Shea Langeliers gave the Athletics two big swings. Cleveland’s lineup gave the A’s too many problems after that.
The Guardians scored in each of the final five innings Saturday and beat the Athletics 14-6 at Sutter Health Park. The A’s had 14 hits, but Cleveland’s damage came faster and heavier.
Langeliers starts fast
The Athletics jumped ahead in the first. Nick Kurtz singled, and Langeliers followed with a two-run homer to center for a 2-0 lead.
After Cleveland got one back on Austin Hedges’ solo homer in the third, the A’s added another run in the fourth. Brent Rooker scored on Jeff McNeil’s RBI single after a successful challenge overturned the original call.
However, Cleveland took control in the fifth. José Ramírez hit a two-run double, then scored on Rhys Hoskins’ sacrifice fly to put the Guardians ahead 5-3.
Cleveland keeps coming
Langeliers answered with his second homer of the game in the fifth, trimming the deficit to 5-4. But David Fry opened the sixth with a solo homer, and Cleveland never stopped adding on.
The A’s pulled within 6-5 in the sixth when Carlos Cortes scored on McNeil’s sacrifice fly. Then the game got away.
Cleveland scored three runs in the seventh, three more in the eighth and two in the ninth. Travis Bazzana’s first career hit was a two-run single in the seventh, and Kyle Manzardo added a three-run homer in the eighth.
Walk streak ends
Kurtz went 2-for-5 with an RBI single in the eighth, but he did not draw a walk.
That ended his walk streak at 20 consecutive games. Kurtz had become the first player since Barry Bonds in 2002-03 to walk in 20 straight games, finishing two games shy of Roy Cullenbine’s MLB record of 22 set in 1947.
Numbers that mattered
Langeliers went 3-for-5 with two homers and three RBIs. McNeil added two hits and two RBIs, while Cortes, Jacob Wilson and Rooker each had two hits.
Still, the Athletics could not match Cleveland’s run production. The Guardians went 6-for-11 with runners in scoring position and scored 14 runs on 14 hits.
Jacob Lopez took the loss after allowing six runs on eight hits in 5 1/3 innings. The A’s bullpen allowed eight runs over the final 3 2/3 innings.
Up next
The series wraps Sunday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m. PT.
Aaron Civale is scheduled to start for the Athletics against Cleveland’s Parker Messick. Civale enters at 2-1 with a 3.23 ERA, while Messick is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA.
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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.
