Shea Langeliers kept swinging it. The Athletics still could not find enough offense around him.
Langeliers homered for the fifth time in six games Wednesday, but the A’s dropped a 5-1 decision to the Braves at Truist Park. Drake Baldwin did most of the damage for Atlanta, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and four RBIs as the Braves took the series.
That left the Athletics at 1-5 on the young season. It also sent them out of Atlanta after another game in which one bad stretch was too much to overcome.
Baldwin’s bat broke it open
Luis Severino worked around early traffic in the first. He picked off Ronald Acuña Jr. after a leadoff walk, then stranded two more runners with a pair of strikeouts.
The second inning did not go as well.
Ozzie Albies walked, Dominic Smith singled and Acuña drew another two-out walk. Baldwin followed with a two-run single to left, giving Atlanta a 2-0 lead.
The A’s answered in the fourth. After Mike Yastrzemski robbed Andy Ibáñez of a home run with a leaping catch in left, Langeliers followed with a two-out solo shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.
That was as close as the Athletics got.
Atlanta answered right away in the bottom half. Smith and Mauricio Dubón singled, and after Severino departed, Baldwin lined a two-run double to center off Elvis Alvarado. Matt Olson followed with an RBI single, and the Braves had their cushion at 5-1.
Sale stayed in control
Chris Sale never let the A’s build anything after Langeliers’ homer.
The left-hander allowed one run on one hit in 6.0 innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out three. Atlanta’s bullpen took it from there, with Robert Suarez, Dylan Lee and Raisel Iglesias combining for 3.0 scoreless innings.
The Athletics finished with four hits and no walks. They went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position and left only two men on base.
Langeliers went 2-for-4 and stayed hot. Jacob Wilson also had two hits, including a ninth-inning double. Austin Wynns added the other hit.
Clarke supplies the flash
The defensive highlight belonged to Denzel Clarke.
In the seventh, Clarke raced back in center and reached above the wall to rob Baldwin of what looked like another extra-base hit. It was the A’s best play of the day and one of the few moments that shifted energy back toward their dugout.
Hogan Harris and Luis Medina also gave the club useful relief work. They combined for 4.0 scoreless innings after the rough fourth and kept the game from getting any farther away.
Still, the damage was already done.
Severino took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked five and struck out seven. Baldwin’s four RBIs were the difference, and Langeliers’ latest homer was not enough to change it.
Up next
The Athletics are off Thursday before opening a three-game series against the Astros on Friday at 7:07 p.m. PT, with left-hander Jeffrey Springs scheduled to face Houston left-hander Framber Valdez in the opener.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
