The Athletics made one final push Thursday afternoon, but another one-run loss completed a sweep and extended a difficult stretch.
Brian Serven hit a two-run homer in the ninth, pulling the A’s within one before Cincinnati closed out a 6-5 win at Great American Ball Park. The loss was the Athletics’ eighth straight and completed their 12th consecutive series defeat.
The A’s fell to 45-70 and remain winless in August after finishing July 5-19. They are one game ahead of the Angels for last place in the AL West. Meanwhile, the Athletics and Rockies are tied for the second-worst record in baseball.
An early lead disappears
Cincinnati struck immediately when Elly De La Cruz led off the first with his 19th home run.
However, the Athletics responded with a three-run fourth inning against Andrew Abbott. Henry Bolte and Tommy White opened the rally with singles before Jonah Heim walked to load the bases.
Tyler Soderstrom then delivered a two-run single to give the A’s a 2-1 lead. Max Muncy followed with another single before Lawrence Butler grounded into a double play, allowing Heim to score for a 3-1 advantage.
The lead did not last.
Barnett gets burned by power
Mason Barnett allowed three home runs during his 4 1/3 innings.
Sal Stewart opened the fourth with a solo shot, and Tyler Stephenson followed with another homer two batters later. As a result, Cincinnati quickly tied the game at 3.
Barnett ran into more trouble in the fifth. Matt McLain was hit by a pitch before Stewart singled and JJ Bleday walked.
Elvis Alvarado entered with the bases loaded and one out. He struck out Stephenson, but consecutive walks to Eugenio Suárez and Dane Myers forced home two runs.
Barnett was charged with five earned runs on five hits. He walked three, struck out seven and fell to 1-2.
Serven makes it interesting
Brady Basso worked a clean sixth before Seth Johnson made his Athletics debut in the seventh.
Johnson struck out Stewart to open the inning. Then Bleday hit a solo homer, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 6-3.
Johnson ultimately allowed one run on three hits over two innings while striking out four.
Still, the Athletics had one final rally.
Butler singled with one out in the ninth and advanced to second on a throwing error by De La Cruz. Serven then drove Brock Burke’s pitch 391 feet to left-center for his second homer of the season.
Suddenly, the A’s were within 6-5.
However, Burke retired Alika Williams on a groundout before striking out Jonathan Ornelas to end the game.
Serven finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs. Soderstrom also drove in two, while White collected two hits.
Overall, the Athletics finished with nine hits and went 3-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Another series slips away
The one-run loss completed Cincinnati’s three-game sweep and continued a brutal stretch for the Athletics.
The A’s have now lost eight straight games and 12 consecutive series. After a 5-19 July, August has yet to provide a change in direction.
At 45-70, the Athletics sit one game ahead of the 44-71 Angels in the AL West. They also share the second-worst record in the majors with Colorado.
Up next
The Athletics head to Fenway Park to open a series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. PDT.
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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.
