Tag: mlb

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.

Miguel Andujar on Tuesday night in the A’s contest against the Seattle Mariners (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The A’s and Mariners faced off in the second game of a three-game series on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park. In front of 9,615 fans, the A’s dropped game two of the series to the Mariners, 5-3.

“Yeah, really tough,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “The kid comes into my office and tells me he’s good to go, and you trust the player. He’s pitched quite a bit, and tonight was his fourth night [in a row]… The at-bat that changed the inning was the pitch inside to Arozarena that hit him… He answered the bell, and it just didn’t go well tonight.”

Kotsay was referring to a taxed bullpen and, specifically, reliever Tyler Ferguson, who took the loss on Tuesday. With Mason Miller and others unavailable, the A’s turned to Ferguson to close out the ninth with a 3-2 lead. But Ferguson didn’t have his best stuff and allowed three runs on two hits, walking one and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

The inning began well, with Ferguson striking out J.P. Crawford swinging, but things unraveled quickly. He walked Jorge Polanco, gave up a single to Julio Rodríguez, and then hit Randy Arozarena with a sinker that ran inside, loading the bases for pinch-hitter Cal Raleigh. Raleigh, who had the night off until that point, delivered a sharp two-RBI single into right field to put Seattle ahead, 4-3. Dylan Moore followed with a sacrifice fly to right, plating another run to make it 5-3. Hogan Harris then entered and struck out Rowdy Tellez to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, the A’s fought back but ultimately came up short and dropped the game, 5-3.

It was a tough finish for the A’s, who got strong contributions throughout the night.

Starter Jeffrey Springs pitched five innings of two-run ball, allowing five hits while striking out four. He walked two and gave up a solo homer to Julio Rodríguez in the first inning.

The bullpen—aside from Ferguson—was excellent. Noah Murdock, T.J. McFarland, Justin Sterner, and Hogan Harris combined for 3.1 scoreless innings.

Offensively, the A’s answered right away after Rodríguez’s homer in the top of the first, tying the game in the bottom half on a Miguel Andujar RBI single that scored Brent Rooker. In the third, trailing 2-1, the A’s tied it again on a Rooker RBI single that brought home Nick Kurtz, who had walked earlier in the inning. The A’s last run came in go-ahead fashion in the eighth when Andujar singled home Rooker to make it 3-2. Unfortunately for A’s fans, the rest is history.

With the loss, the A’s dropped to 20-17 on the season, good for second place in the AL West, two games behind the Mariners.

The two teams will meet in the rubber match Wednesday at 12:35 p.m. at Sutter Health Park. The A’s will send Gunnar Hoglund (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 7 K, 6 IP) to the mound against Seattle’s Bryan Woo (4-1, 2.58 ERA, 38 K, 38.1 IP).

Note of the night: A’s first baseman Nick Kurtz remains homerless through 13 games and 42 at-bats in the majors but walked twice Tuesday night. After the game, I asked manager Mark Kotsay what he’s seen from Kurtz’s recent approach.

“I think his at-bats have been good,” Kotsay said. “You don’t just come up here and dominate from day one. I think Nick’s at-bats continue to get better, and the walks are an indication that he’s laying off pitches he was chasing earlier when he got called up. These were good at-bats tonight, and he continues to build off of them.”

A’s fans continue to wait with bated breath for the first Nick Kurtz home run. However, Mark Kotsay doesn’t seem worried one bit.