The Athletics proceed to surrender house runs throughout a time the place they’ll be with out their main house run risk.
Three extra balls left the park towards the A’s Monday evening in a 5-1 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Coming off back-to-back shutout losses to Tampa Bay, the A’s really scored a run within the first inning when Ramon Laureano hit a two-out, RBI triple.
Then the A’s, hitting .192 coming into the sport, went quiet for the remainder of the best way in shedding their fifth straight recreation and falling to 2-8. Baltimore evened its file at 5-5.
Earlier than the sport, the A’s positioned Seth Brown, their main house run and RBI man a yr in the past, on the 10-day injured listing with a left indirect pressure. Ten days, retroactive to Sunday, is the least period of time Brown will miss. Indirect strains, Kotsay conceded, will be tough.
“Every particular person will be totally different and the therapeutic course of is totally different,” Kotsay instructed reporters.
The Orioles managed simply six hits towards A’s starter JP Sears (0-1) and 4 relievers, however the three homers accounted for all of the scoring till Ramon Urias hit a run-scoring single within the eighth towards Domingo Acevedo.
Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer within the first, his third, towards Sears, who additionally gave up a solo shot to Adley Rutschman, his third, within the third inning. Austin Hays hit his second homer of the season, one other solo house run, towards Jeurys Familia within the sixth inning.
Kyle Gibson (3-0) survived a 30-pitch first inning and went 6 1/3 innings for the win, with Bryan Baker, Cionel Perez and Felix Bautista ending up for the Orioles.
The A’s threatened to attain greater than they did within the Tampa Bay sequence, however frequently got here up empty after the primary inning.
“Tonight we had alternatives with males in scoring place,” Kotsay instructed reporters. “Within the third, we had first and second, hit the double play ball. Killed the momentum of that inning. We now have an opportunity to get one again within the seventh and left a man on third.”
Within the third inning with two aboard, Gibson acquired Aledmys Diaz to hit right into a 5-4-3 double play when the A’s trailed 2-1.
Within the seventh, Jace Peterson was stranded at third when Kevin Smith, Conner Capel and Shea Langeliers all struck out. With two on the eighth, Perez struck out Diaz and acquired Laureano on a grounder.
Then within the ninth, after a leadoff infield single by Peterson, Bautista, a 6-foot-8, 275-pound nearer, struck out Smith, Capel and Langeliers to shut it out.
The Athletics have now given up 20 house runs in 10 video games, whereas hitting solely eight. The 14 house runs surrendered during the last 4 video games equals essentially the most of a four-game stretch in franchise historical past.
Sears really pitched pretty nicely for the A’s aside from the 2 house runs, with a 29-pitch first inning stopping him from going deeper. As right-handers Paul Blackburn and Drew Rucinski work by way of rehab assignments, Sears not less than pitched nicely sufficient to earn one other begin.
“The one to Mountcastle was down and in, he’s hitter, put a swing on it,” Sears mentioned. “Suppose it was the appropriate pitch, however a foul location. With Adley, I used to be making an attempt to avoid that spot. Good hitters hit unhealthy pitches.”
Stated Kotsay of Sears: “I assumed he competed nicely. He gave up a pair lengthy balls, acquired by way of these, ending off 5 innings. I assumed he attacked the zone higher tonight. He solely had one stroll. We solely scored one run, so offensively we didn’t get our job accomplished.”
NOTABLE
— Laureano’s RBI triple got here on a pleasant piece of hitting the place he noticed 11 pitches and fouled off 5 pitches with two strikes towards Gibson.
— Smith inserted within the lineup and batting sixth after being referred to as as much as take Brown’s spot on the roster, had a tough 2023 debut. He struck out thrice and flied to proper, and missed badly swinging at two sliders and a change-up on the strikeouts.
— No A’s beginning pitcher has accomplished the sixth inning in 10 begins.
— Orioles middle fielder Cedric Mullins was ejected within the seventh inning after arguing a referred to as strike three towards Zach Jackson, as was Baltimore supervisor Brandon Hyde.