Sacramento A’s Zack Gelof runs the bases after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of the second inning against the Detroit Tigers at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Wed Aug 27, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s silence Tigers bats in convincing 7-0 shutout win

By Mauricio Segura

The A’s wasted no time setting the tone Tuesday night, jumping on Detroit early and never looking back in a crisp 7-0 victory that showed off both timely hitting and steady pitching. It was one of those nights where everything clicked for the Green and Gold, while the Tigers could never quite find a foothold.

Rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz got the offense rolling in the bottom of the first with a sharp single to left, and the A’s quickly loaded pressure on Casey Mize. Shea Langeliers worked a walk, and after a Brent Rooker strikeout, Tyler Soderstrom delivered a line drive single to left to score Kurtz for the game’s first run. From there, Sacramento was off and running.

Luis Morales, the A’s young starter, made sure Detroit couldn’t answer back. He worked a clean first inning, getting Colt Keith swinging and Gleyber Torres to fly out before snuffing out Kerry Carpenter with a lineout to first. The Tigers went quietly, and the home crowd could already feel a rhythm developing.

That rhythm turned into a drumbeat in the second inning. After JJ Bleday struck out, Brett Harris grounded a single through short, and Zack Gelof followed with a booming homer to left-center, his first of the season, to give the A’s a 3-0 cushion.

Sacramento was not done yet. Kurtz added his second hit of the night, Langeliers doubled to right, and Rooker lofted a sacrifice fly to center to make it 4-0. Mize was clearly on the ropes, and the Tigers were left scrambling.

Detroit’s best chance to strike back came in the top of the second when Spencer Torkelson crushed a triple into the gap, but Morales bore down, striking out Wenceel Pérez and coaxing a lineout from Zach McKinstry to escape unscathed. That was the theme all night: when the Tigers threatened, Sacramento’s pitchers slammed the door.

The A’s padded the lead again in the fourth thanks to a hustle double from Harris and a throwing error from Mize that let Gelof reach safely while Harris crossed the plate. At 5-0, the Tigers’ demeanor and drive sagged, and manager A.J. Hinch had no choice but to turn to his bullpen, summoning Rafael Montero. It did not matter, the hole had already been dug too deep.

Meanwhile, Morales just kept dealing. He scattered a handful of baserunners but never let Detroit string anything together. Every time the Tigers put someone on, he found a way, whether it was freezing Spencer Torkelson with a third strike or jamming Keith into soft contact. By the sixth inning, Detroit had yet to push a man past third base, and Sacramento fans were already thinking about the “zero” glowing on the scoreboard.

The bullpen did not flounder. Justin Sterner entered in the eighth and promptly struck out the side, making the Tigers look overmatched. By then, the A’s offense had tacked on two more runs courtesy of Gelof once again, this time hammering a line-drive double to center that plated JJ Bleday and Harris. It was a fitting cap to Gelof’s night, as he not only went deep but also drove in four runs.

Detroit’s last gasp came in the ninth when Gleyber Torres worked a leadoff walk. Any flicker of hope was stomped out quickly though, as pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones rolled into a double play and Andy Ibáñez grounded out to short to end it. The Tigers had been blanked, and the A’s faithful were treated to a shutout win that checked every box.

Sacramento’s offense was efficient, stringing together 11 hits, including three from Kurtz and a monster performance from Gelof. Harris chipped in with two hits and two runs scored, while Langeliers reached base twice and guided the young arms behind the plate. On the mound, Morales earned the win with six scoreless frames, while Sterner and Brady Basso finished things off without breaking a sweat.

For a team still finding its footing in Sacramento, this was the kind of crisp, no-drama victory. The pitching was airtight, the defense was clean, and the bats came through with power and patience. If the A’s can bottle up this formula, the Green and Gold will make life miserable for plenty of opponents still in the race for post season.

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.

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