Cincinnati Reds Sal Stewart (left) doesn’t need to take off any more after sprouting wings and scoring against the Sacramento A’s and pitcher Hogan Harris (right) in the bottom of the eighth inning at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati on Tue Aug 4, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics carried a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning and were six outs from ending a miserable five game skid Tuesday night at Great American Ballpark. Cincinnati never needed a hit to take it away. Two leadoff walks and three wild pitches unraveled the A’s bullpen, allowing the Reds to score twice and escape with a 5-4 victory. The loss extended the Athletics’ losing streak to six games after they had entered the series with five consecutive defeats.

J.T. Ginn gave the A’s exactly what they needed in his return from the injured list. Making his first start since recovering from a blister on his right middle finger, Ginn held Cincinnati scoreless through four innings and finished with six innings, five hits, three earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts over 91 pitches. His return followed a season in which he had already carried two no-hit bids through at least six innings, making him the first Athletics pitcher to do that twice in one year since Mark Mulder in 2001.

The Green and Gold gave Ginn the lead in the fourth. Tyler Soderstrom opened the inning with a double and scored when Jeff McNeil lined a single into right field. McNeil had also singled in the second, giving him 999 career hits after beginning the game three shy of 1,000. He now stands one hit away from a milestone that has been building across nine major league seasons.

The A’s doubled down in the fifth. Donovan Walton drew a leadoff walk, Henry Bolte singled and Lawrence Butler reached on a force play. Butler then stole second, placing two runners in scoring position for Jacob Wilson. The shortstop delivered a two-run double to left, scoring Walton and Butler for a 3-0 advantage.

Cincinnati erased it in the bottom half. Héctor Rodríguez drew a walk, Matt McLain doubled and Elly De La Cruz sent a two-run single into left. A wild pitch moved De La Cruz to third, and Sal Stewart’s sacrifice fly tied the game. Ginn recovered to finish the inning, then retired the Reds in order in the sixth.

Bolte helped the Athletics move back in front in the seventh while celebrating his 23rd birthday. He collected his second single, stole second and scored when De La Cruz’s throw to first sailed off target on Butler’s grounder. Bolte later added another single in the ninth, completing a three-hit birthday performance after entering the game batting .191 on the road.

Brady Basso protected the 4-3 lead with a perfect seventh, but the eighth became the turning point. Hogan Harris issued consecutive walks to De La Cruz and Stewart before striking out former Athletic JJ Bleday. Tyler Stephenson’s fly ball moved both runners ahead, and Harris bounced a pitch that allowed De La Cruz to score. Another slippery offering during Eugenio Suárez’s plate appearance brought Stewart home with the deciding run. Elvis Alvarado replaced Harris and threw a third wild pitch, though Cincinnati could not add to the lead.

The A’s still had a final chance against Emilio Pagán. Alika Williams beat out an infield single with one out, and Bolte’s two-out single moved him to second. Butler represented the go-ahead run, but Pagán struck him out to end it. The Athletics finished with eight hits and two stolen bases, yet another promising start disappeared before the final out.

Game 2 Wednesday brings Athletics left-hander Jacob Lopez, who is 5-4 with a 5.79 ERA and 61 strikeouts, against Reds right-hander Rhett Lowder, who is 3-7 with a 5.42 ERA and 70 strikeouts. 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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🔥Game-day bites? Oh yeah.
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