Elephant Rumblings: Forst’s Thoughts; Second Half Starts Tonight

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MESA, ARIZONA - MARCH 22, 2026: Tommy White #47 of the Athletics bats during the second inning of a spring training Spring Breakout game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Hohokam Stadium on March 22, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Bernacchi/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images

Welcome to Friday everyone!

Yesterday General Manager David Forst spoke on the team before the start of the second half yesterday. The recent losing skid has all but eliminated the A’s from the postseason hunt as they now own the third-worst record in the American League, and he and the front office recognize that:

Forst on A's first half: "Unfortunately, it's colored a lot by the way we played the past three weeks. Much of the first half, we did a nice job. We were in first and hung with the Mariners and Rangers until June, and I thought we had better baseball ahead of us."

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

It’s true. The A’s were looking like they’d be a pest in the playoff race all year before this recent cold spell. Alas, the team has put themselves in a major hole and Forst has watched just like the rest of us. Fangraphs gives the team a 2% chance to make the post season. He sounds like someone who is preparing to be a seller in a couple of weeks. He mentions that it’s technically not too late yet…

Forst: "Everyone has injuries and underperformance. Those aren't excuses. But certainly, that's part of our story right now. … I'm hopeful we're going to get Nick and Zack back in short time. But we obviously need to start playing better baseball in a hurry."

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

… but it’s almost there and anything less than a scorching start to the second half won’t cut it. The next four series are against teams hovering around .500 so the A’s will be facing motivated teams. Will the cold spell follow the squad into the second half?

Forst also said that left-hander Jacob Lopez would be moving back into the starting rotation with Aaron Civale’s departure:

With Aaron Civale getting DFA’d, Jacob Lopez will move into the rotation.

A’s rotation lineup for start of second half: Gage Jump, J.T. Ginn, Jacob Lopez, Jeffrey Springs, Jack Perkins.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

Anyway. The second half begins tonight as they welcome the Washington Nationals to Sacramento for a three-game weekend series. Washington has exceeded expectations through the first half, hovering around .500 and currently just a game under at 48-49. They’re fourth in the tough NL East but that record is still good enough to have them just four games out of the third and final Wild Card spot in the NL.

The problem for them is they have five teams to jump if they want to make a playoff push. Ending the first half on a three-game losing streak wasn’t helpful for them. These next couple of weeks will determine which way Washington goes this trade deadline season. They’re likely leaning towards selling or standing pat but a strong start to their second half could convince them to buy. They’ll have their ace Cade Cavalli going for them tonight to start the series, followed by Zack Littel on Saturday night and Foster Griffin on Sunday in the finale.

Left-hander Gage Jump will get things started for the A’s, getting the ball for tonight’s start. Righty J.T. Ginn will follow, and then we’ll see the return of Lopez to the starting rotation. We should also be seeing a major league debut tonight: infield prospect Tommy White has gotten the call to The Show and will presumably be in the starting lineup at first base in place of the injured Nick Kurtz. We may also see another prospect in reliever Yunior Tur make his big league debut. Let the youth movement begin!

First pitch is at 6:40. Have a great day A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:​

MLB News and Interest:​

Best of X:​


Next year’s schedule is out!

A’s 2027 schedule is out:
– Opening Day at Pittsburgh (March 25)
– Home opener vs Cubs (April 5)
– Las Vegas Series May 31-June 5 (vs. Padres/Reds) pic.twitter.com/HB9zIiWBRG

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

New bullpen coach to replace Hubbs:

A's will promote Double-A Midland pitching coach Javy Guerra to the big league coaching staff. Former Major League reliever who won a World Series with Nationals in 2019.

"He and Dan have spent a lot of time together the last few days figuring out how to prepare," Forst said.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

Love it!

As I’ve said time and time again:

The young core, The Future Avengers of this team is subtly being assembled

The A’s will be the leagues problem for years to come‼️ pic.twitter.com/4eDhzKB6dy

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) July 16, 2026

More from Forst:

Forst on if Scott Emerson's dismissal is a wake-up call: "I'm not real big on sending messages. These guys are pros. They know when it's time to play. … These guys understand they need to play better if they want to be in a pennant race."

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) July 16, 2026

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