Sacramento A’s Shea Langeliers hits a solo home run in the top of the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field for the A’s only run in Chicago on Sun Jul 12, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
One disastrous first inning proved impossible to overcome as the Chicago White Sox rolled to a 9-1 victory sending the Sacramento A’s into the All-Star break on a sour note. Sacramento dropped its ninth straight game, extending what had already become the club’s longest losing streak of the season.
The afternoon actually began with promise. Jacob Wilson opened the game with a single, and after a double play quickly erased the early baserunner, Shea Langeliers wasted no time putting the Athletics on the board. The All-Star catcher crushed his 21st home run of the season over the left-field wall, continuing his impressive power campaign and giving the Green and Gold a brief 1-0 lead. Langeliers, who was recently voted the American League’s starting catcher for the All-Star Game, added another milestone to an already memorable season.
That advantage disappeared almost immediately.
Chicago answered with a six-run bottom of the first that completely shifted the afternoon. Sam Antonacci tied the game with a leadoff homer before Munetaka Murakami drew a walk and Miguel Vargas followed with a double. J.T. Ginn nearly escaped after striking out Colson Montgomery, but an intentional walk loaded the bases for Kyle Teel, whose two-run single put the White Sox in front. Moments later, Braden Montgomery turned the inning into a rout by launching a three-run homer to right, giving Chicago a stunning 6-1 cushion before many fans had settled into their seats.
For Ginn, who entered with a sparkling 3.10 ERA and had allowed two runs or fewer in 12 starts this season, it marked one of his toughest outings of the year. The right-hander settled down after the rocky opening inning and worked into the fifth, but the damage had already been done.
The Athletics had chances to respond but never found the hit they needed. Their best opportunity came in the fourth when Langeliers reached on an error, Jonah Heim singled and Joey Meneses added another base hit to load the bases with one out. Left-hander Noah Schultz dug deep, striking out Lawrence Butler before Henry Bolte grounded into a force play to end the threat. That sequence preserved Chicago’s five-run advantage and took the wind out of Sacramento’s comeback hopes.
Schultz grew stronger as the game progressed. After allowing Langeliers’ first-inning homer, the young left-hander kept the Athletics quiet through five innings before handing the ball to a bullpen that never allowed the visitors to gain any momentum.
Chicago added even more breathing room in the fifth. Colson Montgomery singled, Andrew Benintendi walked, and Teel collected his second RBI hit of the afternoon. Braden Montgomery followed with an RBI single before Tristan Peters brought home another run on a force play. A wild pitch by José Suárez, combined with a throwing error from Langeliers, allowed Teel to score the White Sox’s ninth run.
The White Sox received contributions throughout the lineup. Teel finished with three hits and three runs batted in, while Braden Montgomery drove in four with his homer and RBI single. Antonacci reached base twice, homered, and scored twice, while Vargas added two hits and a double.
For Sacramento, offense was scarce after the opening frame. Wilson collected another hit to continue his productive stretch, while rookie Joshua Kuroda-Grauer doubled in the eighth to cap another encouraging performance. The rookie continues to make an immediate impact since his promotion, tying the Athletics franchise record with 18 hits through his first 11 major league games.
The Athletics finished with just six hits and struck out ten times as their offensive struggles continued. After producing only five runs during the entire road trip entering the finale, another quiet performance sent the club into the All-Star break searching for answers. Sacramento’s recent skid has now stretched to nine games, a frustrating finish to the first half after showing signs earlier in the season that it could remain in the American League West race.
After the All-Star festivities conclude, the Athletics return home to begin a three-game series against the Washington Nationals. The opener is scheduled for Friday at 6:40 p.m. Pacific, though both clubs have yet to announce their starting pitchers.
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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