In their series against both the Angels and Giants, the Athletics saw late leads disappear and comebacks of their own completed.
Results
FRI: ATH 12, LAA 11 (10 innings)
The A’s scored two runs in both the 2nd and 3rd inning to go ahead 4-0. Lawrence Butler hit a home run, Shea Langeliers and Jacob Wilson had RBI doubles, and Carlos Cortes added an RBI groundout. But, the 4th inning flipped the script in favor of the Angels. After a Christian Moore sacrifice fly got the Halos on the board, Denzer Guzman, Jose Siri, and Zach Neto hit home runs to make it 7–4 in favor of LA. Logan O’Hoppe hit a three-run HR in the 5th, followed by Nolan Schanuel adding a solo shot in the 6th. Entering the bottom of the 6th, it was 11-4.
Zack Gelof had an RBI single in the 6th and Wilson hit a two-run HR in the 7th to make it 11-7. Max Muncy’s two-run shot in the 8th cut the lead to two. With two outs in the 9th, Jonah Heim came off the bench to hit a two-run, game-tying home run to complete the comeback. With the bases loaded in the 10th, Nick Kurtz was walked and the A’s secured the improbable comeback win.
SAT: LAA 7, ATH 0
Donovan Walton picked up an RBI single in the second inning off of J. T. Ginn to get the scoring started on Saturday. Jose Siri added a sacrifice in the frame to make 2-0. Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel had two-run RBI doubles in the 6th inning. Both off those hits came off of Scott Barlow, who relieved Ginn after the starter gave up two singles with one out. Across 5.1 innings, Ginn allowed seven hits, four runs, walked three batters, and struck out five.
Denzer Guzman added a solo home run in the 7th to close out the scoring. Against Wilbert Urena, Samy Natera Jr., Ryan Zeferjahn, and Kirby Yates, the Athletics could only muster five hits. The only two extra-base hits were doubles from Jeff McNeil and Nick Kurtz.
SUN: LAA 9, ATH 7
After being shutout on Saturday, the Athletics got on the board early and often on Sunday. Tyler Soderstrom walked with the bases loaded in the 1st inning before Jonah Heim hit a sacrifice fly as the next batter. Joey Meneses, in his MLB season debut, and Henry Bolte each added RBI singles to make it a four-run 1st. Donovan Walton answered with a three-run HR off of Jack Perkins in the 2nd. Nick Kurtz’s RBI single in the 4th made it 5-3.
Jose Siri scored on a wild pitch in 5th before Perkins struck out Jo Adell to end the threat and his evening of work (5 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 8 K). Kurtz hit a two-run HR in the 7th to extend the lead to three runs. But, Hogan Harris gave up a game-tying, three-run HR to Denzer Guzman in the 8th. Elvis Alvarado proceeded to give up a two-run shot to Zach Neto in the 9th before the A’s went 1-2-3 to suffer another frustrating defeat to the worst team in the American League.
TUE: SF 3, ATH 1
The Athletics had no answer for Giants’ starter Robbie Ray in the series opener. The veteran lefty went eight innings and allowed just two hits. The lone run for the A’s came in the 3rd inning, after they already trailed 2-0 after a solo HR from Jung Hoo Lee and an RBI single by Matt Chapman. An error from Lee allowed Colby Thomas to get on base and advance to second. Then, Max Muncy drove him home with an RBI single.
Rafael Devers added an RBI single in the 7th to make it 3-1. The A’s made it interesting in the 9th against Caleb Kilian. After Shea Langeliers flew out to start the frame, Tyler Soderstrom singled. Jacob Wilson grounded into a fielder’s choice, but then Lawrence Butler was walked as he pinch hit for Joey Meneses. With two on, two outs, Henry Bolte struck out to end the game.
WED: SF 2, ATH 1
Both starting pitchers were sharp on Wednesday night. Gage Jump went five innings, allowed three hits, zero runs, and struck out nine. Opposite him, Tyler Mahle didn’t allow a hit until the 5th inning when Jacob Wilson singled.
The game remained scoreless through seven innings. In the 8th, Max Muncy hit a solo home run to put the Athletics ahead. Luis Medina pitched the bottom of the 8th and walked two batters. But, he struck out Bryce Eldridge and Casey Schmitt to keep it 1-0 entering the 9th. Elvis Alvarado stepped in to try and record the save. But, Rafael Devers hit a game-tying home run to lead off the inning. Then, after Alvarado got two flyouts, Victor Bericoto hit a walk-off, 445 ft. bomb.
THU: ATH 9, SF 6
Willy Adames opened the scoring as he took Jeffrey Springs deep for a solo shot in the 4th inning. The A’s battled back as Alika Williams hit an RBI double to tie it up in the 5th before they took the lead as Nick Kurtz hit into a fielder’s choice. With the bases loaded in the next inning, the Giants jumped back in front as Jung Hoo Lee hit a three-run RBI triple. Then, Justin Sterner entered as the third pitcher of the inning. He immediately allowed a two-run HR from Victor Bericoto, Wednesday’s walkoff hero.
Shea Langeliers hit a two-run RBI single in the 7th to cut the lead to 6-4, and Jeff McNeil’s RBI single in the 8th brought the deficit down to one. Henry Bolte opened the 9th with an infield single, before moving to second base on a wild pitch. Kurtz and Langeliers were both retired, leaving the Athletics down to their last out. Tyler Soderstrom walked, then Jonah Heim singled home Bolte to tie the game. Lawrence Butler and Max Muncy followed up with two-out RBI singles of their own to make it 9-6. Mason Barnett worked a clean inning to end the series with an Athletics’ win.
What Else?
- Injuries and ineffectiveness led to some roster shuffling this week. Scott Barlow was DFA’d and Alika Williams was optioned to Triple-A as Joey Meneses and Matt Krook were added to the 40-man roster and called up to the majors. Williams was not with the Aviators long as he was recalled to replace Zack Gelof, who lands on the injured list with a right hand contusion.
- While the season numbers overall are still brutal, Lawrence Butler has a .356 OBP with two home runs in his last 15 games. With Brent Rooker and Gelof on the shelf, Butler will need to help the Athletics’ offense continue to thrive.
- Another outfielder filling a crucial role is rookie Henry Bolte. The everyday starter in center field, he has an .824 OPS and .406 OBP. It’s not only with the bat that he’s making a difference. He’s added nine steals (with his 100th percentile sprint speed) and has a 94th percentile arm value in the outfield. The 22-year old looks like he’s here to stay, especially with Denzel Clarke still out.
- The A’s find themselves in third place in the AL West, 1.5 games back of the division-leading Seattle Mariners. Houston, 7-3 in their last ten games, is in second with a .001 advantage over the A’s in winning percentage.
What’s Next?
The Athletics head down to Anaheim for a three-game set vs. the Angels. Then, they welcome the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers to Sutter Health Park.
(Top photo of Henry Bolte, courtesy: Athletics)
