Athletics' Brent Rooker: Keeps power surge rolling
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Rooker went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Rooker has been locked in at the plate in July, going 28-for-72 (.389) with 10 homers and 25 RBI over 20 contests this month. He took Angels reliever Hans Crouse deep in the sixth inning to tie Friday's game at 4-4. Rooker's power surge has him up to 25 homers on the year, and he's added a fantastic .288/.365/.583 slash line, 72 RBI, 50 runs scored and six stolen bases over 91 contests this season.
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Athletics' Seth Brown: Homers in three-hit game
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Brown went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run and an additional RBI in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Brown started the Athletics' comeback with his second-inning homer, and he added an RBI single in the sixth to put them ahead. He went 0-for-11 over four games immediately after the All-Star break, but he's bounced back by going 9-for-12 with two homers and four RBI over his last four contests. For the year, he's at a .222/.285/.384 slash line with nine homers, 23 RBI, 20 runs scored and four stolen bases through 235 plate appearances. Brown figures to remain in a strong-side platoon role at first base until Tyler Soderstrom (wrist) is able to return.
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Athletics' Lucas Erceg: Secures third save
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Erceg allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Angels.
Erceg was deployed in the eighth inning Thursday to protect a one-run lead, but he was called on to close things out Friday in a similar situation. With Mason Miller sidelined by a fractured finger on his non-throwing hand, Erceg is expected to be the favorite for saves for the Athletics in the short term, though Tyler Ferguson received the first chance in Miller's absence. Erceg has been a fine setup man this year with a 3.68 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 41:13 K:BB to go with three saves, 12 holds and three blown saves over 36.2 innings. He's kept runs off the board in 12 of his last 13 appearances, the exception being a four-run meltdown last Sunday against the Angels.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Earns win in return
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Blackburn (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings to earn the win Friday over the Angels.
Blackburn's return from a stress reaction in his right foot got off to a rough start -- he allowed two-run home runs to Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel in the first inning. Manager Mark Kotsay let Blackburn work through the issues, and the right-hander did well to settle in, finishing with 72 pitches (41 strikes). He's now at a 4.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 38:14 K:BB through 51 innings over nine starts this season. Blackburn may continue to have modest workload restrictions over his next one or two starts. He's projected for a challenging home outing against the Dodgers next week.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Activated ahead of start
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The Athletics reinstated Blackburn (foot) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his start Friday against the Angels.
Blackburn has been out since May 10 after suffering a stress reaction in his right foot. He has since made three rehab appearances in the minor leagues, giving up eight earned runs in just four total innings of work. He managed to reach only 49 pitches in 2.2 frames during his latest outing Saturday, and manager Mark Kotsay said the right-hander will be limited to roughly 65-to-70 pitches during his first MLB start in over two months. Hogan Harris was optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas in a corresponding move.
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Athletics' Hogan Harris: Moved to Triple-A
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The Athletics optioned Harris to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday.
Harris will cede his spot in the rotation to Paul Blackburn (foot) on Friday with Blackburn coming off the 60-day IL. Harris' option comes as a bit of a surprise considering how effective he's been for Oakland. The 27-year-old has a 2.98 ERA in 54.1 innings spanning 11 appearances (nine starts).
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Athletics' Austin Adams: Up to 19 holds
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Adams recorded his 19th hold in a win over the Angels on Thursday, firing a scoreless inning during which he allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout.
Adams recorded his fourth straight scoreless effort with a fairly crisp 13-pitch outing, recording his third hold over the last six appearances. The right-hander had a couple of hiccups in late June, but he's been progressively whittling down his ERA by allowing just two earned runs across the 7.2 innings covering his subsequent 10 trips to the mound. His usage in the seventh inning, ahead of Lucas Erceg and Tyler Ferguson, suggests Adams won't factor into the saves mix while Mason Miller (finger) is sidelined.
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Athletics' Max Schuemann: Reaches double-digit steals
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Schuemann went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Several other teammates delivered bigger hits, but Schuemann was productive from the bottom of the order. The rookie now has authored five multi-hit efforts in the last 12 games, and he's reached safely in 11 of those contests on his way to a blistering .400 batting average and 1.003 OPS over his last 46 plate appearances.
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Athletics' Daz Cameron: Lifts fourth homer in win
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Cameron went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Cameron's 382-foot shot to right center in the fourth inning ended up serving as the game-winning hit, as it gave the Athletics a one-run lead they wouldn't relinquish. The 27-year-old last left the yard June 28, and Thursday's start, which came in center field, was Cameron's first since July 13.
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Athletics' Brent Rooker: Lifts 24th homer in win
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Rooker went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in a win over the Angels on Thursday.
Rooker uncorked a mammoth 441-foot shot to left field in the first inning shortly after Lawrence Butler led off the game with a double and scored on an error. Rooker has been on a long-ball tear since shortly before the All-Star break, now having left the yard in six of the last nine games. After reaching the 30-homer mark in a career-best 2023 season, he's just six shy of that number in 47 fewer games during the current campaign.
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Athletics' Lawrence Butler: Continues to rake in win
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Butler went 2-for-5 with a double, a two-run homer, two runs scored and a stolen base in Thursday's win over the Angels.
Butler kicked things off for Oakland with a leadoff double before coming around to score the team's first run on a throwing error by Logan O'Hoppe. The outfielder then added a two-run shot in his next trip to the plate, giving him nine homers in July to go along with 26 RBI and 19 runs scored. Butler has also hit safely in eight consecutive games, registering multiple hits in seven of them. Over that eight-game stretch he's batting .545 (18-for-33) with 12 extra-base hits,15 RBI and 12 runs scored.
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Athletics' Tyler Ferguson: Secures first save
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Ferguson picked up the save in a win over the Angels on Thursday, striking out two over a perfect ninth inning.
Ferguson entered the contest with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and fanned the first two batters before retiring Nolan Schanuel on a fly out. It marked the right-hander's first save of the campaign and he's now produced six straight scoreless appearances. Ferguson has also posted two or more strikeouts in four of those six outings. Lucas Erceg worked the eighth inning Thursday, facing the Angels' 2-3-4 hitters, and Ferguson could be in the mix for regular save opportunities with Mason Miller on the shelf due to a fractured pinky on his non-throwing hand.
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Athletics' Ross Stripling: Picks up win in return
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Stripling (2-9) picked up the win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks over 5.2 innings while striking out three.
Stripling ran into trouble in the second inning after allowing four consecutive batters to reach base with one out. He would end up being tagged for five runs in the frame but recovered nicely, retiring 13 of the next 15 batters he faced as the Oakland offense roared back in an eventual 6-5 victory. The right-hander has surrendered at least four runs in each of his last three starts dating back to May 18, and Stripling had also lost each of his previous four starts prior to Thursday's win.
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Athletics' Paul Blackburn: Returning from IL on Friday
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Blackburn (foot) will be reinstated from the 60-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Angels in Anaheim, MLB.com reports.
Blackburn will make his first start for the Athletics since May 10, when he suffered a right foot stress reaction during an outing in Seattle. Oakland is electing to activate Blackburn despite the fact that he maxed out at 2.2 innings and 49 pitches during his three minor-league rehab starts and was most recently roughed up for seven runs (five earned) on eight hits and two walks in his last outing for Triple-A Las Vegas on July 20. Manager Mark Kotsay said Thursday that Blackburn will be limited to around 65-70 pitches in his return, and the Athletics could turn to Joey Estes if length is needed behind the veteran right-hander.
Manager Mark Kotsay said Thursday that Wood (shoulder) is scheduled undergo season-ending surgery, Brent Maguire of MLB.com reports.
Wood has been sidelined since mid-May with left rotator cuff tendinitis. After treating the injury with rest and rehab and receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection, Wood didn't bounce back as well as the Athletics and hoped and wasn't able to resume throwing before he opted for surgery. Wood didn't disclose the nature of Wood's surgery, but regardless of the procedure, the veteran southpaw could face an uphill battle to gain clearance for spring training. The 33-year-old -- who joined Oakland on a one-year deal in January -- will finish his 2024 campaign with a 1-3 record, 5.26 ERA and 1.78 WHIP over 39.1 innings.
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Athletics' Luis Medina: Undergoing Tommy John surgery
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Medina (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Aug. 6, Brent Maguire of MLB.com reports.
Medina has been sidelined since July 13 with a right elbow sprain and sought a second opinion Monday. After receiving feedback from Dr. Keith Meister, Medina has opted to treat his injury through surgery and will miss the rest of the 2024 season, and likely all of the 2025 campaign as well. Medina showed glimpses of effectiveness in the big-league rotation, but he'll end the 2024 season with a 5.18 ERA and 1.58 WHIP across 40 innings.
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Athletics' JJ Bleday: Getting breather against LHP
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Bleday isn't in Oakland's lineup Thursday against the Angels.
With southpaw Kenny Rosenberg slated to start Thursday's game for the Halos, the left-handed bat of Bleday will stay put in Oakland's dugout. Daz Cameron will fill the void in center field and bat seventh.
