Luis Medina surrendered back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning, and the Athletics lost another late lead Thursday night.
Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras homered on consecutive pitches, lifting the Boston Red Sox to a 5-4 win at Sutter Health Park. The loss dropped the A’s to 45-64 and gave Boston a 3-1 series victory.
The Athletics led by three runs early and carried a 4-3 advantage into the eighth. However, Medina could not protect it and received his fourth blown save.
Butler sets the pace
Lawrence Butler powered the Athletics with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored.
Jacob Wilson opened the scoring in the third with an RBI single. Carlos Cortes scored after reaching on a walk and advancing on Donovan Walton’s groundout.
Then the A’s added two runs in the fourth. Jonah Heim doubled before Butler drove him home with a double to right.
Jeff McNeil followed with a single, and Walton delivered a two-out RBI hit. As a result, the Athletics took a 3-0 lead against Sonny Gray.
Butler struck again in the sixth. He opened the inning with his second double, advanced on McNeil’s flyout and scored on Cortes’ sacrifice fly.
Wilson finished with two hits and one RBI. Heim also collected two hits, while the Athletics totaled nine.
Barnett battles through five
Mason Barnett held Boston scoreless through four innings before the Red Sox erased the lead in the fifth.
Caleb Durbin was hit by a pitch and scored on Andruw Monasterio’s single. Later, Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-out, two-run double to tie the game.
A throwing error by Walton allowed Rafaela to reach third. However, Barnett retired Abreu to keep the score even.
Barnett allowed three runs on four hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out six.
Next, Scott Blewett delivered two scoreless innings. He allowed two hits and struck out one while protecting the 4-3 lead.
Two pitches change everything
Medina entered for the eighth and immediately lost the advantage.
Abreu drove a changeup 422 feet to center for his 16th home run. Then Contreras hit the next pitch 414 feet for his 23rd homer.
The consecutive solo shots gave Boston its first lead of the night. Medina retired the next three hitters, but the damage was complete.
He allowed two runs on two hits over one inning. As a result, Medina fell to 2-3 and received his fourth blown save.
Elvis Alvarado worked a scoreless ninth. Still, the Athletics could not produce a final comeback.
Chances disappear late
Heim singled to open the eighth, and Henry Bolte entered as a pinch-runner. However, Tommy White grounded into a double play before Butler struck out.
The A’s created another opportunity in the ninth. Alika Williams hit a one-out double against Aroldis Chapman, putting the tying run in scoring position.
Chapman responded by striking out Colby Thomas and Nick Kurtz. He earned his 26th save after working around the double.
The Athletics finished 4-for-14 with runners in scoring position and stranded six. Boston went 2-for-6 and left five aboard.
Up next
The Athletics open a series against the Detroit Tigers on Friday at Sutter Health Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT.
Jeffrey Springs starts for the A’s. He enters at 3-10 with a 6.23 ERA and 86 strikeouts.
Detroit counters with Casey Mize, who is 4-6 with a 2.70 ERA and 85 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.
