Fading Oakland A’s at the midway point: What to expect in the second half
The concourses were buzzing Sunday, with Athletics fans eagerly putting on their giveaway jerseys commemorating a World Series championship 50 years ago against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There was spectacular sunshine and a cheerfulness and excitement in the crowd of 18,491 that was welcome but at the same time out of place. A handful of the 1974 A’s were saluted, then the current version struck out 16 times against Pablo Torres and Griffin Jax in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
That was one day after striking out 10 times in a 10-2 loss to the Twins and Bailey Ober, with the A’s swinging the bats as if facing Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens on consecutive days.
The fleeting feel of normalcy is unlikely to return to the Coliseum as the Athletics hit the midway point of the season with their 81st game Monday night in a 5-1 road loss to the Los Angeles Angels and Griffin Canning. At 29-52, the A’s are eight games better than the 2023 A’s (21-60) and three better than 2022 (26-55), seasons that ended with 112 and 100 losses, respectively.
The A’s have lost four of their last five, 13 of their last 16 and 16 of their last 21 games. A 17-17 record on May 4 — a .500 mark that was the stated training camp goal of manager Mark Kotsay — has been 12-35 ever since.
The loss Monday night began a six-game road trip to Anaheim and Arizona before coming back to Oakland and the final countdown of 40 home dates at a home venue that was allowed to fall into disrepair under John Fisher’s ownership with an eye toward Las Vegas by way of Sacramento.
The grand finale is against the Texas Rangers on Sept. 26, at which point they will have likely lost 100-plus games for the third straight season. The last time that happened was 1919-21 when the franchise was in Philadelphia and the manager was Connie Mack.
Good news for the local fan base — those who attend and those won don’t out of principle — is the A’s are considerably more competitive than they were a year ago. They’ve been outscored by 101 runs at the halfway point, as opposed to 223 in 2023 and 116 in 2022.
The A’s are second in the league in one-run decisions with 28, having won 12 of them.
“We are what our record says we are,” general manager David Forst told reporters last week. “If you watch us play, if you watch the Greek tragedy we’ve been stuck in the last two weeks finding ways to lose one-run games . . . you don’t get any trophies for competing every game, but we’re in there almost every night.
“We just can’t find a way to win, and that’s frankly a part of development. It’s part of being a good major league team and we’re obviously not there yet.”
Some things to watch as the A’s play out the string:
Who’s the All-Star?
Closer Mason Miller has 14 saves in 16 attempts and hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances. He leads all relievers with 60 strikeouts in 34 2/3 innings. He’s gone 0-2 on 21 batters, hasn’t given up a hit and struck out 16 of them. A 28-save season would be an A’s rookie record over Andrew Bailey (26 in 2009) and Huston Street (23 in 2005).
Of course, if Miller were to pitch the day leading into the All-Star break, the A’s would likely shut him down for the actual game.
If it’s not Miller, designated Brent Rooker could make it again courtesy of the one-per-team rule. He’s hitting .257 but with 13 homers, 44 RBIs and an .831 OPS.
Who gets traded?
There will be interest in Miller for sure, and it would behoove the Athletics to make the most outrageous demand possible before giving up such a talent under team control, getting both blue-chip prospects and a useful veteran or two in return. Rooker has already surfaced in trade rumors although he’s strictly a designated hitter.
Veteran starters such as Paul Blackburn (stress reaction metatarsal), Ross Stripling (elbow) and Alex Wood (left rotator cuff tendonitis) would need to get back on the mound in the next five weeks and show something.
Seth Brown has gotten hot in Las Vegas and Ryan Noda has played better, although he won’t dislodge Tyler Soderstrom from first base any time soon. A left-handed bat who can play all three outfield positions and first base, Brown will get interest if he’s hitting. So will two of the A’s best hitters, Miguel Andujar (.324, two homers and 14 RBIs in 27 games) and Abraham Toro (.260, six homers, 24 RBIs). Andujar is 29, Toro 27 and neither is a plus defender.
Relievers Austin Adams and Lucas Erceg will be discussed as well.
All or nothing
The A’s are seventh in the majors with 91 home runs and are second in strikeouts with 791.
If it sounds like too often the A’s are swinging from the heels rather than putting professional at-bats together, that’s what it looks like too.
What about Kotsay?
Given the payroll hand he’s been dealt by Fisher, the A’s manager has been on the job for two-and-a-half seasons and there’s still no way to tell how good he is at his job. Kotsay is popular with players and is famously competitive. The fact that he’s kept the lid on the volcano this long and maintained a positive outward vibe is remarkable.
Core of the future
JJ Bleday hasn’t missed a game and could be the first Athletic to play all 162 since Marcus Semien in 2019. He’s hitting .253 with 22 doubles, 10 homers, 28 RBIs and should ride out the season to develop further as the starting center fielder. Shea Langeliers is a capable catcher and has 14 homers but with a .201 batting average needs to produce against teams other than the Texas Rangers (.381, five homers, 12 RBIs).
Soderstrom (.283 with five homers and 11 RBIs in his last 15 games) and power to the opposite field shows he’s developing as a hitter. Gelof recently had a streak of three games with a homer but it’s been a down year (.195, eight homers, 25 RBIs). Expect both to be in the lineup regularly for developmental purposes.
Desperately seeking a starter (or two)
JP Sears (4-7, 5.04 ERA in 16 starts) has fallen on hard times of late, although his last two games could be a matchup issue against Minnesota. He’s been the only starter to stay healthy and not miss a turn. Overall, the A’s have used 11 different starters who are 16-37 with a 5.03 earned run average. At least that’s better than last year’s 6-39 record after 81 games (and just 20 for the season).