Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber, left, is congratulated by Trea Turner after hitting a home run during the first inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Sat Jun 18, 2023 (AP News photo)

Philadelphia (38-34). 100 010 010. – 3. 7. 0

Oakland (19-55). 000 000 110 – 2. 9. 0

Time: 2:35

Attendance: 24,326

Sunday, June 18, 2023

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Worst Record Standings (at end of today’s Oakland game)

Team W L Pct. June 18 Result 1899 Cleveland Spiders 9 39 .188 No game 1962 NY Mets 16 45 .262 Lost to Milwaukee 7-1 2023 KC ROYALS 18 52 .257 Lost to Angels, 5-2 2023 OAKLAND A’S 19 55 .257 Lost to Philadelphia, 3-2.

Mark Kotsay and Scott Emerson chose Hogan Harris, the A’s third round choice in the 2018 draft, to start this afternoon’s attempt at reversing yesterday’s bitter defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies, a team in the process of recovery from its own weak start.

The Phils opened the day at 37-34, good enough for third place in the NL East. They finished last year in third, too and then went on to represent the National League in the World Series.

Hogan was the winning pitcher in his last two appearances, which included his only start of the season, when he went five innings against the Pirates in Pittsburgh, allowing three runs, all earned, on four hits on June 7.

The 26 year old southpaw began the day at 2-0, 4.84 and ended it at 2-1, 4.45, He pitched very effectively for six innings, allowing two runs, both earned, on four hits, one a round tripper and issued only one base on balls against seven strike outs. 61 of his 96 pitches went into the books as strikes.

Right hander Zach Wheeler (5-4.3.73 at game time) was a first round draft choice in 2009. The Giants chose him as the sixth overall selection. Between then and his first pitch this afternoon, Wheeler was 79-61, 3.44 over 1,268-2/3 innings in 209 games.

He had struck out 1,283 batters and achieved the impressive WHIP of 1.20. In was an almost incredible 1.01 in 2021 and 1.04 last year. He brought a better than respectable 1.20 to the mound. When the dust settled the veteran had thrown 107 pitches, 67 for strikes over six frames, shutting the A’s out on six hits and a walk while striking out four. He lowered his ERA t0 3.48 and brought his won-lost record to 6-4 with the win.

It didn’t take long for Philadelphia to take the lead. Kyle Schwarber lined Harris’s fourth offering over the State Farm sign in left center field for his 20th homer and 40th RBI of the season. Harris settled down after that and kept Philadelphia off the board, allowing only one base runner until Cristián Pache got a leg double to center with two out in the fifth.

Schwarber drove him in with a single to right on an outside 2-2 offering that the Phillies’ DH just reached out and dropped into right field. The visitors now were ahead, 2-0, both runs having been driven in by Schwarber.

Shintaro Fujinami took over for Harris to pitch the seventh. He retired the Phils in order. Matt Strahm was not as successful in handling the A’s when he took over for Wheeler to start the seventh. Aledmys Díaz touched him for a one out home run over the 367 foot sign in left to bring Oakland within a run of the Phillies.

Philadelphia overcame the Curse of the Leadoff Double to score another run in the top of the eighth. The double was Pache’s second straight two bagger to center. The RBI came on Turner’s single to left. After Fujinami walked Bohm, Lucas Erceg came on to pitch. He got Realmuto out on a pop up to first and retired Stott on a fly to left. But the A’s now trailed, 3-1.

José Alvardo assumed mound duties for the visitors in. the eighth. He fanned Rooker before Esteury Ruíz, pinch hitting for Brown, smacked a double to center and Carlos Pérez, hitting for Bleday, drove him home with a single to left that made it 3-2.

Austin Pruitt s threw a scoreless top of the ninth for Oakland in spite of allowing a leadoff single to Josh Harrison.

The Aheltics faced Yunior Marte in their do or die half of the ninth. He struck out the side to earn his first save of 2023.

The Athletics have a day off Monday and will face the Guardians in Cleveland on Tuesday at 4:10 Pacific time. They’ll send Luis Medina (1-6, 7.55) against Aaron Civale (2-2, 2.67)