Sunday's 1:05 PM PT first pitch at Sutter Health Park caps a series between the 30-45 Angels and the 36-38 Athletics, and neither side is exactly riding momentum. The A's have dropped 3 of their last 4, including a 12-4 beatdown by the Pirates. The Angels have alternated wins and losses all week and are coming off a 1-8 loss in Arizona.
The story for the Angels is still Mike Trout, who has been the version of himself everyone forgot existed. Playing center field regularly for the first time in years, Trout is up to 16 home runs with a .852 OPS and leads the league in runs scored, including a 436-foot two-run shot in last week's 7-0 shutout of the Diamondbacks. If the A's bullpen wobbles, he's the guy who makes them pay.
Sacramento's pitching staff is the soft spot here. J.T. Ginn has been the only reliable arm in the rotation (3.15 ERA), and the bullpen has been openly described as subpar even by people who like this team. Aaron Civale just came back from the IL not fully stretched out, which means more innings dumped on relievers who don't want them. That's a problem against a lineup that just hung 7 and 8-run games on Tampa Bay and Arizona.
- Day-To-DayJose Soriano SP — Soriano (8-4) allowed three hits and two walks while striking out five over five shutout innings to earn the win over the Rays on Saturday.
- 10-Day-ILJorge Soler DH — Soler (oblique) ran on the field and did some light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILAdam Frazier 2B — Frazier (elbow) took part in light baseball activities Friday, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILSebastian Rivero C — Rivero was removed from Tuesday's game against the Astros with an apparent left hand injury, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILGustavo Campero C — The Angels selected Campero's contract from Double-A Rocket City and placed him on the 10-day injured list Saturday due to a fractured hand.
- 15-Day-ILGrayson Rodriguez SP — Rodriguez exited Sunday's contest against Tampa Bay in the third frame due to lower-back tightness, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILTravis d'Arnaud C — D'Arnaud (foot) is no longer wearing a walking boot, and he played catch on the field Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYusei Kikuchi SP — Kikuchi (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a throwing program in mid-June, per MLB.com.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — The Athletics placed Rooker on the 10-day injured list Friday, retroactive to Tuesday, due to a bone bruise in his left knee.
- 15-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics announced Tuesday that Severino has been diagnosed with a strain of his right shoulder capsule and subscapularis muscle and will be re-evaluated in 4-to-6 weeks, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) will receive a platelet-rich plasma injection Tuesday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILGunnar Hoglund SP — Hoglund (knee/back) will be sidelined for the rest of the 2026 season after undergoing surgery on his left hip Monday.
Availability matters too. The A's are without Brent Rooker (bone bruise, left knee) and Luis Severino (shoulder capsule strain, 4-6 weeks), so the lineup is missing a middle-of-the-order bat and the rotation is missing its big offseason signing. The Angels are dealing with their own injury pile — Grayson Rodriguez (back) just hit the 15-day IL, Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) is still working back, and Jorge Soler (oblique) is out — but Jose Soriano just turned in 5 shutout innings against the Rays to push to 8-4.
Sutter Health Park is a small ballpark with hitter-friendly air, and the A's have been part of some football scores there lately — 23-9 to Colorado last week is the one that sticks out. Sunday's series finale spot, day game, both bullpens taxed: that adds up to a game where the over has a real case and the Angels actually have a path if they can get to the back of the A's pen early.