Atlanta Braves’ Guillermo Heredia belts his second home run of the 2022 season in the bottom of the seventh inning against Oakland A’s relief pitcher Lou Trivino at Truist Field in Atlanta on Tue Jun 7, 2022 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (20-37) started a nine-game road trip with a two-game interleague series with the Atlanta Braves (29-27). The A’s, losers of six straight, were hoping to get back in the win column. The Braves, on the other hand, have won five in a row and are in second place in the National League East.

Last year, the Braves got hot late in the season and beat the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Houston Astros to win their fourth World Series crown in franchise history. The odds would favor the Braves beating the A’s Tuesday. The odds were correct as the Braves hit three solo home runs to down the A’s 3-2.

It was a hot and humid evening in Atlanta Tuesday night. The A’s had not dealt with such conditions all season. The A’s gave starter Cole Irvin an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Tony Kemp led off the game with a single.

Elvis Andrus followed with a single, sending Kemp to second. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Ramon Laureano singled to drive in Kemp and Andrus to give the A’s the 2-0 advantage. 

Lefty hurler, Irvin, pitched well for five and one-third innings. Braves’ right-fielder, Ronald Acuna, Jr., sent Irvin’s first pitch into the left-field seats leading off the bottom of the first. For Acuna, it was the 24th time in his career with Atlanta that he has led off a game with a home run. The A’s led 2-1 after one inning.

Irvin had to face Acuna at the bottom of the third again. The result was the same. Acuna led off with another solo home run to tie the game at two apiece. 

Irvin left the game in the sixth. Domingo Acevedo recorded the last two outs of the inning. A’s manager, Mark Kotsay, brought Lou Trivino in to pitch the seventh. Trivino had to face Guillermo Heredia leading off the seventh for Atlanta.

Heredia was a last-minute replacement as slugger Adam Duvall was unable to play. Heredia won the game for Atlanta when he hit Trivino’s first pitch into the left-field stands. The Braves led 3-2 after seven.

The Braves starter Kyle Wright gave up his fifth hit of the night in the fourth with one out. Wright was dominant from that point in the game. He retired the next 14 A’s hitters in a row.

Wright did not walk a batter and struck out seven. Braves’ closer Kenley Jansen set the A’s down in order in the ninth to secure the win for Atlanta. The final score was 3-2 in favor of Atlanta.

Game Notes: The A’s are now 20-37. They have lost seven in a row, and are 1-10 in their last eleven games. The Braves won their sixth straight game and are now 29-27.

The winning pitcher was Kyle Wright he is now 6-3. Lou Trivino took the loss, and his record is 1-4.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, five hits, and no errors. Three of the five hits came in the first inning. Atlanta’s line was three runs, nine hits, and no errors. Ronald Acuna led the team with two solo blasts.

The A’s finish the series Wednesday night. Lefty Jared Koenig (0-0, ERA 0.00) will be making his Major League Debut. His opponent will be Atlanta’s lefty Ian Anderson (4-3, 4.70). The game will start at 4:20 pm.

The time of the game was a very speedy 2:20. 33,981 fans watched the hometown Braves win their sixth in a row.