The Athletics did not blow a late lead this time. Instead, they missed the late swing that could have changed the game.
Heim strikes first
The A’s grabbed the first run against Reid Detmers in the second inning.
Heim jumped the first pitch of his at-bat and drove it to center field for his seventh homer of the season. The 445-foot shot gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead and continued his run of big swings in recent games and on his birthday.
However, the A’s could not add on early. Detmers struck out eight over 5 2/3 innings and kept traffic from turning into a larger inning.
Perkins bends in the fourth
Jack Perkins worked around early traffic before the Angels broke through in the fourth.
Nolan Schanuel walked, and Jorge Soler singled to put two runners in scoring position. Then Jo Adell shot a triple to left, scoring both runners and giving Los Angeles a 2-1 lead.
Perkins limited the damage there. He struck out Donovan Walton and got Logan O’Hoppe on a groundout to keep it a one-run game.
Still, Perkins finished with two runs allowed on four hits over five innings. He walked one, struck out five and hit Adell twice.
Thomas ties it
The A’s answered in the sixth.
Nick Kurtz singled, and Lawrence Butler drew a walk. Then Thomas singled to left with two outs, scoring Kurtz to tie the game at 2.
But the inning ended there. Chase Silseth came in and struck out Max Muncy, keeping the game even.
That missed chance carried weight later.
Angels take it late
Los Angeles moved back in front in the seventh against Geoff Hartlieb.
Josh Lowe singled with one out, stole second and scored when Denzer Guzman singled to left with two outs. That gave the Angels a 3-2 lead.
Then the Angels added two more in the eighth. Matt Krook hit Adell with a pitch, and Oswald Peraza singled in a run. O’Hoppe followed with another RBI single off Mason Barnett, pushing the lead to 5-2.
Hartlieb took the loss after allowing one run in two-thirds of an inning.
Another empty chance
The A’s had their best late chance in the eighth.
Shea Langeliers singled, Butler walked and Heim walked to load the bases with one out. However, Sam Bachman struck out Carlos Cortes and got Muncy to line out to center.
Kirby Yates handled the ninth for his second save.
The Athletics finished 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. Meanwhile, the Angels went 4-for-11 in those spots.
Numbers that mattered
The A’s had two runs on five hits. The Angels finished with five runs on 10 hits.
Heim went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, a walk and both an RBI and run scored. Thomas added the tying RBI single and stole his first base.
Also, Kurtz singled and scored, while Langeliers reached twice with a single and a walk.
For Los Angeles, Adell drove in two with his fourth-inning triple. Guzman, Peraza and O’Hoppe each added run-scoring singles.
In the end, the A’s had chances. They just did not cash in enough of them.
Up next
The Athletics close the series against the Angels on Sunday at Angel Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. PDT.
Aaron Civale gets the ball for the A’s. The right-hander enters at 5-4 with a 4.88 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
Across from him, Los Angeles turns to left-hander Samuel Aldegheri, who enters at 2-3 with a 5.47 ERA and 16 strikeouts.
Related stories
Welcome to Dice City Sports — where we provide premium, exclusive, up-to-date news and analysis surrounding the Las Vegas sports scene. Follow along on social media, and check back for new articles daily!
Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, 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.
