MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

Prior to the series with the Arizona Diamondbacks the trade deadline passed and the Athletics came out with some promising prospects.

The A’s traded away utility knife Miguel Andujar (.298), starting pitcher JP Sears (7-9), and All-Star closer Mason Miller (20 saves) and received four pitchers in the two trades.

While the Cincinnati Reds have already used Andujar at the plate and the San Diego Padres have pitched both Sears and Miller, only Eduarniel Nunez was promoted to West Sacramento to help the Athletics.

The other three hurlers: RHP’s Henry Baez, Braden Nett, and Kenya Huggins, along with MLB Pipeline’s #3 overall prospect SS Leo De Vries are spread throughout the A’s minor league farm system.

The bats cooled somewhat versus Arizona while injuries and the recent transactions have forced the team to jumble lineups and overcome pitching hurdles.

The loss of the second-most consistent bat, the teams #2 starter, and a 104+ mph closer brings new challenges and the Diamondbacks took two-of-three games and the series from the A’s.

Athletics Batting:
While the team cooled off a bit at the plate, the usual suspects continue to shine.

Catcher Shea Langeliers hasn’t slowed down since the All-Star Break and hit .461 versus Arizona, with his 17th/18th doubles and his 19th home run.

Since the break Langeliers has hit safely in 14 of 16 games, batted nearly .400 with six doubles, seven homers, and 14 runs to go with a solid 14 rbi’s.

First baseman Nick Kurtz has returned to mortal status after one of the best July’s in MLB history.

While he didn’t launch moonshots this series he batted .363 and had hits in each game.

His pace since the All-Star Game is as amazing as Langeliers, with Kurtz hitting safely in 13 of his 15 games.

A terrific callup by manager Mark Kotsay was RF Carlos Cortes as he has hit safely in eight of ten games since he made The Show, batting a solid .333!

Left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, who hit three doubles in the series (#19-21), also batting .333 against the Diamondbacks.

A’s fans are glad to see OF JJ Bleday back in the majors and he responded with a 4-for-4 day including a double.

Bleday led the A’s in extra-base-hits (xbh’s) in the 2024 season with 43 doubles, 4 triples, and 20 home runs but was “late with his swing” to begin the year and was sent to Las Vegas to make adjustments.

Athletics Pitching:
Fallout from the trades were felt more by the A’s pitching staff.

To regain a full unit, along with Nunez Kotsay promoted RHP Luis Morales and tasked rookie reliever Jack Perkins with his first pro start.

With these changes, the A’s sport three rookies starters in JT Ginn, Jacob Lopez, and Perkins.

The relievers are in a similar situation, currently carrying four rookies in Elvis Alvarado, Ben Bowden, Justin Sterner, and Nunez.

Jacob Lopez (4-6) pitched five innings of scoreless ball to win game one 5-1.

Both JT Ginn (2-3) and Jack Perkins (0-2) couldn’t find the strike zone, gave up eight walks between them with Ginn losing 7-2, and Perkins 6-4.

As a unit the relievers pitched 14 2/3 innings with a 3.07 era, and with over half the squad pitching in multiple games they performed quite well.

Upcoming Series:
The Athletics (49-65) travel to the nations capital to take on the Washington Nationals (44-67) in a battle of division basement dwellers.

The A’s will send hot starter RHP Luis Severino (5-11, 4.83) to the mound hoping his consistent pitching on the road will continue.
Severino has pitched lights out of late, going 3-0, with a 2.64 era in his last three starts with 17 strikeouts.

The Nationals come in on a five game losing streak, and send LHP Mackenzie Gore (4-11, 3.80) to face the A’s.

The Nats have given up 7+ runs in every game of their current 0-5 streak coming into this series, while the Athletics have won 7-of-10 games.

GameTime:
August 5th, 2025 345pm
Nationals Park
Washington, District of Columbia