MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The final road series for the Athletics has concluded and the series versus the Pirates is a microcosm of the A’s in 2025: promise, apathy, mismanagement, and letdown!

The Pirates may have one of the worst records in baseball but their choices for “first-pitch ceremonies” were top notch.

The series opener began on the giant-screen in the outfield showing a then four-year-old Jacob Wilson throwing out the first pitch to his dad, retired Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.

The roles reversed as Jack got to throw the first pitch to his son, the Athletics all-star shortstop, and came with a high-heat strike to open the game.

The promising young bat of Nick Kurtz and a resurgence of power for Lawrence Butler gave the series hope for a winning road record on the season.

Win the series, and end 2025 with a winning road record, and a 4-3 win was a great start.

Throwing the first pitch saturday was Pirates fan Kavan Markwood, who fell off Clemente Wall back on April 30th.

Markwood was critically injured: breaking his neck, back, clavicle, and ribs but gave praise to the Pirates medical team and EMS’ quick response, with how well he is recovering.

The A’s followed the touching moment with some of the most uninspiring days at the plate all season, and losing 2-0.

The team had just one hit, a double by Jacob Wilson, to show for the entire game which at 1:52, was the quickest game at PNC 

Park all year.

Four strikeouts looking from the 7th inning on, showed just how disinterested the A’s hitters appeared and with two outs, and two strikes in the ninth, Rooker walked away from a close pitch that made it easy to call a strike, and the game ended there.

The apathy wasted a fine start for Luis Morales, who went a full six innings and gave up just two solo home runs.

The finale was a typical Mark Kotsay tossup, and the manager was true to form.

While the A’s bats forgot what pitch selection was, Kotsay was throwing Mitch Spence to the wolves.

Spence couldn’t get out of the 4th inning in his recent return, and completely nosedived Sunday.

Kotsay let him give up seven runs before pulling him for Osvaldo Bido.

Bido has been throwing batting practice all season and the Pirates teed him up for three more runs.

For good measure, Scott McGough finished the 11-0 shellacking by having a 24 pitch inning and giving up the final run.

Kotsay couldn’t have chosen a worse trio to try win a game.

The letdown is we lost 2-of-3 to a horrible team and concluded with a fine but losing record of 40-41 on the road.

Athletics Batting:

After game one, there wasn’t any real offense.

Centerfielder Lawrence Butler hit his 21st home run in the opener but went 0-for-9 the rest of the series.

Butler was given the leadoff spot for the entire series and has the home run and a walk to show for it.

Nick Kurtz hit his 33rd homer on the season in the same game, but has 13 strikeouts in his last 22 AB’s to limp into the end of the year in his worst slump as a pro.

Brent Rooker and Shea Langeliers combined to go a horrible 2-for-19 with 10 strikeouts as the entire team forgot how to get on base, drawing no walks in games two and three.

Athletics Pitching:

Starter Luis Severino (7-11) scattered seven hits and allowed just one earned run in the A’s victory.

Luis Morales (4-2), again pitched well in the 2-0 loss and stands at a fine 3.07 era.

Late call-up relief pitcher Brady Basso has had nine appearances totalling 9 1/3 innings and has yet to give up an earned run this year.

Upcoming Series:

The Athletics (73-83) return home to the seasons final homestand and will take on the Houston Astros (84-72).

The Astros will send RHP AJ Blubaugh (3-1, 2.16) against recently promoted RHP Mason Barnett (1-1, 7.56).

GameTime:

Sept 23, 2025 705pm

Sutter Health Park

West Sacramento, Ca