Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Luis Medina walks to the dugout after a groundout by Cleveland Guardians’ Will Brennan during the sixth inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Tue Jun 20, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s (19-56) lost for the sixth straight game Tuesday night. The A’s lost 3-2 in ten innings. While the pitching has improved in the last two weeks, the A’s could not snap the five-game losing streak. They needed a key hit in the tenth, but they could not get the one they needed. The Cleveland Guardians(34-38) rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the seventh to tie the game. Cleveland scored in the tenth to end it. The game summary follows below.

The A’s scored the first run of the game in the top of the third. Singles by Tony Kemp and Esteury Ruiz put men on at first and third with one out. A’s first baseman Ryan Noda’s ground out drove in Kemp with the run.

The A’s went ahead 2-0 in the seventh. Tony Kemp slugged his second home run of the year into the seats in right field. Cleveland tied the game in their half of the inning. Center fielder Myles Straw started the Guardians’ rally with a double.

With one out, A’s manager replaced Luis Medina with lefty Sam Moll. Moll retired Steven Kwan for the second out. Sam Moll gave up a single to Amed Rosario. Straw scored to make it 2-1. Jose Ramirez was the next hitter. Ramirez, a switch hitter and very dangerous in the clutch hit a line drive that got by a diving Seth Brown in left field. The ball rolled to the wall. Rosario scored on the play to tie the game.

Neither team scored in the eighth or the ninth. In the tenth, with Shea Langeliers as the ghost runner, Guardians’ reliever Enyel De Los Santos shut down the A’s offense. The Guardians scored in the tenth. Jose Ramirez was the ghost runner. The A’s issued a free pass to Josh Naylor.

Tyler Freeman laid down a sacrifice bunt. The A’s tried to nail Ramirez at third. The throw did not get there in time. The Guardians had the bases loaded with no out. All Cleveland needed was a sacrifice fly to win the game. The next hitter, Andres Gimenez, settled the affair with a single to right field to win the game for Cleveland. The A’s lost 3-2.

Game Notes: With the loss, the A’s are now 19-56. The guardians improved to 34-38.

The line score for Oakland was two runs, six hits, and no errors.

Cleveland’s line was three runs, ten hits, and one error.

The A’s Ken Waldichuk started the game. He was the opener and went one and 2/3rd innings. Luis Medina replaced him, and he pitched 4.1 innings. He gave up four hits and one run. Sam Moll replaced Medina and allowed two hits and one run. 

The Guardians’ starter Aaron Civale gave his team a quality start. He went six and 2/3rd innings of work. Civale allowed five hits and two runs. 

Tony Kemp had a single and a home run to extend his hitting streak to five games. Esteury Ruiz singled in the third and has now hit in six straight games.

The hitting star for Cleveland was Amed Rosario. Rosario had two singles and a double.

Game two of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night. The A’s will send Paul Blackburn to the hill. Blackburn is 0-0, with a 3.48 ERA. The Guardians’ starter will be Gavin Williams. Williams will be making his Major League debut. A 4:10pm PT first pitch at Progressive Field in Cleveland.