The House Always Wins Media Network | A’s Baseball Podcasts

The A's looked poised to snap their late-inning demons, jumping on Reid Detmers for four runs in the opening inning and later riding a mammoth 437-foot blast from Nick Kurtz to build a 7-4 lead entering the eighth inning. Zach Gelof continued his strong night at the plate, Tyler Soderstrom drove in an early run, and the offense once again produced enough to win. But in a season that seems determined to test the patience of everyone wearing green and gold, the bullpen delivered another gut punch.

Hogan Harris surrendered a game-tying three-run homer to Guzman in the eighth, and after the offense went quietly in the bottom half, Elvis Alvarado was tagged in the ninth as Zach Neto launched a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in a crushing 9-7 Angels victory. The A's have now turned too many potential wins into painful losses because they simply cannot protect leads. At some point, saying "it's a young team" stops working. The bullpen problem isn't a leak anymore. It's a flooded basement, and something has to change.

The Angels walked into Sacramento looking to take control of the series and left with a convincing 7-0 victory, powered by a dominant outing from Walbert Ureña and a relentless attack that capitalized on nearly every opportunity. Ureña was simply untouchable, striking out Athletics hitters throughout the evening and working out of the few jams he encountered, including an early first-inning threat that featured doubles from Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson. After that, the A's offense never found its footing, managing only scattered baserunners while repeatedly coming up empty in key moments.

The turning point came in the sixth inning when the Angels erupted for four runs to blow open a manageable 2-0 game. Nolan Schanuel and Zach Neto delivered big doubles, while the Athletics bullpen couldn't stop the bleeding. Matthew Guzman's seventh-inning homer added insult to injury as the Angels pitching staff combined to finish off the shutout. Despite a late opportunity in the seventh inning with the bases loaded, the A's once again failed to cash in, ending another frustrating night in Sacramento where the bats went silent and the Angels took Game 3 in commanding fashion.

In this special Saturday edition of Where Stats Meet Instinct, Sam breaks down every possible trade deadline scenario for the A's. With the team hovering around .500 in a weak American League, the path forward is anything but clear—some fans want the A's to go all-in for a frontline ace like Joe Ryan or Jose Soriano, while others argue it's time to sell off pieces and rebuild. Sam walks through what each approach would actually look like in practice, including realistic trade packages, the prospects that would have to move, and which veterans on the roster truly have value (spoiler: fewer than you might think).

After laying out the all-in buy, the moderate buy, and the sell scenarios, Sam lands on his recommendation: a measured approach that bolsters the rotation and bullpen without gutting the farm system. The episode digs into specific targets like Michael Wacha and Daniel Lynch from the Royals, explains why some fan-favorite trade ideas don't hold up under scrutiny, and examines how player contracts and years of control dramatically affect trade value. Whether you're team "buy now" or team "sell and wait for Vegas," this episode gives you the full picture.

The Athletics looked finished. After building an early 4–0 lead behind power from Lawrence Butler and timely RBI swings from Shea Langeliers, Tyler Soderstrom, and Jacob Wilson, everything unraveled. The Angels exploded for 11 runs across the 4th through 6th innings—highlighted by a barrage of home runs from Matthew Lugo Guzman, José Siri, Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe, and Nolan Schanuel—to take what looked like a commanding 11–4 lead entering the bottom of the sixth.

Then came the comeback nobody saw coming. The A’s chipped away with Zack Gelof driving in a run, Wilson launching a huge two-run homer, and Max Muncy crushing a massive eighth inning shot to make it 11–9. In the ninth, with the season’s energy hanging in the balance, Kyle Heim delivered the dramatic game-tying blast to force extras. The bullpen slammed the door, the chaos continued in the 10th, and with the winning run 90 feet away, Nick Kurtz drew the walk that completed an unforgettable 8 unanswered runs and one of the wildest walk-off wins of the year. Join LAST CALL live at 11:15 as we relive every swing, turning point, and emotional roller coaster from an instant A’s classic.

This episode cuts through the noise and gets straight to the nerve center of the A’s Las Vegas stadium project: infrastructure. Bally’s is responsible for building the parking garage, entry plaza, and central utility plant that make Opening Day 2028 possible. On paper, the plan looks clean. In reality, Bally’s is juggling billions in simultaneous projects across Chicago, Las Vegas, the UK, and Australia — and the financing for the Vegas portion is still not fully locked in. That creates a sequencing problem, not a collapse. The stadium is not in danger, but the experience around it absolutely is.

At the same time, Nevada’s SB1 funding structure is under the microscope. The $380 million tourism district model is designed so visitors — not Nevada residents — fund the stadium debt. But if Bally’s misses deadlines, the A’s may need to step in with tens of millions in temporary infrastructure, potentially pushing public dollars closer to the full authorization. That’s where politics, perception, and pressure collide. This episode breaks down what’s real, what’s exaggerated, and what could quietly reshape how baseball arrives in Las Vegas.

The Athletics opened their four-game series against the Angels with a complete performance, rolling to a 5–0 shutout victory powered by a breakout outing from Gage Jump and an explosive first inning. After Jump retired the Angels in order to start the night, the A’s offense immediately took control. Singles from Gelof and Wilson, a double from Kurtz, and then a thunderous three-run blast from Shea Langeliers broke the game open. Moments later, Tyler Soderstrom launched a solo shot, and the A’s never looked back. Sacramento stacked seven hits in the opening frame and added a sacrifice fly from Bolte to cap a five-run inning that became more than enough support.

From there, the story became Gage Jump. The young left-hander attacked the zone, limited hard contact, escaped the few traffic moments the Angels created, and kept Los Angeles scoreless through seven strong innings. He mixed swing-and-miss stuff with efficient pitch sequencing while the defense backed him up throughout the night. The bullpen closed the door with Barnett and Harris preserving the shutout as the Angels failed to score despite late opportunities. We break down Jump’s outing, the early offensive eruption, standout moments from Langeliers and Soderstrom, and what this win means as the A’s try to build momentum in Game 2.

The A’s opened their series against the Pittsburgh Pirates looking like a team finally turning a corner—then reminded everyone how fragile momentum can be. A dominant 11–2 win in the opener featured JT Ginn dealing efficiently on the mound and Nick Kurtz turning into a full-blown problem for opposing pitching staffs. The offense came out swinging early, stacking hits, punishing mistakes, and showing the kind of aggressive intent that makes you believe the habits are finally sticking.

But baseball doesn’t hand out participation trophies for one great night. The final two games slid back into familiar territory: missed chances with runners on, strikeout waves at the worst times, and bullpen moments that flipped the series upside down. What started as a statement win turned into another reminder that this roster still fights its own tendencies more than it fights opponents. In the end, the A’s didn’t just lose games—they wrestled with the same habits that keep showing up like an old bill you forgot to pay.

The Athletics' series against Pittsburgh ended in disaster Wednesday night as the Pirates rolled to a dominant 12-4 victory, clinching the series win. Aaron Civale and the A's bullpen had no answer for Pittsburgh's relentless offense—Ryan O'Hearn drove in five runs with a double and a two-run homer, while Marcell Ozuna launched a 448-foot bomb in the 7th to blow the game wide open. The A's lone bright spots came from JJ Bleday's replacement Zack Gelof and Daz Cameron's fill-in Lawrence Butler, but homers from Henry Bolte and Gelof in the late innings were too little, too late.

On today's All In Before 10, Booney breaks down exactly where the wheels came off—from Civale's rough start to the brutal five-run 7th inning that buried any hope of a comeback. Plus, the A's turn the page and look ahead to a critical series against the Angels. And don't miss a special guest: Andrew Johnson, the newest member of The House Always Wins Media Network, joins to talk about Moneball and Moneylines, the exciting new show about to launch.

The A's looked like they were on their way to a comfortable win after jumping all over Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller in the first inning. Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, Jacob Wilson and Zack Gelof helped spark a four-run opening frame as the A's raced out to a 4-0 lead. Joey Perkins was outstanding through the first five innings, and for a while, it felt like Sacramento was finally going to celebrate a much-needed victory. Then the game slowly began to unravel. Bryan Reynolds launched two home runs, Pittsburgh chipped away inning by inning, and a lead that once felt safe disappeared before the seventh-inning stretch.

On tonight's edition of Last Call: A's Postgame, Booney breaks down another devastating late-game collapse as the bullpen once again failed to hold a lead. We'll discuss the bright spots, including Gelof's huge night at the plate, Perkins' strong start, and another encouraging performance from the young core. But we'll also tackle the bigger question hanging over this team: why do these losses keep happening? From missed opportunities with runners on base to the latest bullpen meltdown capped by Nick Lowe's ninth-inning blast, this was another game that felt ripped straight out of the A's nightmare playbook.

The A’s opened up their three-game set against Pittsburgh with authority, taking down the Pirates in Sacramento behind a complete team effort and a massive night from Jeff McNeil. On a night where the offense looked dangerous from top to bottom, McNeil delivered the signature moment of the game, launching a two-run homer to right field in the fourth inning that blew the doors open and gave the A’s breathing room. Add in an RBI single earlier in the night, and suddenly Sacramento got a reminder of exactly why this front office believed McNeil could be a difference-maker. When the lights got bright, he answered.

Tonight on Where Stats Meet Instincts, Sam breaks down everything you need to know from a statement opening win. How much credit does Jeff McNeil deserve for jumpstarting this offense? Did J.T. Ginn quietly put together one of his most important outings of the season? And what should A’s fans make of the offensive explosion from names like Nick Kurtz, Tyler Soderstrom, and Zack Gelof? The A’s looked aggressive, confident, and dangerous—and for one night, Sacramento looked like a place opponents might actually fear walking into.