The dog days arrived early for the Athletics.
Brief life, buried fast
The Dodgers struck first against Jeffrey Springs in the opening inning.
Andy Pages singled, Freddie Freeman walked and Mookie Betts followed with an RBI single to left. Then Teoscar Hernández lifted a sacrifice fly, giving Los Angeles a 2-0 lead before the A’s had taken their first swings.
The Athletics answered in the bottom half. Shea Langeliers singled, Nick Kurtz walked and Jonah Heim lined a two-out single to center, scoring Langeliers to make it 2-1.
However, that was the closest the A’s got.
Edman breaks it open
Springs had a chance to keep the game tight in the third, but the inning turned with two outs.
Freeman singled, Betts singled and Kyle Tucker walked to load the bases. Then Tommy Edman drove a three-run homer to center, pushing the Dodgers ahead 5-1.
The homer was Edman’s first of the season. It also gave Los Angeles full control.
Springs allowed six runs on eight hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked four, struck out two and allowed two homers.
Dodgers keep piling on
Miguel Rojas added another homer in the sixth, taking Springs deep to left-center for his third of the season.
Elvis Alvarado entered after that and stranded an inherited runner. But Los Angeles added three more in the seventh against Geoff Hartlieb.
Rojas added a sacrifice fly. Then Dalton Rushing followed with an RBI single, and another run scored on Alika Williams’ throwing error.
As a result, the Dodgers pushed the lead to 9-1.
Thomas answers again
Colby Thomas gave the A’s their loudest swing in the seventh.
Joey Meneses singled with one out, and Thomas followed with a two-run homer to left-center off Justin Wrobleski. The 424-foot drive was Thomas’ fourth homer of the season and second in as many games against the Dodgers.
Still, the A’s did not build much around it.
Wrobleski earned the win after allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out 11 and walked none.
Numbers that mattered
The Dodgers finished with nine runs on 14 hits. The Athletics had three runs on seven hits and committed one error.
Thomas went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer. Heim drove in the first run, while Langeliers, Meneses, Max Muncy and Williams each added one hit.
For Los Angeles, Edman went 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBIs. Betts had three hits, and Rojas drove in two.
Notably, the A’s struck out 15 times and went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. The Dodgers went 4-for-13 in those spots and left nine on base.
In the end, the A’s showed a little fight early. Then the best team in baseball turned the night into another reminder of the gap.
Up next
The Athletics look to salvage the series finale against the Dodgers on Wednesday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.
J.T. Ginn gets the ball for the A’s. The right-hander enters at 6-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 78 strikeouts.
Los Angeles has not listed a probable starter.
After that, the A’s get a day off Thursday before opening a home series against Miami.
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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.
