Nick Kurtz and Zack Gelof gave the Athletics enough offense to win Thursday afternoon. Instead, the bullpen let it slip.
Jack Perkins blew his second save of the season, and the Cardinals scored twice in the ninth to beat the A’s 5-4 at Sutter Health Park. St. Louis took the rubber match, while the Athletics fell to 22-21.
Kurtz starts it
Kurtz opened the bottom of the first with a solo homer to center.
It was his seventh home run of the season, and it came off the bat at 111.8 mph. However, the A’s could not add on against Michael McGreevy, who held them to one run over six innings.
St. Louis tied it in the fifth on Victor Scott II’s solo homer. Then Jordan Walker homered in the sixth, and Nolan Gorman added an RBI single after two A’s errors helped extend the inning.
Seventh-inning swing
The A’s trailed 3-1 before the seventh flipped the game.
Gelof led the push with a solo homer, his fifth of the season. After Jeff McNeil walked, Colby Thomas singled, and Kurtz loaded the bases with a single.
Then Shea Langeliers delivered the biggest A’s hit of the day. His two-run single scored McNeil and Thomas, giving the Athletics a 4-3 lead.
Still, they left two runners on when Michael Stefanic grounded out to end the inning.
Ninth inning stings
Scott Barlow protected the lead in the eighth, but Perkins could not finish it in the ninth.
Yohel Pozo singled to open the inning, and Thomas Saggese entered as a pinch-runner. Perkins got the next two outs, but then hit JJ Wetherholt.
Iván Herrera tied it with a single to left. Then Walker doubled to right, scoring Wetherholt for the go-ahead run.
Joel Kuhnel entered and kept the deficit at one, but the A’s could not answer.
Numbers that mattered
Kurtz went 2-for-3 with a homer, an RBI, a walk and a hit by pitch. Langeliers went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.
Gelof finished 2-for-4 with a homer and an RBI. Henry Bolte added another hit and stole his first major league base.
Jacob Lopez allowed three runs, two earned, over five innings. He gave up four hits, walked three and struck out two.
Up next
The Athletics stay home Friday to open a series against their former Bay Area rival, the Giants.
Aaron Civale is scheduled to start for the A’s. He enters 4-1 with a 2.59 ERA and 33 strikeouts. San Francisco had not listed a probable starter at the time provided.
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Langeliers 100th homer not enough as A’s fall 6-4 to Cardinals
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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.
