A’s smacked in series finale by Mets 8-0

Time to hit the road

The A’s dropped the final game of their series against the Mets, getting shut out by New York and wrapping up the home stand on a losing note by losing 8-0 and finishing the home stand with a 2-4 record.

We had ourselves an old-fashioned pitching duel today between A’s right-hander Luis Severino going up against Mets righty Kodai Senga. The Athletics got a few baserunners here and there but multiple double plays killed any rally dead in its tracks. The Mets didn’t have much better luck against Severino as he struck out six Mets hitters over the first five frames.

The highlight for the A’s came in the top of the fifth inning when shortstop Jacob Wilson made an amazing play to end the frame:

A lot has been made about his hitting ability (and for good reason) but Wilson has also proven to be a steady presence at shortstop. He has yet to make an error this season or in his career so far.

The sixth inning saw the game’s first score. Still in the game after 92 pitches, Severino allowed a leadoff walk to come all the way around to score on a two-out RBI single to give New York the first lead of the day. That knocked him out of the game, ending a great outing on a sour note.

-Luis Severino: 5 ²⁄₃ IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 103 pitches

A much-needed bounce back from the veteran right-hander today, keeping a dangerous Mets lineup from ever stringing a rally together. This is more like what the A’s were expecting when they brought him aboard. His ERA now stands at 4.01 through four starts, with his next likely opponent being the Milwaukee Brewers.

Right-hander TJ McFarland relieved Severino and escaped the frame but Noah Murdock allowed a pair of runs in the seventh and Jose Leclerc gave up another run in the eighth to give New York some breathing room, and then they blew this game open in the ninth with four more runs to make it 8-0.

The offense meanwhile was at the mercy of Senga. In seven innings against the Japanese ace the A’s could only muster four hits and a pair of walks. Things weren’t much easier against the New York bullpen but by that point ths game was far out of reach. The club went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, culminating in a strikeout from Jacob Wilson that ended the game and officially snapped his 15-game hitting streak.

Tough loss for the club today. Severino gave them an excellent chance to win the series finale, doing his job and providing nearly six full solid innings of work. The bats just came up empty against Mets starter Kodai Senga, who looked like his vintage form today at Sutter Health Park. The team is now 6-10 and sits last in the AL West.

The A’s will get an off day tomorrow before beginning their two-city road trip. First up will be a matchup with the Chicago White Sox. The Athletics will turn to left-hander Jeffrey Springs to get the series started on the right foot while Chicago will go with righty Sean Burke. 4:40 P.M. on Tuesday everyone!