Elephant Rumblings: A’s look to correct course in Houston

MLB news roundup

Happy Monday, Athletics Nation!

The A’s summer explosion on offense subsided somewhat through their latest homestand, which saw the team go 3-4 and drop their series against the Tigers yesterday in what I would call a real “unraveler” of a game, to noun a verb. I did appreciate the collected manner in which Ross Stripling was savaged by the Tigers’ bats in the eighth; those were some hard knocks through which to keep one’s chin up. His is quite strong, might I add.

With yesterdays loss, the A’s dropped back to 20 below .500 on the season. They’re up 2 ½ games on the Angels, a spot they must hold to avoid a third consecutive last place finish in the AL West. At 62-82, a .500 season in now a mathematical impossibility, though the A’s are nearly assured to win at least one more game to prevent a third straight 100-loss campaign.

It is against this backdrop that the Oakland Athletics will begin tomorrow what is slated to be their last series against their chief nemesis of recent years, the Houston Astros, at Minute Maid Park.

The Astros have recovered from a slow start to the season and once again sit atop the AL West, five games ahead of the Mariners. The A’s will finish the season in Seattle, and I’m certainly not going to root for Julio Rodriguez and company just to spoil the Astros’ position. But little could delight me more than to see the A’s bash out a big series for Oakland’s last stand in Texas.

Pitches are lined up thusly for the three-game set.

Let’s go, Oakland!

A’s Coverage:

• Tigers take the series with 9-1 win
• A’s Defensive Struggles Need Attention Going Forward
• Injuries & Moves: Bielak recalled; Basso optioned
• Future looks promising for A’s top prospect
• Cy contender, Bay native Skubal on pitching in Oakland one last time: ‘A team should be here’ ($)
• Is another Fisher fire sale coming before the improved A’s ever reach Las Vegas? ($)
• Tigers Manager A.J. Hinch on Final Game at the Oakland Coliseum

MLB News & Interest:

• Reds Place Sam Moll On 15-Day Injured List
• Kris Bryant “Questionable” To Return From Injured List This Year
• Braves Acquire Cavan Biggio From Giants
• AL East Notes: Bichette, Kjerstad, Hendriks
• Whit Merrifield Suffers Left Foot Fracture
• Teoscar Hernandez Expected To Avoid Injured List
• Marlins Announce 11 Roster Moves
• Angels Place Kevin Pillar, Jo Adell On Injured List
• Red Sox Activate Trevor Story From 60-Day Injured List
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

More Alumni Sunday love.

Law paying respects to Byrnes, in a sense.

BBWAA loves Brent Rooker.

More souvenir collecting.

Big Mac towers o’er the rest.