Coming off an absolute gut punch of an 11-1 beatdown in Houston, the A’s are staring down a major gut-check moment today After getting steamrolled by a lineup that looked like it was playing tee-ball, the A’s have a shot to punch back, split the series, and remind the Astros—and the rest of the league—that they’re not rolling over for anybody. Last night was ugly, no doubt. But baseball doesn’t give you time to sulk. It gives you 24 hours to get pissed off, regroup, and come back swinging. This is the kind of moment where you find out what kind of fight this team has. It’s easy to look sharp when you're winning—harder when you’re staring down one of the best lineups in baseball and trying to salvage a little pride in their house. The A’s need a response, not just to get back in the win column, but to make a statement: this rebuild isn’t soft, and this clubhouse isn’t here to be anybody’s punching bag. Let’s see if they’ve got that dog in them tonight.