Welcome to Friday A’s fans! We made it.
After a day off the club is back at it tonight, this time in Minnesota set to take on the Twins for a three-game weekend series.
The two clubs are in different spots heading into this weekend. While the Athletics have seen their playoff hopes evaporate over the past month, the Twins are still in the thick of things. At 51-53 they’re 4 1/2 games back of the AL Central lead but a much more manageable 2 1/2 back for the third and final Wild Card spot. That’s much better than many expected entering the season, but is it good enough to prevent them from selling?
The Twins would have a few interesting pieces if they decided to make players available. Starting pitcher Joe Ryan would instantly become the #2 starting pitching target on the trade market if the Twins were to make him available. Catcher Ryan Jeffers has been linked to every team that needs catching help and may even find himself on the move in a win-now move for the Twins. And then you have the talented but often-injured center fielder Byron Buxton, who is having his best season in years and would also demand a hefty prospect package to pry him out of Minnesota (though he’s said he won’t wave his no-trade clause).
That said, their owner has made public statements indicating he’d rather not sell off pieces and wave the white flag when they’re this close to a playoff spot. Whether they went into sell mode depended on how they did coming out of the break and they’ve gone 3-4 since. How they act at the deadline will be interesting to watch. Even if they elect not to sell off pieces, they’re not likely to be buyers either as they’re focused on the long-term right now. Now would be a great time for the A’s to get hot and play spoiler.
The A’s meanwhile are just about out of the playoff race and are likely fielding calls on players. They just lost two of three in Arizona and at 43-59 the idea of October baseball is a fantasy. How far the A’s go in selling this trade deadline will be interesting to watch. Are only short-term rentals available, or are any of the medium or long-term assets on the table? We have 11 days until the deadline.
Now looking ahead to this weekend’s series matchups. The A’s will send left-hander Jacob Lopez to the bump to kick off the series in the Twin Cities. Lopez made a successful return to the starting rotation in his most recent appearance, allowing just a pair of runs on just two hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. The A’s will be hoping that the lefty can provide more length tonight without sacrificing those results. The Twins will counter Lopez with third-year right-hander Zebby Matthews, who is having a tough year with a 5.40 ERA in 12 starts.
After Lopez the A’s have not named a starter but we can still guess, right? The club is without J.T. Ginn for the immediate future so they’ll need a short-term option for the rotation. Right-hander Mason Barnett was recalled to take Ginn’s spot on the roster and his last appearance in any game was last Saturday so he’d be well rested for the start. Odds are it’s him getting the ball but if Lopez has a short outing tonight Mark Kotsay may need a long man outing from the righty and the club figures Saturday out when it comes around. We’re at that point in the year, folks. Minnesota isn’t much better though as they’ve yet to announce who’ll get the ball on Saturday either. This should be a fun one.
Then the series wraps on Sunday with a matchup of veterans featuring Jeffrey Springs and Joe Ryan. The lefty Springs had a tough first half and ended it on a low with a few less-than-stellar outings. He managed to bounce back in his first start out of the break and we’ll all be hoping he can continue that in the finale. Minnesota meanwhile has their ace in Ryan lined up for this start. While the right-hander has had a great season to date, he got ambushed for eight runs in his most recent start so maybe the A’s are catching him at the right time.
First pitch is at 5:10 tonight. Have a great day and weekend everyone!
A’s Coverage:
- A’s fall in extra innings 6-5 to Arizona
- Cuban’s investment group purchases minority stake in Athletics
- Hot Topic: Who Is The “Real Langeliers”?
- A’s Beat Diamondbacks 5-2
- A’s place rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer on injured list with ruptured testicle
- Passan: A’s ‘have zero desire’ to trade Shea Langeliers
- Another ‘step in the right direction’ for Lopez in hunt to regain rookie form
- Blogfather Saves The Day With Pearls Of Most Excellent Advice
- Thinking out loud: Mic’d up Cease, Langeliers work through 3-K 1st in ASG
- What will the Athletics do leading up to Trade Deadline after cold streak?
- A’s Add Next Wave of Prospects in 2026 Draft
- Athletics Get Hitting Help by Claiming Hot Bat off Waivers
- Former A’s top draft pick Muncy learning outfield with Aviators
- Langeliers’ 5-year journey from top prospect to All-Star starter
- Injuries Providing Cover For Some Inconvenient Truths
- Breaking Down the A’s Alarming Trends Heading into the Break
- Jamie Arnold can’t wait for the A’s future. Triple-A Vegas is another story.
- Langeliers savoring 1st All-Star start; injured Kurtz to enjoy homecoming
- Athletics Select Outfielder Drew Burress With 8th Overall Pick
- Athletics Select Left-hander Mason Edwards With 47th Overall Pick
- Athletics Select Gabe Gaeckle With 73rd Overall Pick
- A’s Select Jacob Dudan With 83rd Pick, Roman Martin With 111th Pick
MLB News and Interest:
- Mariners Reportedly Willing To Trade Emerson Hancock
- Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr. could return from IL Friday vs. Orioles
- Pirates add bullpen depth by trading for Padres’ Ron Marinaccio
- Brewers Have Checked In On Tarik Skubal, Mason Miller
- Could Red Sox swing blockbuster deal for slugging SS?
- White Sox Looking For Catching Help
- Skubal says he wants to finish season with Tigers and win WS
- Contender or pretender? Division races shaping Deadline strategies
- Today in Baseball History
Best of X:
Truth:
How do you guys feel about this rumor?
Not a surprise after his struggles. He’ll be back:
Interesing:
ICYMI: