Elephant Rumblings: Ginn’s Breakout Continues Despite Loss

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SACRAMENTO, CA - MAY 13: J.T. Ginn #35 of the Athletics throws the ball to first base during the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Welcome to Tuesday everyone!

We were treated to some grade-A pitching last night from young right-hander J.T. Ginn. For eight innings the 26-year-old only allowed one walk while taking a no-hitter into the ninth. We’re going to ignore what happened in the final inning from last night’s game because we can.

That performance dropped Ginn’s season ERA to a nice 2.98 through 11 games. That number alone is good for ninth-best in the American League but his dominance goes deeper than that. One must remember that Ginn didn’t even begin the season in the starting rotation, instead acting as a long man out of the bullpen for the first couple turns through the rotation. If we’re only looking at his starting appearances that number drops to 2.64 in eight starts.

Not a lot of people expected Ginn to take off quite like he has this year. In his first cup of coffee in 2024 he showed glimpses of what had the A’s so high on him. He had some bumps and bruises in his first extended action last year though, going from starter to reliever and back to starter again as a rookie. Not an easy situation for anyone to deal with, especially someone who is still trying to find their footing in the big leagues. Add on top of that Ginn allowing 17 runs in 16 innings of work this spring and no one would blame you for being caught off guard by Ginn’s ascent.

Since getting his shot he’s done what tons of pitchers in this league try and fail to accomplish: take advantage of their opportunity. Ginn could have very easily been a spot-starter had he struggled, with someone like Mason Barnett waiting in the wings for his own chance. Instead he’s relied on terrific command while keeping the ball in the ballpark. The strikeouts aren’t the name of his game as he’s instead relying on that heavy sinker to get the ground balls he wants. That’s especially useful in a hitter’s park like Sutter Health Park.

Going forward it’s good to be hopeful that Ginn has truly unlocked something and this isn’t just a hot streak. Every A’s fan was perfectly happy to let Ginn go for history tonight, pitch count be damned. That said, it may be prudent to keep a handle on his innings count going forward. Acquired in the trade that sent Chris Bassitt to New York, Ginn already has a Tommy John surgery on his ledger and he pitched a career-high 112 1/3 frames last year. He’s already departed one game earlier this year with “arm soreness”.

How high is the limit for Ginn? Scouts always believes he would, at best, settle in as a backend 4th/5th starter type but he’s making everyone rethink that calculus. And if he keeps this up he’s going to be in the rotation long-term, waiting for guys like Gage Jump and Jamie Arnold to hurry up and join him in the big league rotation.

Same time same place for tonight’s game. Have a great day A’s fans.

A’s Coverage:​

MLB News and Interest:​

Best of X:​


Injury updates!

A’s injuries:
– Denzel Clarke will continue rehab with Triple-A Las Vegas tomorrow
– Jacob Wilson continues to strenghten and stabilize his shoulder. No timetable for return
– Max Muncy has begun a swing progression. Still no timetable
– Gunnar Hoglund shut down from throwing

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 18, 2026

Updated prospect list:

Baseball America's updated top 10 A's prospects list: 1) SS Leo De Vries, 2) LHP Jamie Arnold, 3) LHP Gage Jump, 4) LHP Wei-En Lin, 5) SS Johenssy Colome, 6) OF Henry Bolte, 7) RHP Braden Nett, 8) SS Edgar Montero, 9) SS Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, 10) OF Devin Taylor

— Bill Moriarity – A's Farm (@AthleticsFarm) May 18, 2026

Stefanic heading down to Triple-A:

Michael Stefanic has been outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas.

— Jason Burke (@ByJasonB) May 19, 2026

The streak continues:

Nick Kurtz extends his on-base streak to 41 games with a double. That ties Eddie Joost for the fifth-longest single-season streak in A's history.

The longest on-base streak during the 2025 season was also 41 by Kyle Schwarber.

— Martín Gallegos (@MartinJGallegos) May 19, 2026

It’s pretty good:

Is this good? This seems good pic.twitter.com/3s0iQWKcsw

— Athletics on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) May 19, 2026

A’s great Gio Urshela riding off into the sunset:

The Happiest of Fellas and former #Athletics infielder Gio Urshela has announced his retirement from baseball!

The 34 year old concluded his 10-year career, playing 3B for 8 teams.

Congratulations on a great career! pic.twitter.com/RpHOj7YEeK

— SleeperAthletics (@SleeperAth) May 18, 2026

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