Elephant Rumblings: A’s headed for worst finish of Oakland era

Happy Wednesday, Athletics Nation!

In fits and starts, the A’s have shown improvement since the All-Star break. They looked like they were turning a corner after the series win in Houston last week. At that point, the A’s had just completed a .500 road trip through Texas and had a winning September record as they headed back to Oakland for their final homestand of 2023.

Alas, since then, the A’s have looked as feckless as ever. The Padres swept them handily through the weekend, and the Mariners have piled on another pair of defeats, leaving the A’s with a five-game losing streak—and a 1-11 record against the M’s this season. Hopefully Oakland will stave off another sweep today to salvage a modicum of dignity.

In spite of this home skid, the A’s have won at a significantly faster clip since the All-Star break, which the team entered at 25-67, a pace barely ahead of the 2003 Detroit Tigers, whose 43 wins are the fewest any MLB team has won in a 162-game season.

The A’s are 21-38 since the Midsummer Classic, and this modest improvement has dispelled the danger of setting a new MLB low mark. However, it appears highly probable at this point that the 2023 squad will finish worse than the 1979 Oakland A’s, whose 54-108 record currently stands as the nadir of the Oakland era. With 11 games left to play, the A’s need to win nine in order to finish at 55-107.

Now, I’m rather fond of the ‘79 A’s, because that was the team featured on the Topps baseball cards I began collecting as a youngster way back in 1980. The set includes the Rickey Henderson rookie card.

But you really need to squint to see the silver linings in the midst of consecutive 100-plus loss seasons, as we now stand. What are your favorite consolations in this “we’re the worst team in baseball and we’re moving to Vegas” 2023 season? I could use some cheering up—but if you just don’t have it in you, feel free to talk about the over/under on the A’s losing triple digits for a third consecutive year in 2024.

A’s Coverage:

• A’s drop sixth straight, fall to Mariners 7-2
• Kemp relishes A’s tenure as free agency looms
• A’s close in on franchise lowlight with Oakland loss record of 108 in reach ($)
• Radio host claims A’s will have ‘tough time’ building Vegas fan base
• Here are the 2023 Single-A All-Stars and award winners
• Oakland to negotiate with pro soccer teams for a pop up stadium near the Coliseum ($)

MLB News & Interest:

• Shohei Ohtani Undergoes Elbow Surgery
• Details From Rays’ Stadium Announcement
• Are the Braves the greatest offense in baseball history? They’re making quite a case ($)
• Bowden: My early award predictions for MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and more ($)
• Drew Pomeranz Shut Down For Remainder Of 2023 Season
• Braves Reinstate Jesse Chavez, Designate Lucas Luetge For Assignment
• The Padres’ disastrous season reveals shaky foundation and ‘institutional failure’ ($)
• The story of Chaim Bloom’s 4 years running the Red Sox, in 10 of his moves ($)
• The Giants Are MLB’s Most Boring Postseason Contenders
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Roster moves.

Bleday update.

Perhaps it really is just we who can’t have nice things.

Horsin’ around.

Congrats, All-Star!

Like a garage sale, but in a tent.