amarillo comeback allowed the RockHounds to hold on.
Game 2 was a less wild win for the RockHounds. Nankil had an RBI single in the 2nd inning for a second straight game. After a bases-loaded walk tied it up for the Sod Poodles, Midland went back ahead in the 4th on their own bases-loaded walk. De Vries added an RBI single to extend the lead to 3-1. Five Midland pitchers combined to allow just two hits, one run, and strike out 12 to clinch the South Division crown.
Next up, the RockHounds will travel to face Springfield on Sunday to start a best-of-three Texas League championship series.
Las Vegas (Triple-A)
The Aviators dropped two of the first three games in their final regular season series. They will play three more games with the Salt Lake Bees before they begin the postseason.
Starting on Tuesday, they will host the Tacoma Rainiers in a best-of-three series to determine the Pacific Coast League champions. The PCL champs will face the winner of the International League series between the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the team that clinches the second half title in the coming days. That Triple-A Championship game next Saturday will again take place at Las Vegas Ballpark.
What’s Next?
The Athletics head to the Steel City to face the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. Then, the Houston Astros come to town for their final games against the A’s in 2025.
(Top photo of Jacob Wilson, courtesy: Athletics)
