The Oakland A’s catcher Shea Langeliers (23) gets interviewed after the A’s sixth straight win over the Tampa Bay Rays at the Oakland Coliseum on Mon Jun 13, 2023 (@Athletics photo)

Tampa Bay (48-21). 000 003 000 – 3. 7. 0

Oakland (18-58). 000 040 00x – 4. 6.0.

Time: 2:31

Attendance: 4,848

Monday, June 12, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–On this day in 1899, the Cleveland Spiders lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-3, in front of an estimated 100 paying customers in the Steel City’s Exhibition Park. The loss gave the Spiders a season’s record of 8-36, .182.

On this day in 1962, the New York Mets, dropped a 3-2 decision in Houston when their fellow first year expansion team, the Colt 45s, walked them off, 3-2, leaving the visiting Metropolitans at 16-39, 2.91.

On this day, the Oakland Athletics extended their winning streak to six, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in a tense 4-3 battle and winding up the day at 18-50, .265. The green and gold may yet escape the ignominy of winding up the season with the worst winning percentage in major league history and have to settle for only having the worst one in what’s called the modern era.

The A’s starting pitcher, James Kaprielian, came to work a 1-6, 7.21, but he pitched well in his last outing, getting the win in the Athletics’ 11-2 shellacking of the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium on June 6 . He went six innings and threw 101 pitches and gave up both of Pittsburgh’s runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and a walk.

Tonight, he pitched well for five shutout innings before melting down and yielding three runs, all earned, in the sixth. He allowed a total of five hits , one a homer, and three walks during his tenure, striking out four. His pitch count reached 93, 64 going into the books as strikes. His ERA fell to 6.89. He earned the win, making his won-lost record 2-6.

Tampa Bay’s opening moundsman was Zach Elfin, boasting an 8-1, 2.97 record over 11 starts in 2023. His last appearance also was on the sixth, when he held the Twins to three hits over 6-2/3 frames. The Rays won that game, 7-0, so you don’t have to ask about his runs or earned runs allowed.

The AL East leading Rays and the subcellar dwelling Athletics matched zeroes over and Jonah Bride opened the bottom of the fifth with walks. Jace Peterson followed with a single that Randy Arozarena bobbled in left, but Rooker stopped at third, which gave the A’s a golden opportunity but no cigar.

Tampa Bay looked as if they might escape the East Bay threat when Kevin Smith grounded into a 5-2 force out. But Shea Langeliers came through with a bases clearing triple to deep center, and Ryan Noda’s single to center brought him home with the home team’s fourth tally.

That spelled “el fin” for Elfin. He had lasted a mere 4-2/3 innings and surrendered four runs, all earned, on five hits, and two bases on balls. He threw 94 pitches, 58 for strikes, and his ERA ballooned to 3.26. He was charged with the loss, his second against eight victories this season.

Kevin Kelly closed the door on the A’s in the fifth and put them down in order in the sixth

The A’s outburst didn’t keep Tampa Bay from narrowing their deficit to 4-3. Kaprielian yielded a bunt single to Luke Raley and a walk to Josh Lowe. both of whom scored on José Siri’s homer over the 408 foot sign in the top of the sixth.

Ken Waldichuk replaced Kaprielian on the mound for the top of the seventh and survived a runners on the corners with two doon threat to pitch a scoreless inninng.

Shawn Armstrong took over for the St. Petersburg crew after the intimate gathering finished singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” He set the Rays down in order, fanning two of them.

It was Robert Stephenson who pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth for Tampa Bay

Waldichuk stuck around to face the Rays in the top of the ninth. He struck out Taylor Walls on a checked swing called third strike., retired Christian Bethancourt on a ground out to short, and finished the job with a gr0under to second that earned Waldichuk his first career save.

A large crowd is expected for tomorrow, Tuesday’s, 6:40 game, in which the Rays will send Hogan Harris (1-0, 6.46) against an Oakland hurler yet to be named. The crowd is not expected because of the promise that the A’s will continue their recent winning ways but because tomorrow is the night of the counter boycott.