The A’s just wrapped up another brutal series at their temporary home in Sutter Health Park, where wins have become as rare as affordable rent in the Bay Area. After dropping two of three to the Yankees—capped by a 12-2 Sunday beatdown that looked more like a spring training mismatch than a regular season showdown—the A’s now own the worst home record in all of Major League Baseball. The bats were silent, the bullpen imploded, and the only consistent thing about this team in Sacramento is their uncanny ability to disappoint the home crowd. This was supposed to be a fresh start. Instead, it's feeling more like a holding tank for pain.

But despite the chaos at "home," the A’s remain in the thick of the AL West race, mostly because nobody in the division seems interested in running away with it. Now comes a pivotal California road trip against the Dodgers and Giants—two clubs that don’t care about your narrative and will happily stomp on your playoff dreams. If the A’s want to stay relevant in this wild division dogfight, they’ll need to find a pulse on the road and prove they can do more than just survive outside of Sacramento. Because let’s face it: home ain't helping.