Sacramento A’s Luis Urias (left) slides in before Houston Astros catcher Victor Caratini (17) can put the tag on in time in the top of the third inning at Daikin Park in Houston Wed May 28, 2025 (AP News photo)

Severino’s Milestone and Wilson’s Big Day Not Enough As A’s Depart Houston With A 5-3 Loss

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento A’s flashed early promise in Houston Wednesday afternoon, but once again faltered when it mattered most, falling 5-3 to the Astros after a late-inning collapse erased a strong outing from starter Luis Severino and a standout performance by rookie Jacob Wilson.

Severino, in his 12th start of the season, was sharp across six innings, giving up just two earned runs while striking out six. He reached a career milestone in the first inning, notching his 1,000th career strikeout by getting Jose Altuve to chase a pitch in the dirt.

The A’s took the lead in the third inning thanks to Wilson, who continued his rookie tear by doubling in Luis Urías and later scoring on Brent Rooker’s RBI double. Wilson wasn’t done. In the fifth, he crushed his seventh home run of the season, a solo shot to left that put the green and gold ahead 3-2.

Wilson now leads all MLB rookies in hits, RBI, and doubles, and has more walks than strikeouts, a rare feat for any player, let alone a rookie. His performance was a rare highlight on a team that has struggled to produce consistently, especially with runners in scoring position.

The Astros tied the game in the bottom of the third after an error by Wilson helped load the bases, leading to a sacrifice fly by Isaac Paredes. In the fourth, Cam Smith tied it up with a two-out RBI single. Despite the early runs, Severino minimized damage and exited after six full innings with the score knotted 2-2.

Wilson’s home run in the fifth briefly put the A’s back on top, 3-2, but things unraveled in the seventh. Reliever Justin Sterner gave up a solo shot to Zach Dezenzo, tying the game at 3-3. Two singles and a walk later, Victor Caratini punched a sharp grounder into center to drive in two, giving Houston a 5-3 lead it never relinquished.

The A’s offense stalled in the late innings. After Wilson’s home run, the club managed just one hit and two walks over the final four frames. Rooker, Soderstrom, and Langeliers each struck out at least twice. As a team, the A’s struck out 18 times, including the final two batters of the game against Astros closer Josh Hader.

Wilson finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk and two RBI’s. Urías added a double and a walk, but the rest of the lineup failed to capitalize. Lawrence Butler, who entered the game with hits in nine straight, struck out four times. Denzel Clarke also wore the collar, going 0-for-4 with four punchouts.

The bullpen’s struggles were all too familiar. Sterner, who began the season with an 18.2-inning scoreless streak, has now been tagged for runs in two of his last three outings. Grant Holman came in to mop up but could not undo the damage as Houston’s late offense proved decisive.

With the loss, the A’s drop to 23-33 on the season and remain mired in last place in the AL West. They have now dropped 17 of their last 22 games and are just 3-17 in their last 20. The green and gold are hitting .256 overall but just .244 with runners in scoring position, and the bullpen owns one of the worst ERAs in the majors at 5.96.

The road trip continues Thursday in Toronto, where A’s left-hander Jacob Lopez (0-2, 2.57 ERA) will look for his first win of the season for the Toronto Blue Jays RHP Jose Berrios (1-2, ERA 4.22). If the A’s are to turn this slide around, they will need more than Wilson’s brilliance and Severino’s steadiness, they’ll need consistency from a lineup that too often goes silent and a bullpen that can close the door when asked.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times.