The A’s dropped their sixth straight heartbreaker on Monday night, falling 4-3 to the Angels in Sacramento in a game that felt like a bad rerun. The A’s couldn’t cash in late. The bullpen held it close, but once again, the offense came up just short in the moments that mattered. The A’s had the tying run on in scoring position in the ninth but couldn’t deliver the big swing to flip the script.

Meanwhile, the Angels did just enough to keep their win streak alive, using a three-run third inning and a clutch bullpen escape in the ninth to lock it down. The Halos, fresh off a sweep of the Dodgers, looked confident and composed while the A’s continue searching for answers. It's not panic time yet, but the frustration is building. The energy is slipping, and if someone doesn’t step up soon, this thing could spiral fast.

The wheels came off late—again. Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth, the A’s turned to Tyler Ferguson to slam the door and give the A's a shot at snapping their four-game skid. Instead, the Giants kicked that door off its hinges. A leadoff walk, a bloop single, and a well-placed grounder later, the game was tied. Then came the gut punch—a two-out RBI knock that gave San Francisco a 3-2 lead they wouldn't give back.

Just like that, the A’s handed over another winnable game, and with it, the Giants walked off with a two-game sweep and full bragging rights in the Bay. The A's bullpen, which has been surprisingly solid most of the season, blinked in the biggest moment, and the offense once again couldn't muster a late response. It wasn’t just a loss—it was a missed opportunity to change the tone. And right now, that tone sounds a lot like silence.

The A’s head to San Francisco for a pivotal three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, closing out a brutal 19-game stretch that has tested their depth, grit, and identity. Sitting at 8-8 with the goal of going 9-10, the A’s need at least one win to hit the mark—and two to make a real statement. But standing in their way is a veteran Giants team built on pitching, defense, and discipline, led by ace Logan Webb, who toes the rubber in Friday’s opener with a 2.61 ERA and a bag full of ground-ball-inducing tricks. After two blowout losses to the Dodgers, this is a gut-check series for a young A’s club looking to reassert its fight. On today’s Locked on A’s Show we break down what makes the Giants tick, how their recent slide could open the door for an upset, and the keys for the A’s to take two of three from one of the most fundamentally sound clubs in baseball. From patient at-bats against Webb to lefty-on-lefty matchups and the importance of clean defense, we cover it all. Plus, we zoom out to look at where the A’s stand in the big picture—and why this weekend in San Francisco might just be the spark that lights the next chapter of the 2025 season.