A’s halt pitching skid, still lose 9th consecutive game in setback to Twins
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A's dropped their ninth straight game, marking 20 losses in their last 21 games.
- Jeffrey Springs struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings in rare bullpen appearance.
- A's offense failed late, with next nine batters going hitless after the seventh.
Seventeen pitches in, Jeffrey Springs had already struck out two Twins and looked every bit the stopper the A’s needed Wednesday at Sutter Health Park.
The left-hander was coming off a rough May 30 start in Toronto, where he surrendered six runs and issued a career-high six walks in two innings. But on Wednesday, he needed only eight pitches to fan two Twins, including Willi Castro, who homered twice for the visitors en route to a 10-3 win the night before.
After a nine-pitch battle with Harrison Bader, Springs induced a weak grounder up the middle, fielded it cleanly and threw to first to end the frame.
You could hardly draw up a better start — except Springs, a typical starter, entered the game in the second inning. The A’s were already trailing 1-0.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay began the game with an opener in an effort to “reset” the struggling bullpen that had a combined 8.91 ERA, nine blown saves and nine losses in the 26 games leading up to Wednesday. It was the second consecutive day he’d deployed an opener. The tactic didn’t pay off either time.
Ryan Jeffers’ one-out, two-strike homer in the first inning off opener Justin Sterner put the A’s in a hole they never escaped. Oakland lost, 6-1, its 20th defeat in the last 21 games — a historically poor stretch rivaled only by the 1943 team’s 24-of-25 skid in August.
“In order for us to get out of what we’re in right now, these guys have to pitch innings to build confidence,” Kotsay said. “But, when you score one run, it doesn’t really matter in terms of how many you give up.”
It marked the A’s ninth consecutive loss and sealed their ninth consecutive series defeat regardless of Thursday’s matinee against Minnesota. They now risk being swept for the fifth time in six series.
“When you’re going like this, it seems to be magnified. It’s not just another loss, it’s how many in-a-row,” Springs said. “We believe in each other, and we’re going to turn it around. ...”
“It’s an awesome group and we’ll be fine. We’ve just got to get through it.”
Springs delivers in relief role
Despite the loss, Springs’ outing was a bright spot. He struck out seven over 6 2/3 innings in his first bullpen appearance since 2022. Only one runner reached base in his first three frames. But a 2-2 slider in the zone to Bader in the fifth resulted in a two-run homer—the game’s turning point.
“He did a phenomenal job. He gave us as many pitches as he possibly could, going out in that eighth inning. This kid grinded that game,” Kotsay said. “He only made one bad pitch tonight.”
While a few late rallies allowed the Twins to pull away in West Sacramento, the A’s pitching staff snapped a six-game streak where they allowed at least eight runs, which was tied for the longest in franchise history.
Springs, who came into the game with a 4.72 ERA and a 5-4 record, said coming out of the bullpen involved “a lot more sitting” and forced him to change his routine.
But he said he would embrace any role to help the Athletics win.
“I’m very detailed, kind of anal about my routine,” Springs said. “As a starter, I take a lot of pride and preparation in how I go about things. They communicated it as best they could. It’s just a little different.”
A’s offense struggled late
Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the seventh after Springs tossed two more scoreless frames, the A’s were still in it.
But the next nine batters failed to reach base, and seven struck out.
Rookie starter Zebby Mathews, who Kotsay said had a “really good” pitch mix, tossed five frames for Twins. While he entered the game with a 6.43 ERA through three appearances this season, Mathews surrendered only one run and fanned three.
It wouldn’t get any easier for the A’s as a trio of Twins relievers — Louis Varland and Brock Stewart, both sporting sub-3.20 ERAs, as well as closer Jhoan Durán — combined to shut the door.
Durán, whose ERA is under 1.00 this season, mixed a 100+ mph fastball, a high-90s splitter and a devastating knuckle-curve to strike out two A’s in the ninth.
“That makes it difficult on our guys,” Kotsay said.
A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson — returning from a day off after suffering a neck injury in Monday’s 10-4 loss — delivered the team’s only run with a fifth-inning RBI double. He was the only A’s batter with multiple hits.
The rookie leads the team in WAR by almost a full point with 2.3 after winning AL Rookie of the Month in May on a .368/.437/.538 slash line with four home runs and 16 RBIs.
Team updates
Before the game, the A’s recalled infielder Max Muncy from Triple-A Las Vegas. Muncy, who singled in his first at-bat back in the second inning, struck out in his next three attempts.
Muncy hit .176 in 21 games in the majors to begin the season but slashed an impressive .325/.397/.504 during his 31-game stint with the Aviators.
Outfielder JJ Bleday, also recalled from Las Vegas this week, remains hitless after six at-bats across two games with two walks and two strikeouts.
Kotsay said left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland is “ready” to return to the team after being placed on the 15-day IL in mid-May with a left adductor strain. McFarland threw 13 pitches Tuesday in a one-inning rehab assignment for the Single-A Stockton Ports.
This story was originally published June 4, 2025 at 11:54 PM.
CORRECTION: This story was updated to correct the name of the A’s manager.
