San Francisco’s Robbie Ray Pitches a Complete Game Beating Arizona 7-2

San Francisco Giants starter Robbie Ray was dealing keeping the Arizona Diamondbacks in check and going the distance on Thu Jul 3, 2025 at Chase Field in Phoenix (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

Game four in the series between the San Francisco Giants (47-41) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (43-44) ended up with each team winning two games for a series tie 2-2.

San Francisco pitcher Robbie Ray was lights out pitching into the ninth something the Giants don’t see very often. He was simply amazing allowing three hits, two earned runs, one walk and seven strikeouts. The Giants offense was excellent with 12 hits while Arizona only had three hits.

Game recap: San Francisco got this game underway in a repeat of Wednesday’s game scoring two runs in the first inning. Heliot Ramos got the game off to a great start hitting a double driving Willy Adames home for a 1-0 lead. Jung Hoo Lee who had a dynamite game Wednesday also got a nice start in game four Thursday sacrificing Rafael Devers home for the 2-0 lead.

The Giants would add two more runs in the third inning taking a 4-0 lead. Adames doubled driving Mike Yastrzemski home and San Francisco again had a terrific start in this game. Giant’s pitcher Ray was plowing through the Diamondbacks. Arizona went three and out in the first four innings and did not have a single hit until the fifth inning.

Arizona finally got up on the scoreboard in the fifth with their first hit of the game. It was a good one too, a solo home run to left but trailing 4-1 they still had a lot of work to do considering they were really struggling offensively. Much of their struggle at the plate had everything to do with the work on the mound from Ray. After the home run the Diamondbacks went three and out.

The Giants would score a couple more runs in the seventh inning taking a significant lead 6-1. Rafael Devers delivered the blow with a double that scored two runners, Andrew Knizner and Adames. Arizona’s Lourdes Gurriel Jr doubled in the bottom of the seventh but that would be all for the Diamondbacks.

The game went into the ninth inning with San Francisco still leading 6-1. The Giants had three singles in a row in the inning where they loaded the bases and with only one out, and another run was on the horizon. Devers sacrificed Knizner home extending the Giants lead 7-1.

Arizona hit their second home run of the game another solo shot but still trailed 7-2 with one out.Ray took care of business and that was the ballgame with San Francisco tying the series winning this game 7-1. This was Ray’s second complete game of his career in a most impressive outing.

San Francisco broke out of their offensive slump in Wednesday’s game and carried it into Thursday night’s game. They had 12 hits while the Diamondbacks only had three hits thanks to the brilliance of Ray. Mike Yastrzemski and Adames had three hits apiece. The Giants had scored in four innings.

Game notes: After winning a tight extra-innings game Wednesday night 6-5, the Giants beat the Diamondbacks in the final game of the series Thursday. San Francisco had a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning Wednesday night but let the Diamondbacks back into the game with two runs in the top of the ninth inning.

Arizona scored two runs in the ninth inning tying the game 5-5 forcing extra innings. The Giants eventually won the game in the tenth inning 6-5. The Giants win Thursday night and tied the series 2-2 as they head out to Sacramento for a series with the Sacramento Athletics Friday.

The Giants will send Justin Verlander to the mound as he continues to look for his first win this season. He has a 0-5 win/loss record and a 4.26 ERA. The A’s will start JP Sears who comes into the game with a 6-7 win/loss record and a 5.09 ERA. First pitch for this game is scheduled for 7:05 PM. San Francisco is on an offensive roll right now and will be looking to take that confidence into Sacramento.

A’s game wrap: Late Lightning Fizzles as Sacramento Falls in Tampa 6-5

Tampa Bay Rays Junior Caminero (right) gets in ahead of the tag by the Sacramento A’s third baseman Max Schuemann (left) during a double in the bottom of the sixth inning at George M Steinbrenner Stadium in Tampa Bay on Wed Jul 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

Late Lightning Fizzles as Sacramento Falls in Tampa 6-5

By Mauricio Segura

The A’s once again took their fight to the ninth inning, but heroics came up just short. In a wild Wednesday matinee, the Sacramento Athletics fell 6-5 to the Tampa Bay Rays, unable to fully erase a four-run deficit built during a disastrous sixth inning.

Sacramento got the jump early. Brent Rooker stayed scorching in day games, sending a solo homer into the Tampa sun in the first inning, his 18th of the year. Max Schuemann added a solo shot in the second, and Mitch Spence looked in control through five, scattering three hits while holding the Rays to a single run, a rare inside-the-park homer from Jake Mangum.

But the sixth inning unraveled fast for the green and gold. Spence, who entered the frame having allowed just one run, was tagged for five, including back-to-back homers by Josh Lowe and Yandy Díaz. A pitching change to Hogan Harris did little to slow Tampa’s momentum. Junior Caminero doubled, Chandler Simpson and Matt Thaiss followed with RBI singles, and just like that, a 2-1 lead became a 6-2 hole.

Still, these A’s have built a reputation for late-inning theatrics. Max Muncy jolted the dugout with a solo homer in the ninth, his seventh of the season. Austin Wynns followed with a double, and Gio Urshela drove him in. Suddenly, the bases were buzzing after singles by Max Schuemann, pinch-hitter Lawrence Butler, and Tyler Soderstrom, cutting the deficit to 6-5.

With the tying run 90 feet away and the go-ahead at second, Sacramento handed the bat to Brent Rooker. He had already homered once. He had also struck out twice. This time, it was more heartbreak than heroics. Rooker whiffed on a high fastball. Nick Kurtz followed, and despite his impressive rookie campaign, he couldn’t connect either, going down swinging to end the rally.

The loss snapped the A’s brief two-game win streak and dropped them to 36-53 on the season. Still, if there’s a silver lining, it’s the team’s continued fire in the late innings. Sacramento has now scored 56 runs in the ninth or later, fifth most in the majors. And their recent offensive struggles may be easing, with the team stringing together multi-hit innings and showcasing the kind of lineup depth they’ve lacked for much of the season.

Sacramento returns home for a nine-game stretch, starting with a Fourth of July showdown against the rival Giants. With JP Sears set to take the mound Friday and the Bay Bridge rivalry heating up, there’s little time to dwell on missed chances.

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 podcast Jeremiah Salmonson: A’s open three game series with Giants at Sutter Health Friday

Tough deal for Sacramento A’s starter Mitch Spence who gave up a home run to the Tampa Bay Rays Yandy Diaz in the bottom of the sixth inning at George M Steinbrenner Park in Tampa FL on Wed Jul 2, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 Tampa Bay Rays Josh Lowe, Yandy Diaz, and rookie Jake Mangum all hit a home run. Pitcher Ryan Pepiot pitched a quality start that contributed to beating the A’s 6-5 avoiding getting swept on Wednesday.

#2 The Rays down 2-1 in the last of the sixth inning, the Rays were able to score five runs. Josh Lowe hit a leadoff home run to tie up the game and Brandon Lowe came up and hit a double that extended his 18 game hitting streak. Diaz hit a two home run that gave the Rays the lead.

#3 Pepiot improved his record to 6-6 going six innings, allowing four hits, two runs, waked three and struckout nine. The Rays pitching was just good enough to get by Sacramento for the one run win.

#4 The A’s Brent Rooker and Max Schuemann hit solo home runs but it was a day late a dollar short in the A’s one run loss.

#5 The A’s are back in Sacramento to open a three game series with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants have not announced a starter and the A’s will start LHP JP Series (6-7 ERA 5.09) first pitch 7:05pm PT Friday night.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the A’s podcasts Thursdays 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. 

Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson: A’s rolling with two straight wins and four of last six game wins

Sacramento A’s hitter Colby Thomas slugs a double in the top of the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay on Tue Jul 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Michael Roberson:

#1 It took a few home runs, a few heart-pounding moments, and one dramatic finish for the Sacramento Athletics to fight their way to a 4-3 win in extra innings Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays.

#2 Fueled by a pair of long balls from Shea Langeliers and a late-game lockdown from flamethrower Mason Miller, the Green and Gold secured their second straight road victory and once again showed why they can’t be counted out after nine innings.

#3 The action began early but quietly for the A’s. Lawrence Butler led off with a single, stole third, and watched helplessly as the middle of the lineup went down on strikes. 

#4 It wasn’t the cleanest win of the year for the Sacramento A’s, but it was one of the grittiest. With Langeliers’ power surge, Miller’s muscle, and just enough help from the rest of the lineup, the A’s keep showing glimpses of the kind of fight that stats and standings can’t quite measure.

#5 A’s and Rays continue this series Wednesday at 12:10pm PT at George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay. Starting pitcher for the A’s RHP Mitch Spence (2-3 ERA 3.82) for the Rays RHP Ryan Pepiot (5-6 ERA 3.36).

Join Michael Roberson for the A’s podcasts each Wednesday 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.

A’s game wrap: Rays Can’t Hold the Line as A’s Langeliers and Miller Hammer It Home for 4-3 win

The Sacramento A’s Austin Wynns (29) hits a sacrifice fly in the top of the tenth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay on Tue Jul 1, 2025 (AP News photo)

Rays Can’t Hold the Line as A’s Langeliers and Miller Hammer It Home for 4-3 win

By Mauricio Segura

It took a few home runs, a few heart-pounding moments, and one dramatic finish for the Sacramento Athletics to fight their way to a 4-3 win in extra innings Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays. Fueled by a pair of long balls from Shea Langeliers and a late-game lockdown from flamethrower Mason Miller, the Green and Gold secured their second straight road victory and once again showed why they can’t be counted out after nine innings.

The action began early but quietly for the A’s. Lawrence Butler led off with a single, stole third, and watched helplessly as the middle of the lineup went down on strikes. Tampa Bay struck first in the bottom of the second when Christopher Morel blasted a solo shot to center field off starter Jeffrey Springs, who was facing his former club for the first time as a starter. Brandon Lowe added to the Rays’ tally with another solo homer in the third, giving the home team a 2-0 cushion.

But the Athletics responded in the fourth with a burst of power. After a leadoff strikeout, Langeliers lashed a double to center, setting the stage for Max Muncy, who launched his sixth homer of the season to tie the game. Rookie Luis Urías followed with a single, and Colby Thomas, making just his second big league appearance, doubled sharply down the line and nearly brought Urías around before the rally fizzled.

Langeliers wasn’t done. Leading off the sixth, he launched his second extra-base hit of the night, this one a go-ahead solo homer to left that gave the A’s a 3-2 lead. The catcher’s bat has been heating up since returning from the injured list, and his work behind the plate would later prove just as vital.

Springs, who had been inconsistent early in games this season, held firm after the second inning and worked into the sixth, scattering five hits and two earned runs. The bullpen took over from there, with Justin Sterner and Sean Newcomb holding the Rays in check until the bottom of the seventh when Danny Jansen tied the game with a solo blast to left off Newcomb.

As the game pushed deeper into the night, the bullpens took center stage. Garrett Cleavinger and Pete Fairbanks each pitched scoreless frames for the Rays, while Michael Kelly escaped a jam in the ninth for the A’s thanks in part to a clutch caught stealing by Langeliers.

With the score still knotted at 3-3 in the tenth, Colby Thomas was placed at second to start the inning. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, the Athletics turned to pinch-hitter Austin Wynns.

What happened next was chaos. Wynns lifted a fly ball to left, deep enough to score Thomas. But a perfect throw to the plate by José Caballero forced a wild sequence. First baseman Jonathan Aranda mishandled the relay, leading to a throwing error.

Then Chandler Simpson threw home to catch Max Schuemann trying to score behind Thomas. After a pair of challenges, one for a home plate collision and the other on a tag play, both calls stood. Wynns was out. Schuemann was out. But the run stood. Athletics 4, Rays 3.

In the bottom of the tenth, it was Miller time. Mason Miller came in throwing absolute gas. With Taylor Walls on second as the free runner, the righty struck out Brandon Lowe, induced a flyout to left from Caminero, and after an intentional walk and a rare balk that advanced both runners, he finished it off by striking out Josh Lowe with a 101 mph fastball to end the game.

It wasn’t the cleanest win of the year for the Sacramento A’s, but it was one of the grittiest. With Langeliers’ power surge, Miller’s muscle, and just enough help from the rest of the lineup, the A’s keep showing glimpses of the kind of fight that stats and standings can’t quite measure. They have now won four of their last seven and are slowly climbing back into relevance, one wild win at a time.

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 podcast Tony Renteria: Any chance the A’s get out of playing in a minor league park? A’s say they can’t wait to trade Severino

Reportedly the Sacramento A’s are anxious to trade pitcher Luis Severino who has complained about playing at minor league park Sutter Health Park in Sacramento due it’s dugout to clubhouse access and other issues. (AP file photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Renteria:

#1 Luis Severino announced this week that he’s has buyers remorse on signing up with the Sacramento A’s why Sacramento. Severino is used to having a tunnel from the dugout that connects to the clubhouse so he can do some lifting and exercising between innings in Sacramento’s minor league park he doesn’t have that luxury because you have to walk to the outfield gates to get to the clubhouse from the dugout. The A’s reportedly said they can’t wait to trade Severino.

#2 It’s turned into a debate whether Severino is right or wrong on the matter. One side says Severino knew what he signed up for and that the layout of playing in a minor league park was designed that the dugout would not be connected to the clubhouse. Severino frustrated can not do his regular routines and his win loss record may reflect that frustration at 2-9.

#3 Severino is in the first year of his $67 million three year contract he recently said he doesn’t care if the A’s get mad at him or not for bashing the A’s minor league stadium set up. The situation has Severino out of his routine he can’t tracked and he said he wants to be honest about playing at Sutter Health Park.

#4 Severino represents a voice of what other players say about playing at Sutter Health Park including visiting players too. The field is played on 162 days a season the A’s are sharing it with the minor league Sacramento River Cats and the players can feel the difference on a field that is in use everyday for six months.

#5 The players union signed an agreement to play at Sutter Health Park for this season and the next two seasons. Were not even at the All Star Break yet and the players are dropping hints that they want to get out from playing at the minor league park. If they push it a little hard enough in the off season could they get baseball to turn reconsider playing there and finish playing the remaining two years before the A’s move the Vegas at the Oakland Coliseum?

Join Tony Renteria for 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.

Clarke Comes Through as A’s Snap Skid with Late Inning Heroics 6-4

Sacramento A’s Shea Langeliers swings for the fences with a three run home run against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Fla on Mon Jun 30, 2025 (AP News photo)

Clarke Comes Through as A’s Snap Skid with Late Inning Heroics 6-4

By Mauricio Segura

It was beginning to feel like another repeat performance for the Green and Gold. A red-hot start, a mid-game collapse, and a familiar sinking feeling by the seventh inning. But Monday night in Tampa, the Sacramento Athletics refused to play to script.

With a two-run triple in the top of the ninth off the bat of Lawrence Butler, the A’s broke a 4 -4 tie and held on for a gutsy 6-4 win over the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. The win snapped a two-game skid and showed some of the resilience this young A’s team has been grasping for all season.

The Athletics wasted no time lighting up the scoreboard. Brent Rooker extended his scorching stretch with a two-out double in the first before Nick Kurtz walked to put two aboard. That set the table for Shea Langeliers, who launched a three-run rocket into left center for his 11th homer of the year, giving Sacramento a quick 3-0 lead.

The next inning saw Tampa starter Drew Rasmussen exit, and from there the game turned into a tug of war. Rooker added an RBI single in the third to make it 4-0 but that lead would not last. The Rays, sparked by a two-run blast from Junior Caminero and a flurry of singles, put up a four-run fourth that chased starter Jacob Lopez and knotted things at four apiece.

Lopez, facing his former team for the first time, was tagged for four earned runs over three and two-thirds innings, a tough outing following his scoreless start in Detroit. The A’s bullpen, frequently a source of anxiety this season, delivered when it mattered most.

J.T. Ginn, Sean Newcomb, Michael Kelly, and ultimately fireballer Mason Miller combined for five and a third innings of shutout relief. Miller closed it out with his 16th save, shutting the door after inducing a game-ending double play.

Despite offensive lulls in the middle innings, the A’s refused to fold. Jacob Wilson doubled in the fifth but was stranded after a bases-loaded jam. Yet it was the ninth that brought the breakthrough. After Max Muncy and Luis Urías opened the frame with singles, pinch-runner Max Schuemann stole second to set the stage. Butler, who had struck out twice earlier, rocketed a triple past José Caballero in left to score both runners and give the Athletics a 6-4 lead they would not relinquish.

The victory was an encouraging sign for a club that has battled inconsistency, injuries, and a bullpen ERA that remains the highest in the majors. It was also a notable debut day for outfielder Colby Thomas, who was called up from Triple-A and made his first Major League appearance in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Rooker continued to look like the heartbeat of the lineup, raising his average to .324 over his last 36 games and cementing himself as the most dependable bat in the order. Wilson added two more hits, lifting his batting average to .338, second best in the majors.

With the win, the Athletics improve to 35 and 52 and, though still on a life raft in last place in the AL West, showed they have the fight to row their way to the mainland. They will try to build on this momentum Tuesday with Jeffrey Springs taking the mound against Shane Baz in Game Two of the series.

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 podcast Barbara Mason: A’s drop series with Yankees; Open up series in Tampa Bay tonight

Sacramento A’s third baseman Max Muncey (10) watches a ball fall in the outfield hit by the New York Yankees Cody Bellinger the ball fell in front of A’s outfielder Tyler Soderstrom in the bottom of the first inning at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx on Sun Jun 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Barbra Mason:

1. The A’s finished a series with the New York Yankees last night getting a real beat down in game three losing 12-5 on Sunday.

2.The A’s made a valiant effort in the sixth inning scoring four runs to cut the Yankee lead in half trailing 10-5 but New York continued to score a couple more runs while the A’s were unable to score for the rest of the game.

3.It was another huge game for Aaron Judge who continues to hit those homers in fact there were a multitude of homeruns in this game for the Yankees.

4.This was a tough outing for Luis Severino who only pitched for 3 2/3 innings allowing five hits, seven runs, and three walks. The Yankees Marcus Stroman had a much better outing only allowing three hits and one earned run.

5.The A’s now head to Tampa Bay for a three-game series with the Rays. LHP Jacob Lopez (2-4 ERA 3.56)will take the mound for the A’s and the Rays will start RHP Drew Rasmussen (7-5 ERA 2.45). First pitch 3:35pm PT.

Barbara Mason does the A’s podcasts Mondays 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.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: A’s Luis Severino not a happy Camper

Sacramento A’s starter Luis Severino delivers a pitch at Sutter Health Park. Severino pitched against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx Sun Jun 29, 2025 (AP News file photo)

A’s Luis Severino not a happy Camper

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Luis Severino, in his first season with the A’s is the #1 starting pitcher on the team’s rotation. Severino received the largest contract in Oakland A’s history. A three-year deal worth $67 million, including a $10 million signing bonus. With this contract, the Dominican right-hander surpassed the previous record for an A’s player (any position), which was in Oakland, a six-year, $66 million contract extension for third baseman Eric Chávez in 2004.

The Severino deal was finalized in December 2024. The highest-paid A’s player is also the most outspoken. He explicitly stated that Sutter Park in West Sacramento feels like a Spring Training game, indicating the lack of intensity and atmosphere of a regular Major League Baseball Game.

That is very understandable. Remember, Severino came from pitching all his career (10 years) in New York. In the Big Apple, there is never a lack of intensity or atmosphere. He mentioned that the clubhouse in Sacramento, being in left field, is an inconvenience. And then during day games, pitchers are subjected to the sun, which adds to the discomfort, and added, “I was not trying to hurt anyone’s feelings by saying that.”

Leaving New York for Sacramento for Severino must feel like leaving a real metropolis to play in a ranch. For the record, he did not say that; I did. I lived in New York City for a few years. Luis Severino’s problems extend not only to Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, but also on the road.

This Sunday at Yankee Stadium, he pitched 3.2/3 innings, gave up five hits, of which two were home runs, and lost. His record today, a week away from the All-Star Break, is 2-9 with a 5.18 earned run average in 19 games as a starter.

For their #1 starter, that is not what the A’s envisioned this season. He is having a bad season, and from his comments, it’s very clear that he’s not having fun. Severino’s best season was in 2018 with the New York Yankees, 19-8 with a 3.39 ERA. Quote: “Pitching is the art of instilling fear” -Sandy Koufax.

Amaury Pi-Gonzalez – Cuban-born Pi-González is one of the pioneers of Spanish-language baseball play-by-play in America. Began as Oakland A’s Spanish-language voice in 1977 ending in 2024 (interrupted by stops with the Giants, Mariners and Angels). Voice of the Golden State Warriors from 1992 through 1998. 2010 inducted in the Bay Area Radio Hall of fame.

While in the Bay Area, great food and great prices. 998cuba.com

A’s game wrap: A’s suffer another Bronx Bombing again, Yanks Judge homers twice in 12-5 rout

Sacramento A’s starter Luis Severino just can’t pick up a win against his old teammates the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York on Sun Jun 29, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jessica Kwong

NEW YORK.—The Sacramento Athletics fell to the New York Yankees 12-5 and lost the series at Yankee Stadium 2-1 on Sunday afternoon after Aaron Judge hit two home runs including his 30th of the season.

Athletics starting pitcher Luis Severino allowed five hits and seven runs in 3.2 innings, amid rumors that he may be traded before the deadline on July 31.

A’s manager Mark Kotsay said an error on a ball that should have been caught “spiraled out of control, really”.

“The walks always will hurt you. Today we walked, I think 10 guys. And you’re not going to win, you’re not going to win when you pitch that way, you know giving away free bases is always a concern and it’s something we haven’t done when we win,” said Kotsay.

“And obviously we’re trying to address that, trying to play better defense but executing pitches, commanding the baseball, we didn’t do that today at all.”

Jazz Chrisholm Jr. hit a home run on a fly ball to right field in the second inning to put the Yankees up 1-0.

In the third, Chrisholm Jr. tripled on a sharp line drive to center field and Trent Grisham, Judge and Ben Rice scored. Then a wild pitch by pitcher Luis Severino allowed Chrisholm Jr. to score, boosting New York up 5-0.

Judge hit his first homer in the fourth on a fly ball to left field and Cody Bellinger scored, giving the Yankees a 7-0 lead.

The A’s fought back in the fifth, with Willie Maclver hitting a home run on a fly ball to left field to cut the Yankees’ lead to 7-1. Bellinger responded with a homer on a fly ball to right center field and Anthony Volpe and Trent Grisham scored, putting New York up 10-1.

In the sixth, Nick Kurtz singled on a ground ball and JJ Bleday scored. Tyler Soderstrom walked and Brent Rooker scored. Luis Urías grounded out sharply to third base and Kurtiz scored. Then Denzel Clarke grounded out softly to first base and Max Muncy scored, making it 10-5.

In the seventh, Judge hit his second homer of the game and 30th of the season and allowed Bellinger to score, setting off “MVP” chants from the crowd. The Yankees claimed the game 12-5 and the three-game series.

Severino, who has allowed seven runs for the fourth time this season, said “it’s not been the best stretch” for him. He added that “there was not one pitch” that didn’t work, suggesting that on Sunday it was his performance as a whole.

The A’s are 5-14 against the Yankees since 2023 and are 2-4 in their nine-game road trip.

The A’ (34-52) continue their road trip facing the Tampa Bay Rays (47-37) at George M. Steinbrenner Field on Monday. First pitch is at 4:45 p.m. PT. Starting for Sacramento LHP Jacob Lopen (2-4 ERA 3.56) for Tampa Bay RHP Drew Rasmussen (7-5 ERA 2.45).