MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Byrnes

The Athletics concluded their future-home “homestand” in Las Vegas, taking 2-of-3 games against the Colorado Rockies, and finishing 4-2 in Nevada. The bats loved the time away from Sutter Health Park, but the pitchers were absolutely shelled at Las Vegas Ballpark, and are probably glad to have moved on.

(Athletics: 6-4)
In a change of pace, the A’s won the series opener 6-4, and “61-Jump Street”, Gage Jump, started against the Rockies Sean Sullivan. Jump scattered five hits over 5.0 innings, holding Colorado scoreless through the fifth, with six strikeouts.

Kyle Karros and TJ Rumfield had back-to-back singles in the 1st-inning, and Jump allowed a two-out single to Paxton Fulford in the second but nobody scored. Jump mixed in six (0-2) counts in his outing and was effective until the 6th-inning.

Back-to-back solo-home runs by Shea Langeliers and Nick Kurtz gave the Athletics a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth.

After Jump loaded the bases in the sixth, reliever Justin Sterner took over and gave up an RBI-sac fly, and 3-run homer to Cole Carrigg to give a 4-2 lead to Colorado. 

A Max Muncy RBI-double tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth, and a throwing error by Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman scored Lawrence Butler from 3rd-base in the seventh to add an insurance run.

Mason Barnett worked the seventh, and into the eighth for the win. Hogan Harris had a four-out save to bring the A’s record in series openers, to 8-15.

(Athletics: 7-5)
Henry Bolte’s two out RBI-single in the 1st-inning scored Kurtz and Langeliers, to take an early 2-0 lead. Rockies catcher Brett Sullivan hit a solo-bomb to open the 3rd-inning, cut the lead to 2-1, and added another run in the fourth, on an RBI-single by Troy Johnston. 

Later in the inning, the A’s responded with a Zack Gelof 2-run dinger to extend the lead to 4-2, but Colorado ran off A’s starter Joey Estes when Karros tripled and scored on a sac-fly. The Rockies scored three times in the inning to take a 5-4 lead, but the Athletics responded by batting around in the 6th-inning.

Alika Williams’s RBI-single with 2-outs in the sixth re-tied the game at 5-5, and Tyler Soderstrom doubled to give the team the lead back. After reloading the bases, pinch-hitter Carlos Cortes was hit-by-pitch and drove Soderstrom in for a 7-5 game.

Estes, who was recently promoted, lasted just 4.1 innings, gave up four earned runs, and Jose Suarez took the win. There was another Elvis sighting, with Elvis Alvarado having a 1-2-3 ninth for his second save of the year. Alvarado was clocked at over 103mph!

(Rockies: 23-9)
The twelve xbh’s Sunday, by Colorado, says it all in this microcosm of what MLB may be facing when the Athletics relocate to Las Vegas for good in 2028. A’s starter Jeffrey Springs gave up three of the six Colorado home runs to allow eight runs, six earned, and take the loss.
Springs (L 3-7, 5.13) wasn’t the only Athletics pitcher to get shelled, as Luis Medina replaced him in the fifth and he gave up six earned himself.

Medina was forced to endure struggles when Manager Mark Kotsay didn’t pull him when he was obviously in trouble. His inning included a stretch of: HR-Single-BB-Single-Double-RBI Sac Fly-Single-Triple, to also give up six runs.

The entire bullpen was ineffective with Brady Basso and Scott Barlow both allowing four earned runs in the nightmare day on the mound.

The A’s didn’t go to sleep at the plate either, with six xbh’s of their own, in the 23-9 shellacking. Soderstrom homered and doubled, and Butler had three singles to continue to show he is a new man at the plate. 

Alika Williams had a pair of singles, and at one point had seven consecutive hits, to continue massive production at the bottom of the lineup, and Muncy hit a 2-run homer.

Baseball should expect high batting averages and higher ERA’s in the hot Las Vegas air and may produce similar numbers as the Rockies do in Colorado, when the Athletics relocate for good.

Next: Pirates 6/15 6:40pm Sutter Health Park West Sacramento, Ca