Oakland Athletics’ Ramon Laureano hits a two-run home run during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians at the Oakland Coliseum on Monday, April 3, 2023 (AP News photo)

Cleveland. 200 302 030 2 – 12 16. 1

Oakland. 150 020 009 1 – 11 14. 1. 10 innings

Time: 3:19

Attendance: 3,035

Mon April 3, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Without the magnet of Shohei Ohtani to attrack the paying customers, your Oakland Athletics, whose roots may be in The Town, but whose branches might soon cover Las Vegas, fought the Cleveland Guardians ten innings before succumbing 12-11 on this cool, clear, and very windy Monday night in front of an intimate gathering of 3,035 at the Oakland Coliseum.

The home team chose James Kaprielian as its starting pitcher. The 29 year old right hander, who came to the A’s as part of the deal that sent Sonny Gray to the Yankees in 2017, had a roller coaster of a season last year. He went 3-0, 1,89, with an opponents’ OPS of .612, in May and June.

But, if you count–as you must–the remaining four months of the season, his record was 5-9, 4.23, allowing his opponents an OPS of .735. He had a good spring, going 2-1, 2.81.

He began. the day with a lifetime mark of (0-1, 7.70) against Cleveland. He didn’t do that well tonight he lasted five frames and allowed as many runs, all of them earnbed. He surrendered seven. hits, including a home run, and a walk. He threw 89 pitches, 61 for strikes.

The visitors from Ohio, who arrived on the banks of the Nimitz with a 3-1 record, a half game out of the lead in the nascent AL Central Division season, went with Zach Plesac, like Karpielian making his his first start the mattered in 2023. He lasted 53 pitches, in. which he retired all of three Oakland batters. In his 1+ innnings of hard labor, Plessac surrendered six runs, all earned, on five hits, one of them for the distance, and a walk.

Cleveland almost fell victim to the Curse of the Lead Off Double Steven Kwan smacked the first pitch of the game into leftt for a two bagger. Kaprielian reovered to stroike strike out Amed Rosario and Josh Bell, but sandwiched betweenm them was a walk to José Ramírez. Josh Naylor singled to center, and Andrés Giménez gave the Guardians an early 2-0 advantage.

The A’s got one of those runs back in their half of the first on two out wind blown Texas League double by Seth Brown that would have plated Jace Peterson if he had been running full speed on what looked like the third out. Peterson scored on an infield single by the next batter, Conner Capper.

Oakland took the lead in the next frame.Ryan Noda led off with his first major league hit, a single to right. He moved on to third on Shea Langeliers’ line drive that rollled off short stop Rosario’s glove into left for a single. Moments later, Noda scored his first MLB run.

It came on a double to left by Estiuru Ruíz. After Kemp singled to right, Jace Peterson then rolled his first hit and first round tripper. in the show. It carried 401 feet into the right center field seats and put Oakland up 6-2. It also put Pleassc in the showers. He was replaced by Xzaviion Curry.

Naylor closed the gap a bit in the top of the fourth with a first pitch homer that took an 82 mph change up 406 feet into the right field seats, halving the A’s lead to 6-3. Then they almost closed the gap entirely. Jiménez lined one down the right field line that would have been a double if it hadn’t hit first base umpire Doug Eddings.

Will Brenman’s single to left moved Jiménez to second, and both came hone on a Myles Straw two bagger to left. All of a sudden, it was 6-5, with Oakland hanging on by the skin of its teeth.

The green and gold widened their lead to 8-5 in the home fifth thanks to a bunt singleo by Capel and a 408 foot homer to left center off Curry’s 85 mph slider.

Jeurys Familia took over mound duties for Oakland to start the sixth and was greeted by Zunino with a single to left. Brennan then sent a bouncing double play ball bouncing to second. A double play ball that Kemp bobbled. It was scored as a fielder’s choice and an error and opened the door for Straw’s sacrifice bunt to the mound, putting both runners in scoring posiition.

Both score; Zunino on Kwan’s sac fly to left and Brennan on Rosario’s single to center. When Ramírez followed those disaster with a singe to center, the A’s lead stood a 8-7. None of the runs scored on Familia was earned. He gave way to Sam Moll at the start of the seventh frame, and Tim Herrin replaced Curry for Cleveland in the bottom of the inning.

He almost gave up an unearned run on a two base error by his second baseman, but Brown, the beneficiary of Giménez’s misplay, was cut down at the plate trying to score on Laureano’s single to right, Brennan to Zunino.

Then it was the turn of Domingo Acevedo to try to hold off the Guardians in the top of the eighth. Straw led off with a single to left. With Kwan at bat, he stole second. The A’s challenged the call, but it was confirmed on video review.

Kwan then singled to right, driving in Straw with the tying tally; Rosario’s sac fly put Cleveland ahead, 9-8 Ramírez tripled to right in a play that had originally been scored as a single and. a two base error; and Bell’s sac fly to left brought Ramírez home with the Guardians’ tenth run.

After James Karnachak set Oakland down in order in the bottom of the eighth, Acevedo kept Cleveland off the board in spite of having plunked Straw, who then stole second.

Emmanuel Clase walked to the mound in the bottom of the ninth, looking for his second save of the season. Kemp greeted him with a single to second but was eliminated by a pitcher’s best friend, 4-6-3. Díaz wrangled a walk, took second on defensive indifference, and then trotted home on Brown’s majestic 432 foot improbable game tying home run to center, his first round tripper and RBI of the season. The hit it off a 97 mph cutter.

Trevor May pitched the tenth with Kwan as the zombie runner and Rosario at bat. His single to left brought Kwan 90 feet closer to home. He scored on a Ramírez single to center that allowed Rosario to make it to third.

Bell grounded out to second. Naylor was granted an intentional pass; Gabriel Arías pinch ran for him. May unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Rosario to score and the other runners to advance a base each. Giménez struck out and Zounino fouled out to Langiers to end the inning.

Eli Morgan took over pitching duties for Cleveland when the A’s came up for their last chance to stay alive. The speedy Laureano was the ghost runner; he went to third on Noda’s ground out to second and scored when. Ruíz doubled to right. But Kemp flew out to left, and the A’s had lost their third straight game, a game they could have won.

Clase got the win; he’s 1-0. May took the loss; he’s 1-1. Morgan got the save.

The two teams will square off tonight at 6:40 pm, with JP Sears scheduled to toe the rubber for the Athletics and Shane Bieber on the mound for the Guardians .That Tuesday contest will be the second of a three game series before the A’s hit the road for a seven games in seven days trip that will take them to Tampa Bay and Baltimore before they return to face the Mets on the 14th without even a day’s break for travel.