The Athletics returned home after a solid 3-3 road trip, but the welcome mat wasn't exactly rolled out. In the series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland dropped a tough 6-4 decision at the Coliseum, with early struggles proving too much to overcome.
Jeffrey Springs got the start for the A's, but the first inning was a nightmare. The Cardinals teed off immediately, stringing together four hits and a walk to plate four runs before Springs could escape the frame—and it took him 32 pitches to do it. It was the kind of start that tests a pitcher's mettle, and to his credit, Springs settled down after that rocky opening. He finished five innings, allowing seven hits and four earned runs with three walks and five strikeouts, keeping the Cards off the board from the second through the fifth.
Oakland's bats responded in the bottom of the second. Darrel Hernaiz singled, and after Jeff McNeil fouled a pitch off his ankle, he gutted out a base hit of his own. Nick Kurtz made it three straight with an RBI single, and Shea Langeliers cleared the bases with a double to the wall, driving in both McNeil and Kurtz. After two, the A's trailed just 4-3—a game very much within reach.
But the bullpen couldn't hold the line. Joel Kuhnel entered in the sixth and immediately surrendered a two-run homer to JJ Wetherholt, pushing the Cardinals' lead to 6-3. Brooks Kriske came on to get the final out of the sixth and pitched a clean seventh, but after recording an out in the eighth, he left the game with an injury. Scott Barlow took over.
Langeliers gave the A's a spark in the bottom of the eighth, launching a monster home run—the 100th of his career—to cut the deficit to 6-4. It was a milestone moment that brought the Coliseum crowd to life.
Mark Leiter Jr. set the Cardinals down in order in the ninth, giving Oakland a chance to tie or win in their final at-bat. Lawrence Butler led off with a four-pitch walk, bringing the tying run to the plate. But Jonah Heim, pinch-hitting, grounded into a double play, and McNeil grounded out to the pitcher to end the game. A disappointing finish, especially with highly touted call-up Henry Bolte not seeing any action. All eyes will be on the lineup card tomorrow to see if the rookie gets his shot.