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

Lawrence Butler's traditional numbers may have looked ugly early in the season, but the underlying data tells a much more interesting story. Quinlan and Sammy break down Butler's recent improvement, including his hard-hit rate, average exit velocity, chase rate, career-best walk rate, and improving pull-air rate. They also examine how his knee recovery could be affecting his swing, defense, and speed, and why relatively small changes in how often he lifts the baseball could make a major difference in his overall production. The big question: was Butler actually as bad as those early-season numbers suggested?

Then the conversation turns to Henry Bolte, and things get really interesting. Bolte has extraordinary athleticism, elite bat speed, game-changing speed and legitimate defensive upside — but his 64% ground-ball rate and high whiff rate create a fascinating development dilemma. Should the A's try to turn him into a power hitter by getting him to lift the baseball, or should they focus on reducing the whiffs and maximizing his ability to put the ball in play? Quinlan and Sammy also debate whether Bolte could eventually have 30-30 potential, how Drew Burriss and Tyler Soderstrom complicate the roster picture, and whether Soderstrom could eventually become the DH. Neither Butler nor Bolte is a finished product, but both give A's fans something increasingly rare: reasons to be optimistic.

The Stockton Ports had Fresno right where they wanted them.

A 7-1 lead. Josiah Romeo was dominating on the mound. A 9-8 lead in extra innings. And a chance to leave Fresno with a two-game cushion in the race for the final playoff spot.

Instead, the Ports suffered a devastating 10-9, 11-inning loss to the Grizzlies, turning what looked like a huge victory into one of the season's toughest losses.

On this edition of The Port Report, we sit down with Stockton Ports voice Timmy Fitzgerald to break down the collapse and everything surrounding this critical series.

Jared Davis didn't exactly ease into his Lansing Lugnuts career—he kicked the door down. After arriving from the Arizona Complex League, the 17th-round pick immediately opened his Lugnuts tenure with five hits in his first five at-bats. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler breaks down what makes Davis so intriguing, from his unique batting stance and aggressive approach to the energy and personality he brings to the ballpark. We also dive into Pedro Pineda's breakout week, Breyson Guedes' power display, and Brian Arendt's massive three-run homer.

There's plenty more to unpack as the Lugnuts continue their torrid stretch at Jackson Field. Jesse and Booney examine Tucker Novotny's emergence as a starting-pitching weapon, Ben Hanson's dominant outing, the progress of Dylan Fien and Daniel Bucciero, and the immediate impact of Jared Sprague-Lott and Ali Camarillo after their promotions. With the Lugnuts taking five of six and the postseason race tightening, Lansing has suddenly become one of the hottest teams in the league—and Jesse explains exactly what needs to happen next for the Lugnuts to make a playoff push.

50-80. Thirty games under .500. Football is almost here. And somehow… we're still talking about the A's. Kobe and Nicholas DeSicco return for a shorter-than-usual episode of The Faithful Few to laugh, complain, reminisce and try to figure out why we're still emotionally invested in a team that has made watching baseball feel like a character-building exercise. The boys break down the A's win in Houston, Jacob Lopez's strong outing, the late comeback, Dallas Braden giving All On Green's Rob some love, and the increasingly painful experience of hearing opposing dugouts sound more alive than the A's dugout.

Then things get nostalgic. The conversation turns to Sacramento fatigue, the future Las Vegas ballpark, why a shiny new stadium won't mean much without winning, and the approaching football season. But the heart of this episode is the Coliseum: 2012 Game 162, Josh Hamilton's dropped ball, the BART ramp celebration, and the unforgettable memories that made being an A's fan so special. And then there's the Matt Chapman foul ball—a catcher's glove, Black Cherry seltzers, cardboard cutouts, a nearly empty stadium, and a broadcast that apparently couldn't stop talking about the catch. Next week, Athletics Rants joins the Faithful Few for a special draft episode. Subscribe, tell us your favorite A's memory, and come be part of the Faithful Few—because we're still here for some reason.

The A’s came into Houston looking to do exactly what the Habit Hunter demanded: spoil the Astros’ season. After getting shut out 4-0 in the opener, the A's responded with a dramatic comeback win and then erased an early 6-0 deficit in the finale to take two of three from Houston. The series featured Brian Serven’s three-run blast, Max Muncy’s go-ahead home run, Tommy White’s big production, and another impressive performance from Donovan Walton, who continues to make his case for more playing time and a higher spot in the batting order.

But the wins don’t erase the problems. Hobbes breaks down the A’s struggles with strikeouts, runners left on base, double plays, defensive mistakes, base-running blunders, and questionable pitching decisions. He also examines Jacob Lopez’s outstanding start, the bullpen’s strong overall performance, Luis Medina’s continued struggles, Hogan Harris settling into a setup role, Elvis Alvarado’s emergence, and the frustratingly inconsistent performances from players such as Zack Gelof, Jonah Heim, and Max Muncy. With the Twins coming to West Sacramento next, the Habit Hunter takes one last look at what went right, what still needs fixing, and which players deserve more opportunities down the stretch.

The A’s just gave their fans something they desperately needed: a reason to smile. Down 6-0 to the first-place Astros in Houston, the A’s exploded for six runs in the fifth inning, with Brian Serven launching a three-run homer before Lawrence Butler and Tommy White helped complete the comeback. Then Max Muncy delivered the knockout punch in the seventh, launching a 409-foot solo homer to center to put the A’s ahead 7-6 for good.

On Last Call: A’s Postgame, we're celebrating one heck of a Sunday afternoon in Houston. We'll break down the six-run rally, Muncy's clutch blast, Jack Perkins throwing five huge innings of relief, Hogan Harris slamming the door in the ninth, and what this series win says about a young A's team that refuses to quit. In a season that hasn't provided nearly enough happy moments, this one absolutely deserves to be enjoyed.

The Athletics finally snapped their five-game losing streak in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Houston Astros 4-3. Jacob Lopez gave the A’s six strong innings, striking out nine while allowing just one run, and Donovan Walton provided the early offense with a 422-foot home run in the third inning. But after Houston grabbed control in the seventh on a Daulton Varsho homer and Jeremy Peña RBI single, the A’s appeared headed toward another frustrating loss.

Then came the eighth inning. McNeil singled, Gelof walked, and a sacrifice bunt put the tying runs in scoring position before a wild pitch brought the A's within one. Lawrence Butler tied the game with a single, Tommy White doubled, and Jonah Heim delivered the go-ahead RBI groundout. Elvis Alvarado then slammed the door in the ninth with three straight outs. On Last Call A’s Postgame, we break down the comeback, Lopez’s performance, the eighth-inning rally, Tommy White’s three-hit night, the bullpen, the controversial sixth-inning moment involving Joe Espada and Hunter Brown, and what this win could mean for the A’s moving forward.

Baseball finally has a way to measure one of the most overlooked skills on the diamond: receiving the baseball at first base. In Episode 3 of The Lab, Aidan breaks down Baseball Savant's new first-base receiving data, explaining how Outs Above Average works, why the numbers aren't perfect, and why simply looking at the overall leaderboard doesn't tell the whole story. From scoops and low throws to high and wide throws, Aidan digs into what actually makes a first baseman elite at turning bad throws into outs.

Then comes the part A's fans will want to hear: Nick Kurtz is already among the best in baseball at receiving the ball, ranking near the top of the league in scoops despite having limited experience at the position. Aidan also looks at Matt Olson's dominance, Tyler Soderstrom's receiving ability, Tommy White's early numbers, and the limitations of defensive analytics when height, wingspan, and the quality of the throw all enter the equation. The data may still need some polishing, but it is giving us something we've never really had before — a measurable way to appreciate the art of saving a teammate's bad throw.

The A's just got swept in Kansas City, dropping four straight games in a series that somehow managed to get more painful every day. The Habit Hunter breaks down the disaster from Mason Barnett's brutal start and the bullpen's latest meltdown to an offense that repeatedly went to sleep after scoring early. The A's scored first in three of the first three games and still couldn't win, while their parade of one-two-three innings, wild pitches, blown leads and defensive mistakes made this series feel less like baseball and more like a four-day hostage situation.

But this episode isn't just about the losses — it's about figuring out who should still be part of the next version of this team. Tyler Soderstrom is done for the season, Jacob Wilson is also shut down, and Hobbes takes a much harder look at the players and coaches who may no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt. Lawrence Butler's baserunning and defensive mistakes take plenty of heat, while the bullpen, Bobby Crosby's decisions and an offense that produced 18 one-two-three innings in four games all end up in the crosshairs. The message is simple: this isn't about winning anymore. It's about finding out who wants to be here and who needs to go.

The A’s had a 5-1 lead. They had the Royals right where they wanted them. Then came the eighth inning, because apparently the universe decided we hadn't suffered enough. Kansas City scored seven runs on five hits, turning a comfortable 5-2 game into a 9-5 nightmare before anyone could even finish asking, “How are they going to blow this one?” Rave doubled in three runs, Garcia added another, and just like that, the A’s bullpen turned a four-run cushion into another loss. The A’s fall 9-7, drop their third straight and leave us with the only reasonable question left: IS THIS REAL???

There were positives — Jeff McNeil drove in two, JJ Bleday? No, wait, wrong universe. The offense actually did its job, scoring five runs early and adding two more in the ninth when Tyler Soderstrom? Again, wrong universe. The point is: seven runs in one inning will ruin basically anybody's evening. The A’s are now officially in that phase of the season where every lead feels like a temporary clerical error. Join us LIVE at 9:00 for Last Call: A’s Postgame, where we will attempt to explain how a 5-1 lead became a 9-7 loss without laughing, crying or staring silently into the middle distance.