Elephant Rumblings: A’s limp back to Sacramento on five game skid

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

A lot sure can change in a week—I think I may have said that the last time the pendulum swung in a positive direction, but right now the A’s are on a grim downward spiral that they will need to end in Sacramento to stem the bleeding.

Homecomings are usually a good thing, but the A’s have absolutely stunk this year at their new home in West Sacramento; it’s almost as if some misdeed brought bad juju to Sutter Health Park, where the A’s have lost 13 games to just eight wins. Only the very disappointing Orioles have a worse home record in the AL.

Rotation ace Luis Severino seems to be managing expectations to be low for him at home this season, but that is not going to help matters. The opposing pitchers are playing in the exact same conditions at Sutter Health, and a $67 million free agent should be able to make adjustments.

Before the losing streak began last Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, the A’s looked like they might be surging towards a shot at postseason contention. They were road assassins with 14-7 away record and had just clobbered LA the night before in an 11-1 slugfest. But the Dodgers had their revenge, outscoring the A’s 28-5 through the remainder of the series and clinching it in the process.

Then the A’s went to San Francisco and got swept by the Giants. First, they took another shellacking in Game 1, followed by two squandered pitching gems in which the A’s offense averaged a run apiece. Now the A’s are just two games above .500 on the road and below .500 in the standings.

Of course, it doesn’t help matters when the team manager is making bonehead moves like calling for an intentional walk to load the bases in the bottom of the 10th inning of a scoreless game.

Recent history suggests that home is no place for the A’s to right the ship, but sometimes necessity is the mother of invention—and the A’s need to invent some new ways to win at Sutter Health Park. One thing that may help is that the first series of this homestand is against the Angels, who are presently the caboose in the AL West and are just the second losing team the A’s have faced in May.

One could suggest that the A’s desperately need to get right this week against the Halos, and AN’s Nico has an idea that might instantly remedy a bad state of affairs in centerfield and gradually improve the A’s offense. As always, The Blogfather’s insights are about as astute as any you’ll find when it comes to the Athletics.

Fingers crossed, hopefully the pendulum has reached its limit of travel towards the Dark Side and will now swing back around to bring good times to West Sacramento this week. Have a good one, AN.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s lose another close one, 3-2 to the Giants
• Why The Denzel Clarke Era Needs To Start Now
• A’s drop a tough one, 1-0 to the Giants
• Lawrence Butler’s Alarming Slump: The Extension Curse Continues
• A’s fall to Giants 9-1
• Astros Claim Jason Alexander From Athletics
• The A’s Could Use Pitching, But May Have to Get Creative to Improve

MLB News & Interest:

• Kolten Wong Announces Retirement
• Dodgers Release Chris Taylor
• Jose Alvarado Issued 80-Game PED Suspension
• Dodgers Place Kirby Yates On 15-Day IL, Select Lou Trivino
• Angels Announce Three Roster Moves
• Braves Expected To Activate Spencer Strider On Tuesday
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Roster moves.

Ouch.

Another great start with scant run support.

Alexander an Astro.