MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The Athletics came into San Diego having lost three of the last four series, and the AL West was bunching up. They continue to struggle in Series openers, and with a 7-3 loss Friday the A’s lost the eleventh “game 1” in 17 series. A 2-0 shutout Saturday secured another series loss for the team but they rebounded with a solid 5-2 win in the finale, and returned home with a winning road trip.

(Padres: 7-3)
The Athletics moved Carlos Cortes to leadoff and it has produced instant results. Cortes singled and Nick Kurtz doubled him in for a quick 1-0 lead, just five pitches in. A Brent Rooker groundout scored Kurtz, giving them a 2-0 lead, but the Padres answered just as fast. 

A’s starter Jeffrey Springs gave the lead up when he walked Fernando Tatis Jr, and Manny Machado homered to tie the game 2-2.

Zack Gelof doubled to open the 4th inning, and scored on a Henry Bolte RBI-single, but that would be it for the scoring for the green-and-gold.
San Diego tied it up on a Nick Castellanos solo-hr in the 5th, and took the lead when former Athletics CF Ramon Laureano had his own bases-empty bomb for a 4-3 lead.

Springs (3-5, 4.11) was pulled for reliever Jack Perkins, who completely melted down in the 8th-inning. Perkins allowed four singles in just 7-pitches and three eventually scored to complete a 7-3 blowout loss.

(Padres: 2-0)
“Copy and Paste” was the middle game in this series, beginning with Cortes at leadoff. Cortes and Kurtz both singled to begin the game but watched as the heart of the order left them on base.

This was the theme of the entire game, as the A’s were 0-7 with-RISP, and left eight runners on base. Padres starter Lucas Giolito only went five innings and issued five walks and five hits, but the A’s couldn’t put a rally together, like much of the series opener.

The Padres bullpen is much more than just former A’s closer Mason Miller, as four relievers pitched four innings of 1-hit scoreless relief, and secured the 2-0 shutout.

Athletics starter JT Ginn issued six walks in just 2 2/3 innings, and while he held San Diego hitless, two of those walks scored.

Ginn (2-3, 3.19) walked the bases loaded in the second, and then hit Tatis with a 94-mph fastball, to put the Padres up 1-0.

In the 3rd-inning, Ginn had his sixth full-count become his sixth walk and Manager Mark Kotsay pulled him for reliever Jose Suarez. Suarez gave up an RBI-double to Jackson Merrill to make it 2-0, and that was where it would stay.

Suarez settled down to have a 1-2-3 4th and 5th-innings, with four strikeouts, to start a solid showing by the bullpen. Joel Kuhnel had two scoreless innings and Scott Barlow one, for a solid relief effort in the loss.

(Athletics: 5-2)
Cortes hit his first leadoff-HR of his career, and the A’s should consider leaving him in that spot with his outstanding approach to his at-bats.

Against tough starter Michael King, the A’s didn’t let up and scored twice in the 2nd-inning as well.

It began when Gelof drew a 1-out walk, and Bolte’s RBI-double brought him home. Newcomer Alika Williams followed with his first hit in A’s gear for an RBI-single, and a 3-0 lead.

Jonah Heim doubled to open the 4th-inning and King then walked Jeff McNeil and Bolte to load the bases. King then threw a wild-pitch to score Heim from 3rd base. He later loaded them up with a walk to Cortes but the A’s failed to score any more runs that inning.

Luis Medina took the mound for the A’s in the first, but was in to get through the top of the order for Jacob Lopez. Lopez (4-2, 5.73) went 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one earned run in the 6th-inning.

Justin Sterner allowed a solo-HR to Ty France in the 7th-inning to get within 4-2 but a 9th-inning Tyler Soderstrom RBI-single put the game out of reach. Barlow later earned his first save.

Next: Today Seattle 6:40pst, Sutter Health Park