Sacramento A’s starter Aaron Civale will make the start against the San Francisco Giants on Tue Jun 23, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP file photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason
#1 The Los Angeles Angels Zach Neto hit a two run home run and the Angels were in front against the Sacramento A’s in the ninth inning 8-7.
#2 The Angels Denzer Guzman in the eighth inning hit a three run home run and the A’s and Angels split the four game series with the Angels winning game 4 of the set 9-7.
#3 The Angels also got offense from Donavan Walton who hit a home run and got three RBIs and Nolan Schanuel and Jose Siri both had two hits that helped toward Sunday’s win. This after the Angels shutout the A’s 7-0 on Saturday
#4 A’s Nick Kurtz hit his 19th home run for 55 career home runs that ties the A’s record for the most home runs through the first two seasons for a career with the Philadelphia A’s Bob Johnson who set the record in 1933-34.
#5 The A’s head to Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tuesday to open up a road trip with the Giants. Starting pitcher for Sacramento RHP Aaron Civale (5-3 ERA 4.91) for San Francisco LHP Robbie Ray (5-6 ERA 4.07) first pitch 6:45pm PDT.
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.
Zack Gelof (20) of the Sacramento A’s takes a 24 game hitting streak into Oracle Park in San Francisco Tue Jun 23, 2026 against the San Francisco Giants (AP file photo)
By Mauricio Segura
WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento A’s built a four-run lead before fans got mustard on their hot dogs, but an early effort in Athletics baseball is never something to find comfort in. What began as a promising day for the Green and Gold turned into a 9-7 loss, as the Los Angeles Angels used three home runs, including Zach Neto’s go-ahead shot in the ninth, to take the final two games of the series and send Sacramento two games under .500.
The A’s wasted no time putting Reid Detmers in trouble. Zack Gelof opened the bottom of the first with a single to left, Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson both reached base, and Tyler Soderstrom forced in the first run. Jonah Heim followed with a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in Kurtz for a 2-0 lead. Joey Meneses then lined an RBI single to left, scoring Wilson and picking up his first Major League RBI since July 1, 2024, when he was with Washington. Henry Bolte capped the inning with a ground-ball single to right, scoring Soderstrom and giving the Athletics a 4-0 lead.
It looked like the A’s had a chance to stay on top. Instead, Los Angeles answered in the second. Nolan Schanuel singled, Denzer Guzman followed with another single, and Donovan Walton turned a 2-0 pitch from Jack Perkins into a three-run homer to right. Just like that, Sacramento’s cushion was down to 4-3. Walton has now recorded an extra-base hit in six straight games, the longest active streak in the Majors and tied for the longest by any player this season.
Perkins recovered enough to keep the A’s ahead. He struck out a career-high eight batters over five innings on 78 pitches, giving the A’s some badly needed swing-and-miss. But the Angels kept making him work. In the fifth, Jose Siri singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored on another wild pitch to make it 5-4. Perkins finished with four earned runs allowed on four hits and two walks, and he has allowed at least three earned runs and one home run in each of his four starts this season.
The A’s had pushed their lead to 5-3 in the fourth when Gelof doubled and Kurtz singled him home, with Kurtz moving to second on Jo Adell’s fielding error. Kurtz kept his big afternoon going in the seventh. After Gelof reached on Denzer Guzman’s error, Kurtz drove a Brent Suter pitch to center for a two-run homer, stretching the Athletics’ lead to 7-4. Kurtz finished 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk, three RBIs and two runs. He also reached base safely for the 22nd straight game and tied Bob Johnson for the most home runs through the first two years of an A’s career with 55.
That seventh-inning homer should have given the A’s enough room to finish the job. It did not. Hogan Harris started the eighth by hitting pinch-hitter Vaughn Grissom. Schanuel singled him to third, and Guzman tied the game with a three-run homer to center.
Guzman finished 2-for-3 with a homer, a walk, three RBIs and two runs, and he has now homered in three straight games, the longest streak of his career. Heim helped stop the inning from getting worse by throwing out Christian Moore trying to steal second, and Elvis Alvarado struck out Oswald Peraza after a challenge confirmed the call.
The ninth inning gave the Angels their final push. Siri singled up the middle with one out, and Neto followed by sending an 0-1 pitch from Alvarado over the wall in left. The two-run homer, Neto’s 17th of the season, gave Los Angeles its first lead of the game at 9-7. Sam Bachman then retired Gelof, Kurtz and Wilson in order in the bottom half, earning his first save.
The Angels finished with ten hits and three homers. They have now hit 22 home runs across 11 games at the Athletics’ current home park, the most by any visiting team. The A’s had seven hits, five walks and plenty of early traffic, but after Kurtz’s seventh-inning blast, their final six batters were retired. It was a game the Athletics had in their hands more than once, only to watch the Angels’ bats laugh and say, “Not today!”.
Next up, the Athletics head down I-80 for a matchup against the San Francisco Giants, with Aaron Civale (5-3, 4.91 ERA, 41 K) for Sacramento set to face San Francisco’s Robbie Ray (5-6, 4.07 ERA, 74 K) at 6:45 p.m. Pacific, giving the Green and Gold a quick chance to trade frustration for a rivalry win.
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.
Los Angeles Angels starter Walbert Urena pitched five innings of shutout ball against the Sacramento A’s at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat Jun 20, 2026 (AP News photo)
Angels Turn the A’s Lineup Into Background Noise; Halos starter Urena and 3 relievers shutout Sac 7-0
By Mauricio Segura
WEST SACRAMENTO–Friday, the Sacramento Athletics pulled a rabbit out of a batting helmet, climbing from a seven-run hole to win in 10 innings. One game later Saturday, the Angels buried the Green and Gold before any late magic could get even a toe on the field. Los Angeles beat the Athletics 7-0, using early pressure, a four-run sixth inning and a pitching relay that turned Sacramento’s bats into a long quiet drive home.
The A’s had a chance to change the tone right away. Nick Kurtz opened the bottom of the first with a double to center, Tyler Soderstrom was hit by a pitch, and Jacob Wilson loaded the bases with a single to right. That brought Jonah Heim to the plate with one out and the crowd was ready for a jolt. Instead, Heim struck out, Lawrence Butler grounded out, and the inning ended with three runners stranded. It was the best chance the Athletics had all game, and it vanished before the Angels broke a sweat.
Los Angeles went to work in the second against J.T. Ginn. Jo Adell doubled to center, Wade Meckler reached on a free pass, and Donovan Walton sent a ground ball into right field to score Adell. Jose Siri followed with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing home Meckler and giving the Angels a 2-0 lead. Ginn avoided further trouble after Tyler Heineman doubled and Zach Neto earned another free pass, but the damage had already put the A’s in chase mode.
For a while, Ginn settled in. He escaped a bases-loaded spot in the third when Walton hit into a force at home and Siri grounded out. He then retired the Angels in order in the fourth and fifth, giving the Athletics a window to get back into the game. The problem was Walbert Ureña kept slamming that window shut. Ureña worked five scoreless innings, allowing four hits while striking out five. Each time the A’s looked ready to build something, he yanked the rug from under their feet.
The sixth inning turned the game from manageable to miserable. Walton singled, Siri singled, and Scott Barlow replaced Ginn with one out. Heineman then singled to right, loading the bases for Neto, who doubled down the left-field side to score Walton and Siri. Nolan Schanuel followed with a two-run double to right, sending Heineman and Neto home and pushing the Angels ahead 6-0. Ginn’s line ended at 5 1/3 innings, seven hits and four runs, a rough turn after entering the game with a 2.91 ERA and a career-best three-game winning streak.
Denzer Guzman added the final run in the seventh, homering to left off Geoff Hartlieb. For the Angels, it was a full-team effort. Walton had three hits and scored twice, Adell added three hits of his own, Neto drove in two, and Schanuel matched him with two RBIs. The Angels finished with 13 hits and made the A’s pay almost every time traffic gathered on the bases.
The Athletics did have one more opening in the seventh. Henry Bolte singled, Max Muncy drew a free pass, and Kurtz loaded the bases with another free pass after Ryan Zeferjahn replaced Samy Natera Jr. But Shea Langeliers grounded out, and the last real threat disappeared. Zeferjahn handled the eighth, and Kirby Yates finished the ninth with two strikeouts, closing a combined five-hit shutout.
For the A’s, the loss also snapped some of the momentum from a strong recent run. They had won two straight and seven of their previous 10, had moved back to .500, and had already taken the first two games of the series against Los Angeles. They also entered with one of baseball’s hottest offenses, but this time the power never showed. Kurtz doubled, Wilson singled, Butler singled, Jeff McNeil doubled, and Bolte singled. But no one scored.
Game 4 of the series Sunday gives the Athletics a chance to put this dud in the rearview mirror. the A’s Jack Perkins (2-3, 6.15 ERA, 49 K) gets the ball against Reid Detmers (3-5, 3.68 ERA) for the Angels, with first pitch set for 1:05 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.
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.
Nick Kurtz (16) of the Sacramento A’s gets a walk off walk with the bases loaded forcing in Lawrence Butler from third scoring the winning run in the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park on Fri Jun 19, 2026 (Sacramento A’s X photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Harvey:
#1 Tony, it was a nail biter of a game on Friday night at Sutter Health Park as the Sacramento A’s came back down 11-4 in the sixth inning to win it in the tenth 12-11 against the Los Angeles Angels.
#2 The A’s picked up a run when Zack Gelof singled scoring Lawrence Butler in the bottom of the sixth. The A’s added two runs in the bottom of the seventh when Jacob Wilson hit a 395 foot left field home run to making 11-7.
#3 The A’s turned it on in the bottom of the eighth when Max Muncy hit a two run 426 foot home run cutting the Angels lead to 11-9.. Jonah Heim tied things up when he hit a two run home run in the bottom of the ninth making it 11-11 forcing extra innings.
#4 The A’s with the bases loaded in the bottom of the tenth with Nick Kurtz at the plate walked and forced in Lawrence Butler from third base to win it 12-11. With the win the A’s remain just a half game out of first place behind the first place Seattle Mariners in the AL West.
#5 Angels and A’s continue this four game series at Sutter Health Park on Saturday at 7:05pm PDT. Starting pitcher for Los Angeles for RHP Walbert Urena (4-5 ERA 2.60) for Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (5-3 ERA 2.91)
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.
Anaheim Angels Zach Neto (right) is out by plenty as he tagged out by the Sacramento A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson (left) in the top of the second inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Jun 19, 2026 (Golden Bay Times photo)
By Mauricio Segura
WESTSACRAMENTO–This game resembled a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon, with the Sacramento A’s spending most of it chasing the Los Angeles Angels trying different strategies. But in the end, they didn’t fall off a cliff. They actually caught the bird. Somehow, after falling behind by seven runs, the Green and Gold still found a way to leave with a 12-11 win in 10 innings, finishing a game that had just about everything except a quiet inning.
For a while, this looked like Sacramento’s game from the start. Lawrence Butler gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead in the second with a solo homer to center, and the third inning turned that small lead into something stronger. Zack Gelof drew a walk, Shea Langeliers doubled him home, Tyler Soderstrom followed with a single, and Jacob Wilson doubled in Langeliers. Carlos Cortes then grounded out to score Soderstrom, pushing the Athletics ahead 4-0.
That early lead disappeared fast. The Angels turned the fourth inning into a long, ugly climb for Athletics starter Jeffrey Springs. Christian Moore scored Nolan Schanuel with a sacrifice fly, Denzer Guzman followed with a two-run homer, and Jose Siri gave Los Angeles the lead with a three-run shot to left center. Zach Neto added another homer before the inning ended, and just like that, the Angels had flipped a 4-0 deficit into a 7-4 lead.
Los Angeles kept swinging in the fifth. Jo Adell drew a walk, Oswald Peraza singled, and Logan O’Hoppe crushed a three-run homer to left center, stretching the Angels’ lead to 10-4. When Schanuel homered in the sixth, the Athletics were staring at an 11-4 hole. A deep, dark, looming hole that no one in the stadium would have bet they could climb out of. But they did, and in grand style at that.
The A’s began nibbling away like mice in a cardboard factory. Gelof singled in Butler in the sixth, extending a hitting streak that had already become one of the best in club history. Gelof entered the game riding a 22-game streak, tied for fourth longest by an Athletic in the expansion era, and he kept giving the lineup a steady spark.
Wilson made things interesting in the seventh with a two-run homer after Soderstrom drew a walk, trimming Anaheim’s lead to 11-7. In the eighth, Butler reached again, and Max Muncy, who had entered as a pinch-hitter earlier, sent a two-run homer to center. Suddenly, it was 11-9, and what had looked like a lost cause had turned into a full-blown heavyweight mess.
Then came the ninth, and Jonah Heim gave the Athletics the swing they needed most. Soderstrom doubled to center with one out, Wilson moved him to third, and Heim, pinch-hitting for Colby Thomas, launched a two-run homer to right. The game was tied 11-11, and the Athletics had erased all seven runs of the Angels’ advantage.
The 10th inning gave the Angels a chance to answer, starting with Moore at second base. Denzer Guzman moved him to third with a fly ball, but O’Hoppe hit into a fielder’s choice as Muncy threw home to Langeliers to cut down Moore. Wade Meckler then struck out, and the Angels missed their chance to retake control.
The Athletics did not waste theirs. Butler began the bottom of the 10th at second, Henry Bolte drew a walk, and both runners advanced on a double steal after a confirmed challenge. Max Muncy flied out, Zack Gelof was hit by a nasty pitch, and after Kirby Yates left following an injury delay, Samy Natera Jr. faced Nick Kurtz with the bases loaded. Kurtz drew the game-ending walk, forcing in Butler and sealing a 12-11 win that was wild, weird, and very baseball Twilight Zone.
The win also fit a team that entered with 20 come-from-behind victories and one of the better extra-inning records in the majors. It was not graceful. But it was a reminder that this Athletics lineup, especially with Butler, Gelof, Wilson, Soderstrom, Heim, and Kurtz all finding ways to matter, can turn a bad night into a box score nobody forgets.
Game 2 brings a steadier pitching question, at least on paper, with J.T. Ginn (5-3, 2.91 ERA, 68 K) getting the ball for the Athletics against Angels right-hander Walbert Urena (4-5, 2.60 ERA, 58 K), with first pitch set for 7:05 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.
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 pitcher Gage Jump (61) was dealing pitching seven innings not allowing a run and just one hit before being relieved against the Los Angeles Angels at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics did not draw out Thursday night’s win. They took the first inning, did their damage, and secured a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels.
After Gage Jump worked a quick top of the first, the Green and Gold went right to work against Angels starter Ryan Johnson. Zack Gelof opened the bottom half with a single to left, extending a hitting streak that had already reached 21 games before the first pitch. Nick Kurtz followed with a double to left, putting two runners in scoring position and giving the heart of the order the perfect scenario to cash in.
Shea Langeliers wasted no time doing what “Bangaliers” has been known to do. The A’s catcher drove a three-run homer to center, putting the Athletics ahead 3-0 and giving the home side instant control. Langeliers entered the game as the leading vote-getter among American League catchers in the first All-Star ballot update, and his bat gave that campaign a pretty convincing new campaign ad. His power has been a major part of the A’s season success, and this swing just proved what his bat brings to the team.
The inning was not finished. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a solo homer to left-center, turning back-to-back big swings into a 4-0 lead. Jacob Wilson then singled to right, Jonah Heim added another base hit, and Carlos Cortes moved Wilson to third with a fly ball to center. Henry Bolte finished the scoring with a sacrifice fly, bringing in Wilson and making it 5-0. By the end of the inning, the Athletics had sent ten batters to the plate and built all the offense they would need.
From there, the game became Gage Jump’s showcase. The rookie left-hander, making just his fifth major league start, did not show in any way how new he is to the show. Jump allowed only one hit over seven scoreless innings, striking out seven and working around three walks.
His best escape came in the fourth, when Nick Madrigal drew a free pass and Oswald Peraza doubled with two outs. With two Angels in scoring position, Jump struck out Christian Moore to end the threat and keep the shutout intact.
That was the Angels’ best chance against him. Jump struck out Moore three times overall, got Logan O’Hoppe looking in the fifth, and fanned both Peraza and Moore in the seventh. When Vaughn Grissom drew a free pass to start the seventh, Jump kept the inning from turning messy. After two strikeouts, Langeliers ended it by picking Grissom off first, a catcher’s dagger that kept the Angels stuck at zero.
The Athletics’ defense backed Jump with steady work. Henry Bolte covered center field recording several outs in the gaps and adding a hit and an RBI at the plate. Wilson continued to look smooth at shortstop, part of a defense that entered the game with one of the best fielding marks in the majors.
The Angels’ bullpen settled things down after Johnson’s rough first inning. Brent Suter threw two scoreless frames, and Ryan Zeferjahn worked around two eighth-inning free passes. But by then, the damage had already been done. The Athletics’ early burst stood up because Jump turned the Angels’ lineup into a long evening of fly balls, strikeouts, and missed chances.
Mason Barnett took over in the eighth and worked through trouble after Denzer Guzman drew a free pass and pinch-hitter Wade Meckler singled. Barnett struck out O’Hoppe and escaped when Nick Madrigal flied to center. Hogan Harris handled the ninth, giving up singles to Grissom and Moore but striking out Jo Adell, Peraza, and Guzman to finish the shutout.
The A’s, already riding one of the best home run streaks in the majors, added two more in the first inning and then let Jump do the heavy lifting. For a team trying to stay in the American League West chase, this was a much needed win.
The sequel brings a tough mound matchup, as Jeffrey Springs (3-7, 5.13 ERA, 68 K) gets the ball for the Athletics against Angels right-hander José Soriano (8-4, 2.79 ERA, 92 K), with first pitch set for 6:40 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.
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.
Los Angeles Angels Josh Lowe tries to break up a double play that sends the Sacramento A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil to step away to complete a double play at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Fri May 22, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics came away with a 10 inning 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels to take three out of four from the Angels Thursday night. The A’s spent five innings trying to solve José Soriano while the Angels held a 2-0 lead built on one swing from Nolan Schanuel.
Mike Trout singled in the first, and Schanuel followed by sending a fly ball over the wall in right, giving Los Angeles an early advantage before the Green and Gold had even put a runner in scoring position.
For a while, that looked like it might be enough. The A’s struck out three times in the first, went down in order in the second and third, and had Carlos Cortes thrown out trying to stretch a fourth-inning single. It was the kind of start that makes a dugout feel like it is chewing on gravel.
Luis Severino, however, refused to let the game drift away. After Schanuel’s homer, the right-hander settled into one of his best rhythms of the season. He struck out Jose Siri and Sebastián Rivero in the second, then wiped out Adam Frazier, Zach Neto, and Trout in the third.
When Josh Lowe singled to begin the fifth, Severino got Siri to ground into a Zack Gelof-to-Jeff McNeil-to-Nick Kurtz double play, then struck out Rivero to end the inning. By the time his night was done, Severino had given the Athletics seven innings of two-run baseball with ten strikeouts and no free passes, a terrific answer after entering with three straight losses and a season-long issue with bases on balls.
The comeback began quietly, which fit the game just fine. Shea Langeliers opened the sixth-inning scoring chance with a double to left. Kurtz, who already had extended his reaching-base streak with a fourth-inning free pass, then lined a ground-ball single to center to score Langeliers and cut the deficit to 2-1. That streak, already tied for fourth longest in Athletics history entering the game, moved another step forward and continued a run that has placed Kurtz among the most dangerous on-base bats in the majors.
The seventh inning turned the game from survival mode into a real fight. Tyler Soderstrom singled, and Gelof replaced him at first on a force out before stealing second. McNeil moved Gelof to third with a groundout, and Darell Hernaiz delivered the tying hit, a line-drive single to left that scored Gelof. Hernaiz then stole second, showing the kind of pressure the A’s have needed during a stretch where tight games have become part of their regular diet.
The Athletics had chances to take control earlier than they did. In the eighth, Langeliers reached, Kurtz and Brent Rooker put two runners aboard, and a wild pitch moved both into scoring position before Soderstrom was intentionally issued first base. Gelof struck out, leaving the bases loaded. In the ninth, McNeil reached on Vaughn Grissom’s throwing error, Henry Bolte stole second as a pinch-runner, and Cortes reached, but Langeliers grounded out to keep the score tied.
The tenth inning finally tilted the game. Langeliers began at second, Kurtz was intentionally put aboard, and Rooker was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Soderstrom’s grounder forced Langeliers out at home, giving the Angels a brief breath of relief. Then came the night’s defining review. Gelof hit a grounder to short, and after the Athletics challenged the call, the ruling was overturned. Kurtz scored, the A’s had a 3-2 lead, and Gelof had turned a frustrating offensive night into the most important plate appearance of the game.
The Angels still had one more threat. Vaughn Grissom began the bottom of the tenth at second, and Jo Adell singled to center, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. Mark Leiter Jr. had no room for a mistake, but he found his escape route the hard way. He struck out Lowe, then got Jorge Soler to ground into a game-ending double play started by Gelof at third and finished through Hernaiz and Kurtz. It was a perfect ending for an A’s team that leaned on Severino’s grit, Kurtz’s steady bat, Hernaiz’s timely swing, Gelof’s legs and glove, and a bullpen that held the final three innings together.
The result was a 3-2 extra-inning win for the Athletics, their third victory of this four-game series against the Angels and another example of why this club has stayed on top of the AL West. They did not overpower Los Angeles. They outlasted them, one grind-it-out at-bat, one stolen base, one review, and one huge double play at a time. The final out came just before the 9:35pm start time for Disneyland’s fireworks down the street, Hakuna Matata!
The A’s will board the team bus Thursday night and head a couple of hours south to San Diego where they will play the Padres Friday for a three-game set. Jefferey Springs ( 3-4 / 3.93 ERA / 47 K) will take the mound for Sacramento facing off against Walker Buehler (3-2 / 5.01 ERA / 37 K) at 6:40pm.
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.
Jeff McNeil (wearing bling) is congratulated by the Sacramento A’s dugout after hitting a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angels Stadium Wed May 20, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:
#1 Which player delivered the go-ahead hit for the Athletics in extra innings against the Angels?
#2 How did Los Angeles Angels respond after falling behind 3–0 early in the game?
#3 What impact did Jeff McNeil’s ninth-inning home run have on the outcome of the game?
#4 Which starting pitcher had the stronger outing: Aaron Civale for the Athletics or Jack Kochanowicz for the Angels?
#5 How did the Athletics bullpen help secure the 6–5 extra-innings victory over the Angels?
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 outfielder Tyler Soderstrom chases down a line drive hit by the Los Angeles Angels Vaugn Grissom in the bottom of the first inning at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Wed May 20, 2026 (photo by Golden Bay Times)
By Maurcio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics did not ease into this one. They grabbed an early lead, gave it back, clawed through the middle innings, and finally stole the night with the kind of road win that keeps a first-place team focused and the rest of the AL West glued to the scoreboard. By the time Hogan Harris got Jorge Soler to ground out with the bases loaded in the 10th, the Green and Gold had escaped with a 6-5 win that had a little bit of everything: early offense, three Los Angeles Angels homers, replay drama, late nerves, and Jeff McNeil turning a one-run deficit into a fresh fight with one swing.
The A’s jumped ahead immediately after Shea Langeliers was hit by a pitch, Nick Kurtz drew a walk, and Brent Rooker loaded the bases with a ground-ball single that glanced off Jack Kochanowicz. Tyler Soderstrom followed with a two-run single to center, scoring Langeliers and Kurtz for a 2-0 lead. That advantage lasted about as long as a paper napkin in a wind tunnel. Mike Trout walked in the bottom half, and Soler tied it with a two-run blast to left-center.
The second inning only raised the volume. Henry Bolte walked, stole second, and scored when Carlos Cortes ripped a liner to left that turned into extra trouble after Josh Lowe’s fielding error. But the Angels answered with Jo Adell’s solo homer and Lowe’s two-run shot, turning a 3-2 Athletics lead into a 5-3 hole. Aaron Civale, who entered with strong recent numbers and had allowed only three runs over his previous four starts, was tagged for three home runs and five runs through five innings.
From there, the game tightened. Shea Langeliers helped kill an Angels threat in the fourth when the Athletics successfully challenged a play at third, with Langeliers picking off Oswald Peraza on a throw to Zack Gelof. Luis Medina then gave the A’s a key bridge, working two scoreless innings and keeping the deficit manageable. That mattered because the Athletics’ offense, quiet from the third through sixth, found a spark in the seventh. Darell Hernaiz and Cortes were both hit by pitches, and Kurtz lined a two-out single to center that scored Hernaiz, though Cortes was thrown out trying for third.
Kurtz’s night also pushed his reaching-base streak from 42 games to 43, adding another line to a run that already had him near some big names in Athletics history. His walk in the first kept the streak alive, and his seventh-inning hit made it louder. McNeil then supplied the swing the A’s badly needed in the ninth, driving Kirby Yates’ pitch over the right-field wall to tie the game at 5-5. For a player who entered with just one homer and all of his RBI against right-handed pitching, it was perfect timing, the kind of swing that makes the bench feel ten degrees warmer.
Scott Barlow worked around a hit batter in the ninth, aided by another overturned call when Gelof and McNeil combined on a force at second. In the 10th, with Kurtz placed at second, Soderstrom delivered again. His fly-ball single to left scored Kurtz, and another error by Lowe pushed Soderstrom to third. The A’s could not add on, but Harris protected the 6-5 lead with a tightrope act. He struck out Lowe on a missed bunt, got Zach Neto to move the runner to third on a soft groundout, intentionally walked Trout, then walked Nolan Schanuel to load the bases. With Soler at the plate and the Angels one swing from flipping the ending, Harris got the grounder to McNeil, and the Athletics finally exhaled.
The series concludes Thursday with Luis Severino (2-5 / 4.45 ERA / 54 K) taking the mound for Sacramento against Anaheim’s Jose Soriano (6-3 / 2.41 ERA / 67 K). First pitch from the Big A scheduled for 6:38pm.
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 Zack Gelof slugs a seventh inning home run against the Los Angeles Angels at Anaheim Stadium on Tue May 19, 2026 (photo by Mauricio Segura Golden Bay Times and today’s author)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics needed a response after J.T. Ginn’s almost no-hitter Monday night that turned into a gut-punch loss, and they did not tap the Los Angeles Angels politely on the shoulder. They unloaded in a 14-6 win that felt like a full-team exhale after the kind of defeat that can linger if a club lets it.
Even with the loss pushing them under .500, the Athletics still held first place in the American League West, and their offense made sure the mood did not stay sour for long. A lineup that had been showing signs of life lately did more than wake up. It took over the room, ate the snacks, and left the Angels chasing line drives all over the yard.
For two innings, Reid Detmers looked like he might control the night. Shea Langeliers, Colby Thomas, Brent Rooker, Henry Bolte and Zack Gelof all went down on strikes early, and the Athletics had little to show until the third inning flipped the whole game on its head Jeff McNeil singled to center, Darell Hernaiz followed with a ground-ball single to right, and Nick Kurtz opened the scoring with a base hit that brought McNeil home.
That swing mattered beyond the run, too, because Kurtz entered the game riding one of the longest reaching-base streaks in Athletics history, a 41-game run that had him in rare company with names like Mark McGwire, Jimmie Foxx and Rickey Henderson.
Then the inning turned into a green-and-gold parade. Thomas doubled to right, scoring Hernaiz and Kurtz. Rooker singled in Thomas. Bolte, the young center fielder who recently made his Major League debut after tearing through Triple-A Las Vegas, bounced a ground-rule double down the left-field line.
Gelof followed with a two-run single, and just like that, a scoreless game had become a 6-0 Athletics lead. It was not just a rally. It was a reminder that this lineup can stretch an inning until the other team starts looking for the emergency exit.
The Angels did not disappear quietly. Mike Trout homered to center in the third, then Los Angeles pushed across three more in the fourth after Oswald Peraza singled, Jose Siri doubled, Zach Neto reached, and Trout drew a bases-loaded free pass after a confirmed challenge. Vaughn Grissom followed with a two-run single, cutting the Athletics’ lead to 6-4 and forcing manager Mark Kotsay to go to Justin Sterner. The Angels had turned the game tense, but Sterner ended the inning by getting Jorge Soler to fly out.
From there, the Athletics answered like a team tired of getting shoved around in May. In the sixth, Jonah Heim doubled and Hernaiz reached, setting the table for Langeliers and Kurtz. Langeliers drew the pass that loaded the bases, and Kurtz punched another two-run single to center, scoring Heim and Hernaiz for an 8-4 lead. Kurtz later stole second, just because apparently driving in runs was not enough work for one inning.
Gelof added a solo homer to right center in the seventh, pushing the lead to 9-4. In the eighth, the Athletics turned the game into a rout. McNeil singled, Langeliers reached again, and Kurtz ripped a two-run double to right, giving him five RBIs on the night. Rooker, who has done some of his best career damage against the Angels, followed with a two-run homer to left center. That blast made it 13-4 and continued his long history of punishing Los Angeles pitching.
The Angels scored twice in the eighth on Josh Lowe’s double after Nolan Schanuel was hit by a pitch and Logan O’Hoppe doubled, but Hogan Harris avoided further trouble by retiring Trout and Grissom. Hernaiz added one more Athletics run in the ninth with a single that scored Gelof, while Joel Kuhnel finished the game by striking out O’Hoppe after an error briefly extended the bottom of the ninth.
The final line told the story loudly enough: 14 runs, big swings from Kurtz, Thomas, Gelof and Rooker, and enough bullpen stability to keep the Angels from turning another lead into a headache. The Athletics did not just win. They answered.
Starting pitchers for Wednesday at the Big A: For Sacramento RHP Aaron Civale (5-1 ERA 2.70) for Los Angeles RHP Jack Kochanowicz (2-3 ERA 4.56) first pitch 6:38pm PDT.
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.
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