'We just got outlasted': A's drop well-pitched game

OAKLAND -- Throughout their season-high win streak of seven games that was snapped earlier this week, the A’s seemingly found a way to deliver a clutch hit every big moment. The four days since that stretch are providing a reminder that things will not always be firing on all cylinders.

The string of good pitching from that successful winning run continued in Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 loss to the Phillies in 12 innings at the Coliseum, beginning with starter James Kaprielian and carrying over into the bullpen. Situational hitting, however, remained a lacking aspect in what extended into a four-game losing streak for Oakland.

Getting runners on base was not the issue, as the A’s nearly matched Philadelphia’s nine hits with eight of their own. The issue was finding a way to cash in. Stranding 12 baserunners in 12 innings and finishing 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position, Oakland’s lone hit in such situations did not come until Carlos Pérez’s game-tying double in the 11th.

After outscoring opponents 41-20 during their seven-game winning streak, the A’s have scored just nine runs over four straight losses. A common thread in that span has been the inability to drive runners home at opportune times.

“These last few losses have been tough because we’ve had a chance to win just about every one of them,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “[Kaprielian] gave us a great start. He did a great job managing that lineup. The whole staff, really. You look at it and we gave up one run before extra innings. … But when you’re 1-for-19 with runners in scoring position, it’s tough to win a game.”

The A’s were hitless through the first three innings against Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez before Pérez’s solo homer in the fifth gave them a 1-0 lead. From there until the 11th, the offense was silent despite getting runners on base in each inning.

The scoreless inning that provided perhaps the most frustration came in the ninth. After Tyler Wade reached base on an error by right fielder Josh Harrison, putting runners at the corners with only one out in a tie game, the A’s had two chances at notching what would have been their sixth walk-off victory of 2023. Instead, Jace Peterson and Shea Langeliers both struck out, stranding Tony Kemp at third base to send the game to extras.

“You’re facing the best closer in the game in Craig Kimbrel,” Kotsay said. “That’s a tough at-bat. Jace took three good swings and wasn’t able to put the ball in play. In that situation, it stands out. But it’s not the only situation. We’ve had our issues with runners in scoring position this year. We continue to talk about the process and approach for these young guys.

“It’s probably the most difficult situation in the game to understand and slow down. It’s a challenge. We were able to execute in the stretch of winning games. Right now, we just can’t come up with that big hit.”

For a rebuilding A’s squad whose focus this season is largely on seeing the development of a young pitching staff, Saturday qualified as a positive.

Kaprielian limited a potent Phillies offense to one run on five hits with six strikeouts over 5 1/3 innings. The earned run scored after he departed with two runners on base in the sixth, as Bryson Stott tied the game with an infield single off left-hander Sam Moll.

Over his last three outings, Kaprielian has allowed just five earned runs in 17 1/3 innings. On Saturday, he made up for a slight decrease in velocity with supreme control of his pitches, throwing 60 of 83 pitches for strikes and not issuing a walk for just the third time in 13 starts this season.

“I think just honing in and not trying to do too much,” Kaprielian said of the key to his recent success. “Trusting that if I put it in that spot, I’m going to have success. Making those guys prove they can beat me if I put it in that spot.”

Relievers Moll, Lucas Erceg, Sam Long, Trevor May and Ken Waldichuk combined for 6 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run, with Philadelphia’s two runs off Waldichuk coming in extra innings with automatic runners at second base, thus being unearned.

“The starters have done a great job of going out there and trying to set the tone early and the bullpen has done a tremendous job feeding off what the starters have been doing,” Kaprielian said. “We just got outlasted today, and it’s a little tough. But the whole staff did a great job today. That’s a positive.”