Another win has A’s feeling like they’re ‘starting to figure it out.’ Here’s how
The Athletics’ 6-5 victory over the struggling Chicago White Sox on Friday night gave them their first three-game winning streak since their move to Sutter Health Park at the start of this season.
But more important to the team and manager Mark Kotsay was return to the .500 mark (13-13) for the first time since the opening week of the season in late March.
“We’re playing to win games and give ourselves an opportunity to be in this race,” Kotsay said. “It’s early, but these are good signs.”
The A’s were 24 hours removed from a walk-off win over the Texas Rangers, which gave them their first series win in West Sacramento. Another win during their weekend set against Chicago (6-20) would give them two straight series victories.
“I think we’re starting to figure it out,” rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson said. “When we’re on our ‘A’ game, we’re one of the more dangerous teams in this league.”
Wilson, who hit Thursday’s walk-off winner, had another standout performance with three hits Friday, including a home run and two RBIs. The A’s won after falling behind 3-1 in the sixth inning, and held on despite star closer Mason Miller allowing his first runs of the season in the ninth.
Ace starting pitcher Luis Severino had a second consecutive strong outing going six innings while allowing six hits, three earned runs with two walks and seven strikeouts. It was his second straight quality start after throwing eight innings in his last outing April 19 in Milwaukee, when he earned his first win of the season.
“With the team that we have, I feel like it’s going to be back and forth,” Severino said of the A’s getting back to .500 for the first time in almost a month. “I think our mindset is just to be around that number all year. If something happens, it happens. At the end, we can get hot and start winning. We just need to fight.”
Tyler Soderstrom, who started in left field, added three hits Friday, and Wilson helped with a sterling defensive play to get Severino out of a first-and-third jam to end the fifth inning. Third baseman Gio Urshela made a highlight catch along the fence in foul territory to end the eighth inning.
The A’s got an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly from rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz, who made his MLB debut earlier in the week. It proved vital as they went into the ninth leading by three before Mason Miller allowed a two-run homer to Brooks Baldwin. Chicago nearly tied it when Edgar Quero flew out to deep right field on a ball Lawrence Butler caught right in front of the wall.
A’s exit last place in division
The A’s moved out of last place in the American League West, leapfrogging the Los Angeles Angels, and remain in the thick of the late-April Wild Card standings sitting half a game behind the Cleveland Guardians and Seattle Mariners for the top two spots.
The standings were bunched up enough that the A’s headed into Saturday just 2 1/2 games back of the team with the best record in the American League, the Detroit Tigers (15-10).
The A’s and White Sox play again Saturday with first pitch slated for 1:05 p.m. with Jeffrey Springs (3-2, 5.64 ERA) going for the A’s against Jonathan Cannon (0-3, 4.81). The A’s are looking for their first four-game winning streak of the season, and to improve to 5-0 against the White Sox this season after sweeping them in Chicago earlier this month.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 10:34 PM.
