Elephant Rumblings: A’s finish strong home stand at .500

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

This past week may prove to have been a pivotal one for the A’s, who through thick and thin so far in their first season out of Oakland are sitting at an even Steven 14-14. The young Athletics put together some clutch wins to take their last two series in Sacramento after struggling at home through most of April.

Both series were clinched in dramatic fashion with walk-off wins that might look like important inflection points down the road if the A’s keep improving—especially if they manage to contend within the AL West this season. Based on what we’ve seen both from the A’s and their competition so far, anything seems possible.

This doesn’t mean the A’s are without potential vulnerabilities. The team invested in a better starting rotation that looked fantastic at the beginning of the season but has since been a bit uneven, with free agent addition Jeffrey Springs pitching to an underwhelming 6.04 ERA after six starts. But headline acquisition Luis Severino is looking pretty well as advertised so far, and JP Sears seems poised to carry another solid workload this year.

Justin Sterner and Tyler Ferguson are bright spots in a bullpen led by closer Mason Miller, who may be embarking on a truly special season—he is 8-for-8 in save attempts and it is not even May yet. When the finish line is in sight, the A’s seem unlikely to give up even the closest lead when The Reaper is available.

But the real story is that this team slugs. The A’s are fifth in MLB in slugging percentage, sixth in home runs, and seventh in OPS—and it seems like they might still be warming up. Jacob Wilson looks like an overwhelming early AL ROY favorite, and Nick Kurtz is up now to complete what could be one of the most memorable rookie tandems in recent memory.

This team shows enough promise right now that it’s almost easy to forget that they are playing in a minor league ballpark after abandoning their storied home of 57 years in Oakland. I’m having a hard time holding that against Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom.

The A’s are off to Texas now, and I have a feeling they are going to put up a good fight against the Rangers on their field. Have a terrific week, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Walk Off White Sox 3-2
• Athletics place JT Ginn on IL with elbow inflammation
• Athletics blown out by White Sox 10-3
• Thoughts On A Most Satistying & Important Win
• Athletics beat White Sox in thrilling 6-5 contest
• A’s, Springs search for solutions to lefty’s first-inning woes
• Rookie Wilson wowing A’s: ‘We’re watching a kid become a Major League shortstop’

MLB News & Interest:

• Tyler Glasnow Leaves Start Due To Shoulder Discomfort
• Guardians issue apology to Red Sox’s Jarren Duran after fan misconduct ($)
• Braves Designate Jesse Chavez For Assignment
• Diamondbacks’ Eugenio Suárez hits 4 home runs in loss to Braves ($)
• Dodgers Notes: Gonsolin, Snell, Ohtani
• Walt Jocketty Passes Away
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Roster moves.