MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The days of passing off the Athletics success as a fluke are over. They took 2-of-3 against the then division-leading Astros, and it was an off-series for Houston. The A’s took 2-of-3 from division-leading Yankees, and swept the Mets; only to hear claims of temperature helping the A’s. Ummm ok, but when you manage a split with your division leaders, the Rangers, you are for real.

We are gonna call the opener, jet-lag, time zone issues, whatever, but not giving the Athletics an off-day after a New York road-trip seems almost sinister. 

It took all of 17-pitches to start complaining about the mound for Luis Severino, and 19 to be down 3-0, because after walking two he served up a fatburger to Jake Burger. Burger touched him for a solo-shot in the third, but Severino settled in and went 6 1/3 with four earned runs.

Jack Perkins played Jekyll & Hyde, with a 7-pitch 7th inning, only to throw basically batting practice. Giving up four runs in the 8th, Perkins left with one out after giving up two doubles, three singles, and a walk.
Athletics bats were sporadic, and save a Lawrence Butler solo-home run, couldn’t score runs and lost 8-1.

Jeffrey Springs is our true #1 arm, and while the first batter of the game doubled and later scored, Springs had an easy day on the bump. It took only six pitches to end the 3rd inning, and nine pitches to finish the sixth, and Springs lasted 6 1/3 innings. He only allowed three hits, two walks, and struck out five.

After a Denzel Clarke double and walks to Shea Langeliers, and Nick Kurtz, Jacob Wilson hit a 2-RBI single, and it was all the Athletics would need, winning 2-1.

Wednesday’s game was the game that proved the recent success was no fluke, by securing at least a tie in the series, and having 1st place all to themselves for the first time since 2021.

The A’s won with small ball AND the long ball, starting in the 1st inning, with Carlos Cortes drawing a walk, and scoring on a Tyler Soderstrom double.

In the 2nd, Max Muncy was hit on the wrist and stole second base. Clarke hit an RBI-single to continue the small ball.

Athletics starter JT Ginn gave the lead up when after giving up a Brandon Nimmo walk, he served up a home run to Corey Seager. Ginn lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up two earned-runs, and was relieved by Hogan Harris. 

Harris (1-0, 2.38 era) finished a scoreless sixth, and the team broke through for him in the bottom half of the inning. Butler singled and Langelies ended his home run drought with his sixth dinger of the season.

After Scott Barlow pitched a scoreless 7th, the A’s added two important runs. Soderstrom led off with a walk, and Wilson hit his first home run of the year, for a 6-2 lead.

Enter A’s reliever Mark Leiter Jr, who as “king” of allowing base runners went: walk, single, and with 2-outs served up another home run pitch to Jake Burger. Recently promoted Joel Kuhnel bailed out Leiter Jr, ending the eighth, and striking out two in the ninth for his third save in a week.

Thursday was a lost win for the A’s, with Justin Sterner allowing four 9th-inning runs, and blowing a spectacular 8th-inning comeback. After being down 2-0 early, Langeliers started a 5th-inning rally with a walk, and Soderstrom doubled to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. Wilson followed with a 2-RBI single, and Cortes drove him in to take a 3-2 lead.

After the Rangers retook the lead on a Josh Jung 2-run shot, the A’s thought they had the comeback of the year. 

In the 8th, the Rangers walked Langeliers, who reached base 5x, to load the bases for Nick Kurtz. He cleared the bases to retake the lead 6-5, but reliever Justin Sterner allowed five of the first six to reach in the ninth, allowing four Rangers runs and a 9-6 loss. The A’s split the series (2-2).

The Athletics host: Chicago White Sox, Sutter Health Park 4/17 6:40pm