Sacramento A’s Henry Bolte celebrates his home run in the dugout with teammates in the top of the third inning at Comerica Park in Detroit on Tue Jul 7, 2026 (AP News photo)

Bolte Goes Yard, but Tigers still Pounce!

By Mauricio Segura

Henry Bolte gave the Sacramento Athletics a jolt, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer kept finding holes, and J.T. Ginn kept his club within striking distance. But one rough inning turned a tight game into a 6-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers, extending the A’s losing streak to four games.

Detroit took control almost immediately. Kevin McGonigle drew a leadoff walk in the first, and Colt Keith followed with a two-run homer to right-center. Ginn settled down after that and did not allow another run over his four innings. He gave up only two hits, issued two walks and struck out four, giving the Athletics a chance against Tarik Skubal.

That chance was never going to be easy. Skubal struck out Zack Gelof, Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers in order in the first, setting the tone for an Athletics lineup that would strike out 12 times. Still, the A’s had chances. Jonah Heim singled to open the second, and Kuroda-Grauer doubled him to third. With runners at second and third, Skubal struck out Max Muncy to end the inning.

Bolte cut the deficit in half in the third, driving a solo homer to left. Gelof followed with a single, but Sacramento could not build on it. Skubal worked five innings, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out nine.

Kuroda-Grauer was the toughest out in the Athletics lineup. The rookie finished 3-for-4 with a double and two singles, continuing an impressive start to his major-league career. He had been selected from Triple-A on June 29 and had already produced three multi-hit games in his first six appearances before this one. Bolte, meanwhile, entered the game batting .291, second among qualified American League rookies, and added another reminder of why the A’s remain interested in what their young core can become.

The game stayed 2-1 until the sixth, when Detroit turned a two-out rally into the decisive stretch of the game. Zach McKinstry drew a walk, Spencer Torkelson singled, and pinch-hitter Ben Malgeri doubled home McKinstry. Matt Vierling followed with a two-run double, and McGonigle singled home Vierling. Five straight Tigers reached base, and all four runs in the inning scored with two outs against Jacob Lopez.

The Athletics answered in the seventh, but only once. Bolte was hit by a pitch, Kurtz reached on an error, and Langeliers singled home Bolte. Heim was then hit by a pitch to load the bases, giving Jacob Wilson a chance to cut further into the 6-2 deficit. Wilson challenged a called third strike, but the call was confirmed, ending the inning and the A’s best chance to make the Tigers uncomfortable.

Langeliers left his mark beyond the RBI single. The catcher successfully challenged two calls while the Athletics were on defense, turning both into strikeouts, one against Torkelson and another against Dillon Dingler. That fit a team trend entering the game, as the A’s had been one of baseball’s better clubs at using the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system.

Detroit’s bullpen shut down the rest of the comeback attempt. Jacob Waguespack retired all six batters he faced over the final two innings, and the Athletics finished with seven hits but only two runs. Gelof, Kurtz and Langeliers, the first three hitters in the order, combined to go 2-for-13 with eight strikeouts.

The loss was especially frustrating given how well the Athletics had handled Detroit in recent years. They entered the series 40-13 against the Tigers since 2017 and had won 22 of their previous 28 road games in the matchup. This time, one swing in the first and one two-out rally in the sixth were enough to turn that history aside.

The series continues with Jeffrey Springs (3-8, 5.79 ERA, 80 K) facing Detroit right-hander Troy Melton (4-1, 2.05 ERA, 32 K), a matchup that gives the A’s a chance to cool off a Tigers club that did all of its scoring in two innings; first pitch is set for 3:40 p.m. Pacific.

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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