The Athletics opened their latest homestand Monday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a familiar story for this A’s team, as its league-worst bullpen allowed eight runs in the eighth inning, ruining starter Jacob Lopez’s season-best outing and sending the A’s to a series-opening 10-6 defeat.
Early Offense
Lopez got off to a rough start. The first batter of the game, Rays designated hitter Yandy Díaz, hit his 16th home run of the season, a solo shot to center field.
The Athletics immediately tied the game against
Rays’ starter Freddy Peralta in the bottom of the first inning. First baseman Jeff McNeil singled and then scored from first base on Tyler Soderstrom’s RBI double that sailed over the center fielder’s head.
With runners on the corners and two outs, the A’s aggressive baserunning put them in front 2-1. Left fielder Carlos Cortes broke for second base, and Rays catcher Nick Fortes’ throw sailed into center field. Soderstrom, who was standing at third base, scored the A’s second run of the inning on the defensive mistake.
Game Settles Down
Pitching with the lead for the first time, Lopez turned in four straight scoreless innings, keeping his team in front. In the top of the fourth inning, a walk and a single gave the Rays their first opportunity with a runner in scoring position. A’s second baseman Donovan Walton made a nice diving stop to rob Chandler Simpson of a potential game-tying hit and end the inning.
The Rays played some nice defense in the bottom of the fourth. First, they threw out Lawrence Butler, who was too slow trying to stretch a bloop hit into a double. Center fielder Jonny DeLuca ended the inning with a nice diving catch to rob the hosts of their third hit of the frame.
Gelof Back in Style
Athletics’ third baseman Zack Gelof led off the fifth inning with his 12th home run of the season, a 456-foot blast to left-center field off Peralta that put the Green and Gold ahead 3-1.
Rays Threatening
Seeking to come back against Lopez, Díaz doubled to begin the top of the sixth. The A’s southpaw escaped the jam by retiring the next three batters, completing six innings for the first time this season. His counterpart, Peralta, also pitched six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts.
The Rays used small ball to rally in the seventh inning against Lopez. The Rays had runners at first and third with no outs after two straight infield singles. The first was a swinging bunt on which the batter advanced to second following an errant throw from A’s catcher Jonah Heim. Fortes’ RBI groundout reduced the A’s lead to one run.
Lopez retired the next two hitters to strand the game-tying run at third base. He posted a quality start, allowing just two runs on five hits over seven innings while striking out five and walking only one batter.
A’s Add On
Facing Rays’ reliever Chris Roycroft, Henry Bolte led off the bottom of the seventh inning with his second single of the game. Roycroft then hit Walton with a pitch, giving the A’s two runners on with no outs. Gelof came through again, crushing an RBI double off the center field wall to score Bolte and put the A’s back ahead by two.
McNeil’s sacrifice fly brought Walton home from third to make it a 5-2 game. Shortstop Jacob Wilson lined a two-out RBI double, with Gelof scoring the hosts’ third run of the inning.
A’s Bullpen Horrible!!!!!
It did not take long for the Rays to storm back. Right-handed reliever Seth Johnson entered out of the A’s bullpen. Following two straight singles, Rays superstar Junior Caminero hit his 34th home run of the season, a three-run shot to left that made it a one-run game once again. Johnson failed to retire any of the four batters he faced, immediately erasing his team’s momentum.
Left-hander Jose Suarez replaced Johnson. He continued the implosion, only getting one out while allowing three more singles and a walk. The pathetic A’s bullpen allowed the first eight batters of this inning to reach safely, as the visitors turned a four deficit into a four-run lead in the blink of an eye.
There is a good chance that this inning would not have gone so sideways had Luis Medina, Brady Basso or anybody else started the inning. For some reason, Mark Kotsay summoned Johnson, only to watch him fail his latest audition and take a well-deserved win away from Lopez, who put together his best start of the season.
Post-game Takeaways
Once again, A’s pitchers allowed double-digit runs at this ballpark, but tonight all of the blame falls on three guys who are part of one of the worst bullpens ever assembled. The Rays capitalized on the momentum change, preventing the A’s from pulling off their own comeback over the final two innings of the game.
At the moment, there is uncertainty regarding if there will be an MLB season next year, and if so what it will look like. Tonight’s loss, the A’s 72nd of this season, should be the nail in the coffin for Mark Kotsay’s tenure as the team’s manager. Hopefully, these next 42 games will be his last in charge of the Green and Gold.
Losses like this can be demoralizing, so it would not be surprising for the Rays to carry this momentum into a potential series sweep. As a result, it will be interesting to see how the Athletics fare in tomorrow’s matchup. The A’s have not announced a starter, while the Rays will send veteran right-hander Nick Martinez to the mound.
