Latest news with #A's
New York Times
2 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Rosenthal: Blame the bullpen for the A's struggles, but also blame their situation
On May 13, the Athletics won the opener of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium 11-1. The next night, in a game started by Cy Young contender Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers in the eighth inning 4-3. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they collapsed. Not just that night. For the next three weeks. Advertisement The Dodgers' five-run eighth sent the A's into a 1-20 nosedive resulting almost entirely from the failures of their bullpen. That's the baseball explanation, at least. But for owner John Fisher's vagabond franchise, wandering from Oakland to West Sacramento to the supposed promised land of Las Vegas, it's not the entire story. Not when the A's are 9-22 at Sutter Health Park, the second-worst home record in the majors, ahead of only the Colorado Rockies' 6-22 mark. And not when they're stuck at their minor-league facility through at least 2027, unlike the Tampa Bay Rays, who are playing in a minor-league park only because of a natural disaster, and only this season. 'It's certainly daunting when you zoom out and look at it,' said the A's All-Star closer, Mason Miller. 'But a blessing of being a ballplayer is you get to show up today. Today is what matters. Nothing tomorrow is guaranteed. That, at least, is how I approach it.' It is the right and only way to approach it. But that doesn't make playing at Sutter Health Park easier. The clubhouses are located in the outfield, instead of being connected to the dugout. And even after approximately $11 million in renovations, the A's reality is undeniable — they are playing in a Triple-A facility, and sharing it with the San Francisco Giants' top affiliate, the Sacramento River Cats. The Rays, 20-19 at home after a 9-16 start, found a way to adjust to their own unusual conditions at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees. The A's, for whatever reasons, have been less successful. Their $67 million free agent, right-hander Luis Severino, is the symbol of the team's difficult transition. Severino's ERA is 6.99 at home, 0.87 on the road. 'The circumstances are what they are. We can't change those,' said A's manager Mark Kotsay, a former major-league outfielder. 'We have to find a way to embrace and make this our home like we did in Oakland. Advertisement 'It's two different ballparks, but I can remember as a visiting player coming to Oakland always feeling uncomfortable, always feeling, 'Wow, I don't have a cage to hit in, I don't have this, I don't have that.' But on the home side, you use that as an advantage.' Miller noted the wind at Sutter Health can be problematic, changing the trajectories of fly balls at different points of the day. The A's lead the majors with 96 home runs allowed, 55 at home. But as Miller said, 'The other team is pitching in the same environment. We don't really have an excuse to fall back on.' Especially when the recent failures of the bullpen extend to the road, where the A's have lost 11 straight games. Through May 13, the A's 'pen ranked 27th in the majors with a 5.04 ERA and 24th with a .750 opponents' OPS — not good. But their numbers in the 19 games before the past two were astonishingly bad. An ERA of 8.19 (Colorado was next worst at 5.27). An opponents' OPS of .966 (Colorado was next worst at .852). The last two nights, Kotsay has used openers, trying to build the confidence of struggling relievers by inserting them at the start of a game rather than in a late-inning, high-leverage situation. The A's grew concerned about their middle-inning relief early in the season, realizing if they fell behind, they would struggle to keep games close. Injuries to veteran relievers José Leclerc and T.J. McFarland left the 'pen with too little experience. And the back-end types who enjoyed early success — Grant Holman and Justin Sterner, Tyler Ferguson and Miller — all began to slump, seemingly at once. Holman and Sterner are in their first full seasons, Ferguson and Miller their second. 'It's not easy to come as a minor-league reliever and have immediate impact or success in the big leagues, and continued success,' Kotsay said. 'You look at a lot of the relievers, they obviously go up and down early in their careers before they establish themselves. Relying on those types of arms is tough.' Miller, 26, is the most established and accomplished of the group, but his 10.38 ERA in May included a blown save at home against Philadelphia on May 24, when he allowed a game-tying, ninth-inning homer by Max Kepler. The A's went on to lose in 11 innings 9-6. MAX KEPLER! — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 25, 2025 'At least from a bullpen perspective, when we do have a chance to win a game, we're squeezing a little bit too tight,' Miller said. 'Everybody knows about the streak of games we've lost. It's, 'Hey, let end it tonight.' We've played a lot of good teams, too. And our mistakes have been magnified, for sure.' Advertisement One person with the club was only half-joking Wednesday that the only way for the A's to win a game right now might be by a score of 20-18. But with first baseman Nick Kurtz and third baseman Miguel Andújar on the injured list, even the A's offense, featuring the American League Rookie of the Month for May, shortstop Jacob Wilson, is diminished. To think, the A's on May 5 were 20-16, one game behind Seattle in the AL West. Wilson and first baseman Tyler Soderstrom, two former first-round picks, were thriving. The team's top pitching prospect, Gunnar Hoglund, had just made his major-league debut. Kurtz's debut would come at the end of the month. The relatively fast start, following last year's 32-32 record after the All-Star Game, provides a measure of reassurance — 'Out of the gates, we played well,' Kotsay said. 'That wasn't that long ago, really.' McFarland, who produced eight straight scoreless appearances before suffering a left adductor strain, is on a rehabilitation assignment. But Leclerc, a $10 million free-agent addition, is not expected to return from a lat strain until the second half. Nothing sabotages a team like a bad bullpen. And the A's, facing the prospect of at least 243 'home' games over three seasons at Sutter Health Park, were always going to be in something of a precarious state. The Rays can rationalize their situation, knowing they will play only one season in Tampa. The A's needed to succeed at home early to build confidence and reduce the chances of their conditions becoming a distraction. Instead, they lost their first four games at Sutter Health and six of their first seven. Not to mention 13 of their last 15. The A's position-player group is the third-youngest in the league. Their pitching staff is the 12th youngest. A number of players surely are happy to be in the majors, even if they're playing in a minor-league park. They won't complain publicly, at least not yet. Neither will Kotsay and his coaches. No one wants to come off as entitled. Still, Kotsay is in the most difficult position of any manager, and not just because his bullpen is a mess. Advertisement The first year at Sutter Health figured to be tolerable for the players and staff, as long as the team showed improvement. The second year projected as perhaps the most difficult, with the move to Las Vegas still a good bit away. And in the third year, if indeed that is the last year, the team could have adopted the same mindset as the Rays — deal with it, and we'll be out of here soon. The A's meltdown makes everything more challenging. If the meltdown was solely the product of bad baseball, that would be one thing. But it's also the product of a team put in a terrible position by its owner and league, a team being asked to play at a disadvantage and act as if everything is normal. 'We're just continually trying to show up and work each day and get back to that team we were at the start of the year,' Miller said. 'It's not like we didn't show that it was possible.' Oh, it's possible. But the margin of error was always going to be thin. If the A's fail to regain their equilibrium, no one should be surprised if their frustrations mount. And maybe even boil over. (Photo of Mason Miller, A's manager Mark Kotsay and other A's players: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Minnesota Twins at A's odds, picks and predictions
Minnesota Twins at A's odds, picks and predictions The Minnesota Twins (31-27) and the A's (23-37) open a 4-game set Monday. First pitch from Sutter Health Park in Sacramento is scheduled for 10:05 p.m. ET ( Free Game of the Day). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's MLB odds around the Twins vs. A's odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets. Season series: First meeting; Twins won 6-1 last year The Twins are coming off a 2-1 series loss at the Seattle Mariners, wrapping up the set with a 2-1 setback as +111 underdogs Sunday with the Under (7.5) cashing. CF Harrison Bader tied the game with a ninth-inning sac fly to score 2B Kody Clemens Sunday, but Mariners LF Randy Arozarena walked it off with an RBI single in the bottom half. The A's were swept in 4 games at the Toronto Blue Jays despite scoring a total of 18 runs over the last 3 contests. They lost 8-4 as +223 underdogs in the Sunday finale with the Over (8) hitting. The A's had an 81.8% win probability, according to ESPN Analytics, leading 4-2 in the top of the eighth inning Sunday -- but allowed 6 runs in the bottom of the frame. Twins at A's projected starters RHP Joe Ryan vs. RHP Luis Severino Ryan (5-2, 2.57 ERA) makes his 11th start and 12th appearance. He has a 0.83 WHIP, 1.3 BB/9 and 10.3 K/9 through 63 innings. Last start: Win, 6 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 4-2 victory at Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday 2025 road stats: 3-1, 2.31 ERA (35 IP, 9 ER), 0.86 WHIP, 9.3 K/9 in 6 starts 2024 vs. A's: 1 home start (June 13), win, 7 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 5 K in 6-2 victory Career vs. A's: 1-0, 3.65 ERA (12 1/3 IP, 5 ER), 8 HH, 4 BB, 12 K in 2 starts Severino (1-4, 3.89 ERA) makes his 13th start. He has a 1.23 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9 and 6.8 K/9 through 71 2/3 innings. Last start: No-decision, 6 IP, 1 ER (2 R), 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 5-3 defeat at Houston Astros Wednesday 2025 home stats: 0-4, 6.20 ERA (40 2/3 IP, 28 ER), 1.45 WHIP, 7.5 K/9 in 7 starts 2024 vs. Twins: 1 home start (July 31), loss, 3 IP, 6 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 2 K in 8-3 defeat Career vs. Twins (regular season): 0-2, 7.71 ERA (11 2/3 IP, 10 ER), 15 H, 3 BB, 10 K in 3 starts Win your fantasy baseball league with For decades, BHQ has been helping players just like you win! BHQ offers full-season subscriptions. Sign up today and start winning! Twins at A's odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:20 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Twins -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | A's +135 (bet $100 to win $135) : Twins -160 (bet $160 to win $100) | A's +135 (bet $100 to win $135) Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS) : Twins -1.5 (+100) | A's +1.5 (-120) : Twins -1.5 (+100) | A's +1.5 (-120) Over/Under (O/U): 9 (O: -130 | U: +100) Twins at A's picks and predictions Prediction Twins 6, A's 5 MINNESOTA (-160) has won each of Ryan's last 4 outings, while the A's have lost Severino's last 4 starts. The edge in starting pitching should be too much for the A's to overcome -- especially given they've lost 17 of their last 18 games. BET TWINS (-160). The A's +1.5 (-120) will probably cover the run line, but they're a tough team to trust right now -- 5 of their last 6 games have resulted in losses by 2 or more runs. PASS on the run line. The A's have allowed 8 or more runs in 5 of their last 6 games, going 5-0-1 to the Over. The Twins, meanwhile, have hit the Over in 2 of their last 3 contests. Severino has struggled at home this season, posting a 6.20 ERA at Sutter Health Park, and the Over has gone 3-1-1 in his last 5 starts overall. Although Ryan has allowed 1 earned run or fewer in 8 of his 11 appearances, the Over remains the preferred play with Minnesota facing Severino and a struggling A's bullpen. BET OVER 9 (-130). Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow @corey_a_scott on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Trained since childhood to never swing and miss, A's phenom Jacob Wilson raps out hit after hit
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Lawrence Butler looked like he was witnessing a World Series walkoff. The Athletics outfielder stood excitedly at the top step of the dugout, his arms raised, his grin widening. Everyone to his left and right — also watching from the top step — joined in on the celebration. Advertisement It was the second inning of a five-run game on April 23. But that didn't matter to Jacob Wilson's teammates, who had anticipated this moment nearly as long as the hitter and rookie shortstop had himself. Then it finally happened: After 87 plate appearances over 24 games, Wilson at last worked a walk. 'To look over and see all the guys freaking out in the dugout, it was pretty fun,' Wilson said. 'It was a cool moment, to get the first one of the year. It took a little bit.' Wilson, the Athletics' young star, started spring training by competing for a job. After a 4-for-4 game Sunday, Wilson is now hitting .357, the best pure hitter in a potent lineup, and the heavy favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year. The No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft has done it despite a minuscule whiff rate, walk rate and hard-hit rate. It's a unique combination of traits that hardly exist elsewhere in the game, but seemingly work for the 23-year-old phenom, and an A's team reliant on his offense. 'Swing and miss has always been not a part of who I am,' Wilson said. 'Since high school, I've been putting the bat on the ball and training my hand-eye coordination. '… If I wasn't getting hits right now, and the batting average was low, I'd probably be taking a lot more (pitches),' Wilson said. 'But right now, I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing.' Wilson is the son of former Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, who retired in 2012. Much of Jacob's early childhood was spent bouncing around big-league clubhouses across his father's stints in Pittsburgh, Seattle and Atlanta. That's where Jack started to coach his son, who would wear the full uniform of his dad's team, and would often travel to whatever city his dad was playing in. Years later, Jack was still his son's coach as the younger Wilson became one of the top prospects before getting selected by the then-Oakland A's. Advertisement The elder Wilson was a very good player in his own right, making an All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger in 2004. Still, he might not have the ceiling his son does. Already, though, it's clear they share an approach: The Wilsons rarely walk, and they rarely strike out. In his 12-year career, Jack walked at a 5.1 percent clip and struck out 11.6 percent of the time, when the league averages were 8.5 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively. Jacob is even more selective; he has walked in 6.2 percent of his at-bats so far, versus a league average of 8.3 percent, and struck out in a mere 7.1 percent of his appearances, compared to a league that now strikes out 22 percent of the time. Those characteristics are not genetic, however. The bat-on-ball skills were passed down through extensive training utilizing games like stickball and ping pong. Jack was Jacob's coach throughout high school in Thousand Oaks, California. When Jacob played at Grand Canyon University, Jack came on as an assistant coach for Jacob's final season. To this day, the two debrief on the phone after every game. 'The biggest thing we did is probably play stickball,' Jack said. 'Stickball in the backyard with broomsticks. And you had to square up tennis balls. I was throwing what probably seemed like 100 miles per hour to him. 'We always challenged each other, we played against each other. It was a competition.' He struggled mightily on off-speed and breaking pitches in his small big-league sample size last season, whiffing a considerable amount on both. In 2025, he's no longer missing those pitches. Because of that, Jacob Wilson speculates he's begun walking more. After no walks in his first 87 plate appearances, he has 13 walks in 153 appearances since, to go along with just 14 strikeouts this season. The rise in balls, he speculates, has come because pitchers now know to throw him fewer strikes. Advertisement Even as he walks more, he remains a rarely-seen type of player. 'We can identify a few guys, obviously a few of them are in the Hall of Fame. One was named Rod Carew,' said A's manager Mark Kotsay, trying to search for comps to his young infielder. 'That's a pretty good comp.' The easiest present-day comps would be high-average hitters like San Diego's Luis Arraez or Cleveland's Steven Kwan. But even both of those hitters have higher walk rates than Wilson. Many of the other great shortstops in baseball have serious pop. Bobby Witt Jr. is coming off back-to-back 30-home run seasons. Elly De La Cruz, Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager and many others rely on home run power. While Wilson can hit for power — he has seven home runs and a robust .504 slugging percentage — and the unique conditions in Sacramento might assist in home run totals, his slow bat speed, long term, seems likely to lead to a ton of singles and lesser power at a position that's become known for it. 'He hits the ball in a way that's conducive to getting a lot of hits,' said A's All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker. 'What you're seeing is what he's going to do for the next however many years. It's play a good shortstop, and get a ton of hits, and be a guy that can impact the game on both sides of the ball, but specifically offensively.' There was a stretch earlier this month where Wilson went 0-for-15. Nothing too uncommon for any player. But for Wilson, that slump felt monumental. Base hits are his value in this game, and when it felt like that dried up, and he couldn't produce, it weighed on him. Jack has come to accept that his son will soon far surpass all of his accomplishments. He's good with that. He wants that. He may not have the same level of talent, but after more than a decade in the big leagues, Jack has wisdom to spare. Advertisement 'That's when I was like, 'Alright, this is time for me to step up,'' Jack said. 'He kind of just let it go, he was frustrated. 'I said, 'You have no idea how good this is.' And we're on FaceTime, and he's just looking at me. He's like, 'What are you talking about?' I'm like, 'This isn't the first time you're gonna go 0-for-15 in your career. But the best players in the world find a way to get out of these quicker than everybody else.'' And his father was right. He went 6-for-13 in the immediate aftermath, picking back up where he left off. Which is going from a player with potential to one who's showcasing it on a nightly basis. Making an All-Star game? Winning Rookie of the Year? Becoming the one-day face of the A's? It's all possible, even if he's making it happen in his own unique way. 'I have a lot of belief in myself as a player, having a lot of confidence and belief in yourself that you can do those things,' Wilson said. 'I'm helping my team do whatever they need, and the personal stuff will come.' (Top photo of Jacob Wilson: Mark Blinch / Getty Images)
National Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- National Post
Barger's three-run bash lifts Blue Jays to series sweep of Athletics
Through the first three games against an inferior A's team, the Blue Jays pushed across 31 runs, while launching 10 home runs. Article content Suffice to say, three wins would be produced. Article content In Sunday's series finale of the four-game set, the script flipped until the Jays found their hitting stroke by scoring two runs in the fifth inning, which featured the strangest of inning-ending outs when video review overturned a George Springer safe call at third base en route to an 8-4 victory. Article content Springer appeared to be favouring his left ankle, prompting him to hop on the bag for some odd reason because the play was still alive. Nonetheless, it was game on with the A's leading 3-2. Article content When Addison Barger hits a baseball... LOOK. OUT. — Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 1, 2025 Article content The Jays were fortunate to even be in the game, the beneficiaries of an opponent that left too many runners in scoring position. Another break was provided on a catcher's interference call that would set the stage for Addison Barger's late-game heroics. Article content The kid continues to emerge and excel, providing more evidence why he should be in the lineup every day. His latest burst, an eighth-inning three-run homer, would give the Jays the win. Article content A four-game series sweep would be completed — Toronto's seventh straight home win and fifth overall — while the A's lost for the 18th time in their last 19 games. Article content Here are three takeaways on an afternoon that highlighted how well Alejandro Kirk has been raking and a day when reliever Erik Swanson made his season debut, an appearance that would see the righty give up a hit, while hitting a batter in yielding one run after the A's executed a double steal. Article content Article content In his previous four starts, Kevin Gausman allowed zero walks. Article content Article content Right from the hop, it was obvious this start would feature its share of oddities. It began when Gausman issued a leadoff walk, which led to the Athletics getting on the scoreboard. Article content Article content Entering the day, Gausman had given up one run in his past two starts, which encompassed 15 solid innings of eight-hit ball, by far his best stretch of the season. Article content Gausman escaped the second without giving up a run, but through two innings his pitch count had increased to 45. Yet another hit to begin an inning would play out in the third. Article content When Gausman struck out Tyler Soderstrom looking, the A's lost their cleanup hitter after Soderstrom was ejected for questioning the call. It was a quick hook by Tom Hanahan, a bad look for the home-plate ump.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Arop cruises to win men's 800m in Philadelphia
Wheeler deals, offense comes alive late as Phillies hold on to beat A's for eighth straight win Zack Wheeler was fantastic once again, but with the Phillies up 4-0 in the ninth, they blew the shutout, but held on to win 4-3, their eighth straight deals, offense comes alive late as Phillies hold on to beat A's for eighth straight win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
