SEATTLE -- You hear the phrase “taxed bullpen” commonly used around baseball. The Athletics’ bullpen was the very definition of that heading into Saturday night.
The A’s took the first two games of this four-game series against the Mariners, but those wins came at a cost. Due to back-to-back short outings by their starters, the A’s had to utilize seven different relievers to cover 11 1/3 innings in those two victories. Five of those relievers went more than one inning, while Hogan Harris recorded the save in both to make it three straight days with an appearance.
Suffice to say, the A’s were in dire need of length, and that’s exactly what Jeffrey Springs provided by shutting down the Mariners across seven scoreless innings in Saturday’s 6-2 win over Seattle at T-Mobile Park.
You wouldn’t exactly have pegged Springs for this type of performance based on how this season has gone. The left-hander carried a 6.37 ERA that ranked third highest in the Majors (min. 100 innings pitched), and his 9.05 ERA over his previous 13 starts dating back to the beginning of June was the worst by any MLB pitcher (min. 50 IP) in that span by more than a run.
However, Springs does have a history of success against the Mariners, particularly at T-Mobile Park, where he held a 2.45 ERA in eight games (three starts) over his career entering Saturday. So, in some ways, Saturday was a throwback to those good times for Springs. He dominated the Mariners with an efficient 81 pitches through seven innings, allowing just two hits -- a pair of singles by Cal Raleigh -- and two walks.
“Couldn’t be more proud of Jeff tonight,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “It’s been a trying season for him in all facets, whether it’s health or just performance. He’s been grinding really hard. He’s a guy with a lot of pride. For him to go out tonight and give us seven scoreless innings, it was on his shoulders to go out there and do that. What a great night for him and the team.”
Springs’ fourth win of 2026 was his first since April 14 against the Rangers. He’d been dominant to that point, with a 1.42 ERA through four starts.
But after April 14, he endured a brutal stretch, going 0-13 with a 7.60 ERA over his next 21 starts and exceeding 5 2/3 innings just three times during that period.
After snapping a streak of 13 straight losses on Saturday -- the sixth-longest such streak in A’s franchise history -- Springs was just grateful to contribute to a win again.
“I feel like I finally did my job,” Springs said. “The bullpen has been huge and covered a lot of innings, so I was just trying to go as deep as possible. … I don’t really care who gets the win. I’m just glad to finally do my part for once. It’s been way too long.”
Springs was backed by another strong night for the A’s offense, which got to Mariners starter George Kirby with four runs through the first four innings, including a solo shot by Max Muncy, who homered for a second consecutive day. Lawrence Butler added on later in the eighth with a booming two-run shot to left, eliciting boos from a Seattle crowd frustrated by its home team’s continued fall in the standings.
Last week, Butler said the A's were embracing the opportunity to give playoff-contending clubs “a little early vacation” by playing spoiler. The A’s have certainly put a damper on those dwindling playoff dreams for the Mariners, who are now seven games back of first place in the AL West and six back of a Wild Card spot.
“You always want to win games,” Butler said. “If you can go out there and ruin somebody’s season, that’s always pretty cool.”
Ruining playoff dreams was secondary for Butler in this one, though. This night was all about Springs, a beloved teammate who continues grinding through the toughest season of his career.
“I’m happy for him,” Butler said. “He’s a great dude. I like to talk to him off the field about baseball and other things. I know he’s been struggling, so it was pretty cool to see him go out there and deal like I know he can.”