Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Lowe scores in the top of the first inning as Sacramento A’s catcher Shea Langeliers looks on in the third inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on
That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast;
#1 Tampa Bay Rays Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero hit back to back home runs off the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Monday night to help defeat the Rays 7-4 Monday night.
#2 With the home run by Lowe and Caminero the Rays increased their lead over the A’s in the top of the seventh inning 6-1.
#3 Tampa Bay pitcher Ryan Pepiot pitched six innings allowing a run until the A’s Tyler Soderstrom hit a three run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.
#4 Shea Langeliers hit a solo shot in the fifth inning. The home run by Langeliers was his 12th home run since the All Star break and he is now tied with the Philadelphia Phillies Kyle Schwarber for the most home runs in MLB.
#5 For Tuesday night the Rays will start Shane Baz (8-8 ERA 4.92) for the A’s LHP Jacob Lopez (5-6 ERA 3.59) first pitch at 7:05pm PT.
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.
San Francisco Giants’ Drew Gilbert (61) is tagged out by Sn Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado while trying to reach third base after stealing second base during the third inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
By Lincoln Juarez
SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants offensive woes continued as the bats got stumped by the Padres pitching staff 4-1 in game one of a three game set Monday night at Oracle Park. Recently acquired, OF Drew Gilbert recorded his first big league hit and Rafael Devers hit his 23rd home run of the season, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Padres offensive onslaught in the seventh.
The Giants continued their homestand against a Padres team that has won four consecutive series. The .500 (59-59) Giants started a stretch where seven of their next ten games will be against the second place (NL West) Padres.
After a disappointing series to open up the homestand against the Nationals over the weekend, the Giants sent their ace, Logan Webb (10-8, 3.24) to the mound to bounce back in the win column.
In what turned out to be a pitcher’s duel until the seventh inning, Webb looked like his All-Star-self. Only allowing one run on five hits through his first six innings of work, Webb gave his moping offense a chance to stay in the game.
The story of the offense Monday night; no different than it’s been the last month and counting. The Giants were held to one run on five hits and went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position.
The fact they only had two opportunities to hit with runners in scoring position is bad enough, but to go 0-for is the same story Giants fans have been watching for over a month.
Including Monday night’s start, Logan Webb has received three total runs of support over his last three starts at home (16.0ip).
The lack of offense and a seventh inning that blew up prefaced a dreadful Webb as he walked off the mound after pitching 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits, four earned runs, walked one batter, struck out three and allowed one home run.
Both teams put together a run in the sixth but the Padres took over the tie ballgame in the seventh and never looked back, silencing an already quiet Oracle Park crowd.
The Padres exploded for three runs on four hits in the top of the seventh, including a home run.
The Giants looked to answer in the home half, just as they had in the sixth. They were set down in four batters.
In the eighth, the bats were dodging the fireballs of Padres newly acquired reliever Mason Miller.
He quickly struck out the side in order.
Still a three-run game in the ninth, Padres closer Robert Suarez set the Giants down in order to secure the win.
The Giants got one hit in the final third of the game and dropped their third in a row.
Although as a team the offense has still yet to find their groove again, there are some individual milestones to be recognized from Monday’s tilt.
INF Dom Smith extended his career-best hitting streak to 14 games (longest active streak in majors), and OF Drew Gilbert is making a name for himself at Oracle Park after showing off his glove over the weekend and recording his first Major League hit Monday night off Yu Darvish.
Besides that hit and Rafael Devers’ game-tying home run in the sixth inning, Giants fans had nothing to cheer for.
As the team continues to free-fall the ballpark remains empty and quiet. The Giants will see if the San Francisco faithful get what they deserve in game two of the series Tuesday night at Oracle Park.
Starters for game two of the series for San Diego Nestor Cortes (0-0, 3.86) vs. San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (9-5, 2.85), first pitch 6:45pm PT.
Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches in the top of the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Sutter Health Park on August 11, 2025 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO — The Athletics returned home on Monday night from a six-game road trip where they went 4-2 during stops in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Flying high, the A’s couldn’t keep the good times going as they fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Monday night.
The A’s pitching let them down on Monday in a game the A’s battled to stay in but ultimately couldn’t keep pace with the Rays.
Jeffrey Springs got the start for the A’s despite not feeling great physically going into it, A’s manager Mark Kotsay said.
“Pregame he wasn’t feeling great physically, but took the mound, took the ball, and again, you commend that effort and grind that he wanted to go out there and give us what he had.”
Give them what he had he certainly did, laboring through three and a third innings and allowing four runs, all earned. Springs did his best to scatter the seven hits he gave up while also only walking one Tampa Bay hitter.
“…Just kind of felt out of sync from the get-go,” Springs told reporters after the game. “…Just dealing with some stuff, felt like the body was kind of out of sync and fighting myself, and wasn’t able to make pitches and make the adjustment unfortunately. Just didn’t do my job, basically.”
Osvaldo Bido relieved Springs and gave Kotsay three and two-thirds innings of work while surrendering six hits in that stretch. Bido managed to work in and out of trouble most of the night. However, he gave up two solo home runs — that would prove to be the only run-costing mistakes on the night — in the seventh inning.
Michael Kelly came on in the eighth but wasn’t sharp, recording only one out and giving up a run, a hit, and two walks before being lifted for Hogan Harris. Harris would finish the eighth and ninth innings, working one and two-thirds innings and giving up just one hit.
On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s scoring came thanks to two home runs from middle-of-the-order bats. Yet, it was too little too late as Mark Kotsay alluded to after the game.
“I think offensively we put together some good at-bats there late in the game and got ourselves back into it, which isn’t easy to do, especially against this club.”
Shai Langeliers got the A’s on the board with a solo home run in the fifth inning that traveled an impressive 425 feet and left the bat at 109.4 mph. The A’s would score one more time courtesy of a Tyler Soderstrom three-run homer that at the time brought the A’s to within two, 6-4, in the eighth. Soderstrom’s blast went 414 feet into the Sacramento night and left the bat at 104.3 mph.
The A’s fell to 53-68 with the loss as they continue to try and claw their way back toward the .500 mark on the season. That continues to be the focus of the club down the stretch with less than two months left in the season.
Game two of the series will be on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. PST at Sutter Health Park. Jacob Lopez (5-6, 3.59 ERA) will toe the rubber for the A’s as Tampa Bay will send Shane Baz (8-8, 4.92 ERA) to the hill.
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.
San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander got lit up for five runs and 11 hits in five innings of pitching at Oracle Park against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Sun Aug 10, 2025 (AP News photo)
SF Giants podcast Marko Ukalovic:
#1 San Francisco Giants starter Justin Verlander dropped his record even further to 1-9 after suffering a 8-0 clobbering by the sufferable Washington Nationals on Sunday.
#2 Despite the loss Verlander achieved a monumental career plateau striking out his 3500th strikeout becoming the tenth pitcher in MLB history to achieve such an accomplishment.
#3 The Nats CJ Abrams slugged a home run and made Verlander’s 3500th career strikeout almost forgettable after Verlander got lit up after pitching five innings allowing 11 hits, five runs, one walk, six strikeouts.
#4 The Giants open a three game set against the visiting San Diego Padres on Tuesday night at Oracle Park. Starting for the Padres RHP Yu Davish (1-3 ERA 6.51) for the Giants RHP Logan Webb (10-8 ERA 3.24)
Sacramento A’s second baseman Max Schuemann (left) tags out Baltimore Orioles Greg Allen on an attempted steal in the bottom of the fourth inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Sun Aug 10, 2025 (AP News photo)
On the Sacramento A’s podcast with Barbara Mason:
#1 The Athletics took on the Baltimore Orioles over the weekend losing game one friday night but coming on strong in games two and three winning the series
#2 The Orioles won the first game of the series in a close one 3-2 which set the stage for games two and three. The Athletics were on fire in game two winning the game 11-3 and coming away with 13 hits to the Orioles 4 hits thanks in part to the pitching of starter Jack Perkins who only allowed 3 hits and the three runs going 6 innings
#3 Sunday the A’s won a close one tying up the game in the sixth inning 1-1 and finishing it off in the ninth inning scoring two runs to win the series
#4 Willie MacIver was the hero in game three hitting a double in the ninth which allowed Lawrence Butler and Darell Hernaiz to score and seal the deal. Elvis Alvarado closed out the game in the ninth inning
#5 The A’s will now head home to begin a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays at Sutter Health Park.
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.
Sacramento A’s catcher Willie MacIver (65) puts the tag on Baltimore Orioles Jeremiah Jackson (82) in the bottom of the fourth inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Sun Aug 10, 2025 (AP News photo)
Athletics Stun Orioles 3-2 with Late-Inning Heroics in Camden Yards Thriller
By Mauricio Segura
The Athletics spent most of Saturday afternoon looking for the big hit that just wouldn’t come. For eight innings at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the A’s offense was a story of scattered singles, long outs, and missed chances. Then, in the top of the ninth, everything changed. A lineup that had been held to a single run suddenly found the clutch bats they had been searching for, and when the dust settled, the Green and Gold had stolen a 3-2 victory from the Baltimore Orioles.
For much of the day, the two clubs traded small jabs rather than haymakers. The early innings were defined by free passes and stranded baserunners. In the top of the first, Shea Langeliers popped out to start the game, Brent Rooker flied to center, and after a Nick Kurtz walk, Colby Thomas ended the frame with another pop out. Baltimore’s opening inning was equally frustrating. They drew three walks, including one to Jackson Holliday leading off, but Gunnar Henderson’s stolen base was all they had to show for it before Jeremiah Jackson struck out with the bases loaded.
Sacramento starter Luis Morales didn’t allow a hit through his first two innings but labored with control, handing out multiple walks. Tyler Ferguson came on in relief in the third and kept Baltimore quiet until the fifth, when Jordan Westburg finally broke the scoreless tie. With two outs, Westburg launched his 14th home run of the season, a fly ball that carried into the left field seats to give the Orioles a 1-0 lead.
Up to that point, the A’s only real threat had come in the third when Rooker singled, only for Kurtz to fly out and end it. That changed in the top of the sixth. Rooker, again the spark, doubled to left and moved to third on a groundout. Colby Thomas delivered the first RBI of the day for Sacramento, bouncing a sharp single into left to bring Rooker home and tie the game 1-1.
Justin Sterner and Sean Newcomb handled the sixth and seventh, but the bottom of the seventh saw the Orioles reclaim the lead. With the score still tied, Alex Jackson doubled on a ball the A’s unsuccessfully challenged for being foul. After a strikeout, pinch-hitter Coby Mayo ripped a double to center, scoring Jackson for a 2-1 Baltimore advantage. Sacramento avoided further damage thanks to Luis Urías’ unassisted double play, but the A’s trailed heading into the late innings.
Dietrich Enns and Keegan Akin kept the A’s bats silent in the seventh and eighth, and by the time the ninth rolled around, the Athletics needed a rally against Baltimore’s bullpen to avoid defeat. Darell Hernaiz worked a leadoff walk to set the table. JJ Bleday struck out, but Gio Urshela’s sharp single to left pushed Hernaiz into scoring position. Manager Mark Kotsay made the call for speed, sending in Lawrence Butler to run for Urshela. That move paid off almost immediately.
Willie MacIver, who had been active defensively all afternoon, turned the game on its head with one swing. He smoked a line drive into the left-field corner for a double, and both Hernaiz and Butler came charging home. Just like that, the A’s were up 3-2, and the dugout roared to life.
Elvis Alvarado, who had finished the eighth, handed the ninth to the A’s defense. Greg Allen struck out swinging for the first out, Dylan Carlson grounded to second for the second, and after Holliday worked yet another walk, the game ended fittingly, with Jordan Westburg, Baltimore’s earlier hero, swinging through strike three.
Sacramento’s win was built less on offensive fireworks and more on patience, timely hitting, and keeping the Orioles from breaking the game open when they had the chance. Pitching depth was key, seven different A’s pitchers combined to hold Baltimore to just six hits, with the bullpen striking out eight in relief of Morales. Brent Rooker’s multi-hit afternoon set the tone offensively, and Colby Thomas’ sixth-inning RBI kept the A’s in striking distance. But the lasting memory will be MacIver’s two-run double in the ninth, the hit that turned a frustrating afternoon into a statement of patient triumph.
The A’s return to Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento Monday night starting pitchers for theTampa Bay Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (7-9 ERA 3.77) for the A’s RHP Jefferey Springs (10-7 ERA 3.89) first pitch 7:05pm PT.
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.
Still photo of the Las Vegas A’s ballpark construction site at the former Tropicana Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas at 9:10AM Sat Aug 9, 2025. Some cement and pilings have been installed. (A’s live stream)
Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum:
#1 Reports from the A’s Las Vegas ballpark construction actual cement is being poured into the foundation of the dugout portion of the grounds.
#2 The pilings have been constructed where the cement has been poured a large pile of dirt sits in the middle of the construction site.
#3 The A’s have filed permits worth over $157 million that have been filed with Clark County. The permits allow the constructing of the concrete at the lowest level of the ballpark to the upper main concourse with the primary steelwork.
#4 There have been questions if A’s owner John Fisher has been able to come up with his share of the $1.75 billion construction cost. At the groundbreaking ceremony in July A’s team president Mark Badain said the A’s have the money or they wouldn’t be doing the groundbreaking.
#5 The A’s said that they would be scheduling a project update at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority on Aug 21st. Expected to attend are Las Vegas Stadium Convention and Authority CEO Steven Hill, A’s executive Sandy Dean, and Badain.
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.
Photo credit: San Francisco Giants pitcher Justin Verlander acknowledges the crowd after striking out Washington Nationals’ Nathaniel Lowe in the first inning of a baseball game in San Francisco, Sunday, Aug 10, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group via AP)
By Vince Cestone
SAN FRANCISCO–The San Francisco Giants had visions of getting back into the National League Wild Card race after an inspiring 4-2 road trip, but they came back to earth at the end of their home series against the Washington Nationals on Sunday in a 8-0 shutout loss.
The Giants currently sit four games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. In terms of the math, it looks doable. But in the eye test, the Giants look like they are a trek across the Sahara Desert away from reaching the postseason.
The Giants fell back to .500, 59-59. It was more of the same–wasted opportunities after getting the leadoff hitter on, a plethora of strikeouts, and a sub-.500 team with younger and more-exciting talent running circles around a seemingly-sluggish Giants team.
The top of the first inning started off great for the Giants. Verlander struck out the side, and in doing so, notched his 3500th career strikeout. A great feat for a great pitcher. But then, the trouble started.
“The rest was awful,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said. “I mean we have 40,000 people here, and we don’t give them anything to root for the entire game other than that. So, unfortunately, that probably is as disappointing a game as he had all year.”
Unfortunately for the Giants, the game was lost in the second inning. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Verlander struck out Nationals first baseman Brady House and got center fielder Jacob Young to ground out to second with the infield in.
But then, Verlander hung a 3-2 slider to James Wood, which he lined down the first base line for a 2-run double. Verlander had made Wood look silly on a couple of fastballs up in the zone earlier in the at-bat.
Then, CJ Abrams launched a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole on a similar hanging, 2-strike slider. The Nationals were up 4-0, but it may as well been 20-0.
The Nationals would add on lone runs in the fourth and sixth inning, followed by two unearned runs in the seventh.
Abrams would end the day 2-for-5 with a home run and a single. Former Giant Paul DeJong continued to torture the Giants with a 3-for-5 day.
The Giants had no answer for Nationals starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, who pitched six shutout innings, striking out 10 Giants. 40,089 Giants fans at Oracle Park had very little to cheer about on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in the city.
“I’m frustrated that our fans come out and support us every night, and we gave them literally nothing today,” Melvin said.
The Giants could only scatter three hits for the game.
The highlight of the game for the Giants? A scoreless ninth inning from Christian Koss, a position player who came in to save the bullpen.
The Giants will try to get right against the San Diego Padres on Monday night at Oracle Park. Ace Logan Webb will try to get the Giants back into the win column.
Time is running out for the 2025 season, and if the Giants don’t want to be a team on the outside looking in for the eighth time in the last nine years, they’ll have to find that jetliner in an oasis to get them across the Sahara.
Or will that jetliner be another mirage?
Starting pitchers for Monday night the San Diego Padres have not announced a starter and the Giants will be going with RHP Logan Webb (10-8 ERA 3.24) first pitch at 6:45pm PT.
Jen Pawol makes baseball history as the first female umpire to work an MLB game in history working the first game of a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins at Loan Depot Park in Miami on Sat Aug 9, 2025 (AP News photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:
#1 Jen Pawol made baseball history becoming the first female to work a MLB regular season game. Pawol’s made her umpiring debut on Saturday’s first game of a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and Miami Marlins. Pawol worked first base and had a relatively quiet first game.
#2 New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams battled against the Houston Astros in a 5-3 loss on Friday night allowing three runs in the tenth inning. The Astros Carolos Correa got a base hit and Taylor Trammell hit a two run home run for a 5-2 score. Williams has allowed four home runs in his last eight appearances.
#3 Hall of Famer and former New York Yankee Mariano Rivera tore his Achilles tendon while chasing a fly ball at an Old Timer’s game on Saturday. Rivera will need surgery. Mariano’s agent Fern Cuza said that Rivera who is 55 will have the operation in less than a week.
#4 Former Seattle Mariner Ichiro Suzuki has his No.51 retired in a pregame ceremony in Seattle before facing the Tampa Bay Rays. Ichiro said to the crowd, “What’s up Seattle!” and added “Iam so grateful to be here today to receive this highest of honors.”
#5 Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hit his 40th home run of the season on Saturday night against the Toronto Blue Jays in a 9-1 win. Ohtani hit a 417 foot shot off Jays starter Chris Bassitt which gave the Dodgers a three run lead.
A’s Bats Erupt Early to Power Past Orioles 11-3 in Statement Win
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics didn’t waste any time reminding the Baltimore Orioles crowd that this wasn’t going to be an ordinary night at Camden Yards as the A’s blasted the O’s 11-3 on Saturday.
The first two pitches they saw didn’t even matter, Lawrence Butler worked a leadoff walk, and on the very next at-bat Shea Langeliers unloaded on a Brandon Young fastball, sending it on a low, screaming line into the left field seats. Just like that, the Green and Gold were up 2-0, and the tone was set.
Of course, the Orioles had an answer of their own in the bottom half. Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg opened with back-to-back singles before Gunnar Henderson launched a center-field shot that flipped the score in Baltimore’s favor, 3-2. For a moment, it looked like we might be in for one of those punch-counterpunch slugfests that test the stamina of both teams.
But instead, the Athletics turned it into a one-sided hitting clinic.
Langeliers got the rally started again in the third with a sharp single, and Nick Kurtz followed with another hit to set the table for Brent Rooker. Rooker didn’t miss, swatting his 24th home run of the season into the Baltimore night and reclaiming the lead, 5-3. Tyler Soderstrom, who seems determined to hit in every game he plays, doubled to extend his streak to ten straight, eventually scoring on a Darell Hernaiz sacrifice fly.
By the time the fifth inning rolled around, the Sacramento lineup decided it was time to bury Baltimore under a mountain of hits. Kurtz and Rooker kicked things off with another one-two punch, Rooker’s double plating a run.
The inning snowballed from there, JJ Bleday drew a walk, Hernaiz reached on a pitcher’s error, and Luis Urías brought home another with a single. That chased Young’s replacement Yaramil Hiraldo from the game, but the fresh arm didn’t slow the A’s.
Gio Urshela drilled a two-run double, Langeliers banged a ground-rule double to plate another, and the scoreboard blinked an eye-popping 11-3 by the time the Orioles could stagger back to the dugout.
Jack Perkins, meanwhile, quietly steadied the game for Sacramento after a bumpy first inning. Once he got the ball with a lead, he went to work, forcing weak contact and letting his defense back him up. The Orioles, who’d looked ready to slug along early, were suddenly reduced to a string of harmless fly balls and frustrated strikeouts.
Baltimore’s biggest problem wasn’t just that Sacramento was hitting, it was that the A’s lineup spread the damage around. Langeliers was a menace at the plate with three hits, including the opening home run, and drove in four.
Rooker was equally destructive with a homer and a double. Kurtz chipped in two singles, Urshela added a two-run double, and Urías joined the fun with two hits and two RBIs. Even the outs had sting to them, as several lineouts were ripped right at Baltimore fielders.
After the offensive explosion, the A’s bullpen kept things airtight. Michael Kelly took over in the seventh and, aided by a fine grab from Soderstrom in foul territory, kept the Orioles from building even a whisper of a rally. Hogan Harris slammed the door in the ninth with two strikeouts, ensuring the Athletics didn’t need to sweat the late innings.
For Sacramento, this was the blueprint game, patience at the plate, punishing mistakes, and pitching that tightens as the night goes on. They made an Orioles team fighting to stay in the playoff picture look like they were still in spring training mode.
The win also underscored the balance in the Athletics’ lineup. No single player carried the load; instead, they produced an assembly line of base runners and timely extra-base hits. They scored in four different innings, tallied 15 hits, and walked five times, giving their pitchers a cushion big enough to land a jumbo jet.
The Orioles, for their part, had no answer after the first inning. Henderson’s three-run blast was their only real highlight. Once Perkins and the bullpen adjusted, Baltimore went down in order in four separate innings and never truly threatened again. Even when they did put a man on, The A’s defense snuffed it out.
For fans of the Green and Gold, it was the kind of night that offers both entertainment and reassurance. Sacramento didn’t just win; they dictated every inning after the first. If this version of the Athletics shows up consistently, they’re going to make life miserable for opposing pitchers from now until the season’s final day.
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.
Sports Radio Service 