A’s comeback falls short after disastrous fifth inning. ‘The guys battled’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Luis Severino's strong outing unraveled amid A's defensive breakdown in the fifth inning.
- Nick Kurtz and Tyler Soderstrom homered off Max Scherzer.
- Osvaldo Bido tossed four scoreless innings to fuel A’s near-comeback vs. Blue Jays.
It has been a season defined by contrast for Athletics starter Luis Severino, whose three-year, $67 million contract signed in the offseason includes the largest guaranteed payout in team history.
In 11 starts at home before Friday, Severino pitched to a 7.04 ERA and an 0-8 record — while he holds a 3.04 ERA and a 2-2 record in eight starts away from Sutter Health Park, a venue he has criticized multiple times this season.
While Severino picked up his 11th loss, the second-most in Major League Baseball this season, Friday’s series opener for the A’s vs. the Toronto Blue Jays wasn’t the same story as his previous few home starts.
Despite pausing play after an awkward slide on the mound he has called too hard in the past, Severino was putting together one of his best starts of the season, not just at home, after 4 2/3 innings on the mound.
Then things unraveled for the A’s, who went on to lose 7-6 and dropped to 39-57 on the year.
Severino’s fastball shines in strong outing
While Severino, who at that point had surrendered nine baserunners but limited damage expertly to only give up one run, was not looking as solid as future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer — who had fanned six, including five in a row, and allowed just two hits — it was shaping up to be a pitchers duel for the books.
The A’s starter had his fastball hitting north of 98 mph and tallied eight strikeouts of his own.
“I still have a good fastball, and I feel like I need to use it more. Just go away a little bit from the sinker and throw more of the fastball,” Severino said. “The sinker is good, but it’s a pitch that is always going to make contact so I feel like the fastball was a good pitch to chase.”
An error by second baseman Zack Gelof put George Springer on base and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 1000th career hit put Severino in a first and third situation with two outs.
After catcher Shea Langeliers threw down to second as Guerrero stole the bag, Springer took off for home and a throw from A’s shortstop Max Muncy looked like it would end the rally without any damage. Instead, the throw was bobbled by Langeliers and, suddenly, the Blue Jays were on the board again.
Another two-out knock, this time off the bat of Alejandro Kirk, put the Blue Jays up 4-0, plating both Guerrero and Addison Barger, who singled on a 70-mph ground ball.
“It’s bad defense … that led to an inning where it seems we just can’t execute the fundamentals,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “That’s the inning that the game got away from us.”
Later in the disastrous fifth frame, after reliever Jack Perkins had entered the game, a rocketed ground ball took a bad bounce off first baseman Nick Kurtz’s body toward the dugout.
While the play was later ruled a double, it represented another tough break for the A’s, who were coming off an 11-inning, walk-off win on Thursday that gave them their first home series win in more than a month.
The Blue Jays ultimately scored six runs in the fifth inning — all coming with two outs. Severino for his part finished the game allowing five runs, but only one of them an earned run.
“I feel like I was on top of everything possible. Command was pretty good. I was able to strike out a lot of guys,” Severino said. “It’s one of those games I think I could’ve gone out there and given seven, eight innings but, you know, I ran into a little bit of bad luck.”
A’s young guns take it to veteran Scherzer
Scherzer, 40, may have looked like his prime self, who placed in the Top 5 in Cy Young voting seven times from 2013 to 2021, but it was two of the A’s many young stars — outfielder Tyler Soderstrom, 23, and Kurtz, 22 — who burst his bubble a bit. Both hit long balls in the sixth inning Friday.
Both Soderstrom and Kurtz also homered at key points in Thursday’s win, and have been on hitting tears heading into the All-Star break.
“A lot of us have grown up watching (Scherzer) and seeing what he’s done for so many years, I know I would have been stoked so I’m guessing that they’re they’re also stoked to have that versus him,” said Muncy, who added a solo home run in the ninth off Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman. “He’s such a good arm even still, I know it’s late in his career but his stuff’s great. He got me twice, and he’s still got it.”
Kurtz’s projected 433-foot moonshot was his 16th home run of the season, the most among all MLB rookies, and the rising superstar has only played 55 games.
Comeback effort falls short
Two at-bats later for Kurtz — after a ninth-inning rally keyed by Muncy’s homer and a two-strike, two-out RBI single from Brent Rooker — the young slugger had a two-out, walk-off opportunity.
The task may have seemed big, but Kurtz has quickly established himself as not only one of the best power hitters in the game, but one of the best hitters in the clutch. In mid-June, Kurtz hit walk-off home runs in the series opener and closer against the Houston Astros, becoming the youngest player to hit two walk-off home runs in a single series.
While it wasn’t to be for “Clutch Kurtz” on Friday, as he struck out swinging to end the game, Kotsay noted his maturity at the plate and ability to deliver in big situations.
“Kid can’t come through every time. He got to 3-2 and (closer Jeff Hoffman) executed a pitch. That was a tough pitch,” Kotsay said. “The guys battled and that’s a good sign.”
While a strong offensive effort nearly won the day, without a stellar outing from Osvaldo Bido out of the bullpen, the comeback wouldn’t have stood a chance.
Bido, who was recalled Thursday, threw four scoreless frames while surrendering five baserunners after relieving Perkins. In 12 MLB games this season prior to Friday, Bido held a 6.14 ERA.
“Brilliant performance by Bido tonight,” Kotsay said.
The series against the Blue Jays (55-39) continues at Sutter Health Park, 7:05 p.m. Saturday, and concludes with a matinee on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. leading into the All-Star break.
Wilson nearly ready for return
A’s rookie superstar Jacob Wilson, who left Tuesday’s game with a left hand contusion and missed the following three contests, took on-field batting practice before Friday’s game and should be ready to return to the lineup this weekend, according to Kotsay.
While he didn’t enter Friday’s game, Kotsay before the game said Wilson was available off the bench.
“There was some thought to wait to make the lineup today, but I don’t know if Jacob, talking to him last night, was real confident going into the day,” Kotsay said. “He’s more confident now that we got on the field.”
Wilson, who is second in MLB in hits with 111 and batting average with .335, became the first rookie shortstop to be a fan-elected starter at the All-Star game last week and is the favorite to win American League Rookie of the Year.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 11:42 PM.
