The Athletics and Giants battled in the rubber-game of their three-game set on a windy Sunday afternoon in Sacramento. While the wind helped both teams score runs, the weather did not play that much of a factor in this game’s result. Rather it was the A’s bullpen and defensive collapse in the eighth inning, when the Giants scored eight runs to break the game open and go on to a 10-1 series-deciding victory.
Giants Threaten Right Away
A’s starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs encountered some early traffic before inducing two fly
outs to escape that first inning jam.
Kurtz Keeps Streak Going
A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz led off the bottom of the first with a walk against Giants’ pitcher Adrian Houser, extending his on-base streak to an incredible 40 consecutive games. Houser settled down after that, matching Springs with a scoreless first.
Springs continued his strong start in the second, inducing an inning-ending double-play grounder to erase Giants’ catcher Daniel Susac’s leadoff single. In the latter half of that inning, A’s third baseman Zack Gelof crushed a ball that got knocked down by the wind and wound up in the Giants center fielder’s glove.
Giants Strike First
The Giants took the lead against Springs. With one out in the third, Arraez hit his second home run of the season, a wind-aided solo shot down the right field line. A’s catcher Jonah Heim led off the last of the third with a single, his first hit with the team and the A’s first hit of the game.
Giants Add Another Run
The Giants extended their lead the next inning. Their shortstop, Willy Adames reached on Gelof’s throwing error, advanced to second on a balk and then scored on Matt Chapman’s double to center. Springs limited the damage by getting Giants’ right fielder Drew Gilbert to fly out with Chapman on second and two outs.
A’s Attempt a Comeback
Houser worked his fourth straight scoreless inning. The Giants middle-infield duo of Adames and Arraez made nice defensive plays to assist their pitcher.
In the bottom of the fifth, the A’s got on the board thanks to a two-out rally. Shortstop Darell Hernaiz singled and then Kurtz walked for the third time in three at-bats. That brought up right fielder Carlos Cortes, whose pop-up was somehow not caught by a Giants infielder. His double that never left the infield brought home Hernaiz to cut his team’s deficit in half. Houser escaped the jam by getting designated hitter Brent Rooker to line out as the A’s stranded the tying and go-ahead runs on base.
Springs responded with a shutdown sixth inning, not letting the Giants grab back any momentum. He allowed two runs, one earned on five hits over six innings. He struck out just three while inducing seven groundouts and seven flyouts.
In the bottom of the sixth, Gelof singled and then stole second with two outs. Unfortunately, center fielder Lawrence Butler popped out to end the inning. For the second straight inning, the hosts wasted an opportunity to at least tie the game. Butler continues to struggle, his batting average now a woeful .172.
Like Springs, Houser completed six solid innings for the Giants, only allowing one run on four hits. Aside from the five walks, Houser pitched well and in all likelihood should have ended his outing with zero runs allowed given how the A’s scored their lone run against him.
A’s Bullpen and Defense Falters: Giants Score Eight in the Eighth
In the seventh, both teams turned things over to their bullpen. A’s right-hander Justin Sterner and Giants’ left-hander Sam Hentges each pitched scoreless innings.
The Giants extended their lead in the eighth inning against Athletics’ reliever Luis Medina thanks to several A’s mistakes. The rally started when Gelof made his second fielding error of the game. Following a walk and a single, San Francisco had runners on every base with zero outs. First baseman Rafael Devers singled to center scoring two runs, the second run coming home because Butler failed to cleanly field the ball.
Medina failed to record an out, and was not helped by the defense behind him. Left-hander José Suárez replaced him with the bases loaded, but by the time he finally escaped the inning, the game had gotten out of hand. Giants center fielder Harrison Bader punctuated the rally with a grand slam down the right-field line, capping what was likely San Francisco’s best offensive inning and the A’s worst defensive inning of the season.
Position-player Pitching Alert
Down by nine, A’s manager Mark Kotsay turned to position-player Carlos Cortes to pitch the top of the ninth inning. In his first MLB pitching appearance, the outfielder allowed a walk and a double but did not give up a run.
The Athletics went down meekly in the bottom of the ninth, suffering a 10-1 defeat that marked their second straight home series loss to a National League opponent and dropped them back to .500. The A’s are now just 10-12 at home this season, a mark that must improve if they hope to contend for a playoff spot. They also need to tighten their defense after committing nine errors over the past six games.
Next Game Preview
The A’s, however, have been better on the road, where they are 13-11 entering tomorrow’s matchup at the scuffling Los Angeles Angels. Coming off back-to-back scoreless outings, right-hander J.T. Ginn will start for the A’s as they try to snap their two-game losing streak. The Angels will counter with 22-year-old right-hander Walbert Ureña, who brings a 1-4 record and a 3.29 ERA into his eighth appearance and sixth start of the season. Ureña has pitched well recently, setting up an intriguing first meeting of the year between the division rivals.
