Oakland A’s news: A’s drop hard-fought series in Tampa and Atlanta

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

The A’s are back from another frustrating road trip. This most recent one, consisting of three game series against the Rays and Braves, certainly wasn’t as disastrous as the previous 1-9 Road Trip From Hell in mid-May, but frustrating nonetheless as the A’s easily could have win both series with a little more timely strikes and consistent defense.

As Nico noted over the weekend, the A’s were hitting poorly with runners in scoring position and striking out too much, problems that were all too evident in Tampa Bay as the A’s failed to keep up with the Rays with ghost riders as extras for two consecutive days.

On Saturday, the A’s blew a five-run lead against the Braves ace Chris Sale largely due to clumsy defensive errors that dragged into the bottom of the fifth, in which the Braves scored six times. At this point, I fully expected the A’s to take a well-deserved loss, but to their credit they fought hard for the win, ultimately preventing a Braves sweep.

So there are positives to enjoy, as usual, and Saturday’s return is the first that comes to mind. Without it, the whole road trip feels a lot more like last month’s 1-9 mishap. We have also seen good starts following recent orders. Hogan Harris And Luis Medinaand last year’s emerging star Zack Gelof once again gives some signs of life on the plate.

The A’s have an opportunity to gain ground in the AL West race this week, as they welcome the division-leading Seattle Mariners to the Coliseum for a three-game series that begins tomorrow. Let’s go, Oakland!

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