The Athletics’ spoiler magic ran out last week, as the team dropped all six games of its final road trip against the first-place Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays. Tonight, the A’s open the last week of the season with the first of two matchups against the Los Angeles Angels, with both teams trying to avoid finishing at the bottom of the American League West standings.
Additionally, with a looming offseason lockout leaving the fate of the 2027 season up in the air, this week may mark the end
of the Athletics’ time in Sacramento, which served as a placeholder while their new stadium in Las Vegas gets built. All the more reason for the A’s to try to close out 2026 with a winning homestand.
Roster Move
Before the game, the A’s made a roster move.
Rookie infielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer has recovered from a ruptured testicle to rejoin the Athletics for the remainder of the season. He spent the past few days on a rehab assignment with the franchise’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, who begin their quest for the Pacific Coast League championship today.
To make room for him, fellow infielder Max Muncy lands on the injured list with left knee chondromalacia, also known as runner’s knee. Additionally, J.T. Ginn, who was shut down for the season a couple of weeks ago, moves to the 60-day injured list.
Game Preview
Back to the game, left-hander Brady Basso will get the A’s final homestand underway. The 28-year-old enters his 25th appearance and seventh opener assignment of the season with a 1-3 record, a 4.50 ERA, a 1.48 WHIP and 28 strikeouts in 40 innings.
Tonight will be Basso’s third consecutive outing as his team’s opener. Two starts ago, he pitched four scoreless innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the southpaw struggled in his most recent outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing four runs on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings.
The A’s will hope Basso pitches as well as he did in his last home game. Yesterday’s off day means the team’s league-worst bullpen is well-rested should Basso’s second career appearance and first start against the Angels only last a couple innings.
Here’s the A’s lineup for the series opener:
At the very least, this lineup should ensure the A’s will be defensively sound, with no players being asked to play out of position. Kuroda-Grauer, who will hopefully remember his cup this time, immediately finds himself in the starting nine at second base. His MLB career was off to a hot start before he suffered the unfortunate injury. Will JKG pick up where he left off, or will he be rusty after spending weeks on the sidelines?
Further down the lineup, center fielder Denzel Clarke receives a rare start to showcase his athleticism on the baseball field. Everyone knows how good a fielder Clarke is, but the jury is still out on whether he will hit enough to warrant a full-time spot on a major league roster. If the A’s want to win, they will need offensive production from Clarke, shortstop Alika Williams and five-hole hitter Tommy White.
The A’s offense will face Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is finishing up an injury-plagued campaign. The 35-year-old enters his 13th start of the season with a 1-6 record, a 5.02 ERA, a 1.55 WHIP and 58 strikeouts over 57 1/3 innings.
Tuesday night will be Kikuchi’s first start against the Athletics this season. He has gone 3-5 with a 4.20 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 14 appearances vs. the A’s in his career. Last year, the veteran went 1-2 in three games against the Green and Gold.
And Los Angeles’ starting nine:
The Angels’ lineup quality drops dramatically after Zach Neto and Mike Trout at the top of the order. First baseman Vaughn Grissom has had a solid season, while catcher Moisés Ballesteros was one of the well-known prospects the team acquired during its trade-deadline selloff.
Time to start this final homestand strong and avoid another last-place finish in the division. Let’s go, A’s!
Follow the Game:
Watch:
Athletics – NBCSCA
Listen:
Athletics -Talk 650 KSTE, KVMX 92.1/105.5, A’s Cast
