Of all the losses the Athletics have endured during their long losing streak, Saturday’s may have been the worst yet.
The A’s took a 6-5 lead into the ninth inning, but star closer Mason Miller blew the save when he gave up a home run to Max Kepler. Then the A’s had a bases-loaded with no outs opportunity in the 10th inning with the score tied 6-6, only to come away with no runs.
The Phillies, who extended baseball’s longest active winning streak to nine games, won 9-6 in 11 innings. The A’s, meanwhile, continued the longest losing streak in the Majors this season, which has reached 11 games, and lost another game at Sutter Health Park. Their 8-19 record in West Sacramento remains the second-worst home mark across MLB.
“It’s tough,” said starter Jeffrey Springs, who exited the game after six innings pitched with a 5-4 lead. “It’s a tough way to lose, on top of what’s going on the last several games. But we’re right there. We just need things to go in our favor. Unfortunately, they’re not.”
Miller was in position to close the game after Brent Rooker hit his 12th home run of the season, giving the A’s a 6-5 lead in the eighth.
It had the appearance of the type of swing that could end the losing streak and change the tenor of the clubhouse. But Philadelphia, who came into the game with MLB’s best record, scored four unanswered runs including three in 11th inning to pull away. Kyle Schwarber clubbed a two-run double and scored on a sacrifice fly in the 11th. He also hit his league-leading 18th home run of the season in the sixth inning.
“We’re doing our best every night,” Rooker said. “Tonight hurts. But at the same time, we got to turn the page and come back out to win tomorrow.”
The A’s are in a 2-15 rut that came after a promising 10-3 stretch from April 23 to May 5.
“We’re gonna win another game,” Rooker said. “It’s not going to last the rest of the season, so we’re going to stick with our approach and keep doing what we’re doing.”
For Miller, it marked the fourth straight outing in which he’s given up runs. His ERA has ballooned to 6.11 after beginning the season with eight straight scoreless appearances. He didn’t allow runs in consecutive appearances in 2024.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said the home run Miller gave up was emblematic of the team’s struggles during the losing streak. The pitch was supposed to be down and away, but ended up in the middle of the strike zone. Even at 101 mph, it wasn’t enough to keep Kepler in the ballpark.
“Kepler just dropped his bat head right on the pitch,” Kotsay said. “When it’s going good, you get away with that pitch. (It’s) a foul ball or the guy pops it up. When it’s not going good, the ball goes out of the ballpark.”
The A’s have a short turnaround with a game Sunday afternoon against their former starting pitcher Jesús Luzardo (5-0, 1.95 ERA), who leads all pitchers in wins above replacement this season. The A’s traded Luzardo to the Miami Marlins for Starling Marte at the trade deadline in 2021.
The A’s will oppose Luzardo with rookie Gunnar Hoglund (1-2, 5.06), who has given up nine runs combined over his last two outings.
Key young player injured
Kotsay said first baseman Nick Kurtz suffered a left hip flexor injury that caused him to leave the game in extra innings after advancing to third on a single. Kotsay said Kurtz will undergo more testing and possibly have an update on Sunday.
Kurtz, a highly-touted rookie who had a 1.040 OPS in 20 games in Triple-A before getting promoted to the Majors, has four home runs in his last five games. He exited Saturday after going 2-for-3 with a run scored, an RBI and two walks.
This story was originally published May 25, 2025 12:15 AM.
