SEATTLE -- The pregame message that Athletics manager Mark Kotsay conveyed to his team inside the clubhouse Thursday afternoon was simple: 20 out of 22.
“That’s the amount of games we have left against playoff-contending teams,” Kotsay said. “There’s a lot to play for for us. For the experience, and to go out and try to wreck people’s season, really. We’ve got an opportunity here to do that for the next 20 out of 22.”
First up is this weekend’s four-game series with the division-rival Mariners, who entered Thursday’s series finale trailing in the American League West race by five games and desperate for wins.
“We should have some pride in that,” Kotsay said. “These teams are playing for their lives. … Any time a team is five [games] out in a division race, every out matters. That’s what we’re seeing with the way [the Mariners] just played in Boston and the way they’re going to come out and play this weekend.”
The A’s certainly made life difficult for their AL West foes, dropping Seattle further in the standings with a 7-4 victory at T-Mobile Park.
As for the pride, that was evident throughout this one based on the emotion exhibited on the field. Look no further than reliever Luis Medina, who after escaping a jam in the eighth inning with a strikeout of Cole Young to preserve a two-run lead let out a huge and audible roar before walking off the mound.
Medina was part of an A’s bullpen largely responsible for this win. After starter Jack Perkins was pulled following three innings due to a heavy workload of 86 pitches, the relief quartet of Scott Blewett, Chris Roycroft, Medina and Hogan Harris combined to shut the Mariners down across the game’s final six scoreless innings with a combined 11 strikeouts.
Bullpen struggles have led to the A’s cycling through a bevy of arms throughout this season. A large focus of this final month is identifying potential relievers they can count on beyond 2026.
Blewett was acquired from the Cardinals in July. Roycroft was claimed off waivers from the Rays in August. On Thursday, both continued building their cases to stick around, as Blewett went two scoreless with four strikeouts and was followed by Roycroft, who allowed one run in 1 2/3 innings.
Blewett has not allowed a run in six of his last seven appearances. Roycroft, meanwhile, has only allowed one run in his first three appearances with the A’s, all multi-inning outings.
“Blewett was outstanding,” Kotsay said. “That was probably the big turning point. We took the lead and he went back out and held that. Roycroft was great. … Both those guys stepped up tonight. It’s an area that we’re trying to address and we’ve made a lot of moves in. To see these two come in and perform like they did tonight, it’s a big positive.”
Offensively, the A’s were able to get to Mariners starter Kade Anderson -- rated the No. 5 overall prospect in baseball by MLB Pipeline -- with four runs in five innings. A large part of that production came from Zack Gelof, who ambushed a first-pitch fastball from the left-hander for a solo shot to right in the first, then singled in the fifth and stole second to set up a two-run single by Lawrence Butler.
Gelof dished out some credit to his brother, Jake, a Double-A prospect with the Dodgers, for sending him information on Anderson ahead of the game.
“My brother sent me the scouting report on him because he faced him like two weeks ago,” Gelof said. “He’s obviously really good and has been carving in the Minor Leagues. I was trying to get a pitch to hit. I got one and didn’t miss it.”
Asked about Kotsay’s pregame message, Gelof said it isn’t necessarily a “pride” factor for the players. They take pride in every game. What they do view this final stretch as, however, is a chance to prepare for the playoff contention they hope to find themselves in around this time next year.
“We want to be in a spot to win and be in this position next year,” Gelof said. “We want to be going for the playoffs. So, I think Kots’ message was received like, ‘This is going to be a playoff push next year. So, we have to get ready for it right now.’ That’s what we’re doing as a team, and I feel like it showed today.”