Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.55 ERA) gets the ball for Oakland, and you don't need advanced metrics to see what's wrong. His last outing on June 19 against the Angels lasted 3.2 innings — 6 earned runs, 4 walks, 86 pitches, then a quick exit. The Athletics won that game 12-11 in extra innings, which says a lot about Oakland's offense and nothing good about Springs. On the other side, Landen Roupp (5-7, 4.15 ERA) was much sharper in his last start, going 6 innings and allowing just 2 runs on 7 hits with 7 strikeouts against Miami on June 19. The paper advantage is clear, though Roupp has posted a 4.65 home ERA in 2026 — worse than his 3.83 ERA on the road — so he's not untouchable at Oracle Park.
The Athletics aren't just sending out a bad pitcher — they're doing it short-handed. Zack Gelof picked up a laceration and contusion on his right hand during Tuesday's series opener and has been day-to-day since, sitting out Wednesday's game. Brent Rooker (knee) is on the 10-day IL and wasn't even participating in baseball activities as of Tuesday. Jacob Wilson is listed day-to-day as well. That's real lineup depth missing in a series Oakland is already down 0-2 in. The Giants are short-handed too — Luis Arraez (foot) sat out Wednesday, and Harrison Bader and Heliot Ramos are both on the IL — but San Francisco is the home team coming off back-to-back wins, and their absences haven't slowed them down yet.
The Athletics have actually been the better team by record this season — 38-42 beats the Giants' 33-46 without much debate — but form is what counts in a series finale. Oakland has dropped 4 straight after squeaking past the Angels 12-11 in extra innings on June 20, and both losses in this series have been tight, competent Giants performances. San Francisco had dropped 3 straight in Miami before this series started, which makes the back-to-back wins here something of a reset. Neither of these teams is going anywhere in 2026, but one of them has the momentum on a Thursday afternoon.
- Day-To-DayJacob Wilson SS — Wilson went 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in Friday's extra-inning win over the Angels.
- Day-To-DayZack Gelof 3B — Gelof (hand) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against San Francisco.
- 10-Day-ILBrent Rooker DH — Rooker (knee) is still not participating in any baseball activities as of Tuesday, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMark Leiter Jr. RP — Leiter (hip) began a throwing progression Monday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILDenzel Clarke CF — Clarke (hamstring) has started to play catch and has also begun a swinging progression, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILLuis Severino SP — The Athletics transferred Severino (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday.
- 60-Day-ILBrooks Kriske RP — Kriske (shoulder) began a throwing progression Thursday, 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.
- Day-To-DayLuis Arraez 2B — Arraez (foot) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's matchup against the Athletics, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 10-Day-ILHeliot Ramos LF — Ramos (quadriceps) went 1-for-5 with a walk and a run scored in Triple-A Sacramento's 9-6 win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday.
- 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader CF — Bader met with Dr. Robert Anderson on June 5 and received a stem-cell injection to address plantar fasciitis in his left foot, MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeaton Winn RP — Winn (elbow) began a throwing program Monday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.
- 60-Day-ILJason Foley RP — Foley (shoulder) struck out two over a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance with Triple-A Sacramento on Friday.
- 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero RP — The Giants placed Peguero on the 60-day injured list Monday due to a left hamstring strain, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
- 60-Day-ILRowan Wick RP — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
- 60-Day-ILHayden Birdsong RP — Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The bigger conversation in San Francisco isn't really about this series. Giants president Buster Posey said on June 13 that the organization would "have to be open-minded" about the trade deadline unless things turned around in a meaningful way. At 33-46, they haven't. First-year manager Tony Vitello is grinding through a rough introduction to the majors, and veterans like Willy Adames and Rafael Devers may be drawing interest by late July. A sweep on Thursday is a good afternoon. It doesn't move the needle on the season. For the Athletics, avoiding a 5th straight loss is the only thing on the docket — sweeps are for teams going somewhere.