Luis Urias in the game on Wednesday night. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The Athletics’ freefall in Sacramento continued on Wednesday night at Sutter Health Park. The A’s lost to the Twins in game three of a four-game series on Tuesday by a final score of 6-1.

The A’s have now lost 20 of their last 21 games and are riding a nine-game losing streak—this coming shortly after an 11-game skid that preceded it.

The A’s opted to use an opener on Tuesday, with Justin Sterner taking the mound in the first inning. Sterner allowed a solo home run to Ryan Jeffers, giving the Twins an early lead.

Sterner was followed by Jeffrey Springs in the second. Springs had flashes of solid work but ultimately surrendered four runs on five hits across his outing. He also walked two and struck out seven.

Springs addressed the team’s struggles after the game. “Yeah, I mean it’s tough. Obviously, when you’re on a stretch like this, it feels like everything is magnified. I felt like overall we played a pretty good game—we just, you know, weren’t able to push any runs across.”

Hogan Harris finished the night on the mound for the A’s, throwing one and a third innings while allowing a run on two hits and issuing two walks. The A’s pitching wasn’t atrocious, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the game given the lack of offensive support.

The A’s only run came in the fifth inning on a Jacob Wilson double that scored Lawrence Butler. Outside of that, the A’s managed just four other hits and went down quietly in the 6-1 loss.

The A’s are in total freefall. They are in desperate need of snapping out of this stretch, which has begun to spiral into historically bad territory. As much as this isn’t on Mark Kotsay or any one member of the coaching staff, you wonder how long this can go on before changes are made. I’m not calling for any moves, but it would be a disservice not to acknowledge what may be looming for the club.

The A’s will look to avoid a sweep on Thursday when they face the Twins at 12:35 p.m. in West Sacramento. Mitch Spence is expected to serve as the opener, likely followed by Gunnar Hogland. The Twins have yet to announce a starter.

With the loss, the A’s dropped to 23-40 on the season.