Tag: Cleveland Guardians

Sacramento A’s second baseman Max Muncy (left) puts the tag on the Cleveland Guardians Jose Ramirez (right) spoiling his base stealing attempt in the bottom of the first inning at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Fri Jul 18, 2025 (AP News photo)

Late Rally Can’t Save A’s From Another Cleveland Curse in 8-6 loss

By Mauricio Segura

The Sacramento Athletics started the second half of the season like they never left: in a hole. And not just on the scoreboard. Sacramento’s Green and Gold returned from the All-Star break with a frustrating 8-6 loss to the Guardians at Progressive Field, a ballpark that has haunted the A’s for years, and lived up to the billing again Friday night.

What began as a tight pitcher’s duel quickly unraveled into a nightmare third inning for starter JP Sears. After striking out the first two batters of the game and putting up zeros in the first two frames, the lefty ran into a paper shredder.

A leadoff double from Brayan Rocchio set the tone. One pitch later, Angel Martínez drove in Rocchio with a single. Then David Fry followed with a two-run blast to left-center. José Ramírez, who walked in his first at-bat, then tripled, and Carlos Santana’s sac fly brought him home. By the time Sears exited, the A’s were trailing 5-0 and Cleveland had all the momentum.

Sacramento’s bats, meanwhile, were asleep for most of the game, managing only a solo homer from Brent Rooker (his 21st of the season), in the fifth to break the shutout. The rest of the night was an exercise in missed opportunities until it was nearly too late.

The Guardians kept piling on, including a pair of RBI doubles in the fourth by Rocchio, again, and a run-scoring single by Nolan Jones in the fifth. Sears’ night ended after five innings, allowing eight hits and all eight Cleveland runs. The bullpen fared better, with J.T. Ginn, Hogan Harris, and Elvis Alvarado combining for three shutout innings, which helped set up a dramatic ninth.

Down 8-3 entering their final frame, the A’s unleashed a furious rally. Nick Kurtz opened the inning with a triple, followed by another triple from Rooker to bring him in. Shea Langeliers doubled to plate Rooker, then Miguel Andujar ripped a double of his own to cut the deficit to two. Just like that, the A’s had momentum and the heart of the order coming up with no outs.

But Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland’s fireballing closer, slammed the door. He struck out Max Muncy, then fanned pinch-hitter Gio Urshela to end it. The A’s came up just short of stealing one in a ballpark they haven’t won in since 2021.

There were a few silver linings amid the disappointment. Kurtz continues to look like a star in the making, adding to his rookie lead in home runs and RBI with a 3-for-5 night that included a triple and RBI single. Langeliers, who’d been mired in a post-injury slump, broke out with three hits, including a homer and a double. And Rooker, fresh off a standout All-Star break, kept rolling with his 100th career home run, part of a 2-for-5 night.

But that wasn’t enough to offset a rough start from Sears, who gave up his 20th home run of the season and fell to 7-8. It was the latest reminder of the A’s most glaring issue this year: starting pitching. Sacramento starters have thrown fewer than seven innings in 93 straight games, the longest such streak in franchise history. And once again, it left too much of a burden on the bullpen.

Defensively, the A’s were clean, no errors, but their inability to keep Cleveland off the bases early sealed their fate. With the loss, Sacramento dropped to 0-1 on the road trip and extended their losing streak in Cleveland to eight straight games.

They’ll try to regroup Saturday with Luis Severino on the mound. The veteran right-hander has been snakebitten all year, entering the game with a 2-11 record despite solid road splits. He’ll face Cleveland’s Logan Allen, a lefty the A’s haven’t seen since May.

For now, though, the post-break optimism gets shelved. Same issues. Same result. And the ghosts of Progressive Field continue to haunt the Green and Gold.

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. 

Sacramento A’s starter Luis Severino is the starting pitcher against the Detroit Tigers on Tue Jun 24, 2025 at Comerica Park in Detroit. Here is Severino pitching against the Kansas City Royals on Fri Jun 13, 2025 at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City (AP News photo)

On the A’s podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Last game for the Sacramento A’s they were shutout by starter Slade Ceccone of Cleveland Guardians 3-0. Ceccone went a career seven innings allowing six hits, a walk, in his seventh start of the season.

#2 The Guardians jumped to a 2-0 lead against A’s starter JP Sears when Angel Martinez walked and stole second base then scored on Gabriel Arias’ base hit. The Nolan Jones scored Arias on a double. Making it 2-0.

#3 The Guardians Steve Kwan got aboard on a base hit and scored on a David Fry base hit and the Guardians did all the damage for the game coming away with a 3-0 win.

#4 For starter Sears pitched five innings allowing seven hits, three earned runs, two walks, striking out five. Tough loss for Sears whose had some good outings this season.

#5 A’s open a road trip in Detroit Tuesday night starting pitcher for Sacramento Luis Severino (2-7 ERA 4.42) and for Detroit one of baseball’s best pitchers the reigning Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal (8-2 ERA 2.06).

Tony Renteria does the A’s podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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. 

Cleveland Guardians right hand pitcher LL Ortiz pitches into the second inning against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat June 21, 2025 (AP News photo)

Frustration Mounts as A’s Come Up Short 4-2 Despite Late Push

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Athletics’ recent surge was put on ice Saturday night as a slow start and early defensive miscues led to a 4–2 loss against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park. After winning six of their last eight games, the A’s were looking to build momentum, but a costly second inning and an anemic offense through most of the night left them chasing a game that was all but decided before the sun set.

Right-hander Mitch Spence took the mound for Sacramento riding a string of impressive outings, having allowed just two earned runs over his last three starts. But this one unraveled quickly. The trouble started in the top of the second when Daniel Schneemann lined out to right, followed by a walk to Nolan Jones.

Then came a sharp double to center off the bat of Bo Naylor, who not only drove in the game’s first run but advanced to third on a wild throw from Luis Urías. That error opened the floodgates. Johnathan Rodríguez followed with an RBI double, Angel Martínez grounded out to move him to third, and Steven Kwan singled him home.

By the time José Ramírez notched his 900th career RBI with a single to center, Cleveland had built a 4-0 lead before Spence could escape the inning.

Spence managed to hold Cleveland scoreless over his final three innings and finished with five innings pitched, allowing seven hits and four earned runs while striking out three. It was a gritty performance, but the damage had been done. His effort was backed by a strong showing from the bullpen as T.J. McFarland, Sean Newcomb, and Hogan Harris combined for four shutout innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed.

The A’s, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Guardians starter Luis Ortiz, who baffled hitters for six innings, striking out ten while scattering just four hits and two walks. Sacramento’s best chance came early in the second when Max Muncy reached on a throwing error and Tyler Soderstrom singled to move him to third. But a strikeout from JJ Bleday, a lineout by Urías, and a flyout from Austin Wynns ended the inning with no damage.

Tensions boiled over in the sixth when Lawrence Butler, who had already struck out twice, was called out looking again and was promptly ejected after voicing his frustration. His exit triggered a chain of defensive shuffles. Denzel Clarke took over in center field, JJ Bleday moved to left, and Brent Rooker slid over to right. Butler’s absence was felt, especially as the A’s tried to rally late.

Sacramento finally broke through in the seventh. After a walk by Bleday and a single by Urías, Austin Wynns roped a double to right that brought in Bleday and gave the A’s a flicker of hope. But it was quickly doused when Clarke struck out and Wilson lined out to end the inning. Rooker brought the crowd to life again in the eighth with a triple to deep center, and Muncy followed with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to two. Still, the rally fell short as Soderstrom lined out to end the frame.

Emmanuel Clase came in to close things out for Cleveland in the ninth and made quick work of the A’s. Bleday grounded out, Urías lined out sharply to left, and Wynns grounded out to third to seal the loss. The A’s finished the night with just two runs on seven hits, going one for nine with runners in scoring position and leaving six men stranded.

With the loss, Sacramento dropped to 32 and 47 on the season and missed a chance to gain ground in the AL West. While they remain just one game behind the fourth-place Angels, the frustration of yet another game lost due to early defensive lapses and late offensive sputtering was clear. The team is now four and 24 when being out-homered and continues to struggle in close games decided by two runs or fewer.

The A’s will look to avoid losing the series and get back on track Sunday afternoon as lefty JP Sears (5-6 ERA 5.45) takes the hill against Cleveland’s Slade Cecconi (2-3 ERA 4.15). With a nine-game road trip looming, including stops in Detroit, New York, and Tampa Bay, the A’s need to rediscover the rhythm that briefly gave fans hope they could crawl out of the AL West cellar.

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.

Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz hits a two run home run in the bottom of the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Jun 20, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Sacramento A’s pitcher Jefferey Springs had a quality start going 7.1 innings allowing three hits striking out six and walking a batter. The 7.1 innings for Springs was his longest start for the season.

#2 A’s rookie Nick Kurtz is on a homer hot streak hitting the big fly for his third straight game his tenth of the season as the A’s beat the Cleveland Guardian on Friday night 5-1 at Sutter Health Park.

#3 The A’s got the pitching from Springs and it was the good pitching that beat the good hitting holding the Guardians to only four hits. The A’s have now won three of their last five games and after suffering a number of losing streaks have the A’s found their way out of it yet.

#4 The A’s also got some offense early that helped in the winning cause scoring two runs in the first inning and once in the second inning to jump on the Guardians starter Tanner Biebee who went the distance pitching eight innings, allowing 11 hits and four runs.

#5 The Guardians and the A’s are back at it again tonight at 7:05pm at Sutter Health. For the Guardians RHP LL Ortiz (3-8 ERA 4.64) for the Athletics RHP Mitch Spence (2-1 ERA 3.50) can Spence deliver that good pitching that can beat good hitting for Sacramento tonight?

Jeremiah Salmonson is a Sacramento A’s beat writer for http://www.sportsradioservice.com