From third base, Willson Contreras raised four fingers toward the Cardinals' dugout. The Athletics, having just narrowed the Cardinals' lead down to two runs, walked Lars Nootbaar ahead of Contreras in the eighth inning Wednesday to get the matchup they preferred for right-hander Tyler Ferguson.

Willson Contreras had three hits and four RBIs, Nolan Gorman homered and Matthew Liberatore pitched 5 1/3 shutout innings in the St. Louis Cardinals' 5-1 victory over the Athletics on Wednesday night. Liberatore (7-11) struck out seven. Gorman hit a solo home run in the seventh inning, his 14th of the season.

Following a recent game at home, the media huddled around A's All Star shortstop Jacob Wilson to discuss the month that was, the heat in Sacramento, and some other topics. When the scrum was over, we asked Wilson about the autograph. The A's shortstop then told us of the collection he's started. "He's one of those guys that I've respected for a long time, so just to be able to add him to the collection is pretty cool."

The Athletics now have captured back-to-back AL Player of the Month honors.

Athletics (64-76, fifth in the AL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (69-71, fourth in the NL Central) St. Louis; Wednesday, 7:45 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Athletics: Jeffrey Springs (10-9, 4.17 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 122 strikeouts); Cardinals: Matthew Liberatore (6-11, 4.32 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 102 strikeouts) BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Cardinals and Athletics play on Wednesday with the three-game series tied 1-1. St. Louis is 69-71 overall and 38-33 at home. The Cardinals have a 50-25 record in games when they record eight or more hits. The Athletics are 64-76 overall and 35-36 on the road. The Athletics are 54-32 in games when they record eight or more hits. Wednesday's game is the third time these teams

Iván Herrera hit a go-ahead two-run home run, and Miles Mikolas pitched six solid innings to help the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Athletics 2-1 on Tuesday night. Matt Svanson followed with two scoreless innings and JoJo Romero pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for his sixth save. Victor Scott II drew a leadoff walk from Hogan Harris in the sixth. Michael Kelly (4-3) replaced Harris with two outs and Scott on third and Iván Herrera hit his 12th homer three pitches later for a 2-1 lead.

The Athletics have been playing some of their best baseball of the year since July 24, going 22-13 in that span, which is a .629 winning percentage and a 102-win pace. Of course, not all of the games on the A's schedule during that span have come against the toughest opponents, but that streak includes a three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers last week, as well as a four-game sweep of the Astros in Houston to kick it off. With just a few weeks left in the season, we asked A's manager Mark Kotsay what he was looking for from his club during the final month of the season.

Middle game on tap for your Tuesday pleasure

JJ Bleday homered twice and Zack Gelof had a home run among his three hits as the Athletics snapped a three-game skid with an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Luis Morales (3-0) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out a career-best eight batters in 5 2/3 innings. It was the first time Morales had allowed multiple runs in six career appearances. Bleday hit his second homer of the game and 12th of the season in the sixth inning to extend the Athletics' lead to 5-1.

JJ Bleday homered twice and Zack Gelof had a home run among his three hits as the Athletics snapped a three-game skid with an 11-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday. Luis Morales (3-0) allowed two runs on five hits and struck out a career-best eight batters in 5 2/3 innings. Bleday hit his second homer of the game and 12th of the season in the sixth inning to extend the Athletics’ lead to 5-1.

We’re in the final month of the season! The Athletics’ first year in Sacramento predictably did not yield a playoff appearance as the rebuild continues. One extremely bad month sunk the team’s chances at contention as they actually held their own for large chunks of the season. They had winning records in April, July, and […]

Victor Scott II returns from the injured list, and Willson Contreras has yet to have appeal hearing for upcoming suspension.

Cardinals starter Sonny Gray curveball has traveled back in time in 2025. The right-hander starts Monday as the Cardinals welcome the Athletics at 1:15 p.m. to start a three-game series at Busch Stadium. Gray (12-7, 4.19 ERA) is throwing his curveball more often and more effectively this season than he has during his time as a Cardinal. The right-hander hasn't allowed a hit on the curve in his last two starts and has permitted just three total in six starts.

Mason Barnett became the 65th Auburn alumnus to play in the Major Leagues when he took the mound for the Athletics on Saturday night. Barnett is the first former Tiger to make his MLB debut in the 2025 season and the ninth to play in the big leagues this year, joining Ryan Bliss, Davis Daniel, Richard Fitts, Bailey Horn, Edouard Julien, Casey Mize, Joshua Palacios and Daniel Robert.

As the St. Louis Cardinals head toward the final month of their transition year, their field staff will get ample opportunity to work with young veterans and prospects. With third baseman Nolan Arenado (shoulder), second baseman Brendan Donovan (groin), outfielders Alec Burleson (wrist) and Victor Scott II (ankle) and catcher Yohel Pozo (concussion) on the injured list, infielders Thomas Saggese and Cesar Prieto, catcher Jimmy Crooks and outfielder Nathan Church are getting looks.

Jacob deGrom threw five scoreless innings and Joc Pederson homered and drove in three runs on Sunday to help the visiting Texas Rangers post a 9-6 victory over the Athletics and complete a three-game sweep in West Sacramento, Calif. Josh Smith went 2-for-2 and reached on three walks in the leadoff spot for Texas, which sits 4 1/2 games behind the Houston Astros in the American West and 1 1/2 behind the Seattle Mariners in the AL wild-card race.

Joc Pederson homered, doubled and drove in three runs, Jacob deGrom struck out six in five scoreless innings, and the Texas Rangers beat the Athletics 9-6 on Sunday to sweep the three-game series. DeGrom (10-6) allowed two hits and walked one to help the Rangers win their fifth straight game. DeGrom, the Rangers’ only All-Star pick this season, had been 0-4 in his last five starts — all Texas losses — since his previous win July 22 in his first start after the break.

Infielder Luis Urías has signed a minor league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers after getting released by the Athletics. The Brewers announced Sunday they had signed Urías, who will join their Triple-A Nashville affiliate Monday. The Athletics designated Urías for assignment and eventually released him last week. Urías, 28, had batted .230 with a .315 on-base percentage, eight homers, 25 RBIs and two steals in 96 games with the Athletics this season.

A chance to sweep at Sutter Health

The Athletics lost 9-3 to the Rangers, though Carlos Cortes made a remarkable defensive play that turned heads.