Athletics take down the Blue Jays 6-3

Springs is dominant early and the bats stay hot

The Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays finished off the first half of the season today with the rubber match of their series at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Jeffrey Springs took the mound today for the A’s against José Berríos for the Jays.

Lawrence Butler led off the bottom of the first with a walk. He stole second and then took third on a pop out by Nick Kurtz. But Tyler Soderstrom grounded out to the Bichette at short to end the inning.

In the bottom of the third inning, Austin Wynns got the A’s on the board first with a two-run homer to left field, driving in Gio Urshela. Wynns was in the lineup to give Shea Langeliers an extra day of rest during the All-Star break.

Tyler Soderstrom doubled the A’s run total with a two-run homer to centerfield scoring Nick Kurtz who had doubled.

The top of the fifth got interesting with two outs. Davis Schneider hit a long foul ball that appeared to cross the foul pole in fair territory. When the review was confirmed as foul, Jays manager John Schneider went on obscenity-laced tirade and had to be physically restrained from the third base umpire Brian Walsh. After Schneider took the walk of shame through the outfield to the Blue Jays clubhouse, Davis Schneider ripped a no-doubt homer a bit more fair in left field. That was the first hit of the day against Springs. The score heading into the bottom of the fifth was now 4-1. That score didn’t last long. Jacob Wilson reached on a throwing error by Jays pitcher Tommy Nance. Nick Kurtz followed that with a moonshot to left field for his seventeenth home run of the season. That two-run shot made the score 6-1.

Former Athletics star Chris Bassitt entered the game to pitch the bottom of the sixth. This was Bassitt’s first relief appearance since September 29, 2019, for the A’s. He sent the A’s down 1-2-3.

With two outs in the seventh, Addison Barger homered to right center field driving in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. That ended the day for Springs with a final line of 6.2 innings, three earned runs on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Justin Sterner replaced Springs and struck out Davis Schneider to end the top of the seventh.

Sean Newcomb replaced Sterner in the top of the eighth. He struck out two of the three batters he faced, sending the Jays down in order. The A’s went down quietly in the bottom of the inning. Mason Miller came on in the bottom of the ninth to save the game for Jeffrey Springs and the A’s. He struck out Ernie Clement for the first out. Bo Bichette softly singled to center field. But after battling to a 3-2 count, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded into an inning- (and game) ending double play. That DP locked down Springs eighth win of the season and earned Miller his 19^th save while taking the series two games to one against the American League East leaders.