Tag: Shea Langeliers

A’s get blown out 8-2 by the Nationals

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Washington Nationals started this weekend with a three-game series at Nationals Park. The A’s lost 8-2 to the Nationals in their series opener on Friday. Oakland fell to 33-83, while Washington improved to 51-66.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, JJ Bleday, Zack Gelof, Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Tyler Soderstrom, Shea Langaliers, Lawrence Butler, Nick Allen, and Paul Blackburn. Blackburn (2-3, 4.52 ERA) took the loss after pitching 5 2/3 innings and giving up eight hits, four earned runs, four walks, and three strikeouts.

The A’s quickly got on the board with two runs in the top of the first inning. Jordan Diaz singled on a line drive to Stone Garett. JJ Bleday and Zack Gelof scored for a 2-0 lead.

The Nationals cut the A’s lead in half and tied the score in the bottom of the second inning. Ildemaro Vargas singled on a ground ball to Lawrence Butler. Keibert Ruiz scored to cut the A’s lead to 2-1 as Dominic Smith went to third base. Stone Garrett singled on a ground ball to Butler. Smith scored to tie the game 2-2 as Vargas went to second base.

The Nationals took their first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jake Alu was out on a sacrifice fly to JJ Bleday. Ildemaro Vargas scored for a 3-2 lead with two outs.

The Nationals extended their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Keibert Ruiz homered on a fly ball to right center field for a 4-2 lead.

The Nationals expanded their lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ildemaro Vargas homered on a fly ball to left center field. Lane Thomas and Keibert Ruiz scored for a commanding 7-2 lead.

The Nationals added to their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. Jake Alu homered on a fly ball to right center field for an 8-2 lead.

Notes
The A’s recalled Lawrence Butler from Triple-A Las Vegas, placing Tony Kemp on the paternity leave list on Friday.

On Thursday, Zack Gelof became the fastest to reach six home runs in A’s history.

Up Next
The A’s and Nationals will continue their series on Saturday at 4:05 pm Pacific.

A’s Hold on to Beat the Rockies 8-5

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics kicked off the weekend by visiting the Colorado Rockies Friday. The A’s held on to beat the Rockies 8-5 in their series opener at Coors Field. Oakland improved to 29-76, while Colorado fell to 40-63.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Zack Gelof, Brent Rooker, Jordan Diaz, Ramón Laureano, JJ Bleday, Aledmys Díaz, Shea Langaliers, Nick Allen, and JP Sears. Sears (2-7, 4.09 ERA) got the win after pitching five innings and giving up four hits, one earned run, one walk, five strikeouts, and one home run.

The A’s got on the board first in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano singled on a ground ball to Randal Grichuk. Brent Rooker scored for a 1-0 lead. Jordan Diaz went to second base.

The A’s scored thrice in the top of the second inning. Shea Langaliers tripled on a fly ball to Brenton Doyle. Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 2-0 lead. Tony Kemp hit a sacrifice bunt. Langaliers scored for a 3-0 lead. Nick Allen went to second base, while Kemp went to first base on a Kyle Freeland committed a throwing error. Jordan Diaz reached on a ground ball to Alex Trejo, a call that stood after an official scorer’s ruling. Nick Allen scored for a 4-0 lead. Kemp went to third base, while Brent Rooker went to second base.

The A’s scored once in the top of the third inning. Nick Allen tripled on a sharp line drive to Jurickson Profar. Shea Langaliers scored for a 5-0 lead.

The Rockies finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. Randal Grichuk homered on a fly ball to left-center field to reduce the A’s lead to 5-1.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Zack Gelof homered on a fly ball to left-center field for a 7-1 lead.

The Rockies scored once in the bottom of the seventh inning. Colorado began the inning by challenging a play at first base, but their call was overturned after further review. Ryan McMahon grounded into a forceout, while Nick Allen went to Zack Gelof. Jurickson Profar, a former Oakland Athletic, scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-2. Ezequiel Tovar was out at second base, while McMahon went to first base.

The Rockies made it a two-run game in the bottom of the eighth inning, but they didn’t inch closer to the A’s to take the lead or at least tie the ballgame. Michael Toglia singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Elehuris Montero scored to reduce the A’s lead to 7-3. Nolan Jones went to third base. Jurickson Profar doubled on a sharp line drive to Bleday. Jones and Toglia scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-5.

The A’s expanded their lead in the top of the ninth inning. Ramón Laureano homered on a line drive to center field for a 8-5 lead.

Notes
The late A’s pitcher Vida Blue would’ve turned 74 today.

The A’s will honor the five members — Carney Lansford, Gene Tenace, Bob Johnson, Roy Steele, and Jason Giambi — of the 2023 Class of the Athletics Hall of Fame during the annual Bay Bridge series on August 6, 2023.

Up Next
The A’s and the Rockies will continue their series on Saturday at 5:10 pm Pacific. Paul Blackburn (1-2, 5.06 ERA) will start for the A’s, while Chris Flexen (0-4, 7.71 ERA) will start for the Rockies.

A’s Lose 10-3 to Red Sox; Boston gets an early jump on A’s in early going

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox faced off in a middle game Saturday. The A’s looked to stop their three-game losing streak, but they didn’t because they lost 10-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Oakland fell to 25-66, while Boston improved to 47-43.

The A’s starting lineup featured Nick Allen, Jordan Diaz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Aledmys Díaz, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Manny Piña, Cody Thomas, and Austin Pruitt. Pruitt entered the game after Paul Blackburn was scratched due to an undisclosed illness but pitched just 1.2 innings and gave up four hits, four earned runs, and one home run. In addition, Pruitt (1-6) took the loss.

The Red Sox took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Turner singled on a line drive to Rooker. Duran scored for a 1-0 lead. Alex Verdugo homered on a fly ball to left field. Turner scored for a 3-0 lead. The umpire reviewed Verdugo’s play for a home run, but the call on the field was upheld.

The Red Sox extended their lead in the bottom of the second inning. Duran homered on a fly ball to left center field. Connor Wong scored for a 5-0 lead.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the third inning. Manny Piña homered on a fly ball to left center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-1.

The Red Sox expanded their lead in the bottom of the third inning. Connor Wong was out on a sacrifice fly to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 6-1 lead with one out.

The Red Sox poured in the runs in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Rafael Devers doubled on a sharp line drive to Rooker. Masataka Yoshida scored for a 7-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The Red Sox added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning as Duran hit a ground-rule double on a line drive down the right-field line. Christian Arroyo scored for an 8-1 lead. Yoshida singled on a line drive to Bleday. Duran scored for a 9-1 lead.

The A’s added one home run in the top of the sixth inning. Rooker homered on a fly ball to left-center field to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 9-2.

The Red Sox reached a double-digit lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Christian Arroyo doubled on a line drive to Rooker. Triston Casas scored for a 10-2 lead.

The A’s added one single in the top of the eighth inning. Bleday singled on a ground ball to Casas. Ryan Noda scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 10-3 as Aledmys Díaz went to second base.

Notes
A’s left-handed pitcher Sammy Long turned 28 on Saturday.

A’s prospect outfielder Lawrence Butler will bat fifth and start in left field in the 2023 All-Stars Futures Game at 4:00 pm Pacific at T-Mobile Park on Saturday. Meanwhile, A’s prospect catcher Tyler Sodestrom will bat seventh and start at first base.

Up Next
The A’s and Red Sox will wrap up their series on Sunday at 10:35 am Pacific. Starting for Oakland JP Sears (1-6 ERA 4.09) Boston starter TBA.

A’s Lose 7-3 to Red Sox; Sox do most of the damage with 5 run second inning at Fenway

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics’ last series of their road trip was at the Boston Red Sox. The A’s began a three-game series against the Red Sox on Friday night. The A’s lost 7-3 to the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Oakland fell to 25-65, while Boston improved to 46-43.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Jordan Diaz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, JJ Bleday, Jace Peterson, Shea Langaliers, Seth Brown, Tyler Wade, and Sam Long. Long pitched just one inning and gave up three hits, three earned runs, one walk, and two strikeouts.

After a scoreless first inning, Boston opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning. Yu Chang singled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday. Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernandez scored for a 2-0 lead as Triston Casas went to second base. Jarren Duran singled on a ground ball to Tony Kemp.

Casas scored for a 3-0 lead as Chang went to third base. Justin Turner singled on a line drive to Seth Brown. Chang scored for a 4-0 lead as Duran went to third base. Rafael Devers grounded into a forceout fielded by Tyler Wade. Duran scored for a 5-0 lead as Turner was out at second base, while Devers went to first base with two outs.

The A’s finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. Tony Kemp singled on a ground ball to Rafael Devers. Seth Brown scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-1. Tyler Wade went to third base while Kemp went to second base. Devers committed a throwing error.

The A’s inched closer to the Red Sox in the top of the seventh inning. Seth Brown homered on a fly ball to right center field. Shea Langaliers scored to cut the Red Sox’s lead to 5-3.

The A’s chances of a comeback were short-lived as the Red Sox scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Adam Duvall singled on a ground ball to Tyler Wade. Jarren Duran scored for a 6-3 lead as Rafael Devers went to third base. Alex Verdugo singled on a line drive to Brent Rooker. Devers scored for a 7-3 lead as Duvall went to second base.

Notes
A’s LHP Richard Lovelady turned 27 on July 7.

The A’s recalled RHP Angel Felipe from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s selected OF Cody Thomas from Triple-A Las Vegas.

The A’s placed OF Esteury Ruiz on the ten-day injured list retroactive to July 6.

The A’s optioned and designated RHP Rico Garcia for assignment.

Up Next
The A’s and Red Sox will continue their series on Saturday at 1:10 pm Pacific. Starting for Oakland Paul Blackburn (1-1 ERA 4.50) for Boston James Paxton (4-1 ERA 2.70).

A’s Beat Blue Jays 5-4, Snap 8-Game Skid

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics took on the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday to wrap up their six-game road trip. The A’s snapped an eight-game losing skid with a 5-4 win over the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Oakland improved to 20-58, while Toronto fell to 41-36.

Before the ballgame’s first pitch at 4:08 pm Pacific, Oakland made two roster moves by placing Ramón Laureano on the ten-day injured list with a hand fracture and recalling Conner Capel from Triple-A Las Vegas. Capel recorded a .297 average with three home runs, 22 runs, and eight stolen bases over 145 at-bats in 37 games with the Las Vegas Aviators.

The A’s starting lineup featured Tony Kemp, Ryan Noda, JJ Bleday, Seth Brown, Aledmys Díaz, Jace Peterson, Shea Langaliers, Tyler Wade, Conner Capel, and James Kaprielian. Kaprielian pitched six innings and gave up six hits, four earned runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

The A’s wasted no time taking a quick lead in the top of the first inning. JJ Bleday homered on a fly ball to right field, and Tony Kemp scored for a 2-0 lead. Shea Langaliers singled on a ground ball to George Springer, and Aledsmy Díaz scored for a 3-0 lead as Jace Peterson went to third base.

The Blue Jays responded in the bottom of the third inning. Kevin Kiermaier doubled on a ground ball to JJ Bleday, and Danny Jansen scored to cut the A’s lead to 3-1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered on a fly ball to left-center field, and Kiermaier and Bo Bichette scored to take a 4-3 lead.

The A’s tied the ballgame in the top of the fifth inning. JJ Bleday was out on a sacrifice fly to George Springer, and Conner Capel scored to tie the game 4-4 with two outs.

The A’s regained the lead in the top of the ninth inning. Shea Langaliers homered on a fly ball to left field for a 5-4 lead that led to the A’s first win since Tuesday, June 13, when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 at the Oakland Coliseum.

The A’s and Blue Jays will face each other in a middle game on Saturday, June 24, at 1:07 pm Pacific. Hogan Harris (2-1 ERA 4.45) going for Oakland and for Toronto Jose Berrios (7-5 ERA 3.64).

A’s Hold on for a 5-2 Win Over Brewers

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Luis Medina pitched five strong innings to lead the Oakland A’s to a victory in Milwaukee against the NL Central-leading Brewers. It was Medina’s first major league victory. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports. Photo from athleticsnation.com.

By Mary Anne

After a much-needed day off, the Oakland Athletics took on the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Friday night. The A’s looked to string three wins together, while the Brewers wanted to win their third straight series against the A’s. But the A’s prevailed and defeated the Brewers 5-2 in the series opener. Oakland improved to 15-50, and Milwaukee dropped to 34-30.

The A’s starting lineup in Milwaukee featured Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Ramón Laureano, Jace Peterson, Jonah Bride, JJ Bleday, Shea Langaliers, Kevin Smith, and Sam Moll. Moll pitched just one inning and gave up one hit and three strikeouts for a 4.37 ERA.

The A’s overcame adversity in the top of the first inning. Ramón Laureano tripled on a fly ball to Blake Perkins, and Esteury Ruiz and Ryan Noda scored for a 2-0 lead. The Brewers challenged the A’s triple for a tag play, but the umpire upheld the call on the field. Jonah Bride singled on a ground ball to Christian Yelich, and Laureano scored for a 3-0 lead.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the second inning. Esteury Ruiz singled on a ground ball to Christian Yelich, and Shea Langaliers scored for a 4-0 lead.

The Brewers got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Blake Perkins doubled on a fly ball to JJ Bleday, and Joey Wiemers scored to cut the A’s lead to 4-1. Luis Urias doubled on a fly ball to Ramón Laureano, and Perkins scored to cut the A’s lead in half 4-2 after a call on the field was upheld after the umpire reviewed a double from a home run.

The A’s added to their lead in the top of the fifth inning. Jonah Bride was out on a sacrifice fly that went to Joey Wiemer, and Seth Brown scored for a 5-2 lead as Ramón Laureano went to third base with one out.

The A’s and Brewers will square off in a middle game on Saturday, June 10, at 1:10 pm Pacific.

A’s Beat Pirates 9-5 for Second Straight Win

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Oakland Athletics’ Jace Peterson doubles off Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Roansy Contreras, driving in two runs, during the first inning at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on Wed Jun 7, 2023 (AP News photo)

By: Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics concluded a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Thursday. The A’s looked to win two games in a row and hung on to beat the Pirates 9-5 in the series finale. With the win, Oakland improved to 14-50 and Pittsburgh dropped to 32-29.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Ryan Noda, Seth Brown, Brent Rooker, Ramón Laureano, Jace Peterson, Jonah Bride, JJ Bleday, Shea Langeliers, Kevin Smith, and Hogan Harris. Harris pitched for five innings and gave up four hits, three earned runs, three walks, two strikeouts, and one home run before exiting the game.

The A’s jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Brent Rooker singled on a line drive to Ji-Hwan Bae, and Ryan Noda scored for a 1-0 lead as Seth Brown went to third base. Jace Peterson doubled on a ground ball to Connor Joe, and Brown scored for a 3-0 lead as Ramón Laureano went to third base.

Jonah Bride singled on a line drive to Bae, and Laureano scored for a 4-0 lead as Peterson went to third base. JJ Bleday singled on a line drive to Bryan Reynolds, and Peterson scored for a 5-0 lead as Bride went to second base. Noda walked, and Bride scored for a 6-0 lead as Bleday went to third base and Kevin Smith went to second base. Brown walked, and Bleday scored for a 7-0 lead as Smith went to third base and Noda went to second base.

The Pirates avoided being shutout by the A’s in the bottom of the second inning. Rodolfo Castro homered on a fly ball to center field to cut the A’s lead to 7-1.

The Pirates added two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Rodolfo Castro doubled on a fly ball to JJ Bleday, and Carlos Santana and Ke’Bryan Hayes scored to cut the A’s lead to 7-3.

The A’s extended their lead in the top of the seventh inning. Ryan Noda homered on a fly ball to left field for an 8-3 lead. Brent Rooker doubled on a sharp line drive to Bryan Reynolds, and Seth Brown scored for a 9-3 lead.

The Pirates scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Connor Joe walked, and Jason Delay scored to cut the A’s lead to 9-4 as Andrew McCutchen went to third base and Bryan Reynolds went to second base.

The Pirates inched closer to the A’s in the bottom of the ninth inning, but that’s all she wrote. Bryan Reynolds singled on a line drive to Ramón Laureano, and Ji-Hwan Bae scored to cut the A’s lead to 9-5 as Andrew McCutchen went to second base.

The A’s will take on the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Friday, June 9 at 5:10 pm Pacific.

A’s shutout by Marlins Cabrera in 4-0 loss at LoanDepot Park to open series

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Oakland Athletics third baseman Aledmys Diaz (12) and Miami Marlins Bryan De La Cruz (14) hugs after De La Cruz was caught between bases during the fifth inning at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Fri Jun 2, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Anne

The Oakland Athletics (12-47) looked to avoid a two-game losing streak as they started a new three-game series against the Miami Marlins (30-28) on Friday. The A’s and the Marlins matched up at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida. The A’s just couldn’t get any hitting going getting struck out ten times by Marlins starter Edward Cabrera for a 4-0 shutout to open the three game series in Miami.

The A’s starting lineup consisted of Esteury Ruiz, Ryan Noda, Brent Rooker, Seth Brown, Aledmys Díaz, JJ Bleday, Jonah Bride, Shea Langeliers, Tony Kemp, and Shintaro Fujinami. Fujinami, a Japanese pitcher who bats and throws right, took the loss and fell to 2-6 on the season after pitching just one inning. Hogan Harris pitched five innings, while Austin Pruitt pitched 1.2 innings and Sam Moll pitched 0.1 innings.

The A’s had their work cut out for them against the Marlins, but they couldn’t get anything going. Miami opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning as Jesus Sanchez homered on a fly ball to left field and Bryan De La Cruz scored to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead.

As if they haven’t already done enough damage, Miami added two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Jorge Soler doubled on a sharp line drive to JJ Bleday and Jacob Stallings scored to give the Marlins a 3-0 lead. Bryan De La Cruz scored again as he singled on a ground ball to Seth Brown and Jorge Soler scored to give the Marlins a 4-0 lead.

Cabrera pitched six innings on four hits, one walk and ten strike outs before being lifted in the seventh for reliever JT Chargois who was followed by two more relievers who held down the fort to shutout the visiting A’s.

The A’s and Marlins meet again on Saturday, June 3 at 1:10 pm Pacific. Luis Medina (0-4 ERA 6.83) seeks his first win of the 2023 season will be opposed by the Marlins Eury Perez (2-1 ERA 2.84) in the second game of the series.

Reality Sets In: A’s drub Mariners, 10-3 as reminder their path to the post-season isn’t completed

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By Morris Phillips

For the Mariners, Friday’s celebratory release has ended. On Sunday, the A’s pre-empted the hosts’ post-season party and staged one of their own.

Shea Langeliers, Cristian Pache and Nick Allen homered off Seattle starter Robbie Ray and the A’s built a 10-0 lead on the way to a 10-3 win at T-Mobile Park.

The A’s interrupted a six-game losing skid with the win, and moved closer to insuring that the Washington Nationals will finish with the Majors’ worst won-loss record, not Oakland.

The Mariners lost ground to the Blue Jays with the loss in their race to determine the host of their likely, three-game Wild Card series beginning on Friday. The Jays beat Boston on Sunday and can insure that they’ll host the series with any combination of Toronto wins and Seattle losses that adds up to two.

Manager Scott Servais characterized his club’s low-energy performance Sunday while likely attempting to calculate how fiercely they should approach their final four games against the Tigers, which are shoe-horned into a three-day span.

“There’s been a lot of emotion around our team here in the last four or five days and I think you saw a little bit of the wind out of our sails today,” Servais said.

With the new-playoff format, the Mariners could go from the high of ending their unprecedented 21-year post-season drought to the reality that the renewed love affair between themselves and their fans could end Wednesday. The visitor in the opening series faces the reality that they could be eliminated without hosting any playoff games.

“We’re at the point where you almost got to win out,” Servais noted.

The A’s took control on two fronts Sunday. James Kaprelian pitched no-hit baseball into the sixth inning before allowing a single to Ty France. At that point, the A’s led 6-0. Kaprelian walked two, struck out seven and departed after retiring Eugenio Suarez to end the sixth. His win-loss record (5-9) may not reflect it, but Kaprelian’s growth as a starter is apparent.

After a two-week pause beginning August 31, Kaprelian has made four starts and equaled or surpassed his innings pitched and the pitch count reached in his initial 23 starts of the season. Translated, he’s establishing himself as someone the A’s can count on to get deep in games going forward.

“It was a good finish for James in terms of his bounce back from some struggles in the middle of the season to ending this month and really performing well,” manager Mark Kotsay said.

Conversely, Ray left too many pitches in the strike zone and the A’s didn’t miss them. His three home runs allowed tied a season-high, and he walked three batters in the second inning as a precursor to falling into serious trouble in the fourth and fifth.

“This is one that just, flush it and move on. I’m not going to let it take away from what I’ve been able to do this year,” Ray said.

Ernie Clement, in just his third start for the A’s, and Allen both came up with terrific defensive plays, throwing runners out after cat-quick diving stops. Langeliers homered in the fourth, and again in the ninth, a three-run shot off Penn Murfee.

The A’s conclude the season at the Coliseum against Anaheim. Adrian Martinez gets the start in Monday’s opener opposite Patrick Sandoval for the Angels.

What’s Your Mindset? A’s keep their spirits positive, beat the Mariners, 6-5

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By Morris Phillips

OAKLAND–The A’s came to the park loosey goosey, ready to swing the bats, then bear down to get some critical outs.

The contending Mariners admittedly were tight, overthinking things and probably burdened by the longest post-season drought any of us have ever seen.

The unlikely result? The youthful and hopeful A’s built on the momentum they gained Saturday night, and booted the Mariners in a 6-5 win on Sunday that captured the series, and highlighted the team’s promise and hopeful approach.

JP Sears outpitched Seattle’s higher-profile in-season acquisition, Luis Castillo, and the A’s built a 4-1 lead after five innings. The Mariners drew closer with two runs in the seventh, but were stymied in the eighth with runners in scoring position. Shea Langeliers tripled home an insurance run in the bottom of that inning and the A’s held on.

Afterwards, the Mariners expressed frustration with their play, and blowing an opportunity to boost their standing in the AL Wild Card hunt by not taking advantage of the league’s worst team.

“We know how important these games are and what they mean,” said Ty France, who hit into a third inning double play that spoiled a potential, big inning for Seattle. “I think sometimes we are trying too hard and trying to make things happen instead of just playing our style of baseball. We are trying to force things when he don’t have to. Usually, when we go out there and play our game, we are in a good spot.”

Conversely, the A’s clearly enjoyed their 4-3 extra-inning walk-off win Saturday night (on a FOX Network national broadcast as well) and walked into their clubhouse Sunday morning with improved posture. Their aggressive approach at the plate was noticeable in Sean Murphy’s first inning RBI double, Langeliers’ double in the left field gap that initiated a rally in the second inning and Nick Allen’s RBI single that put the A’s up 3-0.

“Luis has been awesome for us since we acquired him,” manager Scott Servais said. “Maybe left a few balls in the middle of the plate, but they were super aggressive. They were hunting they fastballs and didn’t miss them.”

Sears had just one hiccup, a home run allowed to Mitch Haniger in the third. He went five innings and scattered six hits with one walk issued. He worked seamlessly with Langeliers behind the plate, showing chemistry that was built off one outing the pair had earlier this month at Triple-A Las Vegas.

“He’s one of the most poised young catchers I’ve ever seen,” Sears said of Langeliers.

Six A’s relievers followed with Sam Moll and Domingo Acevedo the only two entrusted to get as many as three outs. Moll came up the biggest by retiring J.P. Crawford and Dylan Moore with runners at the corners in the seventh.