Jonathan Aranda getting a breather on Friday night

Cortes put the A’s on the board with a two-run blast off Taj Bradley in the second inning, breaking a run of eight games without an extra-base hit. The 29-year-old outfielder is up to eight homers and 37 RBI while hitting a respectable .258/.332/.407 across 310 plate appearances. He should continue to see regular playing time in left field against right-handed pitching.

Alvarado got the call to close out the game on Tuesday with a two-run lead over the Twins. He worked a clean inning, striking out one batter to secure the win and his fourth save of the season. The A’s have leaned on Alvarado more of late as he’s shared save chances with Hogan Harris, though Alvarado has two of the last three.

Jump had shut the Twins down over six scoreless innings before Minnesota finally got to him in the seventh, scoring a run on two hits. He’d leave with one out and a runner on at 94 pitches, collecting nine strikeouts. The 23-year-old left-hander will take a 4.69 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, and a 97/42 K/BB ratio across 88 1/3 innings into a start against the Rangers in Texas on Monday.

After a scoreless first inning, Bradley surrendered a two-run homer to Carlos Cortes in the second. He retired nine of the next ten batters over three more scoreless innings, including an immaculate frame in the fifth as he struck out the side on nine pitches. The A’s would get to him for two more runs on three hits in the sixth. Bradley returned to record two outs in the seventh inning before ending his day at 99 pitches, 72 for strikes, while collecting 11 strikeouts. The 25-year-old right-hander will take a 3.97 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and a 169/63 K/BB ratio across 147 1/3 innings into a start against the Tigers in Minnesota on Monday.

After crushing three homers in Monday’s game against the Phillies, Raleigh kept it going on Tuesday, taking Aaron Nola deep for a solo blast to lead off the second inning. He’d get pitched around through the game, drawing a pair of walks. The 29-year-old slugger is up to 18 homers and 52 RBI while slashing .169/.286/.346 across 412 plate appearances.

Turner was hitless for the third straight game. He’s hit .214 with just five extra-base hits this month, seeing his season overall OPS plummet to .677. It’s by far a career-low mark as he’s struggled at the dish. Still, the 33-year-old shortstop has managed to contribute for fantasy purposes with 17 homers, 86 runs scored, and 17 steals.

Muñoz was summoned with a three-run lead in the top of the ninth to close out the game against the Phillies. He worked around a pair of walks, striking out two batters to lock down the save. It was a nice bounce-back outing after giving up a homer to blow his last save chance. The 27-year-old right-hander is up to 24 saves with a 4.28 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 77/20 K/BB ratio across 48 1/3 innings.

Kirby needed this one after giving up 11 runs over his last two starts. He stranded a runner in the first inning, then gave up a run on three hits in the second. Kirby would go on to pitch into the eighth without allowing another run, collecting nine strikeouts, the most in his last ten starts. The 28-year-old right-hander will look to build off the strong start when he takes a 4.02 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, and a 126/34 K/BB ratio across 147 2/3 innings into a start against the Red Sox in Boston next Tuesday.

Nola tossed a scoreless first inning, then gave up a leadoff homer to Cal Raleigh in the second. He cruised through another three quiet innings before the Mariners added a run on two hits in the sixth. Nola would complete the frame and end his day at 92 pitches, striking out seven in a quality start. The 33-year-old right-hander will take a 5.03 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and a 153/49 K/BB ratio across 143 innings into a start against the Diamondbacks in Arizona next Monday.

Waldschmidt came off the bench to hit the homer off Jacob Webb to give the Diamondbacks the win in a game they trailed 4-0 heading into the eighth. The rookie outfielder has homered three times in his limited action, and held his own with a .276/.339/.400 slash in the process. Waldschmidt has a chance to be a strong fantasy option in the future, but despite these heroics, he is better left off fantasy rosters for the time being.