Late Meltdown Costs A’s in 10-5 Loss to Angels

Losing streak is now at nine games

The A’s were seemingly on track to secure their first victory in over a week this afternoon in their finale against the Angels. Instead the Halos rallied late to snatch a 10-5 win from the Athletics, sending them home with their ninth straight loss and finishing a four-game sweep in Sacramento. Not good.

Taking the hill today, Luis Severino entered this one with high hopes. After receiving a huge contract in the offseason these are the types of games the club hoped the veteran right-hander could win for us. When the club is on a losing streak having a stopper like Severino is critical to getting out of the funk.

The A’s made sure to give him a quick lead. A quick top of the first got this game started on the right foot when DH-turned-right fielder Brent Rooker made a highlight reel double play to end the first inning:

For someone who hasn’t had a ton of time on the grass this year Rooker has been a viable option in the outfield for manager Mark Kotsay. We’re seeing him a lot more in the outfield than many anticipated but it hasn’t cost the team yet.

After that awesome double play the bats got to work against Angels staff ace Tyler Anderson. Back in the starting lineup after an injury scare, Jacob Wilson singled (business as usual) to get things started. Up came Rooker to the plate and for the second time in the first inning he affected the game as he demolished a changeup down the middle for a two-run home run:

That’s big fly #11 for Rook on the year. He’d finish the day 3-for-4 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI’s. The Athletics added on another run in the third via a Nick Kurtz sacrifice fly that brought Tyler Soderstrom in to score to make this a 3-0 game.

Los Angeles wouldn’t wait long to begin chipping away. Angels outfielder Taylor Ward got his team on the board in the fourth with an RBI single off Severino, and shortstop Zach Neto added an RBI knock of his own in the fifth to make this a 3-2 game. That would be all that the Angels would be able to get off of Severino today as he finished the sixth before seeing his day end after 99 pitches.

• Luis Severino: 6 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 99 pitches

Well Sevy did his part today, giving the A’s an excellent shot to snap their losing streak. He also pitched well enough to deserve the win and was in line for it before the coming meltdown. While he didn’t get the loss he still only has one win in the Green & Gold, though he should probably have more based off how he’s pitched this year. He dropped his ERA down to 4.11 with a date against the Houston Astros coming up next for him.

Only up one run the A’s didn’t let up just yet. A pair of bases-loaded walks in the fifth extended the A’s lead and gave them some breathing room against their division rivals:

The A’s would suffer an injury during the inning when third baseman Gio Urshela pulled his hamstring. He was immediately taken out of the game and postgame comments indicate an IL trip is all but certain. It was a good thing the A’s started getting Miguel Andujar reps at the hot corner and we can probably expect to see him there more while Urshela is on the shelf. Max Schuemann slid over from second to third with second baseman Luis Urias taking Urshela’s place in the lineup.

That represented the high water mark for the A’s in this one. First out of the bullpen was rookie righty Grant Holman. Entering today Holman had only allowed one run over his first 12 appearances for the Athletics so there was confidence the right-hander could hold onto the three-run lead. Los Angeles wanted none of that as they were all over Holman from the very first pitch. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Ward. And again he made the A’s pay. The Angels’ home run leader extended that lead, mashing his 14th home run of the year for a grand slam to completely flip this game upside down. In the span of a few minutes the A’s went from a three-run lead to a one-run deficit. They weren’t done there as another run would score on the second home run of the inning, this one from Logan O’Hoppe. That blasted chased Holman and raised his ERA from a miniscule 0.63 to 3.60 in 15 innings.

The A’s were in shellshock and you could tell. But they were only down a couple runs and began to rally, putting a couple base runners on in each of the next two innings. A pair of ill-timed double plays killed both comeback attempts before they even got started. Los Angeles blew this game open with three insurance runs in the ninth, and a 1-2-3 bottom of the frame finished this game off, sending the A’s home losers of their ninth straight game.

No one saw this coming just a couple of weeks ago. The A’s are now comfortably in last place in the AL West with a 22-29 record and have lost nine straight games and 13 of their past 16. Several of those games were winnable affairs but late meltdowns from the bullpen cost the team a few times during this rough stretch. It’s a team sport though and the guys just can’t seem to get out of their own way when they’re on their way to a win. That needs to change but it’s hard to figure out what to do at this juncture. Mark Kotsay felt the same way after the game in comments to reporters:

They really could have had this one. Just press on to tomorrow, I suppose.

The A’s are finally done with the Angels but aren’t done in Sacramento. They’ll take the rest of the night and tomorrow afternoon off before welcoming the Philadelphia Phillies to town for a weekend series. The Phillies have their scheduled starters for the weekend set as ace right-hander Zack Wheeler will get the ball for Friday night’s game to start the series. The A’s have yet to make an official announcement regarding their starter but it’s likely to be left-hander Jeffrey Springs, the lone starter to not make an appearance against Los Angeles.