Shea Langeliers made history Tuesday night, but the Athletics could not complete the comeback.
Langeliers hit his 100th career home run and drove in three runs, but the A’s fell 6-4 to the Cardinals at Sutter Health Park. The loss dropped the Athletics to 21-20.
Trouble right away
St. Louis put the A’s in a hole immediately.
JJ Wetherholt walked to open the game, and Iván Herrera singled. Then Jordan Walker drove in the first run with a single to left.
After that, José Fermín delivered the biggest swing of the inning. His two-run double made it 3-0, and Yohel Pozo followed with an RBI single to push the Cardinals ahead by four.
Shea answers back
The Athletics responded in the second inning.
Darell Hernaiz and Jeff McNeil opened the rally with singles. Then Nick Kurtz drove in Hernaiz with a two-out single to center.
Langeliers followed with a two-run double to left, cutting the deficit to 4-3. However, the A’s did not score again until the eighth.
The swing that hurt
Jeffrey Springs settled down after the first inning, but the Cardinals added on against the bullpen.
Nolan Gorman singled with one out in the sixth. Then Wetherholt hit a two-run homer off Joel Kuhnel, giving St. Louis a 6-3 lead.
That swing held up as the difference.
Springs took the loss after allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings. He walked three and struck out five.
Milestone moment
Langeliers brought the A’s closer in the eighth with a solo homer to left.
It was his 12th home run of the season and the 100th of his career. He finished 2-for-4 with a double, a homer and three RBIs.
Still, the A’s managed only six hits. Carlos Cortes doubled in the eighth, but Zack Gelof flied out to end the threat.
In the ninth, Lawrence Butler walked to bring the tying run to the plate. However, Jonah Heim grounded into a double play, and Riley O’Brien closed it from there.
Up next
The series continues Wednesday at Sutter Health Park.
J.T. Ginn is scheduled to start for the A’s. He enters 1-1 with a 3.62 ERA and 31 strikeouts. St. Louis is set to counter with Matthew Liberatore, who is 2-1 with a 4.07 ERA and 29 strikeouts.
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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.
