The Athletics are suddenly remembering how to win series.
Zack Gelof broke a seventh-inning tie with a two-run homer Sunday afternoon, lifting the A’s to a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers at Sutter Health Park. Lawrence Butler also hit a two-run homer, while Tommy White added the first home run of his major league career in the eighth.
After losing 5-3 Saturday, the Athletics bounced back to take two of three from Texas. They have now won consecutive series after taking two of three in Boston last weekend.
More importantly, this one ended a much longer drought at home. The A’s had gone 0-12-1 over their previous 13 series at Sutter Health Park, with their last series win there coming April 28-30.
Lopez keeps it close
Jacob Lopez gave the Athletics six strong innings while the offense searched for a breakthrough. Texas struck first when Jake Burger homered in the second, but Butler answered in the bottom half.
After White singled, Butler drove a two-run homer around the right-field foul pole. His 11th homer gave the Athletics a 2-1 lead before Texas tied it in the third on Burger’s fielder’s choice.
From there, Lopez settled in. The left-hander allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, walked two and struck out six while throwing 93 pitches.
Then the bullpen was even better.
Luis Medina, Elvis Alvarado, Drew Rom and Hogan Harris combined for three scoreless innings. They allowed only two hits and struck out six, with Harris finishing it with a perfect ninth for his 12th save.
Gelof changes the game
The score remained tied until Henry Bolte singled with one out in the seventh. Then Gelof delivered the swing the A’s had been waiting for.
Gelof drove Jakob Junis’ 2-2 pitch 403 feet to right-center for his 14th home run, giving the Athletics a 4-2 lead. He finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Bolte also had three hits, while Butler went 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Overall, the Athletics piled up 13 hits.
White gets his first
The final run came with a milestone. Leading off the eighth, White drove a Peyton Gray pitch 413 feet to center field for his first major league home run.
White, a second-round pick in the 2024 draft, made his major league debut July 17. His homer gave Harris another insurance run before the ninth.
Meanwhile, Jacob Wilson’s major league-record errorless streak at shortstop reached 114 games. A fourth-inning grounder that Wilson could not handle was ruled a single.
A different kind of streak
For much of the summer, series wins have been exceedingly difficult to find. Now the Athletics have two in their last three series.
They took two of three from Boston at Fenway Park, were swept by the first-place Rays, then recovered by taking two of three from Texas.
Sunday’s victory also gave them their first home series win since June 12-14 in Las Vegas. More specifically, it was their first series win at Sutter Health Park since April 28-30.
The A’s improved to 49-75.
Soderstrom lands on IL
The Athletics also made a notable roster move Sunday, placing Tyler Soderstrom on the 10-day injured list retroactive to Aug. 15. Darell Hernaiz was recalled from Las Vegas.
Hernaiz started at third base Sunday and went 1-for-2 before Jeff McNeil pinch-hit for him in the seventh.
Up next
The Athletics now head to Kansas City for a four-game series against the Royals. Mason Barnett is scheduled to start Monday for the A’s, entering at 1-3 with a 6.16 ERA.
Kansas City counters with Michael Wacha, who is 5-8 with a 3.46 ERA. First pitch is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. PT.
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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.
