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A's Play Texas Hold 'Em, Win Series vs. Rangers
Apr 30, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Tyler Soderstrom (21) makes a leaping catch during the eighth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The A's have hit their stride in this early part of the season, as all facets of the game have come together for them recently. They find themselves at 17-15 and have won their third straight series, taking three out of four games against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Before the Rangers went to West Sacramento last week, they were in first place in the AL West. Now they're in fourth.

This winning formula has consisted of solid starting pitching, great defense, and holding their opponents from being able to score against them--more importantly, from coming back late in games where the A's have the lead.

This grit they've shown collectively has been filled with clutch performances up and down the lineup. Their pitching staff has also been great to see at this early juncture in the season. Brent Rooker touched on that, saying they are all "geling" together right now and have many different guys who can contribute in a myriad of ways to help the team win.

The bullpen in particular has been fantastic with holding it down, especially in this series with low-scoring and close ballgames, where three of the four games headed into the eighth inning with a two-run lead or less.

Starting pitching has been no different, with JP Sears setting the tone in Texas in Game 1. He gave a solid start with 5.2 IP, five H, one earned run, no walks, and seven strikeouts. Tyler Soderstrom's two-run double in the fifth inning would be all the offense the A's needed as once again, as they were able to hold Texas back.

After the A's and LHP Jacob Lopez dropped the second game by a score of 15-2, they came out on Wednesday able to shake it off. The A's faced a great pitcher in righty Nathan Eovaldi and sent Luis Severino to the mound to shut down the Rangers.

He did just that, pitching five innings and only giving up one run, keeping the A's in the game. His key moment came in the bottom of the 3rd inning, where he was able to strike out Jake Burger to escape a bases-loaded jam. After some early season struggles, Burger has been sent down to Triple-A.

The game remained tied until the ninth inning, where the A's bats got hot at just the right time. Brent Rooker had a two-run go-ahead home run, followed by a Lawrence Butler grand slam (the first in his career).

They are focused and locked-in, showing great patience in these close ballgames and knowing they have the talent in their lineup to get the job done.

The A's received a great start from Jeffrey Springs on Thursday afternoon as they went on to complete the series win. Mark Kotsay was also encouraged by the performance, saying, "He came out aggressive today, and established his fastball."

This aggression is a great sign, especially for a pitcher who has had his struggles going into his seventh start of the season. He accepted the challenge head on and was able to find success. It's great motivation for Springs, his fellow teammates and A's fans who are hopeful he will continue to build off this start.

A's closer Mason Miler earned his tenth save on Thursday and has been the definition of "lights out." He holds an astounding 23 K / 2 BB ratio and is in the top five in appearances made, which makes him him one of the most underrated closers in the game. He had a historic start to the season last year as well, with 40 strikeouts and no walks in 15 appearances.

The A's feel confident every time he takes the mound in the ninth. Miller didn't even earn his tenth save until May 25th last year, so Miller is ahead of schedule for his own personal record book, and surely will have more accolades and praise coming his way if he continues to pitch the way he has lately.

The A's win on Thursday came against Tyler Mahle, who came into the game with the lowest ERA in the American League. After the A's scored once in six innings against Mahle, his 1.19 ERA on the year is tied with New York's Max Fried. For the A's to win this game is a big testament to where they're headed this season.

The A's will now begin a three-game series Friday night in Miami, where they hope to continue what they're doing well while taking advantage of a struggling Marlins team. Miami had an off-day after coming off a rough road trip against the Mariners and Dodgers, losing five out of six games. The two teams will face off beginning Friday evening at 4:10 PDT.


This article first appeared on Oakland Athletics on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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Shohei Ohtani named in lawsuit regarding $240M real estate project
MLB

Shohei Ohtani named in lawsuit regarding $240M real estate project

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Vikings joint practice recap, Day 1: How'd J.J. McCarthy fare vs. Patriots?
NFL

Vikings joint practice recap, Day 1: How'd J.J. McCarthy fare vs. Patriots?

The Vikings and Patriots just held their first of two joint training camp practices on a beautiful afternoon at TCO Performance Center. Fans packed the stands to watch as the Vikings got an opportunity to test themselves against a different opponent in a practice setting after weeks of battling each other. Let's dive into what took place on Wednesday, starting with the obvious question. How'd J.J. look? J.J. McCarthy, coming off of one 12-snap drive in Minnesota's preseason opener on Saturday (and a normal, lighter practice on Monday), got a ton of reps against the Patriots' defense in this joint practice. That'll be the case again on Thursday. These two days are designed to provide some highly-valuable work for the Vikings' starters, who aren't going to play at all in this weekend's preseason game. McCarthy came out of the gates strong in 7-on-7 action. 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Bruins' top prospect makes decision on college that will shake up the scene
NHL

Bruins' top prospect makes decision on college that will shake up the scene

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What to know about the 10 hottest college football QB battles
College Football

What to know about the 10 hottest college football QB battles

The college football season is almost here. The preseason Associated Press and Coaches Top-25 Polls are out. Pundits are delivering their conference power rankings, projected College Football Playoff brackets and All-America teams. Even as the season is just 10 days away for those playing in Week 0, which quarterbacks will start for some of the country's best programs remains to be seen. Teams continue to conduct their summer camps and scrimmages so that coaches can decipher which signal-caller they will go with to start the season. Here are the 10 most intriguing quarterback battles, in no particular order. Notre Dame The chatter is that things are picking up steam in the battle here. Redshirt freshman CJ Carr was the presumed favorite entering preseason camp, although sophomore Kenny Minchey is gaining momentum, experts say. Whichever QB wins out must face Miami on the road in the opener. Ohio State There's not much separation between sophomore Julian Sayin, a transfer from Alabama, and junior Lincoln Kienholz. With a scrimmage slated for this coming weekend, On3's Pete Nakos gives a slight edge to Sayin. Head coach Ryan Day has a tough decision looming. Michigan Four signal-callers with the Wolverines are duking it out for the starting spot. Leading the way is true freshman Bryce Underwood, the nation's No. 1 prospect in the 2025 class. Other contenders are sophomore Jadyn Davis and graduate students Mikey Keene and Jake Garcia. Michigan coaches have praised Underwood for his work ethic, and he could have the upper hand. Syracuse It's neck-and-neck between LSU transfer Rickie Collins and Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli. Head coach Fran Brown named Collins the starter in the spring, but that was before Angeli moved from the Fighting Irish to the Orange. The buzz is that Angeli may have a slight edge at this juncture, with another scrimmage planned for this weekend. Tennessee This competition looks to come down to Appalachian State/UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar and redshirt freshman Jake Merklinger, although true freshman George MacIntyre played well during the Volunteers' latest scrimmage. Aguilar is trending to be the team's starter in Week 1 against Syracuse in Atlanta, according to Nakos. Colorado Things remain up in the air at quarterback for Deion Sanders' Buffaloes. The buzz is that Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter may be the favorite, although it would be foolish to count out true freshman Julian Lewis, a five-star prospect and a top-five quarterback in the 2025 cycle. Still, look for Salter to prevail. North Carolina Given that the Tar Heels' head coach is NFL legend Bill Belichick, don't expect a lot of chatter to come out from him before the season opener. That being said, it appears South Alabama transfer Gio Lopez is out in front of graduate student Max Johnson. UNC is expected to have its first official scrimmage this weekend. Purdue The two quarterbacks competing for the top job with the Boilermakers are North Carolina transfer Ryan Browne, who had previously played for Purdue, and Malachi Singleton, a transfer from Arkansas. Browne holds a small advantage, per On3. Oregon Redshirt sophomore Dante Moore is thought to be the starter for the Ducks, but it's not a certainty. Moore was the starting QB at UCLA in 2023, but then transferred to Oregon. He's battling redshirt sophomore Austin Novosad, who is entering his third season with the Ducks. Georgia For the Bulldogs, redshirt junior Gunner Stockton is anticipated to be the team's starter. However, redshirt freshman Ryan Puglisi has played well during Georgia's fall camp. Stockton is the clear favorite, but Puglisi has kept this quarterback competition interesting.