The Athletics are carrying positive momentum into the next leg of their road trip as they prepare to face the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night to start a three-game series.
Oakland has managed just two wins in its last six contests, but the team closed out a three-game set in Philadelphia on a high note Thursday with a commanding 12-1 victory. The offense erupted for four home runs, including the 11th of the season from catcher Shea Langeliers, who was activated from the paternity list earlier that day.
“It was a pretty remarkable night for him to come back and just pick up right where he left off,” Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said. “His at-bats were outstanding. He’s clearly been a major part of our lineup.”
The Orioles return home after a 2-5 road trip that concluded with a 4-3 loss to the Miami Marlins on Thursday, when the Marlins pushed across the winning run with two outs in the ninth inning.
In Baltimore’s last six defeats, the team has averaged just three runs per game.
“Hitting is tough,” Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said. “Big-league pitching is extremely challenging every night, and our guys have the ability to keep fighting. Some nights you string hits together, some nights you don’t.”
Baltimore will send right-hander Kyle Bradish (1-4, 5.03 ERA) to the mound Friday. Bradish is 0-2 over his last four starts, most recently allowing two homers and five runs in four innings during a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Saturday. He faced the Athletics once before, earning a win in 2023 after striking out eight over six scoreless innings.
Left-hander Jacob Lopez (2-2, 6.60 ERA) gets the start for Oakland. He was charged with six runs over 5 1/3 innings in a 14-6 loss to the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. Lopez has worked at least five innings in each of his past four outings. He has faced Baltimore only once, tossing four innings and yielding one unearned run in a no-decision at home last June.
The Orioles hope returning home can spark a turnaround for shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who remains in the leadoff spot despite a .201 batting average. Albernaz expressed continued confidence that Henderson is close to breaking out.
“With Gunnar, he’s trying to do too much,” Albernaz said. “When he tries to do too much, he tends to overcompensate with his body. He needs to make his decision earlier at the plate. I truly believe that in the next few games, he’ll get back to being himself.”
Albernaz gave Adley Rutschman the night off Thursday to keep the catcher fresh. Rutschman spent time on the injured list last month with an ankle issue, so the coaching staff is monitoring his workload closely.
“He’s played a lot,” Albernaz said. “So let him recover and be ready to go when we’re back home. That’s always the balancing act of a 162-game schedule—finding the right spots for guys to get days off… We just want to be smart about it. This is me being overly cautious.”
The Orioles continue to adjust their outfield combinations, with Colton Cowser’s versatility playing a key role.
“We’re definitely excited about his ability to play elite defense at all three outfield spots,” Albernaz said.
