WEST SACRAMENTO — As their disappointing seasons wind down, the Angels and the Athletics share the same goal: avoiding 100 losses.
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The Angels have never lost 100 games in a season, but they took another step toward that mark when they squandered a six-run lead in a 9-7 loss to the A’s on Tuesday night at Sutter Health Park.
The Angels (60-97), who play one more game against the A’s on Wednesday before closing the season with a four-game series in Seattle, need to go at least 3-2 over their final five games to avoid making the wrong kind of history.
The last time the Angels were in Sacramento, a four-game series split turned into the Denzer Guzman show. The A’s also had a big come-from-behind comeback in the second game that series, trailing 11-4 going into the bottom of the sixth and ultimately walking away with a 12-11 walk-off win in 10 innings.
On Tuesday, both shows continued, but the A’s (62-95) ultimately came out ahead.
Batting cleanup for the first time as a starter this season, Guzman’s three-run home run in the top of the third inning gave the Angels an early 5-0 lead.
“I see the ball better,” Guzman said of his exploits at Sutter Health Park.
In the bottom of the third, the A’s threatened with runners on the corners and just one out, but Yusei Kikuchi was able to get Lawrence Butler to ground the ball to second baseman Christian Moore for an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play.
Kikuchi sailed through the first five innings, keeping the A’s off the scoreboard on five hits. After a quick first out in the sixth, Shea Langeliers doubled and Lawrence Butler tripled on a ball to center that Jose Siri whiffed on at the wall. Zack Gelof followed that with a four-pitch walk, which was enough to bring Angels manager Kurt Suzuki out from the dugout, ending Kikuchi’s night.
Luke Murphy came in out of the bullpen and induced a potential inning-ending ground ball to first base, but Vaughn Grissom’s throw to second was a bit high and shortstop Zach Neto dropped it, allowing both runners to reach safely and Butler to score from third. Murphy was able to pitch around the miscue without any further damage, finishing the sixth with a 6-2 lead.
The A’s came right back in the seventh inning, with José Fermin giving up a single, followed by a misplayed RBI triple by Wade Meckler in right field to get the A’s within 6-3. Fermin then walked Henry Bolte and allowed an RBI single off the glove of Guzman at third, leaving the Angels clinging to a two-run lead.
Tayler Saucedo recorded the first out of the inning on a Butler sacrifice that advanced the runners, then the left-hander hit Gelof and walked Jeff McNeil to bring in another run.
Sam Bachman was called upon with the bases loaded and a 6-5 lead and got a fly ball to center for the second out, and a pop-up to first to end the threat.
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Bachman remained in to begin the eighth and after a hard-luck ball up the middle that hit off second base put Alika Williams on first, Carlos Cortes launched a two-run homer that gave the A’s a 7-6 lead. Bachman was also on the mound against the A’s back on June 19 when the Jonah Heim delivered a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth.
This time, Bachman recorded a pair of outs before allowing a ground-rule double to Butler that led to his exit. Left-hander Blake Weiman came in and promptly surrendered a two-run homer to Gelof that extended the A’s lead to 9-6.
“We’re giving [Ben] Joyce another day off,” Suzuki said of the decision to leave Bachman in after getting out of the jam in the seventh. “Watty [Ryan Watson] was going to be the closer. Bachman was going to be the guy to pitch the eighth inning and it just didn’t work out.”
The Angels brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the ninth after a pair of softly hit grounders put two runners on base with two outs. Christian Moore singled off pitcher Hogan Harris’ glove, bringing in Jose Siri to make it 9-7, then pinch-hitter Oswald Peraza struck out looking to end the game.
Kikuchi was charged with two runs on seven hits in 5⅓ innings, striking out two and walking one.
The Angels continuously threatened, putting at least two runners on base in five of the first six innings and collecting 11 hits over that stretch. Mike Trout was responsible for three of those hits, collecting singles in the first and third and a double in the fourth. He also walked in the eighth to finish his 3-for-4 night.
Back-to-back singles and a wild pitch helped set up the Angels’ first run of the night. Guzman grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Trout in the first inning.
Neto provided his own version of a Rickey Run in the sixth inning, drawing a six-pitch walk, then stealing second base and third. Neto then scored on a Vaughn Grissom RBI single through the left side of the infield for a 6-0 lead.
Guzman now has eight home runs this season, and four of those have come in his past four games played at the A’s hitter-friendly venue. He now holds the longest streak by a major leaguer at Sutter Health Park since the A’s temporarily relocated to the minor-league ballpark in 2025. The last minor leaguer with a four-game home run streak here was Miker Gerber in 2019.
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Grissom reached base four times, collecting three singles and a hit-by pitch.
More to come on this story.