The Athletics have been in Oakland since 1968, but have never had a homestand like the one which concluded Sunday at the Coliseum.

The A’s were riding the wave of a five-game win streak in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee to close out a nine-game road trip that started with four straight losses to Miami.

Arriving home to face Tampa Bay, which has gone wire to wire in terms of having the best record in baseball, the A’s beat the Rays 4-3 on Monday night before a crowd of 4,848, setting up the fan-organized “reverse boycott” night protesting the club’s proposed move to Las Vegas.

On one of the most memorable nights in their history at the Coliseum, 27,759 showed up to see the A’s beat the Rays again 2-1. Until that game, the A’s average attendance for five Tuesday night home dates was 3,913.

“It was really fun. The atmosphere was electric,” A’s outfielder Brent Rooker said. “It’s what I felt like a playoff atmosphere would be. We had a ton of fun and they made their voices heard for sure.”

In the hours leading up to the game, the Nevada Legislature approved a $1.5 billion stadium deal which was met by the usual silence of owner John Fisher and official statements from the A’s that expressed their enthusiasm for the move while never mentioning Oakland or Alameda County.

What followed was five straight losses, two to the Rays and then a sweep against defending National League champion Phillies, the last game Sunday before a festive Father’s Day crowd of 24,326.

The A’s are 19-55, having departed on a six-game road trip which begins Tuesday night against Cleveland (33-38) and Toronto (39-34), two teams that remain in playoff contention. The Guardians swept the A’s in three games at the Coliseum during their homestand.

It will be the A’s first series against Toronto, which includes two prominent former Athletics in third baseman Matt Chapman and pitcher Chris Bassitt.

With 88 games left to play in a 162-game season, Las Vegas isn’t something A’s players think much about unless it’s the possibility of being sent to play for the Las Vegas Aviators, the club’s Triple-A affiliate.

“A lot of us are trying to fight for the day and aren’t worried about what tomorrow or next year holds,” relief pitcher Sam Moll said. “That’s probably the best mentality you can have. As for tomorrow, whatever happens, happens.”

To manager Mark Kotsay, time is on the side of the A’s, who despite having lost the last five games are playing much better than they did earlier in the season where blowouts were common.

The A’s lost 3-2 both Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies, with the Saturday game going 12 innings.

“I think they’re looking forward to the grind because it allows us time to continue to win games,” Kotsay said. “We’ve talked about how time is our ally and we’re going to continue to fight. We showed that this series (against Philadelphia). We’re going to Cleveland. We played them earlier this year and didn’t have much success.”

The most dramatic improvement for the A’s has been with their starting pitching. In their last 13 games, Athletics starting pitchers are 4-3 with a 3.29 earned run average after going 2-32 with a 7.19 ERA in the first 61 games.

The return of 2023 All-Star Paul Blackburn has helped from both a performance and leadership standpoint, and there has been a ripple effect throughout the starting staff.

J.P. Sears, James Kaprielian and Hogan Harris all had solid starts against the Phillies, keeping the A’s within striking distance in contrast to having huge early deficits.

“J.P. did well, Kap did well, and I’ll do well and we just feed off each other, continuing to prove to each other we’re all pretty darned good,” Harris said. “Every game was pretty much down to the wire. Unfortunate losses, but overall I think there’s a lot of positives.”

If the starting staff can continue, the A’s can cash in with more victories if they have a better offensive output, particularly with runners in scoring position. In the Saturday loss to Philadelphia, the A’s were 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-4 in the loss Sunday.

However, struggling veterans such as Tony Kemp (4-for-8) and Aledmys Diaz (pinch-hit home run) showed signs of breaking long slumps. Catcher Shea Langeliers was 2-for-20 on the homestand and has seen his average drop to .205.

Meanwhile, catcher Tyler Soderstrom, a left-handed hitter considered the organization’s No. 1 prospect, has 15 homers and 47 RBIs for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Related Articles

• Oakland Athletics |
  Yankees know A’s fans are hurting after years spent in Montreal and Oakland
• Oakland Athletics |
  Athletics fall to Phillies, end homestand with fifth straight loss
• Oakland Athletics |
  Father’s Day in conjunction with Athletics relocation hits home with wave of nostalgia
• Oakland Athletics |
  Was gambling the deciding factor in Oakland A’s planned move to Las Vegas?
• Oakland Athletics |
  Athletics push aside the reality of a lame duck season at Coliseum in 2024

“It’s baseball, you have your ups, you have your downs and right now I’m really struggling but I’m coming to the ballpark every day to get better and doing all I can,” Langeliers said. “I’m trying to battle.”

Overall, Langeliers believes the A’s are making progress despite what the won-loss record says.

“The Rays are the best in baseball right now. We split the series with them,” Langeliers said. “I felt we were in all three games with the Phillies and they were in the World Series last year. It’s something we can build off of.”