Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics walks off the mound after being pulled from the game during the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park on August 17, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Scott Marshall/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Jeffrey Springs wasn’t the sharpest on Sunday and it cost the A’s as the Angels downed the A’s late, 11-5.

Springs was getting hit around early in the game while doing his best to limit the damage. Springs was able to go four and two-thirds innings while giving up five runs (all earned) on eight hits during his outing. Springs struck out five Angels and walked three in the game.

Mark Kotsay reflected after the game on what he saw from Springs.

“I thought he settled in nicely and had a chance to get out of that game with five innings pitched, three runs. Moore hits a ball that’s off the plate. It was a good pitch. Sometimes you make a good pitch and the hit finds a spot in the field where he gets a hit. Ultimately I thought he gave us a good start.”

On the other hand, Springs was much harder on himself after the game.

“Yeah, not a very good outing to be honest. Giving up a three-run homer in the first just really puts us behind. I felt like it got better there towards the end, and then the fifth inning just not making pitches… it can’t happen… just not very good there, to be honest.”

The Bullpen

The A’s bullpen stepped up in a big way again on Sunday, something that has become commonplace for the staff as of late. However, a late-inning collapse of Michael Kelly and Ben Bowden did the A’s in.

Tyler Ferguson came in and worked one and a third innings in which he didn’t allow a hit and struck out two in the fifth and sixth innings.

Osvaldo Bido replaced Ferguson and pitched a scoreless seventh inning in which he struck out the side.

Elvis Alvarado was the third man out of the pen for the A’s and worked a scoreless eighth inning.

Sean Newcomb, who has become accustomed to pitching late in games for the A’s, came on for the ninth inning in hopes of keeping things tied. Newcomb worked a scoreless ninth inning to keep the game tied at five heading to the bottom of the ninth inning.

The A’s couldn’t score in the bottom of the ninth, and Michael Kelly came on to pitch the 10th for the A’s. Kelly was only able to record one out as the Angels shelled him for four runs (three earned) on a hit and a walk. Bowden, who came in and tried to stop the bleeding, was equally ineffective. Bowden got the final two outs of the 10th but gave up two runs on two hits while also giving up a home run.

Kotsay stressed postgame that the bullpen has really worked over the last stretch and mostly by throwing up zeroes. However, when a pen is taxed the way the A’s is, it can lead to running out of gas late.

“They work, they do, and when they do work a lot, the results tend to go the other direction,” Kotsay said after the game.

The Bats

The A’s did a nice job during the Springs innings to strike back and keep the game from getting away from them.

The A’s answered back immediately after the Angels’ three runs in the top of the first inning with a run of their own thanks to a Tyler Soderstrom RBI single in the bottom half to make it a 3-1 game.

In the bottom of the third, Nick Kurtz (batting leadoff) and Shea Langeliers hit back-to-back solo home runs to tie the game at three.

In the sixth inning, the A’s would score two more times to tie the game at 5-5. Lawrence Butler crushed a solo home run to right field that traveled 417 feet, followed by a Luis Urías RBI single.

The A’s wouldn’t score again. However, the last two games Nick Kurtz went deep and that’s a positive sign his power is coming back for the A’s.

“For me that’s [power hitting] going to come and go,” Kurtz said after the game. “Hopefully when it [power] comes, it comes in bunches.”

Kurtz went on to elaborate how his walks and power seem to coincide together. Is it because of his approach or how pitchers start pitching around him?

“I think it’s more just when the power stroke is going I’m seeing the ball a little bit better, which means I’m swinging at the right pitches more often. I think it all kind of goes together. You start with seeing the ball well and you swing at the right pitches and when you swing at the right pitches, good things tend to happen.”

Up Next

The A’s will have an off day on Monday prior to starting a three-game series in Minnesota against the Twins. Tuesday, the A’s and Twins are slated to begin at 4:40 PM PST. Jacob Lopez (6-6, 3.30 ERA) is set to go for the A’s as the Twins will counter with Joe Ryan (12-5, 2.72 ERA).

The A’s fell to 56-70 with Sunday’s loss to the Angels.

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