The Athletics got exactly the start they wanted in Cleveland on Friday night. Then everything unraveled.
A three-run blast from Zack Gelof in the top of the first put the A’s in front right away, but that early jolt was all the offense they would get. Cleveland answered with five straight runs, and the Guardians handed the A’s a 5-3 loss to open the club’s final road series of the year.
The A’s wasted no time getting on the board against Guardians opener Daniel Espino. Henry Bolte and Lawrence Butler drew walks, and with one out Gelof launched his 19th homer of the season to right-center field. Just like that, the visitors were up 3-0 before Cleveland even had a turn at the plate.
From there, though, the game turned into a long grind for Oakland starter Mason Barnett. Recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas for the assignment, Barnett was under pressure from the start. Cleveland loaded the bases in the first inning on two walks and a single, but Barnett escaped with an inning-ending double play off the bat of Travis Bazzana.
The second inning brought the same script, only with more traffic. The Guardians loaded the bases again, and again Barnett found a way out, this time striking out Jose Ramirez to keep the shutout intact. It took 54 pitches for Barnett to get through those first two scoreless frames.
Cleveland’s patience eventually paid off in the fourth. After two singles opened the inning, Brayan Rocchio ripped a two-run double to cut the A’s lead to 3-2.
Ramirez followed with an RBI single to tie it, and Barnett’s night was over. He finished having allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks over 3 1/3 innings.
Scott Blewett came in and briefly steadied things, but the Guardians kept pushing. In the fifth, Bazzana turned on a pitch and sent a solo homer to right-center, giving Cleveland its first lead of the night.
The margin grew in the sixth when Ramirez drove a Seth Johnson pitch to right field for his 12th homer of the season. The solo shot made it 5-3 and marked the 1,000th career RBI for the Cleveland third baseman.
Joey Cantillo had already done his part by shutting down the A’s after replacing Espino. The left-hander threw six scoreless innings and allowed just one batter above the minimum, giving Cleveland the runway it needed to complete the comeback.
Oakland never found a second answer. Shea Langeliers came to the plate in the eighth as the potential tying run, but he grounded into the A’s second double play of the game. In the ninth, Cade Smith closed it out quickly for his 38th save.
The loss was the A’s fourth straight and their 93rd of the season. They’ll try to stop the slide Saturday afternoon, with Jacob Lopez set to start for Oakland against Tanner Bibee for Cleveland.
In Other News...
Athletics Let Another Early Opportunity Slip Away In Frustrating Skid
The Athletics keep finding ways to make the early innings look promising, only to watch the momentum drain away once the game settles in. After getting swept by the Rays, they dropped a fourth straight when Zack Gelof gave them an immediate lift in the first inning and the offense added more hits later, but nothing else crossed the plate.
Mason Barnett gave Oakland three innings before the game turned in the fourth, and the bullpen did what it could to keep the score from getting away. Luis Medina and Elvis Alvarado helped finish things off without allowing a hit, but the bigger issue remains the same for a club in the middle of a frustrating skid: the A's are starting well enough to matter, then failing to build on it when the chance is there. [Read more 🡒]
Athletics Need These Key Bats To Wake Up Before This Skid Deepens
A four-game losing streak, capped by a sweep at the hands of the Rays, has left the Athletics searching for a quick reset as they head into a series with the Guardians. For a club trying to finish the season on better footing, the timing is tricky, because the lineup has not offered much margin for error and the recent skid has exposed how much the A's still lean on a few key bats to set the tone.
Shea Langeliers and Lawrence Butler have both been fighting through offensive struggles, while Jacob Lopez has remained a bright spot on the mound even as the results around him have turned. The A's do not need a miracle to stop the slide, but they do need their middle-order pieces to start producing again soon, or a short slump could start to feel a lot longer. [Read more 🡒]
A's Face A Real Catching Decision With Langeliers Uncertainty Looming
The Athletics season has already been dragged down by injuries to core players, and the catching picture has become another reminder of how thin the roster has been stretched. With All-Star Shea Langeliers sidelined and the club getting little offense from backups Jonah Heim and Brian Serven, Oakland has spent far too much time trying to patch together a position that usually has to provide stability.
Langeliers status is now one of the bigger questions hanging over the offseason, because the As do not just have to think about getting through the rest of this year. They may need help behind the plate even if he returns, and if the front office decides to look outside the organization, free agency could become part of the conversation as Oakland tries to sort out what its catching depth should look like going forward. [Read more 🡒]