A’s lose to Phillies in West Sacramento, streak hits 10 | Sacramento Bee

The formula to break a long losing streak has continued to elude the Athletics in West Sacramento.

The A’s got a strong performance from starting pitcher Jacob Lopez against Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, and rookie first baseman Nick Kurtz hit a clutch three-run homer in the ninth inning to nearly bring the team back.

But ultimately the A’s came up a run short in a 4-3 loss Friday night, extending the longest winless streak in Major League Baseball this season to 10 games.

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“It’s tough to win baseball games,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “I always talk about it. Celebrate every win at this level.”

The A’s haven’t celebrated a victory since May 13, when they won the first of a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. Since then they’ve lost close games and blowouts. They’ve blown leads and comeback attempts have come up short, like Friday’s in front of 10,052 fans in Sutter Health Park, many wearing Phillies’ red and blue.

The game had the look of a pitchers’ duel going into the ninth inning with first-place Philadelphia leading 1-0 thanks to a home run from Trea Turner leading off the game.

The A’s could get nothing against Wheeler, who tossed 6 and 2/3 shutout innings while allowing three hits and striking out eight. Wheeler came in on a 16-inning scoreless streak, which he extended to 22 and 2/3. He went 4-0 with a 1.82 ERA over his previous six starts and pushed his record to 6-1 after getting credited with the win Friday.

Lopez had a career night, nearly matching Wheeler, while also allowing three hits over seven innings. His eight strikeouts set a new career high, but it was Turner’s lead-off home run that had the A’s trailing from the start.

“You just try to stay composed and try not to get too much adrenaline,” Lopez said.

Lopez was making just his third career start after bouncing between Triple-A and MLB with the Tampa Bay Rays over the previous two seasons. Friday was his second start of five appearances after joining the A’s this season.

“He’s going up against arguably one of the best pitchers in the game right now,” Kotsay said. “And matched him inning for inning, pretty much. ... Phenomenal night for him.”

Kotsay inserted his star closer Mason Miller in a non-save situation in the ninth to give the A’s a shot in the bottom of the frame.

It was Miller’s first action in nearly a week after he last appeared in a game May 17, when he walked three hitters in San Francisco leading to a Giants walk-off win the 10th inning.

Miller was similarly not as sharp, allowing three runs to the Phillies while getting little help from his defense. The rally started when catcher J.T. Realmuto reached third on an infield single to shortstop Jacob Wilson, whose throw caromed into right field. Third baseman Alec Bohm drove Realmuto in with a double, then scored on a single from center fielder Johan Rosas to make it 4-0.

The Kurtz home run jolted the remaining crowd that stuck around for the final inning. It was followed by one of the newest A’s, CJ Alexander, who hit a pinch-hit single to right field. He was stranded on the bases as Lawrence Butler struck out swinging to end the game while searching for his third hit of the night.

The Phillies won their eighth straight. They’ll send left-handed Cristopher Sánchez (4-1, 3.10 ERA) to the mound on Saturday against A’s lefty Jeffrey Springs (5-3, 3.91).

A’s shake up roster amid West Sacramento struggles

The A’s made a slew of roster moves Friday amid their losing streak, including designating their longest-tenured player, Seth Brown, for assignment. They sent down center fielder JJ Bleday, backup catcher Jhonny Pereda and reliever Carlos Duran. Lopez was called up for his third stint with the A’s this season before making the start Friday night.

Denzel Clarke, a rising prospect known for his center field defense, made his Major League debut and got the start Friday hitting out of the No. 9 spot. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts before being lifted for Alexander in the ninth.

The A’s also brought up switch hitting utility player Logan Davidson, a first-round draft pick in 2019. Davidson has spent six seasons in the minors and was having his best showing in Triple-A through nearly two months, slashing .303/.452/.428 and stealing seven bases in 41 games. He’s started games this season at first, second, third base, shortstop and left field.

The two others the A’s promoted: catcher Willie MacIver and Alexander. MacIver has gotten the A’s attention with his bat. He was hitting .389 over 35 games, and should provide an offensive upgrade from Pereda, who was hitting .167 while backing up Shea Langeliers.

This story was originally published May 23, 2025 10:57 PM.