The Athletics turned a rough start into a big finish Wednesday night.
Jeff McNeil tied it with a ninth-inning homer, then Tyler Soderstrom drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th as the A’s beat the Angels 6-5 at Angel Stadium. As a result, the Athletics moved to 25-24 and climbed one game above .500.
The win also gave the A’s a one-game lead over Texas in the AL West.
Soderstrom finishes it
Soderstrom came through after starting the 10th with Nick Kurtz at second base.
After Brent Rooker struck out, Soderstrom singled to left. Kurtz scored, and Soderstrom reached third when Josh Lowe misplayed the ball.
The Angels made one last push in the bottom half. However, Hogan Harris worked around two walks and ended it when Jorge Soler grounded out to Jeff McNeil.
Where it turned
The A’s led 3-2 after the top of the second, but three Angels homers changed the game early.
Soler tied it with a two-run shot in the first. Then Jo Adell and Lowe homered in the second to give Los Angeles a 5-3 lead.
The Athletics started chipping away in the seventh. Kurtz singled home Darell Hernaiz to make it 5-4, though Carlos Cortes was thrown out at third to end the inning.
Then McNeil opened the ninth with his second homer of the season. That swing tied the game and gave the A’s another chance.
Bullpen holds firm
Aaron Civale allowed five runs over five innings, with all five scoring on three home runs.
After that, the bullpen took over. Luis Medina threw two scoreless innings, Mark Leiter Jr. handled the eighth, and Scott Barlow worked a clean ninth for the win.
Harris earned his fourth save with a scoreless 10th. Notably, the final out came with the tying run at third and the winning run at second.
Numbers that mattered
Soderstrom went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, including the deciding hit. Kurtz reached four times, scored twice and drove in two.
McNeil added the game-tying homer. Cortes also reached twice and helped produce the second-inning run that briefly put the A’s ahead.
The Athletics had only six hits, but they went 5-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
Up next
The series finale is Thursday night in Anaheim.
Luis Severino is scheduled to start for the A’s. The Angels are set to counter with José Soriano.
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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.
