Aug 9, 2025: Orioles edge Athletics 3-2 as Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle go back-to-back; Brent Rooker fuels late charge; Luis Severino hits IL (oblique).
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
On a humid Saturday night at Camden Yards, the Athletics spotted Baltimore two quick runs on back-to-back first-inning homers and spent the rest of the evening chasing. The late push had some juice, but the Orioles held on for a 3-2 win that nudged Oakland to 51-67 and kept them in fifth in the AL West. The loss stung on its own, but the bigger story is what’s coming: a rotation shuffle after Luis Severino hit the injured list with a left oblique strain.
“Back-to-back in the first, one run short at the end.” The night boiled down to slim margins and early damage the A’s couldn’t quite erase.
Baltimore jumped ahead instantly with Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle going back-to-back in the first. From there, the A’s settled in, clawing back and turning a quiet middle into a tight finish, but they couldn’t land the final punch. It’s the kind of August game that magnifies every pitch: a mislocated first-inning heater, a missed two-out RBI chance, a relay that’s a beat late. Oakland’s pitching mostly stabilized after the early jolt, and the offense kept pressure on late, but the two mistakes at the start loomed all night.
Brent Rooker came in with 23 homers and 66 RBI, and he looked the part again as the middle-of-the-order anchor opponents game-plan around. Jacob Wilson, steady as a metronome, maintained a .312 average and continues to give the lineup professional at-bats. For a club living on slim margins, that combination—middle-order thump and top-tier contact—has to translate into runs earlier so the A’s aren’t always hunting from behind.
The A’s placed Luis Severino on the 15-day IL (retro to Aug. 6) with a left oblique strain, and that’s a gut punch. Obliques are tricky; even the optimistic timelines can wobble. Beyond the name value, Severino represented stability every fifth day, and this staff has been fighting all season to stack quality starts. Without him, Oakland loses a tone-setter and a veteran presence on days when the bullpen is already stretched thin.
Osvaldo Bido is the next domino. He opened the year starting (5.82 ERA in 9 starts) before shifting to the ‘pen, and the A’s are considering moving him back into the rotation with a target of 65+ pitches. That suggests a ramp-up—think hybrid outings or tandem looks until he’s fully stretched. In a corresponding move, lefty Hogan Harris was recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas. Harris, 28, has logged a 4.35 ERA over 41 1/3 MLB innings this season and a 4.30 ERA in 14 2/3 minor-league frames. He’s worked primarily in relief in 2025, and while his role isn’t locked in, he gives Mark Kotsay another multi-inning lever to pull while the rotation resets.
Short term, expect more bullpen chess. If Bido isn’t fully built up, the bridge innings increase in importance—those sixth and seventh frames where games tilt. Harris can help cover those pockets, especially against lefty-heavy pockets, while the staff decides whether to commit Bido to a full starter’s build or keep the carousel moving with bulk pairs. Offensively, the path forward is simple: cash in earlier. The A’s are getting credible production from Rooker and reliable table-setting from Wilson; turning those into crooked numbers before the late innings would spare a taxed staff from razor-edge finishes night after night.
The Orioles got their damage in two swings; the A’s had to scratch and claw for every inch and ran out of innings. With Severino down, the next week becomes a rotation puzzle: Can Bido ramp cleanly? Where does Hogan Harris slot to keep the middle innings afloat? If Oakland pairs timely early offense with cleaner bridges, these one-run heartbreakers can flip. August is about finding answers—on the mound and in the batting order—before the clock runs out on 2025 evaluations.
