Former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox (left) has his say with home plate umpire Rick Reed (right) in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fourth inning in an interleague game at the Sky Dome in Toronto on Jun 13, 2001 (AP News file photo)
MLB The Show podcast Charlie O:
#1 At 84 years old former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox passed away on Saturday. Cox won more than 2500 games as manager and went into the Hall of Fame in 2014. Cox was ejected over hs career as manager 158 times MLB record for a manager. Cox led the Braves to 14 straight divison titles from 1991 to 2005. He led the Braves to a World Series title in 1995. Cox as a player played two seasons for the New York Yankees and hit just .255.
#2 Former Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Hawks owner Ted Turner who passed away at age 87 this past week died at age 87 last Wednesday at his home in Tallahassee Florida as announced by a family spokesperson for Turner Enterprises. Turner was battling dementia and showed signs of having Parkinsons disease. Turner bought the Braves in 1976 and purchased the Hawks in 1977. In 1977 he created 24 all news cable station CNN. He sold the Braves and Hawks to Time Warner for $7.3 billion in stock in 1996. On May 11, 1977 Turner managed the Braves for just one game after previous manager Dave Bristol was fired. Then MLB Commissioner Bowie Kuhn ordered Turner to stop managing as owners are prohibited from managing. Turner was famouly married to actress Jane Fonda for ten years from 1991-2001.
#3 Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper left Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rockies due to a mirgrane headache. Harper had played in all of the Phillies 40 games so far this season was replaced by after fielding a ground out hit by the Rockies Mickey Moniak for an unassisted out. Harper was hitting .282 with nine home runs and 23 RBIs.
#4 Former San Francisco Giants catcher and current Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is ready to help former Giants catcher Patrick Bailey get his swing back after Bailey was dealt to Cleveland on Saturday. Bailey was struggling at the plate hitting just .146, with one home run, five RBIs and 12 hits. Cleveland genreal manager Chris Antonetti said that the Guardians had an interest in Bailey for some time and the opportunity came up this week. Vogt whose worked with players and brought their game up is confident he can do the same with Bailey.
#5 The Sacramento A’s are starting to get some notice as they’ve been consistenly winning. The A’s have won six of their last ten games and were on a three game winning streak through Saturday night. The A’s were leading the second place Seattle Mariners in the AL West by 2 games and they were getting key hits from their line up of Nick Kurtz, Shea Langeliers, Brent Rooker and Carlos Cortes to name a few.
Sacramento A’s Jacob Wilson (5) slides into second base after getting forced out by Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson (2) in the top of the second inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore Orioles on Sun May 10, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics were determined to finish their Baltimore road trip with a series sweep while adding more distance between themselves and the Mariners in the AL West standings. Instead, they were handed the kind of 2-1 loss that felt like unwrapping the gift they wanted, only to realize it was the Temu version. The Green and Gold had chances, had pitching, had traffic, and even had a late runway to tie the game. What they did not have was the one extra swing that turns a quiet afternoon into a happy flight home.
The game started with Keegan Akin retiring the A’s in order in the first, striking out Nick Kurtz and Brent Rooker around a Shea Langeliers groundout. Baltimore also went quietly in its half, though Taylor Ward briefly reached on a walk before Langeliers erased him trying to steal second. That throw, with Jacob Wilson applying the tag, was a sharp early reminder that this was going to be a game where every inch mattered.
The Athletics struck first in the second after Chris Bassitt replaced Akin. Tyler Soderstrom opened the inning by driving his 12th double to right, then moved to third when Wilson reached on Bassitt’s fielding error. Carlos Cortes, who came in as one of the hottest bats on the club and had been hitting .418 over his previous 16 games, did the useful thing and lifted a sacrifice fly to left. Soderstrom scored, and the A’s had a 1-0 lead without needing a big inning.
Luis Severino made that lead stand for a while. He retired the Orioles in order in the second, getting Pete Alonso and Samuel Basallo on grounders before handling Leody Taveras himself. Baltimore finally broke through in the third when Dylan Beavers doubled, Weston Wilson walked, and Blaze Alexander moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt. Gunnar Henderson then chopped a grounder to first that brought Beavers home, tying the game 1-1. Severino kept it there by getting Ward on strikes after a successful Athletics challenge overturned the original call, then retiring Adley Rutschman on a lineout to Wilson.
The middle innings turned into a test of patience. Jacob Wilson singled to start the fourth, but Cortes grounded into a double play. Zack Gelof and Jeff McNeil went down quietly in the fifth, and the Athletics missed a Baltimore threat in the bottom half when the Orioles loaded the bases with two outs. Severino escaped by getting Rutschman to fly to left, preserving the tie and giving the A’s another chance to scratch something together.
Baltimore finally grabbed the lead in the sixth. Basallo doubled sharply to right, Taveras singled him to third, then stole second. Beavers followed with a line-drive single to left, scoring Basallo for a 2-1 Orioles lead. Manager Mark Kotsay turned to Justin Sterner with runners still aboard, and Sterner did exactly what the A’s needed. After walking Weston Wilson to load the bases, he struck out Alexander and Henderson to stop the inning from becoming much worse.
The Athletics had their best late chance in the seventh. Cortes singled to center, then stole second as Lawrence Butler struck out. Gelof followed with a ground-ball single to center, and Cortes tried to score from second. Taveras charged, threw home, and Basallo made the tag for the final out. It was the game in one snapshot: the A’s aggressive enough to force the issue, Baltimore clean enough to make them pay.
Luis Medina then delivered one of the brightest Athletics moments of the afternoon. Entering in the seventh, he carved through Ward, Rutschman, and Alonso with three straight strikeouts. He followed with a clean eighth, getting Basallo on strikes before Taveras and Beavers flew out to Soderstrom. Medina’s two scoreless innings gave the A’s exactly the kind of bullpen lift they needed after entering the day with recent relief struggles.
The offense simply could not cash in. In the eighth, Kurtz walked and moved to second on a wild pitch, then Langeliers walked to put the tying run in scoring position. Rooker struck out, and Soderstrom flew out to right. In the ninth, Butler worked a two-out walk against Rico Garcia, but Gelof popped out to Henderson to end it.
For the Athletics, the loss snapped some road-trip momentum but not the bigger picture. They entered the day having won three straight, sitting in sole possession of first place for the 14th consecutive day. Kurtz’s walk pushed his on-base streak to 34 games, while Langeliers again showed value behind the plate even on a day when his bat stayed quiet. Severino battled through 5.1 innings, allowing two runs while keeping the A’s close, and Medina turned in a relief outing that deserved a louder ending.
This one will not go into the scrapbook, but it still said plenty. The A’s can pitch, defend, and fight through tight games. Today however, they just could not find the final hit hiding somewhere in Camden Yards.
The A’s head home to Sacramento tonight with a well-earned Monday breather on deck. By Tuesday, the feathers will be flying again, as the Cardinals come to town for a three-game set. Jefferey Springs (3-2 / 3.89 ERA / 39 K) will begin the series for the green and gold, while Andre Pallante (3-3 / 4.34 ERA / 29 K) is set to throw for St. Louis. Game time is 6:40pm from West 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.
I’m not that surprised that the Sacraamento A’s are in first place and their getting both the hitting and pitching, I wrote here on Sports Radio Service during spring training we know the A’s are going to hit with the line up that they have with Tyler Soderstrom, Nick Kurtz, Brent Rooker, Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler they all can hit.
Right now the A’s are in first place and had a successful road trip in Philadelphia and Baltimore. The A’s have improved with a starting roation JT Ginn, Aaron Civale, Luis Severino, Jacob Lopez and Jefferey Springs. The question is do the A’s have the pitching to make it in the line run.
The story of the pitching staff and Mark Kotsay is happy the direction his pitching staff is going and the management believes the same thing. The question is is this a .500 team or a team that has a shot at making the post season.
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.
LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874
From the second you step in the front door, the sounds of Latin America will gently seduce your ears and continue as you relax outdoors with your favorite cocktail enjoying the view. The wonderful flavors and aromas of our cuisine will not disappoint.
We use only the finest, freshest, local ingredients in every dish and every dish is prepared to order. Enjoy live mariachi music weekly and on special occasions, catch balet folklorico dance performances among other live entertainment. Come visit us and have a great time! Enjoy fast, friendly service, fantastic food & cocktails, music and allow us to share our beautiful Mexican heritage with you.
LaTerraza Mexican Restaurant at 1027 2nd Street in Old Sacramento give them a call at 916-440-0874.
Sacramento A’s Brent Rooker swings for a home run in the top of the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Sat May 9, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics did not waste any time turning Saturday afternoon at Camden Yards into their kind of ballgame winning their third straight ball game and second in a row over the Baltimore Orioles 6-2 Saturday.
Before Baltimore could even settle into the rhythm of Game 2, Nick Kurtz ripped a sharp double to left, Shea Langeliers followed with a line-drive single, and the Green and Gold had a 1-0 lead. It was the kind of first-inning punch that tells a pitcher, a ballpark, and a home crowd that the visitors did not arrive just to politely take their cuts and go home.
Aaron Civale made that early run feel much larger. Baltimore put traffic on him, including a Gunnar Henderson single and an Adley Rutschman double in the first, but Civale kept answering with the calm of a man changing a tire while the car is still rolling.
Zack Gelof helped him escape the first by starting a crisp 5-4-3 double play, and Civale struck out Pete Alonso to end the threat. In the second, after Samuel Basallo singled, Civale struck out Leody Taveras, Dylan Beavers, and Coby Mayo in order, turning a possible Orioles rally into a three-swing warning label.
The biggest swing came in the third. Kurtz walked, Langeliers singled again, and Brent Rooker punished Shane Baz with a three-run homer to right field, his fifth of the season. In one clean crack, a 1-0 game became 4-0, and the Athletics had control. Rooker has enjoyed seeing Baltimore over his career, and this was another reminder that some matchups just seem to fit a hitter’s hands.
Kurtz kept applying pressure in the fifth, opening the inning with his second double of the game, then stealing third. Langeliers brought him home with a sacrifice fly, giving the A’s a 5-0 lead. Kurtz entered the day riding the longest on-base streak in the majors this season, and his afternoon only added to the story of a young hitter who keeps finding ways to matter. The A’s also entered the game alone in first place in the American League West, and performances like this are why that standing no longer feels like a cute early-season typo.
Civale’s line was not spotless, but it was tough. He allowed six hits and three walks over five scoreless innings, striking out six. His biggest escape came in the fifth, when Jeremiah Jackson singled, Henderson doubled, and Taylor Ward walked to load the bases with nobody out. Civale did not blink. He struck out Rutschman, got Alonso to fly to left, then retired Basallo on another fly ball to Tyler Soderstrom. That was the game’s spine.
Baltimore finally scratched back in the eighth against Mark Leiter Jr. Taveras singled, Beavers doubled, and pinch-hitter Colton Cowser lined a two-run single to center to cut the lead to 5-2. For a moment, Camden Yards had a pulse again. But Tyler O’Neill grounded into a forceout, and the inning ended before the Orioles could turn nervous energy into real danger.
The A’s answered in the ninth like a team that understood the value of breathing room. Langeliers walked, Rooker singled, and Colby Thomas, who had entered as a pinch-hitter and stayed in right field, lined a single to center to score Langeliers for a 6-2 lead. Thomas had also singled in the eighth, giving the bench a useful spark at the right time.
Joel Kuhnel handled the ninth with no drama, getting Henderson, Ward, and Rutschman on three straight groundouts. The Athletics finished a clean, sturdy 6-2 win with early offense, clutch defense, a sharp start from Civale, and enough late insurance to keep Baltimore from making the afternoon weird. In a season where the A’s are trying to prove their first-place grip is real, this was not a flashy masterpiece. It was better than that. It was professional, balanced, and convincing.
Game 3 Sunday will have the A’s looking to celebrate Mother’s Day by leaving Baltimore with a series sweep. For the A’s, Luis Severino (2-3 / 4.15 ERA / 43 K) will take the mound against Chris Bassitt (2-2 / 5.91 ERA / 20 K), with first pitch scheduled for 10:35am 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.
Sacramento A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez deals against the Baltimore Orioles in the bottom of the first inning at Camden Yards in Baltimore on Fri May 9, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Tony Harvey:
#1 Tony, talk about the A’s they are getting the pitching and clutch hitting.
#2 The A’s Nick Kurtz is one of those clutch hitters with a two run triple in the top of the fifth and the A’s just got by the Baltimore Orioles with a 4-3 win.
#3 Orioles pitcher Kyle Bradish had some success against the A’s line up striking out ten hitters in seven innings. It was the Baltimore defense that let him down in the A’s three run fifth inning.
#4 A’s pitcher Jacob Lopez gave up two run and allowed three hit in 5.1 innings of work. The Orioles are struggling against left handed pitching as they are 0-9 against Southpaws this season thus far.
#5 A’s and O’s meet again Saturday starting pitchers for Sacramento Aaron Civale (3-1 ERA 2.95) for Baltimore RHP Shane Baz (1-3 ERA 4.99) first pitch 1:05pm PDT.
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 Jacob Wilson (5) celebrates his two run home run off Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter. A’s Carlos Cortes (26) congratulates Wilson at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Thu May 7, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics turned Citizens Bank Park on its side Thursday night, leaving the Phillies completely dumbfounded. After losing the first two games of the series and dropping four of their last five overall, the A’s were trying to avoid a sweep in a city where the franchise carries more history than most road trips. By the end of the first inning, they had already changed the entire mood of the night. By the final out, they had turned it into the 12-1 statement they had been eager to make in the two games before.
Nick Kurtz set the tone immediately by working a walk to open the game, continuing his excellent habit of refusing to disappear from the bases. Then Shea Langeliers, freshly back from the paternity list after the birth of his son Owen, stepped in and delivered the kind of swing that makes a dugout wake up in a hurry.
Langeliers drove his 11th home run of the season to left-center, giving the Athletics a 2-0 lead before Philadelphia starter Andrew Painter had recorded an out. Tyler Soderstrom followed with another walk, and Brent Rooker made Painter pay again, sending his fourth homer of the season to left. Just like that, it was 4-0, and the Phillies were chasing the game before many fans had settled into their seats.
The Green and Gold did not stop there. In the third, Soderstrom walked again, moved up on Rooker’s deep flyout, and scored when Carlos Cortes punched a single into center. Cortes, who has been one of the club’s hottest bats, became part of another rally moments later when Jacob Wilson launched his third home run of the season to left.
Wilson’s two-run shot stretched the lead to 7-0 and kept his strong offensive stretch rolling. For a player already known for steady contact and sharp defense, it was another reminder that his bat can do more than just spray singles around the yard.
While the lineup was busy turning the night into a batting clinic, J.T. Ginn gave the Athletics exactly what they needed on the mound. Making his first career appearance against Philadelphia, Ginn carved through the Phillies with calm efficiency. He struck out Trea Turner to open the bottom of the first, retired Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on lineouts, and kept Philadelphia quiet through the early innings.
When Brandon Marsh singled in the second, Bryson Stott quickly erased the threat by grounding into a double play. Ginn also got another spotless frame in the third, retiring Edmundo Sosa, Justin Crawford and Rafael Marchán in order.
Schwarber finally got Philadelphia on the board in the fourth with a line-drive home run to right, his 12th of the season. But even that swing barely dented the night. Ginn walked Harper afterward, then benefited from another quick defensive answer when Adolis García lined into a double play to Jacob Wilson, who flipped the game right back into the A’s control. The Athletics’ defense, already one of the cleanest units in baseball, played like a team determined not to give Philadelphia any extra oxygen.
The A’s kept adding on in the middle innings. In the fourth, Langeliers singled, Soderstrom singled, and Rooker dropped a soft liner that scored Langeliers for an 8-0 lead. In the fifth, Lawrence Butler walked and Zack Gelof ripped a triple to left, bringing Butler home. Kurtz then lined a single to right to score Gelof, pushing the lead to 10-1. The inning showed the depth of the night’s damage: walks, singles, power, pressure, and the kind of traffic that wears out a pitching staff.
Gelof saved his loudest swing for the seventh. After Butler opened the inning with a sharp double to left, Gelof drove his third homer of the season to left-center, giving the Athletics a 12-1 lead. It was a strong night for Gelof, who finished with a triple, a homer and four total bases that mattered. Butler also reached base twice and scored twice, helping turn the lower part of the order into a second wave instead of a soft landing.
The bullpen handled the rest. Ginn worked through eight sharp innings of one-run baseball, allowing only scattered trouble and keeping the Phillies from building anything serious. Brooks Kriske took the ninth and made his A’s debut with plenty of room to breathe. Philadelphia put two runners aboard on singles by Felix Reyes and García, but Marsh grounded out to Kurtz to end it. It was a fitting final play for a night when the Athletics controlled the field, the scoreboard and the pace.
For the A’s, this was more than a lopsided win. It was a correction. Langeliers returned and immediately changed the first inning. Rooker shook loose with a big early swing. Cortes kept hitting. Wilson added power to his contact-heavy game. Gelof delivered the late thump. Ginn gave the pitching staff length and relief. After two frustrating nights in Philadelphia, the Athletics did not sneak out of town. They acknowledged their limitations and left with the series’ most definitive answer.
The A’s now jump on the team bus for a two-hour drive down I-95 to begin a weekend series against Baltimore tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. Eastern, 4:05 p.m. Pacific. Jacob Lopez gets the start for Sacramento, bringing a 2-2 record, 6.60 ERA, and 23 strikeouts. Baltimore counters with Kyle Bradish, who enters at 1-4 with a 5.03 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
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.
Philadelphia Phillies Edmundo Sosa is out at second base as Sacramento A’s second baseman Jeff McNeil tries to complete the double play in the bottom of the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Wed May 6, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
Sacramento A’s couldn’t hold off the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank in Philadelphia as the Phillies down 3-2 rallied in the eighth inning scoring four runs to come away with a 6-3 win.
For seven innings, the Athletics looked like they would rinse away the sour taste of Tuesday’s 9-1 thumping and remind everyone why they were still sitting on top of the American League West. They entered Wednesday night 18-17, still holding a season-high tying two-game lead in the division despite losing three of their previous four, and they had spent the last ten days alone in first place.
That made this game feel like more than a random early-May interleague stop. It felt like a test of whether the Green and Gold could steady themselves and continue the momentum they ran with in April.
For most of the night, they did. Jeffrey Springs gave the A’s exactly the kind of road start they needed, working around early traffic while keeping Philadelphia’s lineup from landing the big punch. Kyle Schwarber doubled in the first, and the Phillies put two aboard in the second, but Springs kept the scoreboard clean. He got Alec Bohm to fly out and Felix Reyes to bounce into a forceout, then followed with a tidy third inning. For a pitcher who had allowed six home runs over his previous three starts after giving up none in his first four, this was a needed return to control.
The A’s scratched first in the third. Lawrence Butler opened the inning with a walk, moved to second on Nick Kurtz’s groundout, and scored when Jacob Wilson served a fly-ball single to right. Wilson then stole second, continuing to look like one of the steadiest bats in the order. His hit also extended his hitting streak to 10 games, another small but meaningful sign that his early-season wobble has turned into a real rhythm.
Springs kept protecting the 1-0 lead, and he even flashed some craft in the fourth by picking off J.T. Realmuto after Realmuto’s second single of the game. In the fifth, the A’s added another run with two outs. Zack Gelof lined a double to left, and Kurtz followed by ripping a sharp single to right, bringing Gelof home for a 2-0 lead. Kurtz was not done either.
Entering the night with the longest reaching-base streak in the majors this season, he pushed it to 30 games by reaching multiple times. That tied him with Matt Chapman’s 30-game run from 2018, the longest such streak by an Athletic in recent memory.
Philadelphia finally cracked Springs in the fifth. Brandon Marsh opened the inning with a triple to center and scored on Reyes’ groundout, cutting the A’s lead to 2-1. Springs still finished the frame by getting Schwarber called out on strikes after a confirmed ABS challenge, keeping the momentum from fully turning.
Then Tyler Soderstrom gave the A’s a little breathing room in the sixth. He jumped on Zack Wheeler and lifted a solo homer to left, his fifth of the season, pushing the lead to 3-1. At that point, the game had a clean shape for Sacramento. Springs was battling, the offense had produced just enough, and the bullpen had a two-run lead to guard.
But this is when baseball proved that baseball is never really predictable or reliable, and one can never let his guard down or get comfortable they have the game in the bag.
The Phils Adolis García trimmed the A’s lead to 3-2 with a solo homer to center in the bottom of the sixth, and Springs exited after Edmundo Sosa followed with a single. Justin Sterner escaped the inning, and Jack Perkins delivered a spotless seventh with two strikeouts, including Bryson Stott on an overturned ABS challenge. The A’s still led by one heading into the eighth.
Then the whole thing unraveled.
Schwarber walked to open the eighth, and Bryce Harper reached on a fielder’s choice that became more dangerous when Jeff McNeil’s throwing error allowed Schwarber to move up. García singled to load the bases with nobody out, and Sosa punished the mistake with a ground-ball single to center that scored Schwarber and Harper, flipping the game to 4-3 Phillies.
Realmuto lined out, but Marsh followed with another single to center to score García. Stott singled to reload the bases, and Justin Crawford’s groundout brought home Sosa. In one messy, grinding inning, Philadelphia turned a 3-2 deficit into a 6-3 lead.
The A’s made one last push in the ninth against Brad Keller. McNeil singled, Butler walked, and Kurtz drew another walk to load the bases with two outs. Darell Hernaiz pinch-ran for Kurtz, bringing Wilson to the plate as the tying run. But Wilson grounded softly back to Keller, ending the game and leaving the A’s with a 6-3 loss that felt more frustrating than lopsided.
This was not a lifeless defeat. Springs competed. Soderstrom homered. Wilson and Kurtz kept important streaks alive. But the bullpen’s recent danger signs showed up again, and one ugly eighth inning swallowed seven innings of mostly pristine baseball. For a first-place team trying to prove May will not become a repeat of old collapses, this was the kind of loss that does not need drama attached to it. It already came with enough sting.
Starting pitchers for Thursday’s night: For Sacramento RHP JT Ginn (0-1 ERA 4.30) for Philadelphia RHP Andrew Painter (1-3 ERA 5.28) first pitch 3:40pm PDT.
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 starter Luis Severino pitching to the Philadelphia Phillies in the second inning at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia on Tue May 5, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Mauricio Segura
The Sacramento Athletics arrived in Philadelphia riding atop the American League West, hoping to make a statement. And they did, but not the one they intended.The problem Tuesday night was simple and brutal: Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez never let the Green and Gold get comfortable, and Bryce Harper treated the middle innings like his personal stage as the Phillies knocked out the A’s 9-1 at Citizen’s Bank Ballpark.
For the first two innings, Luis Severino hopped over lava pools but did not fall. Harper singled in the first, Adolis García walked, and Brandon Marsh followed with a single to load the bases with two outs. Severino escaped when J.T. Realmuto flew out to right. In the second, Bryson Stott doubled and Alec Bohm walked, putting two more Phillies in scoring position. Again, Severino found his footing, striking out Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber to keep the game scoreless. It was not pretty, but it was gritty, the kind of early survival act that can swing a game if the offense answers.
The A’s offense, however, stayed mostly silent. Sánchez retired the side in order in the first, second, fourth, and fifth innings, mixing weak contact with strikeouts and never letting the Athletics stack pressure. Their first real chance came in the third when Brett Harris was hit by a pitch and Jacob Wilson singled him to third with two outs, but Brent Rooker lined sharply to center to end the inning. That ball had life, but Justin Crawford had a glove that he uses quite well to put it lightly, and the Phillies kept the door shut.
Harper cracked it open in the bottom of the third. Severino had battled around traffic through two innings, but Harper turned on a pitch and sent it over the wall in right center for his eighth homer of the season, giving Philadelphia a 1-0 lead. Severino settled down after that, working through the fourth and fifth without further damage. He allowed baserunners, including singles by Bohm, Crawford, and Marsh, but the Phillies kept stranding them. For a while, the game still felt close enough for one A’s swing to rewrite it.
That swing never came. In the sixth, Harris walked and Wilson moved him to second with a sacrifice bunt, but Rooker flew out and Nick Kurtz struck out on a foul tip. In the seventh, Colby Thomas and Zack Gelof opened the inning with back-to-back singles, finally giving the Athletics a serious threat. Sánchez responded like a pitcher who smelled the finish line. Tyler Soderstrom struck out, Austin Wynns moved both runners up with a groundout, and Darell Hernaiz struck out swinging to leave two more aboard. That was the moment the night began to tilt hard toward Philadelphia.
The bottom of the seventh turned a close game into a long one. Turner doubled against Mark Leiter Jr., moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on García’s sacrifice fly. Harper walked, Marsh singled, and Realmuto doubled to left, bringing home two more. Tyler Ferguson entered, but Stott greeted him with a two-run homer to right center, and suddenly a 1-0 game had become 6-0. It was the kind of inning that makes every missed chance from earlier feel twice as heavy.
Philadelphia added more in the eighth. Crawford doubled, Turner singled him home, and Harper struck again, launching his second homer of the night, this one to center, scoring Turner and pushing the lead to 9-0. Harper finished as the loudest bat in the ballpark, with two home runs, three runs scored, and three RBI, while Turner, Marsh, Realmuto, and Stott helped turn the Phillies lineup into a steady parade.
The Athletics avoided the shutout in the ninth against Jhoan Duran. Kurtz singled, Gelof walked, Soderstrom walked after a confirmed challenge, and Hernaiz drew a bases-loaded walk to score Thomas. But Wynns and Harris both struck out, leaving the final at 9-1. For the A’s, it was a night of missed chances, quiet bats, and one bullpen inning that got away fast. For Philadelphia, it was Sánchez setting the tone and Harper making sure everyone remembered the melody.
A’s will try it again Tuesday night at Citizens Bank a 3:40pm PDT first pitch: Starting pitchers for Sacramento LHP Jefferey Springs (3-2 ERA 3.96) for Philadelphia RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0 ERA 2.45)
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 Aaron Civale delivers a pitch agaianst the Cleveland Guardians line up at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun May 3, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Barbara Mason:
#1 The first two games of the Sacramento A’s series with the Cleveland Guardians was really disappointing as the teams fights to hand to stay in first place. Game three was a critical one to avoid getting swept.
2. Unlike game Saturday’s game the A’s got hits but did not leave runners stranded instead cashed in on them for the 7-1 win.
3. The A’s really spread out their hits with eight different players making contact which included three home runs.
4. Jeff McNeil proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back with a critical hit in the sixth. That combined with some great work on the mound from Aaron Civale equaled a great win for the Athletics.
5.The A’s head out on the road for six games, they have Monday off and open a three game series with the Philadelphia Phillies which gets underway on Tuesday evening.
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.
Cleveland Guardians Travis Bazzana slides safely into second base and Sacramento A’s shortstop applies the tag too late at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento on Sun May 3, 2026 (AP News photo)
Sacramento A’s podcast Daniel Dullum:
#1 Colby Thomas, Zack Gelof, Tyler Soderstrom homered to help the Sacramento A’s defeat the Cleveland Guardians 7-1 at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento and avoid getting swept.
#2 For Thomas a great way to start his home run count for 2026 hitting his first big fly of the season off Cleveland rookie pitcher Parker Messick to help the A’s take a 1-0 lead.
#3 For Messick he faced nine A’s hitters in a row and retiring each one until Gelof and Soderstrom came up and hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
#4 The A’s got singles from Darell Hernaiz, Jeff McNeil, and Brent Rooker and picked up another run to make it 4-1. The A’s success this year has been their hitting if their on they win ball games.
#5 The A’s open a three game series in Philadelphia on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Ballpark against the Philadelphia Phillies. The A’s will start right hand pitcher Luis Severino (2-2 ERA 4.46) the Phllies have not announced a starter yet.
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.
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