Elephant Rumblings: A’s welcome Seattle in wake of four straight series wins

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation! A very feliz Cinco de Mayo, as well.

Today, the A’s return to Sacramento looking to do damage against the AL West leading Seattle Mariners. The A’s have played very well since mid-April and are now in second place behind the Mariners, so there’s much for A’s fans to celebrate at the moment.

But if you’re a worrywart, you might still be in shock from Saturday’s disastrous finish from Mason Miller; that’s not a good state of mind in which to calmly regard the very brutal stretch the A’s have ahead of them this month: their next three series are against current division leaders.

No doubt, this will be a month of much Mayhem, but I believe the A’s will put up a good fight—and there are plenty of reasons for optimism about this team, even if their star closer has proven less than invincible.

First off, the A’s starting pitching is trending up again: Jeffrey Springs was brilliant in his most recent start as was newcomer Gunnar Hogland in his MLB debut. JP Sears is pumping strikes as consistently as ever and has possibly leveled up a bit, as well: he’s posted a 2.94 ERA through six starts and is issuing walks at well below his career average rate.

The bullpen may have shown some cracks recently, but Justin Sterner has also continued to emerge as a terrific setup man; he’s yet to allow a run this season. It is a bit dissapointing to see Miller stumble just as Sterner is arriving as the closer’s perfect companion. But I’m pretty sure Mason is still good, folks. His 4.97 ERA ain’t pretty but I think we can all agree his 2.35 FIP is more representative of his caliber. The Reaper was 10-for-10 in save opportunities before Saturday. He’ll bounce back.

Oh yeah—and Nick Kurtz finally got an extra base hit.

Indeed, there is much to like about this year’s Athletics so far. But keeping up the pace through the rest of the month will definitely be a challenge. Have a terrific week, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• Athletics Edge Out Marlins 3-2 in Tight Finale
• Saturday Potpourri: A’s Living High On The Hog
• A’s fall late to Marlins 9-6
• Athletics beat Marlins in Miami 6-1
• Kurtz, Hoglund ... who’s next? A’s farm system stacked with prospects
• If A’s Las Vegas plans sink with the economy, don’t rule out Oakland as a fallback ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Royals, O’s tie record for most solo HRs in MLB history
• deGrom becomes fastest pitcher to reach 1,700 career K’s
• Who are the best free-agent signings of 2025 so far?
• With dad Mike watching, Daz Cameron sparks rally, win
• Struggling Texas Rangers fire offensive coordinator, put Leody Taveras on waivers ($)
• Giants Designate Lou Trivino, Call Up Kyle Harrison
• Jiman Choi To Begin South Korean Military Service; Eyes KBO Debut In 2027
• Yankees Notes: Schmidt, Volpe, Chisholm, Lombard
• Triston Casas Likely To Miss Entire 2025 Season Due To Knee Surgery
• Shota Imanaga Leaves Game Due To Hamstring Strain
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Sevy, Springs, Gunnar lined up for Seattle series.