21 Games, a Homer, and an Entire League Is Still Sleeping on Zack Gelof's Wild Ride

You guys, what is even HAPPENING out there? Seriously, grab your coffee, because the baseball world is throwing some wild stuff our way, and nobody's talking enough about Zack Gelof. This dude just smacked a bottom-of-the-ninth home run against the Pittsburgh Pirates to push his career-best hitting streak to an absolutely bonkers 21 games. Twenty-one! It's the top active streak in the majors right now, and if that doesn't make you sit up, I don't know what will. Talk about clutch, man, keeping that thing alive with his last swing of the night!

Gelof's Heater and the A's Rollercoaster

Let's just take a minute to appreciate what Gelof is doing. During this insane 21-game stretch, he's batting a scorching .366, piling up 30 hits in 82 at-bats. And it's not just singles, folks. He's blasted five dingers in his last nine games alone! Athletics manager Mark Kotsay summed it up perfectly when he said, "Anytime you have a hitting streak on the line, you obviously know that this is an at-bat that you're either going to end it or continue it." To not just get a hit, but to go yard? That's the kind of competitor you want. It's truly impressive to watch.

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But while Gelof is on fire, his team just got torched, dropping the final two games of a series against Pittsburgh, including a brutal 12-4 mauling on Wednesday. Kotsay was blunt about it, admitting, "We lost the series." Now they're staring down a four-game set against the Los Angeles Angels, who they just faced in May. Remember that series in Anaheim? The A's took three of four, scoring 23 runs in their wins, including two wild 10-inning victories. Nick Kurtz had a season-best five RBIs in one of those, a feat he matched recently against the Pirates.

Angels' Woes and a No-Hitter Nightmare

Speaking of the Angels, they're stumbling in too, having dropped three of their last four games, including an 8-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks. But get this, you remember that Angels win back in May against the A's? It was one of the most dramatic finishes of the season: A's right-hander J.T. Ginn took a no-hitter into the ninth, only for Adam Frazier to break it up with a single, and then Zach Neto to follow with a two-run, walk-off homer for a stunning 2-1 Angels victory. Absolutely brutal for the A's, but electric for the Angels.

Neto, by the way, is trying to turn things around himself. After a rough five-game stretch where he went 2-for-23 with 13 strikeouts, he's got back-to-back two-hit outings, including a triple on Tuesday and homers in consecutive games. Mike Trout is doing Mike Trout things, too, extending his hitting streak to eight games with three homers during the stretch, leading his squad with 17 dingers this season. Neto's right behind him with 15. The Angels still haven't named a starter for Thursday, which could mean a call-up from Triple-A Salt Lake. For the A's, 23-year-old lefty Gage Jump (2-1, 3.09 ERA) gets the ball for his fifth career start, and his first against the Halos. Jump won his previous two starts, giving up just one run over 13 1/3 innings, so he's looking good.

This series kicks off Thursday night in West Sacramento. Kotsay is expecting "really close" games, just like last time. With Gelof red-hot and both teams needing a jolt, get ready for some intense baseball. We're watching to see if Gelof can keep this streak alive and if these teams can get back on track!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.