A’s slump – The Athletics enter their Cubs series in the biggest slump of the season, sliding below .500 and dealing with pitching and injury setbacks. Yet there are bright spots—J.T. Ginn’s surge, Gage Jump’s promotion to start, and Shea Langeliers’ breakout power at the
For the Athletics, the first thing you notice isn’t what they’ve changed. It’s what keeps happening. Seven of their past nine games have gone the wrong way, and the calendar turning to June has made the slide feel less like a rough patch and more like a pattern.
They were swept at home by division rival the Mariners, and that result dropped them to second place in the AL West for the first time in a while. This weekend didn’t bring relief. They lost two of three to the Yankees, and now they sit three games below .500.
The worry for A’s fans isn’t new. The season derailed around this same time last year as well, and those weeks of unease have returned in real time.
Pitching has been the clearest thread running through it. The staff has performed about as many expected. Veteran Luis Severino was hot and cold before this weekend, when he was placed on the IL. Lefty Jeffrey Springs—initially their best pitcher early in the rotation—has come back down to earth in recent outings. Aaron Civale, added in the offseason, has also gotten hit hard his last two times out on the bump.
Things have been worse for Jacob Lopez. In his second season with the squad, his struggles finally caught up with him, and the team announced he was being sent to Triple-A after getting crushed by the Yankees on Sunday.
Even in that bleak picture, the A’s have something to lean on: J.T. Ginn. The right-hander has what looks like a breakout season, holding a 2.87 ERA on the year. Since he joined the starting rotation, he’s posted a 2.56 ERA in 10 starts.
The next step comes in this series. The A’s have promoted one of their best pitching prospects. Gage Jump. and he’ll get the ball for his second career start tomorrow evening in the first game of the series. The team hasn’t announced Thursday’s starter yet, but all signs point to another young right-hander: Kade Morris. He’s set to make his big league debut when he gets into a game.
Relief has been a separate headache. The A’s haven’t leaned on one specific closer all season long. with manager Mark Kotsay instead going with the best option at the moment. Four different relievers have three or more saves—Hogan Harris, former Cub Mark Leiter Jr., Joel Kuhnel, and Jack Perkins. It hasn’t been backbreaking every night, but it has cost them multiple games. If the team is serious about staying in contention through the summer, the bullpen is an area that needs improvement.
The offense, too, has carried heavy expectations it hasn’t been meeting. The A’s shelled out big money for Brent Rooker. Tyler Soderstrom. and Lawrence Butler. but all three have been in season-long slumps. First baseman Nick Kurtz—last year’s AL ROTY—has been an on-base machine. yet the power has dried up in his second season in The Show.
At the same time, they’ve lost a key presence. Shortstop Jacob Wilson, who finished second in AL ROTY voting, is out with a shoulder injury.
Still, there are sparks that keep the mood from collapsing completely. Catcher Shea Langeliers has been a monster at the plate, hitting .293/.365/.544 with 14 home runs and consistently batting leadoff or #2. Fans were skeptical about slotting him that high—he’s not exactly the fastest base runner—but the results are hard to ignore.
Zack Gelof has also provided steadier production. Once considered a building block, a tough couple years changed expectations, but with third baseman Max Muncy down with an injury a few weeks ago, Gelof has more or less become the everyday option at the hot corner and has held his own at the plate.
And then there’s Carlos Cortes. The A’s corner outfielder leads the team with a .328 batting average while batting all over the lineup. Another young option, Henry Bolte, was just promoted to the big league team as well. Their #5 prospect has held his own through his first 17 games and is already tied for third on the team with four stolen bases. Bolte adds a different look. and it matters in an offense that has leaned more on the long ball in recent years.
The Cubs are catching the Athletics at a complicated time. Injuries. inconsistent performances from their offense. and a fluctuating rotation full of questions have kept Chicago from looking fully locked in. Still. the Cubs remain in the thick of the playoff hunt—the same place A’s fans have been hoping the season would find them as June arrives.
For the Athletics, the goal in this matchup is simple but urgent: stop the bleeding before it becomes the kind of slump that carries over into the rest of the year.
Athletics Cubs MLB J.T. Ginn Gage Jump Kade Morris Shea Langeliers Jacob Lopez Luis Severino Jeffrey Springs Aaron Civale Mark Kotsay Hogan Harris Mark Leiter Jr. Joel Kuhnel Jack Perkins Jacob Wilson Nick Kurtz Brent Rooker Tyler Soderstrom Lawrence Butler Carlos Cortes Henry Bolte Zack Gelof Max Muncy