A’s come up short in a 7-5 loss to the Marlins

Oakland was unable to hold onto a 5-1 lead.

The Oakland Athletics dropped their fourth-straight game Sunday as the Miami Marlins scored six unanswered runs to pull out a 7-5 win.

Paul Blackburn retired the first three hitters he faced, but found trouble in the second. Garrett Cooper and Yuli Gurriel led off the inning with back-to-back doubles to give Miami an early 1-0 lead.

Sandy Alcantara made quick work of the first six hitters he faced before Jace Peterson singled to begin the third inning. Peterson stole second and then moved over to third on an infield single by Shea Langeliers. Nick Allen then dropped down a bunt that Alcantara fielded, but no one covered first base. Peterson scored on the play to tie the game. Esteury Ruiz then put Oakland in front with a single to left that scored Langeliers to make it 2-1.

The A’s continued to add on as Ramon Laureano doubled to left center to bring home two more runs to extend the lead to 4-1.

Alcantara had Laureano picked off as he broke early for third, but the throw sailed wide allowing Laureano to score to make it 5-1. The A’s sent nine men to the plate in the inning and had their first five-run inning since April 27.

Blackburn worked around a single and a walk in the third. Miami got one run back in the fourth as Gurriel led off the inning with a triple to right. Blackburn then walked Jean Segura to put runners at the corners with no outs. Joey Wendle lined out to Nick Allen for the first out before Jacob Stallings scored Gurriel with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-2. Blackburn then struck out Jonathan Davis to escape with no further damage.

Alcantara settled down after the big inning and retired eight straight. The Marlins then struck back against Blackburn in the fifth. Luis Arraez and Bryan De La Cruz singled to start the inning. Blackburn struck out Jesus Sanchez for the first out, but then left a slider up to Cooper who drove one just inside the pole in left to tie the game.

Laureano led off the sixth with a single to right, but was erased on a slick double play turned by Joey Wendle. Alcantara struck out Rooker swinging to end the inning.

Blackburn was replaced by Ken Waldichuk in the sixth. This outing didn’t go as well as his debut, but the hanging breaking ball to Cooper was the big blow. He allowed seven hits, two walks and five runs over five innings. He struck out three while throwing 85 pitches.

Waldichuk retired the first two hitters he faced, but then allowed a double to Davis and a walk to Arraez. He would escape the inning though as De La Cruz flew out to Laureano in right for the third out.

Alcantara retired the side in order again in the seventh. He faced just 12 batters from the fourth through the seventh after the five-run third inning.

Waldichuk came back out for the seventh and again retired the first two hitters before Gurriel singled. Mark Kotsay would go to his bullpen again and bring in Austin Pruitt who got Segura to ground out to Allen on his first pitch.

Alcantara gave way to Tanner Scott, who allowed a two-out walk to Ryan Noda, but then got Laureano to pop out to end the inning.

Pruitt returned for the eighth and things got weird. Wendle led off the inning with a hustle double as Ruiz hesitated throwing the ball in from center field. Stallings then got charged with a pitch clock violation, failed on a bunt attempt and then lined a single to right. Laureano fielded it and fired home as Wendle ran through the stop sign, but slammed on the brakes as the throw airmailed Langeliers at the plate.

Pruitt came back and struck out pinch hitter Jorge Soler for the first out. Kotsay then went back to his bullpen for Sam Moll to face Arraez who sent a grounder off the glove of Aledmys Diaz. Wendle scored to put Miami back in front 6-5. Moll then struck out De La Cruz, but the ball bounced away from Langeliers and pinch runner Nick Fortes crossed the plate to make it 7-5.

Oakland went down in order in the ninth against Dylan Floro to end the game.

After the five-run third, the A’s managed just a single and walk over the next six innings and one of those base runners was erased on a double play.

The loss drops Oakland to 12-49 for the season. They will make the trip to Pittsburgh Monday where they will begin a three-game series against the Pirates.