Over a three-game stretch from September 12 through 14, 2025, A’s staged a timely burst of offense and bullpen reliability to sweep the Cincinnati Reds at Sutter Health Park, taking games 3–0, 11–5 and 7–4. The sweep snapped a stretch of inconsistent results for the green and yellow and delivered a jolt of late-season life as the calendar slides toward October.
The series opener featured clean pitching and timely contact as the A’s blanked Cincinnati 3–0 behind an efficient outing from their rotation and a handful of decisive swings. Rookie J.T. Ginn showed poise in a start interrupted by a right-calf cramp. He worked through early traffic and helped keep the Reds off the board before exiting. Meanwhile, relievers Tyler Ferguson, Hogan Harris, and Sean Newcomb, slammed the door late. Offensively, Lawrence Butler set the tone with a leadoff homer, and Carlos Cortes supplied a two-homer night that did much of the heavy lifting for the scoreboard. The A’s left the field with a clean box score and the opener in hand.
Game two turned into an offensive showcase for the home team. The A’s answered an early Reds push with a constant barrage, turning a tight contest into a punishing statement: this is MLB, and the A’s are better than their record reflects. Brent Rooker and Carlos Cortes homered, the lineup pounded out a flurry of extra-base hits, and the green and gold erupted in the middle innings to build a decisive cushion. The game’s signature moment: Nick Kurtz crushed a mammoth grand slam that flipped momentum and left the crowd stunned. It was a swing that changed the tenor of the afternoon and pushed the A’s comfortably ahead. The bullpen then held on through the late innings to preserve the run-fest win and secure a two-game edge in the set, thus taking the series.
Sunday’s rubber game delivered drama and a decisive go-ahead blow. The teams traded runs early, but in the fifth inning rookie Nick Kurtz again provided the big moment. This time it was a glorious two-run, go-ahead home run that turned the tide and gave the A’s a lead they would not relinquish. The team added insurance with additional homers and clutch at-bats, while the bullpen closed with composed frames to cap the three-game sweep. The victory dropped Cincinnati back in the wild card chase and sent home team fans at Sutter Health Park home happy.
A three-game sweep in mid-September matters. It’s the sort of momentum swing that can reshape a club’s mood and belief as playoff races tighten. The Reds, meanwhile, saw the sweep push them further from the last wild-card spot. The A’s run production came from multiple spots in the lineup: leadoff power from Butler, middle-lineup thump from Rooker and Kurtz, and consistent contributions from Cortes. That balance made the A’s difficult to pitch to and contain across three games. After Ginn’s early exit in Game 1, the relievers answered by repeatedly striking out the Reds in the ninth, thus setting the tone, and then they worked cleanly through high-leverage innings across the weekend to protect big leads. That tandem of young arms and veteran steadiness kept the sweep intact. If the A’s can keep this roster together and manage the bull pen just a little better earlier in the season, they could be a formidable playoff team next season.
The intimate stadium again felt like a cauldron: close sightlines made homers feel monumental and late innings sound louder. Fans filled the riverfront seats and spilled into local bars after each game; the sweep lit up social chatter across the region and reminded Sacramento why the temporary MLB residency has been so electric this season.
The A’s left the weekend energized and with renewed belief headed into the final stretch. If they can sustain balanced scoring and the bullpen remains reliable, they’ll be dangerous for some time to come. Cincinnati, chasing a postseason berth, now faces a tougher hill; the sweep cost them precious ground in the wild card chase and adds urgency to their remaining schedule.
Three nights. Twenty-plus runs. Two massive homers. One sweep. The A’s gave their fans a memorable weekend. Next up, the A’s hit the road to face the Boston Red Sox followed by the Pittsburgh Pirates. They return home to face the Houston Astros September 23-25, followed by the Kansas City Royals September 26-28 to close out the regular season.
Ahsan Awan has been covering sports for two decades and has been covering professional baseball since 2005. All images taken by Robert Longan and Jason Reed for American Presswire and ©2025 Robert Longan and Jason Reed for their specific unique images for American Presswire and subject to unlimited use under license unless otherwise noted. Robert Longan can be found on X as @robbielphoto and on Instagram as @lngn_media. Jason reed can be found on X as @fieldofdd and on Instagram as @fieldofdaydreams. Ahsan Awan can be found on X as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi. American Presswire can be found on X as @ampresswire and on Instagram as @ampresswire.