Lawrence Butler #4 of the Athletics is congratulated by Brent Rooker #25 after Butler hit a solo home run against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the third inning at Sutter Health Park on August 30, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The A’s and Rangers were back in action on Saturday night in game two of a three-game series.

The A’s lost game two of the series 9-3 against the Rangers at Sutter Health Park.

Mason Barnett started for the beleaguered A’s rotation in what was his MLB debut on Saturday. Barnett, who was drafted in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft by the Royals, spent two plus seasons in the organization before being acquired by the A’s. The A’s acquired Barnett from the Royals in a 2024 trade where the A’s sent Lucas Erceg to the Royals in the deal.

In his minor league career, Barnett is 22-17 with a 4.44 ERA in 78 games in which 72 were starts. Mason was 6-2 with Triple-A Las Vegas this season while pitching to a 6.13 ERA in 25 games.

On Saturday, Barnett pitched well in his debut but the runs began to add up in his outing. Mason gave up eight hits and five runs across four-plus innings of work while walking none and striking out one. The last straw in his outing would be a home run to lead off the fifth inning that prompted Mark Kotsay to go to the bullpen.

Mark Kotsay spoke after the game about the outing from Barnett.

“He attacked the strike zone and he got beat with pitches in the middle of the plate,” Kotsay said. “Early on it looked like the fastball had some life and he was getting some popups, but I think they picked up the release point and stayed on the breaking ball pretty well.”

Mason Barnett, who spoke to the media after the game, reflected on his MLB debut and how it went.

“I was super excited for it for sure,” Barnett said. “Obviously not what I wanted, and at the end of the day we didn’t win and I think that’s the most important. I’ve got to move forward from here and make the adjustments I need to make.”

Barnett continued on what the moment was like for him after years of grinding in the minor leagues.

“I was super excited, super pumped. I was excited to get out there and I feel like after the first inning I kind of settled in a little bit…”

The Bullpen

The A’s bullpen kept the A’s in the game early on Saturday while tossing five productive innings. However, the A’s pen let the game get away from them late.

Hogan Harris relieved Mason Barnett in the game and tossed a scoreless fifth inning, giving up just one hit.

Tyler Ferguson came in to pitch the sixth inning, giving up two hits but managing to escape the inning unscathed.

Sean Newcomb, who the A’s have relied on a lot in recent weeks in high-leverage situations, wasn’t sharp in the seventh inning as he gave up two runs on three hits and was only able to get two outs. Osvaldo Bido came in and got the final out of the seventh before pitching a scoreless eighth, giving up one hit.

Bido ran into trouble in the top of the ninth as he surrendered a two-run homer to allow the Rangers to expand their lead to 9-3. All in, Bido finished with two and a third innings pitched, giving up two runs on three hits in his outing.

The Bats

For the second night in a row, the A’s offense failed to keep pace with their opponent.

The A’s only managed eight hits, three runs, and walked only once against a solid Rangers pitching effort.

The A’s first two runs came in the third inning when Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker hit solo home runs on opposite ends of a Shea Langeliers lineout. It got the A’s on the board and at that time they only trailed 4-2. However, the A’s weren’t able to do much else until late when Carlos Cortes hit an RBI double. That would be all the A’s could muster in their 9-3 defeat at the hands of Bruce Bochy and the Rangers.

Nick Kurtz Injury Update

The A’s announced that the MRI on Nick Kurtz’s right oblique came back clean and he does not have a strain. Mark Kotsay said before Saturday’s game that Kurtz should be back “sooner than later” (according to a tweet from MLB.com writer Martín Gallegos).

Up Next

The A’s will look to avoid a sweep at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday at 1:05 PM PST at Sutter Health Park.

The Rangers are slated to send Jacob deGrom (10-6, 2.79 ERA) to the hill countered by A’s righty J.T. Ginn (2-5, 4.96 ERA).