The Angels had this one right where they wanted it - until they didn’t.
Up 6-0 entering the bottom of the sixth in Sacramento on Tuesday night, the Angels watched the game unravel in a hurry as the Athletics poured in nine runs over the final three innings and walked away with a 9-7 win. Carlos Cortes delivered the biggest blow with a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth, and Zack Gelof added a two-run insurance shot moments later to put the game out of reach.
The collapse began in the sixth. With one out, Shea Langeliers doubled and scored on Lawrence Butler’s RBI triple. After Yusei Kikuchi walked Gelof, the Angels turned to right-hander Luke Murphy, but the change of arms didn’t slow the A’s down.
Murphy got Jeff McNeil to roll one to first, but Vaughn Grissom’s throw to second was high, and the Angels missed the chance to turn two. That allowed Butler to score and kept the inning alive.
The seventh was even worse. José Fermin came on and immediately saw Alika Williams open with a leadoff single.
Cortes followed with a triple to bring Williams home, Henry Bolte walked, and Langeliers singled in Cortes. Taylor Saucedo then entered to face Butler, who laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third.
Saucedo hit Gelof with a pitch, loading the bases, and then walked McNeil to force in another run.
By the time the eighth inning rolled around, the Angels were hanging on by a thread. Sam Bachman got two groundouts, but Butler doubled, sending the Angels back to the bullpen again. Blake Weiman came in and watched Gelof launch a two-run homer that pushed the Athletics’ lead to three.
The Angels did manage to scratch across a run in the ninth, but the comeback never got close enough to matter.
In Other News...
Angels Face A Costly Veteran Reset With Free Agency Looming
The Angels are headed into another familiar winter with a roster that could look a lot different by the time next season rolls around. Anthony Rendon, Robert Stephenson, Travis dArnaud, Yoan Moncada, Adam Frazier and Jeimer Candelario are all set to hit free agency, and the mix says plenty about where the club stands after a season defined by uneven production and plenty of injury concern.
For Los Angeles, the bigger question is not just who leaves, but how much of the veteran-heavy reset is already underway. Rendons health has been a constant issue, Stephenson and the others have each carried their own recent questions, and the expectation is that most of this group will not be back in 2027. John Mozeliak is expected to stay on as interim general manager, which means the Angels may soon have to make a series of decisions that will shape the next stage of the roster rather than patch up the present one. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Netos Finish Could Force An Angels Decision This Winter
Zach Netos 2026 season has given the Angels a different kind of offseason question than they usually face with a young core player. He has put together a strong year overall, backed by a 113 wRC+ and 3.6 fWAR, and his play since Aug. 17 has only sharpened the attention around him. For a club trying to decide how to balance short-term competitiveness with long-term direction, that kind of finish tends to change the conversation quickly.
The front office has already explored trade possibilities involving Neto in the past, and this winter could bring the same sort of discussion with more urgency attached to it. The looming MLB lockout adds another layer of pressure, making the timing feel important if the Angels believe this is the moment to capitalize on his current value. Whether they actually move him or not, Netos finish has put them back in a familiar but uncomfortable spot. [Read more 🡒]
Angels Enter Final Week With Real 2027 Roster Jobs On The Line
The final week of the season has become more than a finish line for the Angels. With the standings already set, manager Kurt Suzuki and the front office are using these last games to sort through parts of the roster that could matter in 2027, treating the stretch run as one more layer of evaluation rather than a formality.
Grayson Rodriguez, Vaughn Grissom and Luke Murphy are among the players under the microscope as the Angels weigh who fits into the long-term plan. What they do in these remaining games could help determine whether they head into next year with a clearer path to a roster spot or leave camp facing a more uncertain future. [Read more 🡒]