A's Notes: A Small Lineup Change May Have Solved a Bigger Problem
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Following Monday's loss to the Atlanta Braves, A's manager Mark Kotsay was asked if there were any adjustments that he'd be making to the lineup, even though it's still plenty early in the season. The A's skipper said that it's four games into the season and that they're not going to hit the panic button.
On Tuesday with a left-hander on the mound for Atlanta, there was one glaring adjustment that was made to the A's lineup, and it may have won the team their first game of 2026.
Sitting at the top of the lineup for the first time this season was shortstop Jacob Wilson, a contact-oriented bat that had success leading off last season, going 25-for-80 (.313) in 20 games there in 2025. Last night he ended up going 2-for-4 with a key hit in the top of the second inning.
With the bases loaded and two away, the score was tied 1-1, and Wilson had a chance to do some real damage. The first pitch he saw was a changeup down in the zone that he roped into left field and then bounced over the fence for a double. This scored two more for the A's, and they never looked back, though Atlanta would threaten a couple of times.
Kotsay told reporters before the game that Wilson sitting at the top of the lineup was more matchup-based with the lefty on the mound, and putting him up there certainly worked out for the A's on Tuesday. He was followed by Shea Langeliers, who hit his fourth home run in five games, and then a struggling Nick Kurtz, who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Kurtz had been the one in the leadoff spot in three of the previous four games, and if he'd been there again on Tuesday night, the A's may not have pulled off their first win of the season. With another lefty on the mound for Atlanta tomorrow, we'll have to see if the top of the lineup holds.
A less obvious key move
As we mentioned leading up to Tuesday's game, we were likely to see Andy Ibáñez get his first start at second base with Jeff McNeil sitting against a lefty, and that's exactly what happened. Ibáñez was claimed off waivers during the offseason to come in an provide versatility and veteran leadership, but to also rake against lefties.
On Tuesday he got his chance, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in his first start of the season. He has just seven at-bats so far, but his two hits are more than Kurtz, Lawrence Butler and Jeff McNeil, and have him tied with Denzel Clarke.
Even with Chris Sale on the mound on Wednesday, Ibáñez could find himself in the lineup once again as Kotsay looks to roll with the few hot hands that he has.
The first closing opportunity goes to...
Mark Leiter Jr. was one of the two veteran additions to the bullpen the A's made this past offseason, and on Tuesday night with the A's holding a three-run lead, he was the one that took the ball in the bottom of the ninth. While it wasn't pretty, he got the job done.
Michael Harris II immediately singled to center, and after a Dominic Smith fly out to left, Mauricio Dubón singled himself, putting runners at first and second for the top of the Braves lineup. A pair of nasty splitters to Ronald Acuña Jr. took care of the former NL MVP, and Drake Baldwin popped out on another splitter to end the game on his bobblehead day.
Leiter only used three of his six pitch types in this one, relying mostly on his sinker (46%), followed by the curveball (31%) and splitter (21%). He only threw three splitters, and two of them recorded outs, while the other received a big swing-and-miss from Acuña to get him to two strikes in the first place.
Aaron Civale's A's debut
The first win of the season goes to another new face in Aaron Civale. His start was a little worrisome in the first inning after he gave up a solo home run to Baldwin just two batters into the inning, but he settled in quite nicely and ended up with a solid outing.
His final line was five innings, four hits, two earned runs, one walk and three strikeouts. He ended up throwing 87 pitches, 55 for strikes. He filled up the zone, which is something the A's are fond of, especially after the five walk performance that Jacob Lopez had the night before.
The one tweak he made to his arsenal, at least for this game, was that he upped his sinker usage from 17% last year to 28% last night. His four-seamer usage went down because of this, from 16% to 6%. The four-seamer was the more effective pitch for him of the two last year, so we'll have to see if this was a gameplan thing against Atlanta, or something to watch for the rest of the season.
A's, Braves ace showdown
Wednesday's series finale will be started by the aces of each team, with Luis Severino going for the green and gold, and Chris Sale heading to the mound for Atlanta.
In his first start of the season, Severino went five innings against a tough Toronto Blue Jays lineup, giving up three hits and two earned runs, walking three and striking out three more. The two runs that he allowed came around to score on a defensive miscue in the A's outfield that wasn't ruled an error, but it was certainly a play that should have been made.
In other words, he pitched pretty well and may have gone deeper into the game if not for the misplay.
Sale on the other hand held the offensively challenged Kansas City Royals in check for six scoreless, giving up three hits, hitting a batter, walking three and striking out six. The A's offense will be a more formidable test, but they could also present some strikeout opportunities for Sale. Facing the lefty will be a good early season test for the A's to gauge where they're at.
First pitch is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. (PDT).
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Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.
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