The Oakland Athletics wrap up their weekend series at Sutter Health Park on Sunday afternoon looking to bounce back and avoid another series loss, as their 32–47 record continues to reflect a rebuilding season riddled with inconsistency, underperformance, and thin margins for error. While they have been one of the league’s most frequent underdogs, the A’s have quietly delivered some value to bettors, particularly at home, where they hold a solid 23–18 ATS record despite their losing overall mark. J.P. Sears is expected to take the ball for Oakland and while he enters with a 5–6 record and a bloated 5.45 ERA, the left-hander has shown occasional flashes of effectiveness when he’s able to command his sinker and generate weak contact, a skill that will be crucial against a Cleveland offense that thrives on stringing together base hits. Sears’ margin for error, however, is razor thin, especially against the likes of José Ramírez and Steven Kwan, who can both flip the momentum quickly with line drives and speed on the basepaths. If Sears can give the A’s five competitive innings and avoid issuing free passes, there’s a slim but plausible path for Oakland to remain competitive into the late frames, though it will also require solid defensive support—something the A’s have struggled to provide consistently this season.

Offensively, Oakland has shown signs of life through players like Luis Urías, who delivered a key homer earlier this week, and Zack Gelof, who continues to be a workhorse at second base, but the lineup overall has lacked power and failed to deliver in key scoring opportunities, especially against quality pitching. Facing Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi, who boasts a solid 4.15 ERA and mixes speeds well, the A’s will need to focus on situational hitting, making productive outs, and trying to manufacture runs through stolen bases or groundball advancement, tactics they have used sporadically but never consistently. Bullpen depth continues to be a sore spot, with late-inning leads often evaporating due to walks, hit batters, or lack of swing-and-miss stuff, and unless Sears can go deep, Oakland may once again find themselves vulnerable in the sixth inning or later. That said, the A’s have occasionally thrived in spoiler roles, particularly when underestimated, and with a total set at 9.5, there is a chance for the game to shift if their bats can deliver timely hits early. A win will likely require not only a standout start from Sears but also opportunistic scoring, crisp defense, and perhaps a bit of luck—conditions that haven’t aligned often this season. If they manage to keep the game low-scoring and within reach, a 5–4 or 6–5 upset is conceivable, but more realistically, a strong early effort followed by bullpen regression could result in another narrow defeat. Still, in a rebuilding year, every competitive game serves as a developmental opportunity, and the A’s will look to leave the field Sunday with both lessons learned and optimism for the growth of their young core.