Tag: Sacramento A’s

A’s Rally Falls Short in 7-4 Loss to Angels

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Sacramento A’s Nick Kurtz swings and loses his helmet in the top of the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at the Big A in Anaheim on Mon Jun 9, 2025 (AP News photo)

A’s Rally Falls Short in 7-4 Loss to Angels

By Mauricio Segura

In a game that unfolded like a script familiar to fans of the green and gold, the A’s showed flashes of brilliance but ultimately fell to the Angels 7-4 on Monday night at Angel Stadium.

The Athletics’ night began with promise as they sent promising young starter Grant Holman to the mound, but after a quick opening inning, the Angels pounced in the third, capitalizing on a defensive miscue and a flurry of hits.

Scott Kingery laid down a bunt single, advanced to second on an error, and was promptly driven home by a Zach Neto single. From there, the Angels’ bats refused to stay quiet, with Nolan Schanuel and Mike Trout following with RBI singles that put the Angels up 3-0.

Holman’s night ended early, as the A’s called on reliever Jeffrey Springs, whose sparkling 1.65 ERA in his last eight starts against AL West opponents could not stymie the Angels this time. Jo Adell, who had already made his presence felt with a home run in the fourth, added the knockout punch in the eighth with a two-run single that put the game out of reach.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Athletics, though. In the top of the eighth, JJ Bleday provided a bright spot with a two-run, pinch-hit home run that gave the A’s a jolt of life and cut the Angels’ lead to 4-2.

Bleday’s blast was his seventh of the season, and it snapped a 0-for-22 career pinch-hit streak. Max Muncy, who has been swinging a hot bat since his recall from Triple-A, added a two-run shot in the ninth, his fourth of the season, but the rally fell just short.

The A’s bats managed seven hits on the night, including Tyler Soderstrom’s two singles and Muncy’s home run, but were ultimately overshadowed by the Angels’ aggressive approach. The green and gold’s offensive surge in recent games has seen them hit .279 over their last ten games, ranking fifth in the majors for the season at .257, but Monday’s showing proved that getting runners home is still an uphill battle.

Defensively, the Athletics’ issues persisted, with a critical fielding error by Max Muncy in the third setting the table for the Angels’ early outburst. It was the sixth straight game with an error for the A’s, bringing their season total to 41, tied for the fourth most in the majors.

A’s Centerfielder Denzel “Hurricane” Clarke, The Canadian Spiderman, whatever you want to call him, continues to fascinate the entire league with his prowess in the outfield. He robbed Nolan Schanuel of a first-inning shot headed out to Pilgram’s Rocks by tracking it down and almost hopping over the wall with his glove outstretched, snatching it out of the sky.

An amazing catch, sure to make the highlight reels of the best in 2025. Jacob Wilson, the standout rookie who has been leading all first-year players in batting average and hits, went hitless for the first time in his last nine games, cooling off after a red-hot stretch that saw him bat .492 over his previous 14 games. Brent Rooker, though, continued to be a steady presence in the lineup, reaching base safely for the 17th straight game.

On the mound, the A’s bullpen was tested yet again. After Springs’ strong three innings, the pen faltered late, with Tyler Ferguson and Ryan Zeferjahn combining to allow three runs in the eighth. This has become a troubling trend for the A’s relief corps, which carries a league-worst 5.99 ERA and has managed just two saves in the last 27 games.

The Athletics, now 26-42, will look to regroup on Tuesday with Mitch Spence taking the mound. The young right-hander will face off against Angels starter José Soriano in an attempt to halt the A’s five-game losing skid and start to claw back in the AL West standings.

The A’s and Angels battle again at the Big A in Anaheim on Tuesday night at 6:38pm PDT. Starting pitcher for the A’s RHP Mitch Spence 2-1 ERA 4.09 for the Angels RHP Jose Soriano 4-5 ERA 4.11.

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.

Athletics podcast with Barbara Mason: This is what not giving up looks like; A’s taking small steps to win again

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Sacramento A’s reliver Jacob Lopez was one of the key relievers in helping the A’s shutdown the visiting Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park on Sun Jun 8, 2025 (AP News photo)

Athletics podcast with Barbara Mason:

#1 The Sacramento A’s Max Muncy hit a home run. Jacob Wilson and Tyler Soderstrom had two hits a piece and an RBI. The A’s beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 at Sutter Health as the A’s won their first series in over 30 days.

#2 The A’s pitcher Sean Newcomb in relief threw three shutout innings after starter Jacob Lopez picked up his win. Grant Holman in relief threw a scoreless eighth inning and closer Mason Miller threw a 1-2-3 ninth to shut the door on the Orioles.

#3 May 2-4 was the last time the A’s won a series taking two out of three from the Miami Marlins. The A’s haven’t won a series at home since they took two out of three from the Chicago White Sox April 25-27.

#4 Wilson continues to have a great season. Wilson went 2 for 4 and picked up his fifth multiple hit game and went 20-40 in his nine game winning streak. Wilson also improved his hitting average to .372 is behind New York Yankee superstar Aaron Judge whose hitting .390.

#5 The A’s head to Anaheim to open a three game series with the Los Angeles Angels starting on Monday night. The A’s have not decided on a starting pitcher and the Angels will start RHP Merrill Kelly who been having a lot of success at 6-2 ERA 3.43. First pitch 6:38pm PDT.

Join Barbara for the A’s podcasts Mondays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Lopez, Newcomb Lead A’s to First Series Win in over a Month; A’s defeat O’s 5-1 at Sutter Health

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Denzel Clarke and Brent Rooker celebrate after the A’s 5-1 win over the Orioles on Sunday afternoon. (Photo: NBC Sports/Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO–The A’s and Orioles competed in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday afternoon in West Sacramento. After the A’s won game one and the Orioles took game two, the A’s defeated the Orioles 5-1 on Sunday to take the series.

With the win, it marked the A’s first series victory in over a month, their last coming in early May against the Marlins in Florida. Sunday’s performance resembled the wins the A’s were earning earlier in the season.

Jacob Lopez started the game for the A’s and pitched well, albeit without his best command. Lopez turned in four innings of one-run, four-hit baseball before turning it over to Sean Newcomb in the fifth. Newcomb, who can serve as a multi-inning option for the A’s, did just that on Sunday. He tossed three scoreless innings, allowing three hits while striking out five. The Orioles couldn’t get much going against the A’s two hybrid starters.

In the eighth, the A’s went with Grant Holman, who recorded two outs after giving up a single. Mark Kotsay then turned to T.J. McFarland, who induced a groundout to end the frame and preserve the A’s 4-1 lead. In the ninth, Mason Miller came in and tossed a clean 1-2-3 inning to secure the 5-1 win.

On offense, the A’s collected nine hits, doing most of their damage early. They scored right away in the first inning on a Tyler Soderstrom RBI single that brought home Lawrence Butler. In the second, Jhonny Pereda doubled home another run, Butler added a fielder’s choice RBI, and Jacob Wilson capped the rally with an RBI single to make it a 4-1 ballgame. The A’s offense went quiet until the eighth inning when Max Muncy sent a towering home run onto the clubhouse in left field. The solo shot put the A’s up 5-1 and traveled 431 feet with an exit velocity of 104.7 MPH off the bat of the A’s third baseman.

With the win, the A’s improved to 26-41 on the season and have seemingly put their 1-20 stretch in the rearview mirror.

The A’s now head out on the road to face the Los Angeles Angels on Monday at 6:38 PM PST at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. The A’s have yet to announce a starter, while the Angels will send Yusei Kikuchi (1-5, 3.23 ERA) to the mound.

The A’s will look for better results against the Angels, who recently swept them at home in May.

Note of the day: Lawrence Butler and Jacob Wilson continue to lead the A’s out of their franchise-worst 1-20 slump. Wilson is now hitting .372 on the season and, as of this writing, is tied with Aaron Judge for the most hits in MLB with 93. Meanwhile, Lawrence Butler is back. After struggling early in the season with plate discipline and consistency, he has resurrected his batting average to .273 and now has nine home runs and 22 doubles. Butler had 24 doubles all of last season and is on pace to surpass that mark with ease.

Sacramento A’s Relocation podcast Daniel Dullum: Money still owed on ballpark construction costs; Gap stocks fall 15%

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The question that is still being asked when John Fisher Athletics owner will come up with his share of the construction costs for the Las Vegas ballpark (Daily Democrat photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 You might have heard that groundbreaking at the Las Vegas Tropicana for the A’s new Las Vegas ballpark was to happen last April, A’s president Mark Badain said ground had already been broken, now the A’s have said the date for a ground breaking will take Jun 24, 2025.

#2 The one question that has been asked “what happens if the A’s ballpark isn’t built?” Will that put the project in jeopardy and could that end any prospect for the A’s Las Vegas ballpark.

#3 John Fisher whose family owns the GAP have seen GAP stock fallen 15% this past week that could set back the A’s and is in need of $1.75 billion for the construction share for the Vegas ballpark.

#4 Some critics really feel the A’s might not get the project off the ground period and they would have to look at other options where to play. The A’s won’t return to Sacramento and if Vegas doesn’t get done where could they wind up?

#5 The A’s after losing 11 straight games and then losing nine in a row and then winning two in a row will play out the string as they are 11.5 games behind first place and still haven’t sold out a game yet at Sutter Health?

Daniel Dullum does the A’s relocation podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Lose To Orioles Despite Huge First Inning 7-4

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Baltimore Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn (32) waits for the pick off throw as the Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson dives back into the bag in the bottom of the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sat Jun 7, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The Sacramento A’s (25-41) had a perfect first inning scoring four runs and taking a 4-1 lead in game two of their series with the Baltimore Orioles (26-37). They were unable to score for the rest of the game while Baltimore scored in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings winning the game 7-4 Saturday night at Sutter Health Park. Luis Severino struggled giving up eight hits and five runs.

After a hard fought win 5-4 in Friday’s game one, the A’s took on the Baltimore Orioles in game two of their three game series Saturday night. The A’s took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth inning and held on for the win, their second win in a row.

Game recap: The Orioles were first up on the scoreboard taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Ryan O’Hearn sacrificed Jackson Holliday home for the early lead. The A’s pushed back in the first inning scoring four runs and taking a 4-1 lead.

Jacob Wilson singled Lawrence Butler home to tie up the game 1-1. Willie MacIver also singled Wilson home taking the lead 2-1 . The A’s continued to extend their lead when JJ Bleday walked with the bases loaded; Brent Rooker came home and the A’s tacked another run onto their lead. Tyler Soderstrom scored when Max Schuemann singled and the A’s had a great opening inning leading 4-1. It was a solid start for the A’s.

It was of course early in the game but it was really looking good for the Athletics going into the fourth inning still leading 4-1. This game really got sidetracked in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

The Orioles pulled to within a run in the fourth inning 3-4 scoring two runs. A familiar name, Ramon Laureano sent the ball soaring out of the park for a 2-run home run and the A’s were clinging onto a one-run lead.

Baltimore scored one run in the fifth inning to tie up the game 4-4. Gunnar Henderson singled Adley Rutschman home for the tie and the significant A’s lead had been erased but it was still early in the game.

Baltimore was not finished going on to score two more runs in the sixth inning via the Orioles second home run of the game. Colton Cowser hit a solo home run to take back the lead Baltimore had back in the first inning 5-4. Baltimore added to that lead in the sixth when Jackson Holliday reached first base on a throwing error by Logan Davidson.

Baltimore took the 6-4 lead into the seventh inning when Ramon Laureano struck again hitting a single driving Gunnar Henderson home for a 7-4 lead and the Orioles were cruising.

The A’s had not scored since the first inning and going into the bottom of the ninth inning they were down to their final three outs. They had a mountain to climb and it just did not happen. JJ Bleday struck out for the 3rd out and that was the ball game 7-4. The A’s were not able to put enough bats together to score again in the game. It all comes down to the rubber match tomorrow, the A’s looking for their first series win in quite awhile.

It was a tough game for starter Luis Severino allowing eight hits, five runs, four walks and five strikeouts. He pitched for 5 2/3 innings. Jacob Wilson and Lawrence Butler each had two hits apiece, both of them playing some great ball right now. The A’s unfortunately left 11 base runners; something that is going to hurt you every time.

The final game of the series, the rubber match is scheduled for 1:05 PM Sunday. The Orioles Tomoyuki Sugano will start this game with a 5-3 win/loss and a 3.04 ERA. At the time of this post, the A’s will start LHP Jacob Lopez (0-4 ERA 7.20). The A’s will be looking to take the series, something they have not done in quite some time.

A’s Edge Orioles5-4 for Second Straight Win Behind Early Offense and Clutch Relief

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Denzel Clarke made an incredible catch in deep left center field as he crashed into the wall on Friday night. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Athletics were back in action on Friday night after snapping their nine-game losing streak the Thursday against the Twins. Looking to build a streak, the A’s defeated the Baltimore Orioles 5-4 in the first of a three-game series at Sutter Health Park.

JP Sears started the game for the A’s and pitched well. He didn’t have his dominant stuff on Friday, but that didn’t stop him from turning in a solid outing. Sears went five innings, allowing four runs on four hits while striking out three Baltimore hitters. He was a bit off with his command, walking three.

In relief, Grant Holman came in and pitched a scoreless sixth inning while striking out two. T.J. McFarland followed Holman and delivered a clean seventh as the A’s held onto a 5-4 lead. In the eighth, Tyler Ferguson took over and was only able to record one out, giving up a hit and two walks. Mark Kotsay had seen enough and went to his flamethrower, Mason Miller, to finish off the eighth inning. Miller came in and struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded to keep the A’s lead intact heading to the ninth. In the ninth, Mason Miller was as advertised. Miller picked up where he left off by striking out one and pitching a clean inning other than a walk. The A’s defeated the Orioles 5-4. 

The A’s offense came early in the game as they scored four runs in the third inning and added a fifth run in the fifth. Lawrence Butler had an RBI double, Jacob Wilson an RBI single, and Tyler Soderstrom an RBI groundout in the A’s four-run third. In the fifth, the A’s run came thanks to a Brent Rooker RBI single.

With the win, the A’s improved to 25-40 on the season and have won two in a row for the first time in a month.

The A’s will take on the Orioles and look for a series win on Saturday at 7:05 PM PST at Sutter Health Park. The A’s will send Luis Severino to the hill (1-5, 4.54 ERA), countered by Baltimore’s Charlie Morton (2-7, 6.20 ERA).

Note of the day: I know I talk about A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson a lot in my columns. However, whatever praise and attention I bring to him isn’t nearly enough for what he deserves. Jacob is on an absolute terror. After Friday, Wilson is now hitting .369 on the season with eight home runs. He has also had 11 three-hit games this season— the most in MLB. Wilson is proving day in and day out that he is the best big league shortstop in the game, and it’s only his rookie season.

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson: Soderstrom hits two HR including grand slam A’s snap 9 game skid beating Twins 14-3

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Sacramento A’s Tyler Soderstrom circles the bases after hitting a two run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Minnesota Twins at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento on Thu Jun 6, 2025 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Jeremiah Salmonson:

#1 After losing nine games in a row it’s been awhile but the Sacramento A’s have overcome once again in a big way winning with a vengeance over the Minnesota Twins 14-3 on Thursday afternoon. How important was this win for the A’s in snapping their nine game losing streak.

#2 The A’s Tyler Soderstrom got hold of a pitch for a grand slammer and later hit off a two run homer. The A’s Max Muncy ripped a three run homer in the first inning to get things started for the A’s.

#3 Jacob Wilson got a home run before Soderstrom’s home run, Brent Rooker got three hits, three RBIs, and scored three times.

#4 A’s starter Mitch Spence now 2-1 surrendered a run and three hits in five innings of work for the A’s.

#5 The Baltimore Orioles and A’s open up a three game series on Friday night at Sutter Health. Starting pitcher for the O’s RHP Dean Kremer (5-5 ERA 4.70) for the A’s Mark Kotsay has not announced a starter yet.

Join Jeremiah Salmonson for the A’s podcasts Thursdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

A’s Snap Skid 14-3 in Explosive Fashion Behind Soderstrom’s Slam and Spence’s Strong Start

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Max Muncy on Thursday afternoon in the A’s 14-3 win over the Twins at Sutter Health Park

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The Athletics snapped their nine-game losing streak in a big way on Thursday afternoon 14-3 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. The A’s put on a clinic in the Sacramento sun as they hammered the Twins for 17 hits and 14 runs.

The A’s offense was on a heater from the start, putting up four runs in the bottom of the first inning, capped by a Max Muncy three-run shot to left field. From there, they didn’t look back. The A’s added three runs in the third, four in the fourth, one in the fifth, and two in the seventh to down the Twins by a 14-3 final.

Everyone in the A’s starting lineup tallied a hit, but a few stood out. Tyler Soderstrom finished the game with a two-run shot and a grand slam, driving in six RBI. Jacob Wilson had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk before the Twins turned to a position player on the mound. Wilson also launched a home run over the wall in left field—his eighth of the year.

Mark Kotsay spoke on the offensive explosion after the game, saying, “There was good energy today. That’s what we have to do, and we have to come here with a mindset that, you know, as I say a lot, just prepare for the day—and today was a really good day of preparation. Especially for a 12:35 game after another loss.”

The A’s locker room was filled with laughs and excitement after the win that snapped the nine-game skid. Among the praise was plenty heaped on Mitch Spence, who served as the opener and dealt in his five innings of work. Spence ate innings efficiently, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four. It seemed the whole locker room was shouting some form of praise or good-natured joke at Mitch as we interviewed him afterward.

In relief of Spence, Sean Newcomb pitched an inning and two-thirds, giving up two runs on two hits. The rest of the A’s bullpen held the Twins scoreless. Michael Kelly, who had been suspended by MLB for the past year for violating the league’s policies on sports betting, made his return to the mound on Thursday. Kelly tossed an inning and a third of scoreless, hitless ball. Mason Miller came in to finish the game in the ninth, facing the minimum and issuing one walk.

With the win, the A’s snapped their nine-game losing streak and avoided a sweep at the hands of the Twins. They improved to 24-40 on the season. The A’s will welcome the Baltimore Orioles to town on Friday for a three-game series at Sutter Health Park. The Orioles plan to send Dean Kremer (5-5, 4.70 ERA) to the hill for the 7:05 PM PST opener. The A’s have yet to announce a starter.

Note of the Day: Jacob Wilson leads all MLB shortstops in batting average (.363), on-base percentage (.402), and OPS (.925). This comes in his rookie season after getting a taste of the big leagues last year.

I asked A’s manager Mark Kotsay for his thoughts on the tremendous season Wilson is putting together. “It’s been excellent. For a young man to win rookie of the month, first and foremost, speaks to what he has been doing right now in terms of his performance… Going into the season, the big concern was the wear and tear on him. I think at this point he’s holding up really well.”

A’s Drop 20th in 21 Games as Freefall Continues in Sacramento; Another A’s loss to Twins 6-1 means 9 game skid grows

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Luis Urias in the game on Wednesday night. (Photo: Athletics on X)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

WEST SACRAMENTO — The Athletics’ freefall in Sacramento continued on Wednesday night at Sutter Health Park. The A’s lost to the Twins in game three of a four-game series on Tuesday by a final score of 6-1.

The A’s have now lost 20 of their last 21 games and are riding a nine-game losing streak—this coming shortly after an 11-game skid that preceded it.

The A’s opted to use an opener on Tuesday, with Justin Sterner taking the mound in the first inning. Sterner allowed a solo home run to Ryan Jeffers, giving the Twins an early lead.

Sterner was followed by Jeffrey Springs in the second. Springs had flashes of solid work but ultimately surrendered four runs on five hits across his outing. He also walked two and struck out seven.

Springs addressed the team’s struggles after the game. “Yeah, I mean it’s tough. Obviously, when you’re on a stretch like this, it feels like everything is magnified. I felt like overall we played a pretty good game—we just, you know, weren’t able to push any runs across.”

Hogan Harris finished the night on the mound for the A’s, throwing one and a third innings while allowing a run on two hits and issuing two walks. The A’s pitching wasn’t atrocious, but it wasn’t enough to keep them in the game given the lack of offensive support.

The A’s only run came in the fifth inning on a Jacob Wilson double that scored Lawrence Butler. Outside of that, the A’s managed just four other hits and went down quietly in the 6-1 loss.

The A’s are in total freefall. They are in desperate need of snapping out of this stretch, which has begun to spiral into historically bad territory. As much as this isn’t on Mark Kotsay or any one member of the coaching staff, you wonder how long this can go on before changes are made. I’m not calling for any moves, but it would be a disservice not to acknowledge what may be looming for the club.

The A’s will look to avoid a sweep on Thursday when they face the Twins at 12:35 p.m. in West Sacramento. Mitch Spence is expected to serve as the opener, likely followed by Gunnar Hogland. The Twins have yet to announce a starter.

With the loss, the A’s dropped to 23-40 on the season.

Headline Sports podcast Jessica Kwong: White House was the one who pushed MLB to drop Rose lifetime ban; Red Sox Rafaela hits shortest walk off HR; plus more news

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Former Cincinnati Red Pete Rose jumps on home plate to score the winning run against the San Francisco Giants in the bottom of the tenth inning at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati on April 18, 1985. Rose lifetime banned was lifted by Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. (AP News photo)

Headline Sports podcast Jessica Kwong:

#1 President Trump’s support of Pete Rose to get off the lifetime banned list was a factored that influenced Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to remove Rose from the permanent ban list. This could be a pathway for Rose to get election in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Manfred also took former Chicago White Sox Shoeless Joe Jackson off the lifetime ban list and Jackson has a shot at getting into the Hall.

#2 The Boston Red Sox Ceddanne Rafaela hit the shortest walk off home run since Statcast was keeping track since 2015. The home run went just 308 feet just 24 feet short of the shortest homer of all time.

#3 Jessica, game 1 of the NBA Finals gets underway on Thursday night between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma Thunder at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The Thunder are favorites but the Pacers are coming off a successful series against the New York Knicks how do you see this match up.

#4 The NHL Finals are underway between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers. Game 1 was won by Edmonton on Wednesday night 4-3 the game went into overtime and this is a rematch from last season if game 1 is an indicator of what’s to come for the rest of the series this is going to be another back and forth set of contests.

#5 Jessica what’s wrong with the Sacramento A’s they have now lost their 19th out of their last 20 games. Losing on Wednesday to the Minnesota Twins 6-1 in a three game sweep. The A’s have now lost nine straight games.

Jessica Kwong does Headline Sports every other Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com