I hope you had a safe and happy Fourth of July yesterday—bonus points if you’re in the thick of a four-day weekend!
I am still feeling celebratory in the wake of the A’s - Angels series that concluded yesterday with Oakland’s first sweep in over two months. It was also a well-timed revenge sweep, since the Angels swept three from the A’s in Anaheim just last week. The victors in both these series put up an ample total of 17 runs, but the A’s also utterly stymied the Angels bats on Wednesday and Thursday, shutting the Halos out in games 2 and 3.
We saw some terrific pitching from A’s starters in particular. Joey Estescame up huge on Wednesday, pitching the first complete game shutout by an A’s pitcher since Sean Manea did it in 2021. JP Sears started yesterday’s series finale and delivered five scoreless innings. This was a welcome turnaround for the lefty, who has had some struggles in his last few starts. Mitch Spence allowed just one run in 5⅓ innings on Tuesday, so the A’s starters combined for 19⅓ innings with just one run allowed.
At times, the A’s offense has appeared to be constrained by a “three runs per game” limit, but they put up five or more in each game of this series. Brent Rooker led the charge and bolstered his case for another trip to the All-Star Game with an RBI in each game and six hits in total, including two home runs. Lawrence Butler had his big swing dialed in as well, contributing his own pair of dingers to the A’s series total of five. Yesterday, A’s batters made the most of just four hits with uncharacteristic patience and discipline, walking nine times and striking out just five.
The A’s are home for the weekend against a more formidable foe in the Baltimore Orioles. Time to see if they’re gaining some real momentum, or if the Angels series will prove to be just another blip at the beginning of a long, hot summer.
On a sadder note, A’s hitting coach Mike Aldrete is taking time off to support his wife, Gina, as she undergoes treatment for multiple myeloma. Athletics Nation wishes Gina a full recovery and all the best to the Aldrete family.
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