The Athletics have quietly become one of the more intriguing teams to follow in the MLB this season — and not just because they’ve finally escaped the confines of the Oakland Coliseum. Now calling Sacramento their temporary home, the A’s sit at 22–28, last in the A.L. West, clinging to relevance in a division that’s quickly leaving them behind.
Following their eighth straight loss — a league-worst streak — frustrations have clearly started to boil over. During their latest defeat to the division rival Los Angeles Angels, cameras caught A’s starter J.P. Sears slamming the back of his head against a wooden ledge in the dugout, then letting out what can only be described as a stream of expletives. The moment quickly made the rounds.
Sure, Sears had a rough outing: eight hits, six earned runs in just five innings. But his frustration wasn’t just about pitch execution. There’s a deeper layer to what’s unraveling with this team—and it’s not just inside the dugout.
Angels broadcast highlights A's "home" ballpark struggles
The reality is, the Athletics are in a strange limbo. Their temporary home in Sacramento will host them for the next three years until their move to Las Vegas becomes official. These are the conditions they’re stuck with. As the Angels' broadcast put it, “Whether they enjoy these facilities or not, these are the cards they’ve been dealt… You never know how these guys are feeling—they’ve played poorly in this ballpark.”
That sentiment stings because it’s true. The A’s are 8–16 at home, tied with the Orioles for the worst home record in the American League. Of those 24 games, they’ve managed five or more runs just 10 times — many of those runs the result of infield dribblers and defensive miscues more than slugging power.
Meanwhile, the Angels are rubbing salt in the wound. In their four-game series in Sacramento, they’ve outscored the A’s 21–13, including a 10–5 rout on May 21. And the scoreboard doesn’t fully capture the dominance.
What makes all this more frustrating for A’s fans is that this roster doesn’t look hopeless on paper. Jacob Wilson is hitting .341 over 47 games. Miguel Andujar is batting .316 through 36 appearances. Jeffrey Springs holds a 3.91 ERA through 10 starts. There are signs of life here.
But the parts haven’t clicked. The team is like a recipe with all the right ingredients — only no chef in the kitchen to bring it together.
Whether it's the unfamiliar dugout, the awkward temporary home atmosphere, or just plain underperformance, one thing is clear: this stretch of baseball isn’t sustainable. And if things don’t change soon, the road to Las Vegas might feel longer than three years.