The Athletics’ run-scoring issues followed them into a new series Friday night, and the Yankees made the early damage hold.
New York scored four runs in the first inning and beat the A’s 8-2 at Sutter Health Park. As a result, the Athletics lost their fourth straight game and fell to 27-30.
The A’s have also lost six of their last seven. They dropped 1.5 games behind Seattle in the AL West after the Mariners won their fourth straight.
First inning trouble
Luis Severino’s night unraveled quickly against his former team.
Ben Rice reached on a throwing error by Nick Kurtz, then scored on Aaron Judge’s single. After that, Paul Goldschmidt hit a three-run homer with two outs to make it 4-0.
Severino exited after one inning. He allowed four unearned runs on three hits, struck out one and took the loss.
Kurtz answers, but little follows
Kurtz answered in the bottom of the first with a solo homer to center, his ninth of the season. However, the A’s could not turn that swing into a rally.
The Yankees added a run in the second on Rice’s RBI single. Then Ryan McMahon hit his sixth homer in the third, and Judge drove in another run with a groundout in the fourth.
Ben Rice added a solo homer in the seventh, giving New York an 8-1 lead.
Chances missed
The A’s had traffic, but the same issue stayed in place.
They went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. Their best chance came in the seventh, when Henry Bolte, Zack Gelof and Jeff McNeil loaded the bases with one out.
However, Carlos Cortes grounded into a pitcher-to-catcher-to-first double play. The inning ended there.
Numbers that mattered
Bolte went 3-for-4 and Gelof went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Tyler Soderstrom reached three times with a single and two walks.
Kurtz homered, but the A’s scored only twice despite eight hits.
For New York, Rice went 4-for-5 with a homer, two doubles and two RBIs. Goldschmidt drove in three, while Judge added two RBIs. The Athletics used eight pitchers on the night after Severino lasted one inning.
Up next
The series continues Saturday at Sutter Health Park.
J.T. Ginn is scheduled to start for the A’s. He enters 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA and 48 strikeouts. New York is set to counter with Ryan Weathers, who is 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA and 65 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.
