3 things Brewers fans should know about 2026 Athletics before series in Las Vegas

Fresh off a sweep of the Colorado Rockies, the Milwaukee Brewers are continuing their trip out west with a three-game series against the Athletics. However, this week's matchup with the currently locationless Athletics won't take place in Oakland, the A's former home, or Sacramento, their current, temporary home. Rather, the Brewers and Athletics will square off in Las Vegas this week, playing their three-game set at Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Athletics' Triple-A squad, the Las Vegas Aviators.

The Brewers head to the Sin City as the hottest team in baseball since the end of April. The Brew Crew has posted a 27-10 record in their last 37 games dating back to April 26, which is the best record in all of MLB during that span. Milwaukee turns to Kyle Harrison, who currently boasts a 1.57 ERA through his first 11 starts in a Brewers uniform, in game one of the series, which kicks off at 9:05 p.m. CT tonight. As a team, the Brewers have won eight games in a row that Harrison has started.

While the Brewers have yet to name a starter for Wednesday's series finale, southpaw Robert Gasser will get the ball in game two tomorrow night. Gasser is coming off his strongest start of the season, in which he allowed just one earned run in five innings against the San Francisco Giants.

The Brewers haven't faced the Athletics since April 18-20 of last year, and a lot has changed for manager Mark Kotsay's squad since then. Here are three things Brewers fans should know about the Athletics heading into tonight's series opener in Las Vegas.

1. The Athletics haven't permanently moved to Las Vegas...yet

The Athletics' ongoing location change can be confusing. In general, professional sports teams won't relocate until the stadium in their new city is already constructed. However, the Athletics, unable to secure funding to build a new stadium in the Bay Area, let their lease at the outdated Oakland Coliseum expire after the 2024 season, leaving them in stadium limbo before their new ballpark in Las Vegas is finished.

As a result, the Athletics landed in Sacramento at the beginning of the 2025 season and will remain there through the 2027 campaign, before moving into their brand-new stadium in Las Vegas at the beginning of the 2028 season. Renderings of the new stadium in Vegas look absolutely stunning and unlike anything that exists in Major League Baseball today.

While the Athletics will remain in Sacramento for the rest of the 2026 campaign and the 2027 season, the organization is smartly trying to grow their fan base in Las Vegas by having the team compete in the Sin City for one homestand during the 2026 season. It just so happens that said homestand includes the Athletics' 2026 series with the Brewers.

After Milwaukee leaves town on Wednesday night, the Athletics will host the Colorado Rockies for three games at Las Vegas Ballpark. Something to note is that Las Vegas Ballpark sits roughly 2,000 feet above sea level -- an elevation that trails only Coors Field in Colorado when it comes to MLB ballparks. As a result of both that elevation and the dry air out west, Las Vegas Ballpark is one of the most hitter-friendly stadiums in all of minor league baseball, so expect plenty of offense from the Brewers and Athletics this week.

2. The Athletics are off to their best start in five years

Not only have the last five years brought uncertainty about which city the Athletics would wind up in, but compounding that frustrating re-location for the Oakland faithful is the fact that the team has been historically bad during the stretch. From 2012-2020, the Athletics won three AL West division titles and qualified for the postseason in six out of nine seasons. They were once again in contention in 2021, but ultimately missed out on the postseason despite racking up 86 wins.

However, following the 2021 campaign, the Athletics won 60 games in 2022, just 50 in a brutal 2023 season, and 69 in 2024. They improved slightly last year, with 76 wins to prove it, but still finished in fourth place in the AL West. Additionally, during this current rebuilding era, the Athletics have traded away notable names like Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Sean Murphy, Chad Patrick, and Mason Miller. Many of those trades didn't yield the Athletics the results they were hoping for, including the two that involved the Brewers (the Chad Patrick and Sean Murphy, who went to Atlanta in the three-team William Contreras blockbuster, deals).

However, the Athletics seemed to have turned a corner in 2026. They've built a young core of position players that includes 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, who is one of the best catchers in the game, as well as three young players whom they've already signed to long-term deals -- Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler, and Jacob Wilson. Meanwhile, utility player Zack Gelof and outfielder Carlos Cortes are off to strong starts in 2026. Pair that with the veteran presence of Brent Rooker, and the Athletics' offense has a great deal of potential.

While the team waits for Rooker and Butler's bats to come around in 2026, and Wilson to come off the IL, the Athletics have managed to remain around .500 despite a tough month of May. If their offense reaches its full potential, the Athletics could still easily make a run at the wide-open AL West, in which they are currently just 2.5 games back of the first-place Seattle Mariners.

3. Athletics' right-hander J.T. Ginn has quietly been one of the best young starters in MLB this year

The Athletics' starting rotation hasn't been anything to write home about this year -- only one pitcher has an ERA below 4.00. However, the one bright spot has been 27-year-old right-hander J.T. Ginn, who started the season in the Athletics' bullpen but was quickly moved to the starting rotation. Ginn has since made 11 starts and holds a 2.45 ERA during that stretch. Combined with his relief appearances, Ginn has covered 65.2 innings and has a 2.74 ERA that ranks fifth among qualified starters in the American League.

Ginn, who posted a 5.08 ERA in 90.1 innings pitched last year, seemingly came out of nowhere. However, keen observers of Ginn's early career anticipated a breakout due to the young right-hander's especially strong sinker and his potential with improvements to his sequencing and cutter command. Ginn is locating the cutter better this year, has added a four-seam to his arsenal to help with sequencing issues, and now has a 1.08 WHIP to show for it.

The Brewers will face Ginn on Tuesday night and will counter the emerging young ace with the left-handed Gasser. With TBD currently starting for the Brewers on Wednesday night, it's especially important that Milwaukee takes advantage of Harrison toeing the rubber in tonight's series opener.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow