Tag: Sacramento A’s

Saracmento A’s first baseman Tommy Tanks White (47) get the put out on Baltimore Orioles base runner Blaze Alexander (23) in the top of the third inning at Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento on Sun Aug 30, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Daniel Dullum:

#1 Lawrence Butler drove in two runs early in the first inning for Butler has been making the difference of late?

#2 Brian Serven hit a two-run home run in the third inning. Serven has been seeing the ball very well of late talk about his hitting.

#3 Jeff McNeil doubled in a run in the second inning. What did that hit give the A’s in terms of momentum against Orioles starter Chris Bassitt?

#4 Jeffrey Springs started on the mound for the A’s. What happened after he allowed Coby Mayo’s three-run homer and Gunnar Henderson’s second home run?

#5 With Lawrence Butler, Brian Serven, Jeff McNeil, Zack Gelof, and Alika Williams among the A’s contributors, what ultimately went wrong for Sacramento as Baltimore scored seven unanswered runs to win 8–5?

Daniel Dullum does the Sacramento A’s podcasts Sundays 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. 

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo fields a Sacramento A’s grounder in the bottom of the first inning at Sutter Health Field in West Sacramento on Sun Aug 30, 2026 (AP News photo)

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–Gunnar Henderson needed only four at-bats to turn a promising Sacramento Athletics Sunday afternoon into a frustrating finish. The Baltimore shortstop went 4-for-4 with two home runs, a triple and five RBI, powering the Orioles past the A’s 8-5 and finishing a three-game sweep.

Henderson put Baltimore ahead first with a solo homer, but the Athletics answered immediately. Henry Bolte singled, Zack Gelof drew a walk and Lawrence Butler ripped a two-run double to bring both runners home. Butler’s hit pushed his hitting streak to eight games, continuing a stretch in which he had been one of Sacramento’s hottest bats. He had been batting .354 with five homers and 13 RBI over his previous 18 games, while Bolte had hit .317 during August and ranked among the major-league rookie leaders in hits.

The A’s kept stacking hits against former Athletics starter Chris Bassitt. Brian Serven singled and later scored on Jeff McNeil’s RBI double. Tommy White doubled, and Serven followed with a two-run homer to right-center, stretching the lead to 5-1. It was an especially productive swing for a catcher who had made the most of his chances with men aboard; before the game, Serven was batting .400 with runners in scoring position, and all four of his previous home runs had come with runners on base.

Then Henderson and Coby Mayo changed the game in a hurry.

Pete Alonso and Henderson opened Baltimore’s fourth-inning rally with singles, and Mayo followed with a three-run homer to left-center that cut the A’s advantage to 5-4. One inning later, Blaze Alexander singled, Alonso drew a walk and Henderson sent a three-run homer to right field for a 7-5 Orioles lead. Jeffrey Springs was removed after that swing, ending his outing at 4 2/3 innings with six hits, seven runs, one walk and six strikeouts.

The loss dropped Springs to 3-13 and extended his personal losing streak to 13 games. He had already been carrying one of the roughest stretches in Athletics history, with 30 home runs allowed over his previous 20 starts and a 12-game losing streak that was tied for sixth-longest in franchise history before this outing. His day also followed a season-long problem for Sacramento pitching: the A’s had allowed a major-league-high 205 homers before the game.

Once Baltimore moved ahead, the Athletics never found another run. Butler drew a leadoff walk in the fifth, but Donovan Walton grounded into a double play. Alika Williams singled with two outs in the sixth and was stranded. Anthony Nunez, Josh Walker and Yennier Cano handled the final outs for Baltimore, with Cano retiring Jonah Heim, Bolte and McNeil in order in the ninth.

Henderson was not finished after the two homers. Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch in the eighth and replaced by Jackson Holliday, and Henderson drove Holliday home with a triple to center for the final run. Henderson also had his fingerprints on the defensive side, fielding Butler’s bases-loaded grounder to end an Athletics threat and helping turn a double play later in the game.

Sacramento finished with nine hits but only five runs, while Baltimore scored eight times on seven hits. Serven went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Bolte had two hits, Butler drove in two and McNeil supplied an RBI double.

The A’s closed the month at 8-19 after beginning the day with the lowest winning percentage in the majors for August, and the defeat dropped them to 25-44 at home. Baltimore improved to 68-69 and moved within one game of the final American League wild-card spot.

The A’s now head to Texas, where left-hander Gage Jump (6-8, 4.69 ERA, 97 K) gets the opener against Jacob deGrom (9-9, 4.21 ERA, 159 K), with first pitch set for 5:05 p.m. Pacific.

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.

Baltimore Orioles first baseman Coby Mayo (16) puts out Sacramento Athletics’ Henry Bolte, left, during the second inning of a baseball game Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in West Sacramento, Calif.Sara Nevis/AP Photo/Sara Nevis

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO–Two late rallies stalled the Sacramento A’s just short of catching up to the Baltimore Orioles, as the Orioles took the 5-3 win. The A’s loaded the bases in both the sixth and seventh innings, then put the tying runs in scoring position in the ninth before their comeback finally ended.

The loss dropped the Green and Gold to 53-83. They had already clinched a fifth consecutive losing season, the franchise’s longest such run since six straight from 1993-98, despite having won four of their previous six games.

Starter Jack Perkins gave the A’s a workable start. He retired Baltimore in order in the first and escaped the second with a double play and a strikeout. Trouble began in the third when Coby Mayo drew a walk and advanced after Perkins threw away a pickoff attempt.

Colton Cowser moved Mayo to third with a fly ball, and Leody Taveras followed with a ground-rule double for the game’s first run. Perkins kept it there by striking out Jackson Holliday and Pete Alonso. Cowser added his 13th homer in the fifth, a solo shot to center that gave Baltimore a 2-0 lead. Perkins finished five innings with four hits allowed, two runs, four walks and five strikeouts.

Baltimore widened the gap against José Suarez in the sixth. Dylan Beavers and Mayo each singled, then Taveras drove both home with his second double of the game. Taveras finished with two doubles, three RBIs, a walk and a stolen base, supplying most of the Orioles’ offense.

Down 4-0, the A’s finally answered. Jonah Heim drew a walk, Jeff McNeil and Zack Gelof singled, and Lawrence Butler earned a bases-loaded walk to score Heim. Donovan Walton was then hit by a pitch with the bases full, forcing home McNeil and cutting the deficit to 4-2. Shane Baz was removed after 5 2/3 innings, and Alex Hoppe got Max Muncy on a grounder to leave three runners aboard.

The seventh may have hurt even more. Heim singled, Henry Bolte doubled him to third, and McNeil drew a walk with one out. Baltimore turned to Yennier Cano, who struck out Gelof and Butler back-to-back to strand another full set of bases. That was a costly miss for an A’s lineup that created plenty of traffic but struggled to convert it.

The Athletics pushed again in the eighth. Walton drew a one-out walk, Muncy followed with another, and Carlos Cortes delivered an RBI single to right to make it 4-3. But Heim grounded into an inning-ending double play, another opening gone before the A’s could pull even.

Baltimore gained breathing room in the ninth without a hit. Cowser reached on Gelof’s fielding error and raced to third when Butler’s throw also got away. Elvis Alvarado then uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Cowser to score for a 5-3 lead. The A’s still made one last run at it. McNeil singled with one out and Butler singled with two outs, then McNeil stole third while Butler took second. Tommy White grounded out to end it.

Butler’s steal was his tenth of the season, giving him 12 home runs and ten steals. He needed that one swipe to join Marcus Semien as the only Athletics this century with three straight seasons of at least ten homers and ten stolen bases. McNeil added two more hits after beginning the game batting .354 since the All-Star break, third-best in the majors among hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. Bolte also collected two hits, including a double, continuing an August in which he began the game batting .313.

The series wraps Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Pacific, with Baltimore sending Chris Bassitt (5-4, 4.74 ERA, 51 K) and Jeffrey Springs (3-12, 6.08 ERA, 92 K) for Sacramento.

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 pitcher Jack Perkins gets the call against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park at West Sacramento on Sat Aug 29, 2026 (AP News photo)

Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Harvey:

#1 How important was the Sacramento A’s Jonah Heim’s seventh-inning solo home run in starting the A’s comeback, and what did his at-bat show about his approach against the Baltimore Orioles Brandon Young?

#2 What did Lawrence Butler’s eighth-inning RBI single do to change the momentum of the game, and how has his recent hitting helped the A’s offense?

#3 How did Zack Gelof keep the A’s alive with his RBI single in the 10th inning, and what more could have been needed from the A’s lineup in that situation?

#4 How would you evaluate Jacob Lopez’s five-inning start, considering that he allowed two runs but only one was earned?

#5 Saturday for game two of the three game set starting pitcher for Baltimore RHP Shane Baz (4-14 ERA 4.04) for Sacramento RHP Jack Perkins (3-9 ERA 6.68) first pitch 7:05 pm at Sutter Health Park.

Tony Harvey is a news correspondant for NBC Radio and does the Sacramento A’s podcasts Saturdays 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. 

Kiss it goodbye as the Sacramento A’s Jonah Heim heads home after hitting a seventh inning home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Fri Aug 28, 2026 (AP News photo)

A’s Rally Falls One Run Short in Ten 4-3

By Mauricio Segura

WEST SACRAMENTO- The Athletics found themselves in a two-run hole for most of the game, tied it in the eighth, then watched Baltimore build another two-run lead in the tenth. Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand delivered consecutive two-out RBI singles off Brady Basso, and the Orioles held off the A’s 4-3 in ten innings. Sacramento still had life in the bottom half when Zack Gelof singled home automatic runner Alika Williams with two outs, but Alex Hoppe retired Lawrence Butler to finish the game. The loss dropped the Athletics to 53-82 and clinched a fifth consecutive losing season.

Baltimore built its first advantage against Jacob Lopez in the second. Coby Mayo was hit by a pitch, Leody Taveras drew a one-out walk, and Dylan Beavers brought Mayo home with a two-out single to right. Taveras then scored when Carlos Narváez reached on Lopez’s fielding error.

Lopez prevented the inning from getting worse when Blaze Alexander’s infield single sent Beavers toward the plate and the left-hander threw home to Jonah Heim for the out. Lopez recovered, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over five innings while striking out six. The outing extended his run to nine straight starts allowing two runs or fewer, continuing the longest such stretch by an Athletics traditional starter since Justin Duchscherer went 11 straight in 2008.

The A’s had chances against Brandon Young but struggled to turn baserunners into runs. Tommy White and Max Muncy singled in the second, only for Carlos Cortes to strike out and Heim to ground out. Muncy added another single in the fifth, while Gelof singled, stole second and watched Butler draw a walk in the sixth. Young escaped all of it. He carried the 2-0 lead into the seventh before Heim finally broke through, driving a two-out solo homer to right for his 12th of the season. Young finished seven innings with five hits, one run, one walk and four strikeouts.

The comeback reached even in the eighth. Henry Bolte was hit by a pitch from Rico Garcia, Jeff McNeil singled to left, and Gelof moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Butler followed with a single to left that scored Bolte, tying the game 2-2. The same play also kept the Athletics from taking the lead, as Beavers threw McNeil out at home. Butler entered the game riding a five-game hitting streak and batting .362 over his previous 16 games, and his tying single pushed that streak to six.

From there, neither side gave much away. Luis Medina retired the Orioles in order in the eighth. Hogan Harris worked around a Colton Cowser walk in the ninth with help from Heim, who threw Cowser out trying to steal second. Baltimore’s Andrew Kittredge answered with a scoreless bottom of the ninth despite Cortes’ one-out single, sending the game to extras.

That put Basso in a difficult spot with Narváez beginning the 10th at second. After Alexander lined out, Basso intentionally put Pete Alonso on first. Gunnar Henderson ran for Alonso, Jackson Holliday struck out, and Baltimore was down to its final out of the inning. Mayo then singled Narváez home, and Encarnacion-Strand followed with another single to score Henderson for a 4-2 lead. It was a rough turn for Basso, who had posted a 1.74 ERA and allowed no run in 11 of 13 appearances since his July recall before this game.

The Athletics made one final push. With Williams starting at second, Hoppe struck out Bolte and retired McNeil before Gelof lined a single to center to make it 4-3. Butler then grounded out to end it. Gelof finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI, while Muncy also had two hits. The A’s collected nine hits to Baltimore’s six, but the Orioles made their six count just enough.

Game 2 is set for 7:05 p.m. Pacific Saturday night, with Baltimore sending Shane Baz (4-14, 4.04 ERA, 135 strikeouts) to the mound, and Jack Perkins (3-9, 6.68 ERA, 104 strikeouts) for the Athletics according to Manager Kotsay Friday night in his post game presser.

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.