OAKLAND, Calif. — There’s something downright cruel about it.

Sadly, such a punishment is not unusual from the Oakland Athletics.

Of course, the A’s developed into a team worth watching just before they head out of The Town.

Yes, there’s something to these 2024 A’s. They’ve won back-to-back straight series, sit in the middle of the American League West standings (above the Astros), and have arguably the best 1-2 end-of-game bullpen punch in baseball right now.

They’re young, homegrown, punchy, and now that they’ve started hitting a bit (10th in baseball in OPS over the last 15 games), they’ve become quite interesting.

Now, I don’t think the A’s are going to close out the Coliseum with a World Series win, or even playoff baseball, but while this organization might not be building a ballpark in Oakland — or Las Vegas, for that matter — early returns suggest that the front office has, against all odds and the will of their owner, built another worthwhile team.

These guys might just be mediocre. And I mean that as a compliment. After all, in the modern game, mediocre pays big — even if the A’s don’t.

What a waste.

Wednesday was a perfect day for baseball — seventy-two degrees and sunny — and the A’s finished off a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 4-0 win. Starting pitcher Ross Stripling earned his first victory since 2022 by throwing six shutout innings, and Abraham Toro and Tyler Nevin stayed hot with solo home runs each.

There were even a few “Let’s Go Oak-Land” chants as closer Mason Miller blitzed 101-mph fastballs to proceed another P.A. rendition of “Celebration.”

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