The Athletics had three consecutive 90+ loss seasons, but appeared to be improving with a 76-win season last year built on a core of solid hitters like Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, and Jacob Wilson. They got off to a good start and were at .500 in mid-June before injuries hit their lineup and their pitching fell apart. They have lost 37 of their last 48 games, costing GM David Forst his job.
Athletics (49-75) vs. Kansas City Royals (51-74) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Athletics: 4.35 runs scored/game (20th in MLB), 5.76 runs allowed/game (30th)
Royals: 4.10 runs scored/game (23rd), 4.99 runs allowed/game (26th)
Who’s hot:
- Zack Gelof is hitting .318/.375/.568 with eight home runs in his last 35 games.
- Jac Caglianone is second among all hitters with a 259 wRC+ in August, hitting .407/.429/.759 this month.
Who’s not:
- Jacob Wilson has drawn just one walk in his last 19 games and is hitting .178/.211/.260 over that time.
- John Rave is hitting just .189/.231/.324 in 15 games since being recalled.
Interesting splits:
- Lawrence Butler got off to a dreadful start this season, but is hitting .242/.307/.506 since the All-Star break.
- Michael Massey is hitting .316/.342/.526 against lefties this year.
Former Royals prospect Mason Barnett has given up six home runs in his last two games. Jeff McNeil is 4-for-9 (.444) with a double in his matchups against Michael Wacha. Jack Perkins gave up 12 hits against the Rays in his last start, the third-most hits any pitcher has given up this year. Gage Jump struck out a career-high 11 hitters against the Red Sox on August 8, but struck out just one in his last start against the Rangers. J.T. Ginn has a 45 percent groundball rate, 14th-highest among qualified pitchers.
The A’s have the worst pitching staff in baseball with a 5.48 ERA, with a 5.70 bullpen ERA. Their 24 blown saves are the third-most in baseball. Luis Medina has not allowed a run in five games in August, with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Hogan Harris has 12 saves, but 5 blown saves.
The A’s have the second-worst record in baseball, behind only the Angels, who the Royals just defeated in a series. They took two of three from the Royals earlier this year, but their pitching is in shambles and they are missing three of their best hitters – Rooker, Soderstrom, and Langeliers. The Royals have a chance to get their homestand off to a good start and score some runs off the worst pitching staff in baseball.