Jeffrey Springs #59 of the Athletics pitches during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Mandatory photo credit: Don Collier/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
By Jeremiah Salmonson
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Athletics and Dodgers engaged in game two of their three-game series on Tuesday night at 6:40 p.m. PT at Sutter Health Park.
The A’s struggled again on Tuesday to contain the Dodgers and ultimately fell 9-3 in a relatively uncompetitive game.
Jeffrey Springs got the ball for the A’s on Tuesday in hopes of kickstarting the team back in the right direction after a rough last week. It was the league-leading 18th start of the year for Springs, who has been durable, albeit while having a lackluster season. On Tuesday, Springs struggled as the Dodgers pounced early and didn’t look back. Springs gave up six runs on eight hits over five and one-third innings while walking four and striking out two.
“It’s a tough lineup to get through,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said of Springs after the game. “We talked about it last night. You make mistakes and this team just isn’t a team that misses mistakes, so you’ve got to be able to execute pitches, locate pitches, and utilize all your weapons when you’re out there.”
Jeffrey Springs was hard on himself after the loss, as he usually is. However, he said he feels good but needs to execute his pitches better.
“Still kind of processing it, too many walks, for starters,” Springs said after the game. “It’s too good of a team to give up free passes.”
Even with Springs’ struggles, he has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball, leading the AL in starts with 18. I asked him after the game if that’s something he can take pride in even while going through some struggles.
“Right now it’s a little bit tough to see that just because you want to put together quality outings,” a visibly frustrated Springs said in the clubhouse. “You want to try to give us a chance to win and just don’t feel like I’m doing that. But yeah, you take a lot of pride in putting in the work in the offseason to take the ball every five days.”
For the bullpen, Elvis Alvarado was first out of the pen to finish the top of the sixth inning after Springs was lifted. Alvarado got the final two outs of the inning with ease without allowing anything to materialize for the Dodgers.
Looking for some length in what appeared to be a game out of reach, Mark Kotsay turned to Geoff Hartlieb for the final three innings for the A’s. Hartlieb pitched adequately over his three innings, allowing three runs on six hits while walking one and striking out one.
The A’s offense struggled again as Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski dominated over seven innings.
“He’s got weapons, the fastball velo, the slider is real,” Kotsay said after the game. “We saw him last year and he had an impressive outing where he came out in relief last year in LA and dominated us. We knew we were up against obviously a quality starter tonight.”
The A’s first run of the game came in the bottom of the first inning when Jonah Heim hit an RBI single to score Shea Langeliers.
The A’s next and final runs came in the bottom of the seventh inning when Colby Thomas hit a two-run homer to center field that scored Joey Meneses. The home run gave Thomas RBIs No. 9 and No. 10 on the season. It traveled 424 feet and left the bat at 105 mph, giving Thomas his second homer in as many days against the Dodgers.
Colby Thomas has been swinging a hot bat, and he feels as good as he looks at the plate right now.
“Results are great,” Thomas said after the game. “It’s nice getting the results and I’ve been doing a lot of work in the cage, and it’s nice to see those results, so it felt awesome, to be honest with you.”
The A’s offense compiled three runs on seven hits while drawing five walks in the 9-3 loss to the reigning champions.
The A’s fell to 40-46 with the loss and will look to avoid being swept on Wednesday in the final game of the three-game series at 6:40 p.m. PT. J.T. Ginn is scheduled to start for the A’s, while the Dodgers have yet to announce a starter. Shohei Ohtani was initially scheduled to pitch, but the Dodgers announced Tuesday that he will instead start on Friday.











