Oakland A’s Lawrence Butler (4) grounds out to Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Civale in the top of the fourth inning at the Oakland Coliseum on Fri Aug 23, 2024 (AP News photo)

Milwaukee (74-54). 050 200 004. 11 14 1

Athletics (54-74). 100 200 000. 3 6 2

Time:2:51

Attendance: 14,031

Friday, August 23, 2024

By Lewis Rubman

OAKLAND–Just when you getting used to tight, low scoring games, JP Sears, 3-2, 1.57 in last four starts, took the mound for the departing Athletics, got blown out after lasting a mere 3-2/3 innings, in a lopsided 11-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in this Thursday night’s first game of a three game series between the NL Central leading Brew Crew and an Athletic team hanging by the skin of its teeth to fourth place in the AL West.

In that short stint, Sears threw 90 pitches, 56 of them considered strikes. gave up seven runs, five of them earned, on nine hits, one of them a three run four bagger by Rhys Hoskins that put the visitors ahead 3-1 in the top of the second.

That one run on the A’s side of the ledger had come on Lawrence Butler’s leadoff homer in the first, a 401 foot blast to center, his 14th round tripper and 42nd RBI of the year. The. A’s managed to score only two more runs.

They came in the bottom of the fourth, matching the two tallies Milwaukee had put up in the top of the frame. The Athletics’ offensive swan song came on back to back singles by Sean Langeliers and Seth Brown, walks to Zack Gelof, and a ground out by Butler.

He and Brown got the RBIs. Sears took the loss, which left his season’s record at 10-9, 4.35). The A’s sent two more hurlers to the mound. Ross Stripling staunched the flow of Brewers crossing the plate, holding the 16 batters he faced to two hits and another pair of free passes while striking out four in his 5-1/3 innings on the mound.

This was his second relief appearance of the year, and it gave him a total of six innings in that role this year, in which he has allowed but one opponent to score. You couldn’t really say that Dany Jiménez relieved Stripling, but he did follow him to face the visitors in the top of the ninth. His 32 pitch effort allowed four more of Milwaukee’s maulers to cross the plate.

It wasn’t as if the Brewers’ starter, Aaron Civale, outpitched Sears. The 29 year old righty who makes his home in Boston last only a third of an inning longer than Sears. 20 A’s hitter for four runs, three earned, on four hits, including Butler’s wasted home run.

Four Athletics reached on walks, against three who struck out. Civale threw 82 pitches; 50 went into the book as strikes. In spite of his escape with a no decision, Chivale’s earned run average rose to 4.84. That figure incorporated his 5.07 ERA earlier in the season with Tampa Bay.

Back to back homers by Rhys Hoskins, who had been suffering through an 0-21 draught before Friday night and Joey Ortiz sparked the Brewers’ five run second inning that basically put the game on ice.

Bryan Hudson (6-1, 1.87) got the win for the Brewers with two perfect innings. Joel Payamps, Trevor Megill, and Joe Ross shut out the A’s in an inning apiece, with Ross allowing the only baserunner, Seth Brown, who singled to right center to lead off the ninth.

Saturday, Joe Boyle (3-5, 6.21), who was hot in his last outing, will try to cool down the beer meisters, who will send Colin Rea (11-4, 3.52) to the mound against them. First pitch 1:07pm PT at the Coliseum.