The Athletics had chances to steal each of the first two games in Tampa Bay. Thursday afternoon offered no such opportunity.
Jeffrey Springs was knocked out during a six-run fourth inning, and the A’s were routed 10-1 by the Rays at Tropicana Field. Lawrence Butler provided the only run with his 17th homer as the Athletics fell to 61-92.
The loss completed a three-game sweep. After dropping the first two games by one run each, the A’s were never competitive once Tampa Bay broke through Thursday.
Springs unravels in the fourth
Springs opened with three scoreless innings and allowed only one hit during that stretch. However, everything changed in the fourth.
Jonathan Aranda doubled before Junior Caminero and Liam Hicks walked, loading the bases with nobody out. Springs briefly escaped trouble when Jonny DeLuca grounded into a forceout at home.
Then Chandler Simpson delivered a two-run single for a 2-0 lead.
Ryan Vilade was hit by a pitch before Richie Palacios followed with a two-run double. A fielding error by Jonah Heim allowed Vilade to score as well, stretching the lead to 5-0.
Taylor Walls followed with an RBI bunt single, making it 6-0. At that point, Springs’ afternoon was finished.
Springs allowed six earned runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four while falling to 4-14.
Geoff Hartlieb stopped the damage, stranding an inherited runner and working 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
Butler provides the lone answer
The Athletics had opportunities against Drew Rasmussen but could not capitalize.
Denzel Clarke singled and stole second and third in the third inning. Henry Bolte also walked and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position. However, Jeff McNeil grounded out to end the threat.
The A’s stranded two more in the fifth before Butler finally broke through against Casey Legumina in the sixth.
Butler drove a solo homer 437 feet to right field, cutting the deficit to 6-1. He finished 2-for-4 and accounted for the Athletics’ only extra-base hit and RBI.
Overall, the A’s managed five hits and went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Rays pile it on
Tampa Bay quickly restored its cushion against Joe Rock in the sixth.
Rock faced three batters and retired none, allowing a single and two walks. Chris Roycroft entered with the bases loaded, but consecutive walks forced home two runs.
The Rays added two more in the eighth after an error by Bolte extended the inning. Hicks followed with a two-run single for the 10-1 margin.
Meanwhile, Hartlieb was the bright spot behind Springs. He retired all five batters he faced and struck out two.
Athletics pitching allowed only seven hits, but nine walks and two errors helped Tampa Bay turn those opportunities into 10 runs.
Nine games remain
The A’s head to Cleveland at 61-92 with nine games remaining. They still need two victories to avoid a 100-loss season.
The road trip continues Friday against the Guardians at Progressive Field. Mason Barnett is scheduled to start for the Athletics against Cleveland right-hander Daniel Espino.
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 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.
