Tag: Sacramento A’s

Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches against the Chicago White Sox in the top of the second inning at Sutter Health Park on April 19, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics and White Sox scrapped in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon at Sutter Health Park. It was another sold-out crowd, the fourth of the season for the A’s, as 12,070 patrons took in the action on a perfect 74-degree day at the ballpark.

The White Sox pounced on the A’s early and prevented a late push as they defeated the A’s 7-4.

Jeffrey Springs got the ball for the A’s to make his fourth start of the season on Sunday. The game didn’t go according to plan for Springs as he labored through five tumultuous innings before being lifted after throwing 85 pitches. Springs gave up seven runs on nine hits while walking one and striking out seven in his outing. Springs suffered from the long ball all game as he gave up four home runs in his five innings of work.

“…Overall, it looked like the ball was just up in the zone,” Mark Kotsay said after the game about Springs. “This is an aggressive free-swinging team and I think today we just couldn’t execute down below and get that chase that we needed and get it off the barrel.”

The bullpen put up a solid effort in the loss as A’s manager Mark Kotsay used three arms in his pen to finish out the game.

The first out of the bullpen was Mason Barnett, who was recently promoted from Triple-A when Elvis Alvarado was sent down. The idea is that Barnett can serve as a long man for the time being until the A’s brutal stretch of 16 straight days without an off day ends this upcoming Thursday. On Sunday, Barnett came in and tossed two solid innings of one-hit, no-run baseball while he walked two batters. It was a great first effort out of the pen and set the A’s up with an opportunity at a comeback effort.

Luis Medina was next up for the A’s as he tossed a scoreless eighth inning after Barnett walked the first batter and allowed a single to the second. Medina worked out of it and put up a scoreless frame and needed just eight pitches to do it.

In the ninth inning, the A’s turned to Scott Barlow and he delivered. Barlow finished the top of the ninth with ease, allowing nothing while striking out two on just 15 pitches.

On offense, it was too few and far between for the A’s, who attempted some rallies, but none that came up large enough. In total, the A’s only managed five hits and three walks in the game.

The A’s first run came in the second inning when Darell Hernaiz hit a high, towering solo home run to left field. Hernaiz’s homer was lifted at a 35-degree launch angle and traveled 396 feet.

The A’s second and final scoring came in the seventh inning when Zack Gelof hit a two-run double down the right-field line to score Tyler Soderstrom and Darell Hernaiz to get the A’s to within three. After Gelof advanced to third on the throw following his double, he then came in to score on a wild pitch a few pitches later for the A’s fourth run of the game. That would be the last run the A’s scored as they fell to the White Sox, 7-4.

It was a tough series for the A’s against an opponent that, on paper going into the series, the A’s should have won.

Mark Kotsay discussed the difficult series after the game, saying, “Tough series. We talked about it. A young aggressive team… overall tough loss.”

With the loss, the A’s fell back to the .500 mark and are 11-11 on the young season.

The A’s will fly to Seattle to take on the Mariners in a three-game series beginning Monday at 6:40 p.m. PST. It is the A’s final series before their 16 games in 16 days finally ends. J.T. Ginn (0-0, 3.31 ERA) is slated to start for the A’s as the Mariners plan to turn to Emerson Hancock (2-1, 2.28 ERA) for Monday’s affair.

(L-R) Max Muncy #3, Lawrence Butler #4 and Jacob Wilson #5 of the Athletics celebrate after Muncy hit a walk-off sacrifice fly scoring Wilson to defeat the Chicago White Sox 7-6 in the bottom of the 11th inning at Sutter Health Park on April 18, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics and the White Sox engaged in game two of their three-game series on Saturday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. PST.

After Friday night’s tough loss, the A’s bounced back to defeat the White Sox 7-6 in 11 innings.

Luis Severino got the ball for the A’s to start the game on Saturday, and he struggled in his outing. Severino ground through five and a third innings of work and gave up five runs (all earned) on five hits while walking four and striking out three. Severino needed 96 pitches to get through his outing while suffering from a three-run homer and a lack of command.

However, the A’s bullpen did its job in relief of Severino to keep the game close and the A’s in it.

Hogan Harris was first out of the pen for the A’s, and he tossed one and a third innings with his only blemish being a Munetaka Murakami solo home run. Other than that, he allowed no other hits.

Next out of the bullpen for the A’s was Joel Kuhnel. Kuhnel came on and pitched a scoreless inning and a third for the A’s. He allowed nothing more than a hit amid an otherwise perfect outing.

Mark Leiter Jr. was the third man out of the bullpen for Mark Kotsay and struggled. Leiter tossed just two-thirds of an inning, allowing two walks and striking out one prior to being lifted for Jack Perkins.

Perkins, who has been serving as a bit of a longman for the A’s, came in and got the last out of the ninth inning to keep the game tied. Perkins also tossed the 10th inning without allowing much other than a hit by pitch to keep the game tied and strand the designated runner who started the inning at second base. With the A’s unable to score in the 10th, Perkins was back out for the 11th inning, where he got into a bases-loaded jam early, but escaped without allowing a run.

On the offensive side of the ball, the A’s impressed, coming all the way back from 5-0 down to tie the game at six in the bottom of the seventh.

The A’s first scoring came in the second inning when Jacob Wilson hit a solo home run to left field to get the A’s on the board.

In the third inning, the A’s got their second run of the game courtesy of a Jeff McNeil sacrifice fly to score Lawrence Butler.

In the fifth inning, the A’s continued to claw back with an RBI single from Tyler Soderstrom to make it a 5-3 game.

In the sixth, Lawrence Butler reached on a fielder’s choice, driving home Max Muncy to get the A’s to within one, 5-4.

In the seventh inning, the A’s climb up the mountain was completed as Nick Kurtz launched a two-run homer to right field to tie the game at six apiece and give the A’s new life.

However, the rest of the action would take much longer before the A’s could truly celebrate.

The game presented numerous chances the rest of the way for either team to seize the win, but it wasn’t until the bottom of the 11th inning, when Max Muncy hit a sacrifice fly to left field, that either team would. Jacob Wilson would score from third base on the play, and the A’s would score their seventh run to walk off the White Sox 7-6.

After the game, A’s manager Mark Kotsay summed up what pretty much everyone was thinking.

“There was a lot to unpack from this game,” Kotsay said. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to unpack it all, but like I said to start this conversation, it was a pretty emotional rollercoaster.”

With the win, the A’s improved to 11-10 on the season to even the series with the White Sox at a game apiece. The rubber game of the series will take place on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. PST. The A’s will send Jeffrey Springs (3-0, 1.46 ERA) to the mound, while the White Sox will counter with Noah Schultz (0-1, 6.23 ERA).

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. 

Shea Langeliers #23 of the Athletics hits a two-run home run against the Texas Rangers in the bottom of the six inning at Sutter Health Park on April 15, 2026 in Sacramento, California. All players are wearing the #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day. (Mandatory photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Rangers and A’s squared off in game three of their four-game series at Sutter Health Park on Jackie Robinson Day across MLB.

The Rangers made it interesting late, but the A’s secured the 6-5 win to take sole possession of first place in the AL West.

J.T. Ginn started the game for the A’s and gave Mark Kotsay and the A’s a solid outing. Ginn lasted five and a third innings of two-run, two-hit ball while striking out three and walking four. The walks continue to be an issue for the A’s staff, but Ginn managed to work around them and provide the A’s with a bit of depth on Wednesday.

“…Tonight he [J.T. Ginn] went out and showed why he’s in the rotation right now,” Kotsay said after the game. “I thought he did a great job, made one mistake to Seager, and just found his rhythm. Obviously for him, his pitch count was limited a little bit at 80, and he fell right on the number, so I couldn’t ask for more from J.T.”

J.T. Ginn was confident after the game, which has become a theme for A’s starters this season.

“…I feel great,” Ginn told reporters after the game. “I feel like I’m throwing the ball well. It’s coming out of my hand well and just kind of executing the game plan and executing the work throughout the week and just getting ready to play.”

Hogan Harris was first out of the bullpen for the A’s to finish off the sixth inning after they lifted Ginn. Harris got the two outs he was tasked with getting with ease while giving up nothing and recording a strikeout.

Scott Barlow came on for the A’s to pitch the seventh, allowing no runs on one hit while striking out one.

Mark Leiter Jr., who pitched a perfect inning on Tuesday to get the save, came on for the eighth inning. Leiter Jr. didn’t have his best stuff and was only able to get two outs in the inning after surrendering a three-run shot to the Rangers to get them to within one. Leiter Jr.’s final line was two-thirds of an inning in which he gave up three runs on two hits while walking one and striking out one.

After Mark’s struggles, the A’s called on Joel Kuhnel for the four-out save. Kuhnel got the final out of the eighth in earnest with a lineout before returning in the ninth with a one-run lead, looking for the save. Kuhnel pitched a perfect ninth inning and struck out two to finish the game and earn his third save of the season.

The A’s offense collected seven hits and six walks against the Rangers’ pitching staff while scoring six runs in the game.

The A’s scored early in the game on a first-inning RBI double from Tyler Soderstrom to get them on the board. Shortly after, in the second inning, Denzel Clarke recorded an RBI single to give the A’s a 2-0 advantage early.

The Athletics didn’t score again until the sixth inning when Shea Langeliers broke the tie with a two-run mammoth blast to left field. Langeliers’ home run traveled an impressive 467 feet, which is the farthest home run in MLB this season.

“…For Shea, we all know the power is there,” Kotsay told me after the game. “We talked about him being more of a complete hitter, which we’ve seen. There’s just so much growth from Shea over the last two and a half, three years as a hitter… not surprising on my end. I felt like the accomplishments that he had coming out of AAA, all of his minor league numbers said that he was a professional hitter, and he is continuing to show it as we get into the season.”

Shea knew he hit it hard, but he had no idea it was the farthest-hit ball in MLB this season.

“I knew off the bat it was going over the fence. I didn’t know how far,” Shea said after the game.

The last bit of scoring for the A’s came by way of the long ball again, this time from Jacob Wilson. Wilson sent a towering two-run home run over the wall in left field in the seventh inning to give the A’s some cushion with the newly acquired four-run lead. Turns out, those would be the winning runs as the A’s gave up three in the eighth inning.

With the win, the A’s improve to 10-8 and have sole possession of first place for the first time in a long time, albeit in April.

“I think the belief is here in this clubhouse,” Shea Langeliers said after the game after being asked about finding themselves in first place. “We know that we’re a good baseball team, and the hardest part over 162 is just being consistent night in, night out, and that’s what we’re striving to be this year—to be a consistent team, show up every night, play our best version of baseball.”

The A’s will try to take the four-game series from the Rangers on Thursday at 12:05 p.m. PST. The A’s will send Jacob Lopez (1-1, 7.43 ERA) to the hill, while the Rangers will counter with Jack Leiter (1-1, 4.91 ERA) in the matinee affair.

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.