Sacramento A’s second baseman Max Muncy (left) puts the tag on the Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez (right) spoiling his base stealing attempt in the bottom of the first inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Fri Jul 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

Late Rally Can’t Save A’s From Another Cleveland Curse in 8-6 loss

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics started the second half of the season like they never left: in a hole. And not just on the scoreboard. Sacramento’s Green and Gold returned from the All-Star break with a frustrating 8-6 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field, a ballpark that has haunted the A’s for years, and lived up to the billing again Friday night.

What began as a tight pitcher’s duel quickly unraveled into a nightmare third inning for starter JP Sears. After striking out the first two batters of the game and putting up zeros in the first two frames, the lefty ran into a paper shredder.

A leadoff double from Brayan Rocchio set the tone. One pitch later, Angel Martínez drove in Rocchio with a single. Then David Fry followed with a two-run blast to left-center. José Ramírez, who walked in his first at-bat, then tripled, and Carlos Santana’s sac fly brought him home. By the time Sears exited, the A’s were trailing 5-0 and Cleveland had all the momentum.

Sacramento’s bats, meanwhile, were asleep for most of the game, managing only a solo homer from Brent Rooker (his 21st of the season), in the fifth to break the shutout. The rest of the night was an exercise in missed opportunities until it was nearly too late.

The Guardians kept piling on, including a pair of RBI doubles in the fourth by Rocchio, again, and a run-scoring single by Nolan Jones in the fifth. Sears’ night ended after five innings, allowing eight hits and all eight Cleveland runs. The bullpen fared better, with J.T. Ginn, Hogan Harris, and Elvis Alvarado combining for three shutout innings, which helped set up a dramatic ninth.

Down 8-3 entering their final frame, the A’s unleashed a furious rally. Nick Kurtz opened the inning with a triple, followed by another triple from Rooker to bring him in. Shea Langeliers doubled to plate Rooker, then Miguel Andujar ripped a double of his own to cut the deficit to two. Just like that, the A’s had momentum and the heart of the order coming up with no outs.

But Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland’s fireballing closer, slammed the door. He struck out Max Muncy, then fanned pinch-hitter Gio Urshela to end it. The A’s came up just short of stealing one in a ballpark they haven’t won in since 2021.

There were a few silver linings amid the disappointment. Kurtz continues to look like a star in the making, adding to his rookie lead in home runs and RBI with a 3-for-5 night that included a triple and RBI single. Langeliers, who’d been mired in a post-injury slump, broke out with three hits, including a homer and a double. And Rooker, fresh off a standout All-Star break, kept rolling with his 100th career home run, part of a 2-for-5 night.

But that wasn’t enough to offset a rough start from Sears, who gave up his 20th home run of the season and fell to 7-8. It was the latest reminder of the A’s most glaring issue this year: starting pitching. Sacramento starters have thrown fewer than seven innings in 93 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history. And once again, it left too much of a burden on the bullpen.

Defensively, the A’s were clean, no errors, but their inability to keep Cleveland off the bases early sealed their fate. With the loss, Sacramento dropped to 0-1 on the road trip and extended their losing streak in Cleveland to eight straight games.

They’ll try to regroup Saturday with Luis Severino on the mound. The veteran right-hander has been snakebitten all year, entering the game with a 2-11 record despite solid road splits. He’ll face Cleveland’s Logan Allen, a lefty the A’s haven’t seen since May.

For now, though, the post-break optimism gets shelved. Same issues. Same result. And the ghosts of Progressive Field continue to haunt the Green and Gold.

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.

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.