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Lawrence Butler with his mom after she threw out the ceremonial pitch on Sunday. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Mother’s Day 2025 featured the rubber game between the Athletics and Yankees at Sutter Health Park. The two prior games were both slugfests, and Sunday was no different. The Yankees defeated the A’s behind an offensive outburst, 12-2, in the matinee affair.

Luis Severino struggled against his former team, lasting only four innings. He gave up eight runs on nine Yankees hits while walking two and striking out two. It was his worst performance in green and gold, as he clearly didn’t have his best stuff—and the Yankees took full advantage. They scored five in the second inning and added another run in the third to jump out to an early lead. Severino gave up two singles to start the fifth inning and was then replaced by Mitch Spence out of the bullpen. Spence allowed both inherited runners to score, finishing Severino’s line at eight earned runs.

“I think walking the bottom of the lineup—I can’t do that. If I walk those guys, I have to face the top of the lineup with runners in scoring position,” Severino said to reporters after the loss.

Asked if he’s had to make any adjustments pitching at Sutter Health Park, Severino said, “I mean, it’s tough to pitch here. Like I said before, you aren’t used to… you have a routine your whole life and you come here, you work around whatever you have here… this is what we have, and we have to do whatever we have to and go out and compete.”

Severino also described how he’s struggled to stay active between innings without access to the clubhouse nearby. “When you pitch, usually the clubhouse is right next to the dugout. If you watch every starting pitcher, you won’t see them in the dugout. They’re done—they’ve gone inside… go inside, watch the game on the TV, get on the bike a little bit, and do something. It’s tough sometimes to be in the dugout when we score four runs, to sit there and do nothing because there’s nothing to do right there. It’s just different. Everybody’s different… for me, it’s being able to have the gym right there…”

Severino has not minced words about the challenges of pitching at Sutter Health Park. In defense of Luis, he’s not wrong. Per Statcast, Sutter Health Park has a 111 park rating—where 100 is average. The park also boasts a 118 home run factor, meaning players who compete elsewhere and in West Sacramento hit 18% more home runs at Sutter Health Park. That ranks it as the eighth most favorable home run park in MLB.

On the offensive side, the A’s managed a run in both the fourth and fifth innings—a Miguel Andujar RBI single and a JJ Bleday solo home run, respectively. That was all the offense they could muster, tallying just seven hits on the day.

The rest of the way, the A’s bullpen did what it could to keep the game close. Mitch Spence, a Rule 5 pickup for the A’s in 2023 who relieved Severino in the fifth, struggled in his two innings of work. He gave up three runs (two charged to Severino) on four hits, striking out four and walking one.

Elvis Alvarado made his second major league appearance on Sunday, pitching one inning and giving up one run on two hits while striking out two.

T.J. McFarland, who followed Alvarado, recorded only one out before exiting with what the team announced as a left groin injury. The 35-year-old, 6’3” lefty walked off under his own power and was relieved by Hogan Harris.

Harris pitched well aside from two walks, finishing with 1.2 innings of scoreless, hitless work.

The A’s went 2-4 on a disappointing homestand that manager Mark Kotsay described as such: “It was a tough homestand… we will learn from the homestand… on what we need to do to improve and turn the page. Day off tomorrow is going to be a good day off—guys are going to need it—and we will get back after it in L.A.”

Luis Severino (1-4, 4.70 ERA) was tagged with the loss, while Yankees starter Ryan Yarbrough (1-0, 3.70 ERA) earned the win.

The A’s fell to 21-20 while the Yankees improved to 23-17.

The A’s will have the day off Monday before taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium at 7:10 PM PST. The A’s have yet to announce a starter, while the Dodgers are slated to send Landon Knack (2-0, 4.61 ERA) to the mound.

Note of the day: The A’s are still waiting on the first MLB home run from first baseman Nick Kurtz. Known for his power in the minors, Kurtz has yet to lift the ball much for the A’s. He has one double and one triple in 52 at-bats but no other extra-base hits.

Luis Urias after his solo shot in the second innings of Saturday’s matinee affair.

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — Yesterday, it was Jasson Dominguez launching homers out of Sutter Health Park. On Friday, Dominguez hit three home runs, including a grand slam, to lift the Yankees over the A’s.

In Saturday’s matinee affair, it was Aaron Judge and the A’s who left the yard, as the Sacramento wind was blowing strong out to right-center field. Judge hit two mammoth shots, but the A’s answered with three homers of their own en route to an 11-7 victory. 

The A’s and Yankees combined for six home runs on Saturday afternoon. 

A’s starter JP Sears delivered another solid outing as he continues to solidify himself as the A’s best starter. Sears gave up one run on four hits while striking out four and walking one over five innings. His only blemish was a solo homer by Judge in the fourth inning, and he left the game with a 4-1 lead.

The A’s offense backed Sears early with a solo homer from Luis Urías in the second inning and a Brent Rooker three-run shot in the third, putting the A’s firmly in control.

The Yankees responded with a big sixth inning, scoring five runs behind home runs from Judge and Oswaldo Cabrera to take a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

But the A’s weren’t done. In the seventh, Shai Langeliers launched a three-run homer to straightaway center field, a 418-foot blast aided by the delta breeze, to put Sacramento back in front. The A’s never looked back, adding four more runs in the eighth on a two-RBI single from Tyler Soderstrom and a two-RBI double from Shea Langeliers.

Mason Miller came on in the eighth to record the final two outs, then finished the game in the ninth, allowing one run but securing the save as the A’s defeated the Yankees 11-7.

The A’s bullpen, aside from Miller, was a mixed bag in the win. Justin Sterner relieved Sears in the sixth and struggled, giving up five runs on three hits in just two-thirds of an inning. Grant Holman and Tyler Ferguson stabilized things, combining for 1.2 scoreless innings before Miller took over.

A’s reliever Grant Holman (4-0, 0.82 ERA) got the win on Saturday as Yankees reliever Fernando Cruz (1-1, 2.66 ERA) was tagged for the loss. Mason Miller locked down the save (11th save of the season).  The A’s improved to 21-19 as the Yankees fell to 22-17 in the 2025 campaign.

In the rubber game of the series on Sunday, slated for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch, the A’s will send Luis Severino (1-3, 3.62 ERA) to the hill. As of this writing, the Yankees have yet to announce a starting pitcher.

Note of the day: Jacob Wilson continues to put it all together for the A’s and Manager Mark Kotsay.

“With young players you try and manage the emotions, you try to manage the peaks and valleys as best you can, and right now Jacob is swinging the bat exceptionally well. He is showing the ability to work counts and get on base with a walk, so he’s doing everything you want him to do from the leadoff spot.”

Since being elevated to the leadoff spot on Friday, Wilson is 3-for-8 with a walk. He’s currently slashing an impressive .358 average with only eight strikeouts and a 1.1 WAR this season. His .358 average ranks second in MLB, trailing only Aaron Judge’s .396.

Brent Rooker on Friday in the game against the Yankees (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO–“We’re excited to be here for the next three years playing in this beautiful ballpark, but also being able to watch some of the best players in baseball, whether they be Athletics players or Aaron Judge and others, launch home runs out of this very intimate, the most intimate ballpark in all of Major League Baseball, for the next three years.”

That was A’s owner John Fisher during his press conference last year, speaking about the team’s temporary home at Sutter Health Park. On Friday, the A’s welcomed Aaron Judge and the Yankees for the first of a three-game series. But instead of Judge launching balls out of the yard, it was Jasson Dominguez who carried the load for New York. Dominguez, who had never recorded a multi-homer game in his career, hit three home runs—including a grand slam.

The Yankees handled the A’s with ease in a 10-2 victory, jumping out to a quick lead and never looking back.

A’s starter Osvaldo Bido gave the club five and a third solid innings but struggled to execute a few key pitches. His toughest stretch came in the third inning, when he gave up back-to-back homers to Paul Goldschmidt and Dominguez. Bido allowed eight hits and four runs (three earned), walked two, and struck out six.

The A’s offense didn’t show up until late. Jacob Wilson drove in Max Schuemann with an RBI single in the eighth inning to make it 10-1. In the ninth, Lawrence Butler—who has been in a slump—added an RBI single off the right-field wall that scored Shea Langeliers. That would be all for the A’s, who dropped the series opener to New York, 10-2.

The bullpen had a rough outing. Hogan Harris allowed four runs on four hits across two innings, striking out two and walking two. Elvis Alvarado made his MLB debut and pitched the final 1.2 innings, surrendering two runs on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

Despite boasting a strong road record (13-7), the A’s continued their struggles at home. Asked by John Shea about the team’s home woes, manager Mark Kotsay said, “Can’t explain it right now, John. I can’t explain it.”

Bido was tagged with the loss and now sits at 2-3 with a 4.75 ERA. The win went to Yankees starter Will Warren, who is now 2-2 with a 4.75 ERA.

The A’s will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon in game two of the series. First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 PM PST in West Sacramento. J.P. Sears (4-2, 2.93 ERA) is slated to start for the A’s against Yankees lefty Carlos Rodón (4-3, 2.96 ERA).

Note of the night: Nick Kurtz continues to take good at-bats and had two more hits tonight, including a ringing double to right-center field that left his bat at 113 MPH.