Athletics Stun Rangers: Takeaways From Series-Sealing Win

After earning the label "worst team in baseball," the Athletics would answer back on Sunday.

Aug 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics first baseman Tommy White (47) reacts after hitting his first career home run against the Texas Rangers during the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After a rough loss on Saturday, the Athletics would send a message in the series decider.

The Athletics had been sputtering badly even before the All-Star break, leaving them with the worst record in baseball on Saturday. However, with their backs pushed against the wall, the Athletics delivered a monster outing against the Rangers to win the series outright and move up to the second-worst team in baseball.

The Athletics' Bullpen Is Back

Aug 14, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics pitcher Luis Medina (46) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Athletics’ bullpen throughout the series would fail to give up a single run in 6.2 innings combined in both wins. After a very disturbing series against the Rays, the Athletics needed to change things up. One way they accomplished this was by being very trigger-happy with substitutions. More times than not, we would see a new pitcher anytime a base runner was allowed.

While this could be sustainable in a perfect world, there may be some complications during the upcoming series against the Royals, where the A's will have both Mason Barnett and Jack Perkins on the mound in Games 1 and 2. This, in turn, means the A's will be forced to turn to the bullpen much earlier than they had throughout the Rangers series.

Athletics Win With Long Ball

Aug 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics right fielder Lawrence Butler (4) jogs around the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Texas Rangers during the second inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Athletics would score five runs in the win, with all five runs coming off the bat of a home run. Lawrence Butler would start the party with a two-run blast in the second, which would then be followed up by a Zack Gelof two-run bomb in the seventh, and to cap it off, Tommy White would hit a solo nuke in the eighth.

Considering the Athletics are down their top-three home run hitters in Shea Langeliers, Nick Kurtz, and Tyler Soderstrom, an offensive outpouring like this was quite unexpected. Even though the Athletics will not win games like this consistently, the offense has still been very good off the bats of Butler and Gelof, which could be the key to a solid run to end the season.

Jacob Lopez Is a Star

Aug 16, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics starting pitcher Jacob Lopez (57) throws a pitch against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following his start, Jacob Lopez has positioned himself as the Athletics' clear-cut second-half ace. Since the break, Lopez is sporting a 2.48 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP, while holding batters to an impressive .203 average. Lopez also leads the Athletics in strikeouts with 38 since the break.

With Lopez not slowing down anytime soon, the Athletics may already have a glimpse of what their 2027 rotation could look like: Lopez, Gage Jump, JT Ginn, Luis Severino, and a fifth pitcher who could come via free agency or from the farm system. Because of Lopez, the Athletics will only need to figure out one spot in the rotation, which will allow them to address other issues.