The Oakland Athletics Are Back in A Familiar Territory
After a 4-3 loss to the Padres in San Diego, the Oakland Athletics dropped to a 26-43 record. With the loss, they moved to that fifth and final spot in the AL West division. Currently, they are behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by half a game. The A’s are now back in familiar territory as last season they spent all year long in that last place spot within the AL. They were the worst team in the Majors with 50 wins, the Colorado Rockies were ahead of them with 59 wins. Even though they have 26 wins thus far, the players and the fans of this Oakland franchise must be sick of just playing until the end of September with the hopes of some sort of postseason experience.
They’ve lost seven of their last 10 games, falling to 15-20 at home, and 11-23 on the road. This has been a better two and a half months of the regular season than last year. Mason Miller has certainly improved upon his game, earning 12 saves in 12 save opportunities. However, starters like Ross Stripling and Joe Boyle have struggled. Stripling has a 1-9 record through 11 starts with a 5.82 ERA, while Boys is 2-5 with an ERA of 7.16. This team has also had their problems on offense this season as they rank 28th in the league with 234 RBIs. They rank 26th in hits, and 29th in batting average with an overall team average of .220. Just over their last two games against the Padres, the A’s have scored four runs compared to San Diego’s 10. These stats alone put the Athletics back in familiar territory, one they saw all season long last year.
It’s been a shame for not only the players but the fans of this legendary franchise. Ownership had a chance to turn the tide of this organization multiple times and failed to do so. The A’s ownership turned their backs on the fans, leaving them with a crumbling Oakland Coliseum, and a miserable team to root for. Oakland’s roster must take charge and turn the tides around before the all-star break. If this team can’t string a few wins together, this franchise will be falling flat on its face once again. This familiar territory the A’s have been in for year after year has left everyone within and rooting for the franchise wanting to know, what’s to come.
