It’s the last Thursday of the 2026 MLB regular season, and if you’re an AL West contender, you could not ask for a better gift than what the schedule-makers handed Houston: a series in Sacramento against the Athletics. This isn’t just any regular season finale, it is a truly lopsided matchup that sets up Houston perfectly to control their destiny.
Oakland’s Farewell Tour Is a Total Collapse
Forget “nothing to see here,” as the source article wisely quotes Lt. Frank Drebin. This Athletics team is a legitimate disaster, a full-blown collapse that has been brutal to watch. They are going to finish well under .500 for a fifth straight season, and honestly, you have to feel for manager Mark Kotsay. It seems highly unlikely he’s back in 2027, unless ownership is so cheap they just do not want to pay him to not manage next season. This whole situation is wild, especially with the team playing its last season in Sacramento before heading to its permanent Las Vegas home. This squad was actually hovering around .500 back in May, but then the injury bug hit hard. Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers, Jacob Wilson, and Tyler Soderstrom, all missing significant time, and you cannot pin that on Kotsay. They have been MLB’s worst team since July 1, just absolutely falling off a cliff.
Pitching Nightmare and Launching Pad Chaos
Tonight, the Athletics are trotting out Mason Barnett, and if you have been watching this season, you know what that means. Barnett’s record is a grim 1-4 with a 7.16 ERA, and the Athletics have lost the past 11 times he has taken the mound, in any form. He was sent down in late August, recalled last week, and then gave up three runs and seven hits over 3.1 innings in a loss at Cleveland. Sure, he did throw four shutout innings against the Astros way back in June, but that was in relief and only his second outing of the season. The SportsLine Projection Model has him down for only 4.6 innings tonight, which screams “pseudo-bullpen game” for a team already in shambles.
The game is happening at Sutter Health Park, which is absolutely a minor-league launching pad. We are talking a total of 11 runs here, and with winds blowing out at about 10 mph tonight, you can expect some fireworks from Houston’s bats. It is no surprise that Houston is taking better than 93% of the handle and tickets on the money line. People know this is a gift.
This series kicks off tonight at 9:40 ET, and for the AL West-contending Astros, it is an opportunity to finish strong. With Mason Barnett on the mound for the A’s, and the winds blowing out in Sacramento, this game feels like a clear path for Houston to seize control as the regular season winds down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply