Joshua Kuroda-Grauer gave the Athletics the kind of debut that should have carried the night.
The loss dropped the Athletics to 40-45. They have lost seven of their last 10.
Kuroda-Grauer arrives
Kuroda-Grauer did not look overwhelmed by the jump.
After opening the season in Double-A and moving through Triple-A, he stepped into the A’s lineup and immediately gave them production from the bottom of the order.
The first moment came in the second inning. After the Dodgers scored twice, Colby Thomas opened the bottom half with a solo homer to right-center.
Then Max Muncy and Alika Williams singled, and Kuroda-Grauer lined a single to right to score Muncy. It was his first major league hit and RBI, and it tied the game at 2.
Soon after, Henry Bolte hit into a forceout that scored Williams, giving the A’s a 3-2 lead.
Dodgers answer back
The lead did not last.
Max Muncy tied the game in the fourth with a solo homer off Gage Jump. Later in the inning, Miguel Rojas doubled and Andy Pages followed with a two-run homer to left.
That put the Dodgers ahead 5-3, and they never gave the lead back.
Jump allowed five runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five, walked none and gave up two homers.
Ohtani opens it up
Los Angeles broke the game open in the sixth.
Rojas singled, Dalton Rushing walked and Shohei Ohtani drove a three-run homer to right off Matt Krook. The swing pushed the Dodgers ahead 8-3 and drained most of the suspense from the night.
Krook was charged with three runs after facing four batters. Justin Sterner finished the sixth without more damage.
Then Kade Morris gave the A’s needed length. Morris, back with the big-league club for another stint, allowed one run over three innings and kept the bullpen from getting stretched further.
One more bright spot
Kuroda-Grauer gave the A’s one more reason to remember the night in the ninth.
He doubled to open the inning, giving him his third hit in his big-league debut. Bolte followed with a single, and Kuroda-Grauer later scored on a wild pitch after Nick Kurtz walked.
However, the rally ended there. Jack Dreyer struck out Joey Meneses to finish it.
That kind of debut matters, especially for an A’s team still trying to sort through its next wave. The loss was ugly in places, but Kuroda-Grauer gave them something worth carrying forward.
Numbers that mattered
The Dodgers finished with nine runs on 17 hits. The Athletics had four runs on 11 hits.
Kuroda-Grauer went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run in his debut. Thomas went 2-for-3 with his third homer, while Williams had two hits and scored once.
For Los Angeles, Ohtani went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs. Pages drove in two, while Muncy had two hits and two RBIs.
Still, the A’s missed too many chances. They went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base.
In the end, the A’s had the better individual story for a few innings. The Dodgers had the better lineup for nine.
Up next
The Athletics continue the series against the Dodgers on Tuesday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.
Jeffrey Springs gets the ball for the A’s. The left-hander enters at 3-7 with a 5.52 ERA and 78 strikeouts.
Across from him, Los Angeles turns to left-hander Justin Wrobleski, who enters at 9-2 with a 2.71 ERA and 53 strikeouts.
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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.
