Gio Urshela in the game on Wednesday night against the Atlanta Braves. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — After the drubbing the A’s handed the Braves on Tuesday, Atlanta returned the favor on Wednesday night, defeating the A’s 9-2. With the loss, the A’s fell to 38-56 on the season.

Mitch Spence roughed up early but able to eat innings

A’s starter Mitch Spence had a rough go in the early innings on Wednesday night. He gave up a leadoff home run to Ronald Acuña Jr. on the third pitch of the game, and the Braves didn’t look back. Despite his ineffectiveness, Spence did manage to give the A’s six innings of work. Still, he allowed eight runs on nine hits and was tagged for five home runs in the outing.

“Yeah, I think the stuff overall was down. Obviously, the velo, the cutter wasn’t sharp,” Kotsay said postgame. “So for Spence, [he] just didn’t command the baseball. Balls were up, and you’re going to get hurt anytime you can’t pitch to the bottom of the zone or get something down to the bottom of the zone. And I think that was evident tonight.”

Spence was frustrated with his outing postgame but tried to focus on any positives.

“I made some good pitches, and unfortunately today kind of sucked. I just felt like everything they hit hard was a homer, so [I’m] just trying to take the positives from today.”

A’s offense goes quiet, Soderstrom and Clarke add two hits apiece

Braves starter Bryce Elder had his way with the A’s for most of the night, tossing 6.2 innings and giving up only two runs. The A’s managed eight hits, but Elder did a good job limiting the damage.

Kotsay praised Elder’s game plan in keeping the A’s offense in check.

“I think this is a command pitcher [Elder]. He works on location and setting up pitches, which he did a great job of tonight. He definitely used the sinker in the third down below. That was the biggest difference in the two starters tonight. You could tell that Elder kept the ball down in the zone.”

The bright spots for the A’s offense were Tyler Soderstrom, who went 2-for-4 with a double in the fourth and a single in the sixth while also scoring a run, and Denzel Clarke, who also went 2-for-4 with a double in the fifth and a single in the ninth. It’s a promising development for Clarke, who had struggled early in his career.

Kotsay praised Soderstrom’s efforts through the peaks and valleys as he continues to grow.

“Obviously it was a tough, tougher June in terms of extra-base hits. I think this kid’s battled through it. I think we’re seeing him come out of it where he is definitely making more hard contact, which is a great sign.”

Kotsay also spoke on Clarke’s development.

“For Denzel… we continue to talk about him in his growth, and at the plate tonight, the double is a great swing. He’s continuing to take good at-bats, which is important.”

I spoke to Denzel about how he feels with his at-bats recently and whether he feels like he’s turning a corner. He stressed the impact his teammates have had on him and reminded me that he’s still just a month and a half into his big-league journey—meaning early struggles are to be expected.

“Game’s slowing down for sure. Yeah, I think just naturally as human beings, [when] you put ourselves in any type of situation, we’re going to adapt. I have a great coaching staff and great teammates that have helped me just by being supportive, helping me with great advice… I’m slowly making adjustments to this level, which is really cool. I’m really happy about it, but I mean, it’s been a month and a half, so you can go anywhere from here, so I’ve got to stay consistent, be a good teammate as my teammates have been to me, and listen to the great coaches.”

Rubber game on Thursday

The A’s and Braves will go at it in the final game of the series on Thursday at 6 p.m. PST. The A’s are slated to send JP Sears (7-7, 4.76 ERA) to the hill as the Braves counter with Spencer Strider (3-7, 3.93 ERA).

Jacob Wilson remains day to day. He was seen postgame receiving treatment on his left hand, which was wrapped in a large cloth bandage.

Whether you’re pre-gaming with the Kings or celebrating an A’s win, Cyprus Grille at the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena is your downtown go-to.

⚡Craft cocktails? Check.
🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
🏟️Steps from Golden 1 Center? You bet.

Open daily, Cyprus Grille is serving up local flavor with a front-row seat to the action. Stop by before or after the game—or make it your new downtown hangout.

Cyprus Grille—where fans fuel up.

📍Located inside the Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown – Arena @ 300 J Street

Happy Hour – 4pm-6pm

Show your ticket for additional discounts when dining in.