The Athletics had one night to feel better. Then Sunday pulled them right back into the same hole.
After snapping a 10-game losing streak Saturday, the A’s dropped the series finale 5-2 to the Washington Nationals at Sutter Health Park. The loss gave the Athletics their 11th straight home series defeat and dropped them to 42-57, eight games behind first-place Texas in the AL West and only 3.5 games ahead of the last-place Angels.
Lopez keeps it close
Jacob Lopez gave the A’s a decent chance early.
The left-hander worked around two baserunners in the first and retired the Nationals in order in the second. Then Nasim Nuñez singled in the third, stole second and third and scored on Curtis Mead’s groundout.
The A’s answered in the bottom half. Alika Williams doubled, moved to third on Jacob Wilson’s groundout and scored when Tyler Soderstrom singled to right.
That tied the game at 1, and Lopez kept it there only briefly.
Missed chances stack up
Washington took the lead back in the fourth.
Dylan Crews was hit by a pitch, and Harry Ford followed with an RBI double to left. Lopez limited the damage by striking out Daylen Lile and getting Nuñez to fly out.
Still, the A’s could not answer. Tommy White grounded out to end the fourth, and Soderstrom struck out with Henry Bolte at second in the fifth.
Then Shea Langeliers opened the sixth with a double. However, Jonah Heim grounded out, Joshua Kuroda-Grauer popped out and Colby Thomas struck out.
That inning fit the day. The A’s had hits, but not enough of them came in run-scoring spots.
Bullpen swing
Lopez exited after James Wood lined out to begin the fifth.
Elvis Alvarado entered, and the inning turned fast. Mead walked, Andrés Chaparro grounded out and CJ Abrams hit a two-run homer to center.
Then Crews followed with a solo homer to left. Just like that, a 2-1 game became 5-1.
Lopez took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked two, struck out six, hit two batters and left with the game still close.
Alvarado was charged with three runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Too little late
The Athletics kept putting runners on after the deficit grew, but the big swing never came.
White walked to open the seventh, but Bolte grounded into a double play. Williams followed with his second double of the game, and Wilson flew out.
In the eighth, Heim singled and Kuroda-Grauer singled with two outs. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, but Carlos Cortes grounded out.
Then the A’s added one in the ninth. Jeff McNeil walked, moved to second on defensive indifference and scored on Wilson’s two-out single.
However, Soderstrom grounded out to end it.
Numbers that mattered
The Athletics finished with two runs on 11 hits. The Nationals had five runs on seven hits.
Wilson went 2-for-5 with an RBI, while Williams had two doubles and scored once. Langeliers added two hits, including a double.
Also, Kuroda-Grauer went 1-for-4 and kept his average at .404 since his call-up.
But the A’s went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Washington was only 1-for-12 in those spots, but Abrams and Crews changed the game with back-to-back two-out homers in the fifth.
Foster Griffin earned the win after allowing one run on eight hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out two.
In the end, the A’s did not get buried early. Instead, they let a close game slip, and the slide continued.
Up next
The Athletics head to Phoenix on Monday to open a series against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.
Jeffrey Springs gets the ball for the A’s. The left-hander enters at 3-9 with a 6.08 ERA and 84 strikeouts.
Across from him, Arizona turns to left-hander Mitch Bratt, who enters at 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA and three 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.
