Langeliers shines as A's keep up offensive showcase

ANAHEIM -- The A’s are enjoying one of their best offensive months in decades, perhaps best reflected by the production up and down Oakland’s lineup.

Night in and night out, different A’s hitters contribute to the clubs' July surge. In Thursday’s win, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker led the way, much like they’ve done most of this month. Friday night saw Rooker and Seth Brown’s offensive heroics produce a win.

On Saturday, Rooker was again at the forefront with three hits, but Shea Langeliers’ three-run shot in the first inning helped lead the A’s to a 3-1 win and secured the series against the Angels at Angel Stadium.

“It’s obviously huge [hitting the home run],” Langeliers said. “To put runs up in the top of the first inning to get the momentum going on our side is huge and kind of helped us get into a rhythm.”

Langeliers’ home run was pivotal on multiple fronts, as it was the main difference in the A’s win and his 20th home run of the season. After hitting 22 home runs in his first full season last year, Langeliers again reached 20 long balls. He became the second catcher in A’s franchise history with consecutive 20-plus homer seasons and the first to do so since Gene Tenace from 1973-76.

Since 2023, Langeliers has crushed 42 home runs, tied with Kansas City's Salvador Perez for the second-most among all catchers. Only Seattle’s Cal Raleigh blasted more home runs (51) among MLB catchers.

“We’ve talked about all the different guys that have been contributing,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “[Lawrence] Butler, Rooker have kind of been the staples over the last good stretch, but Langeliers has been a part of it, too.”

Acquired as one of the 2022 Matt Olson trade headliners, Langeliers has long been viewed as the A’s catcher of the future and potential franchise cornerstone. He’s certainly shown glimpses of that, flashing elite pop for the position and throwing out more runners (56) than any catcher over the last two seasons.

There’s certainly still areas Langeliers needs to iron out -- he owns a career .269 OBP and has graded out as one of the worst framing and blocking catchers since 2023 -- but the strength of his power and throwing arm makes him one of the most exciting A’s players.

Like many other A’s hitters, Langeliers has been especially hot in July. The A’s catcher is running an .876 OPS and has gone yard five times in July. His most recent home run was Oakland’s 41st of the month, which doesn’t just lead the Majors but is also the club’s most since August 2020.

Oakland once again saw contributions from Rooker, who is having an incredible month and has seemingly turned into the Angels’ archnemesis. With three more hits on Saturday, Rooker has 19 hits against the Angels this season -- tied for the second-most by any hitter against an individual team -- and has a 1.357 OPS and six home runs against the AL West rivals.

“With those types of numbers, I think you realize you’re having some success off a team,” Kotsay said. “It does give you more confidence when you play those teams, and it’s nice to see Rooker continue to have that kind of success against the Angels.”

Entering Saturday’s game, Rooker owned a career 1.138 OPS against the Halos, the second best by an opponent versus the Angels, trailing only Todd Zeile’s 1.356 mark (minimum 100 plate appearances). Rooker’s OPS against the Angels is also the 15th-best mark by an active hitter against an opponent.

But for all the justifiable talk about the A’s offense, the pitching played the biggest role on Saturday. Mitch Spence dazzled in six innings, allowing just one run in one of the best starts of his career.

The 26-year-old Spence has been a pleasant surprise for Oakland’s staff. Selected first in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft by the A’s (previously with the Yankees), Spence made the A’s bullpen out of Spring Training. On May 17, the A’s shifted Spence to the rotation and the right-hander has pitched admirably, posting a 4.54 ERA in 69 1/3 innings across 13 starts.

“He’s really stepped up since he’s gotten into the rotation. He’s throwing the ball really well. He was a starter in Triple-A last year, but his journey to becoming a Major League starter has been a grind,” Kotsay said. “To watch him go out and perform to take advantage of the opportunity he’s been given [has been great]. He’s excelling at it and seems to be getting better and better.”