Athletics fall to Phillies, end homestand with fifth straight loss
OAKLAND — Getting three pinch-hits in a span of six batters in the late innings was enough to stir up the crowd, but the Athletics wound up losing 3-2 Sunday to the Philadelphia Phillies and being swept in a three-game series.
The A’s, 19-55, haven’t won since their 2-1 “reverse boycott” win Tuesday night. This recent losing streak is different than others the A’s have experienced this season, with close losses replacing blowouts that have given Oakland the biggest negative run differential in baseball.
After their seventh-straight win Tuesday night, the A’s fell twice to the Tampa Bay Rays, who have the best record in baseball, and dropped nail-biters both Saturday and Sunday against Philadelphia (38-34), the defending National League champions.
The A’s trailed from beginning to end as Kyle Schwarber led off the game with an opposite field home run against starter Hogan Harris (2-1). It was Schwarber’s 20th home run of the season.
Harris gave up only one other run in six innings before a crowd of 24,326. That also came courtesy of Schwarber, who singled in Christian Pache in the sixth inning. Pache doubled twice against his former team and scored two runs. Harris walked one and struck out seven.
“I’m trying to get ahead in counts and force them to make decisions,” Harris said. “Unfortunately Schwarber made the right decision once or twice.”
Trailing 2-0, pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz hit a leadoff home run for the A’s, his second of the season. Pache, with his second double, scored on Trea Turner’s single in the eighth. The A’s got within 3-2 on two more pinch hits — doubles by Esteury Ruiz and Carlos Perez — but got no closer.
Zack Wheeler (6-4) was the winning pitcher for Philadelphia, getting relief help from Matt Strahm, Jose Alvarado and Yunior Marte, who struck out Shea Langeliers, Diaz and Ryan Noda in the ninth.
“We really had a chance to win all three games against a contending team in the Phillies,” A’s manager Mark Kotsay said. “They were in the World Series last year. If you’d have asked me in April if we could play that well I probably would have given you a different answer.”
The A’s take Monday off before taking on two more teams with playoff hopes in a six-game road trip — Cleveland and Toronto.
NOTABLE
— The A’s acquired right-handed pitcher Yacksel Rios from Atlanta for ash considerations.
Rios, 29, has spent the season in Triple-A Gwinnett and is 1-1 with seven saves, a 1.46 earned run average and 30 strikeouts in 24 2/3 innings in 21 appearances.
— Ruiz was given a day off from his duties in center field after rarely leaving the field during his rookie season. He did, however come off the bench in the eighth for a pinch-hit double and a ninth-inning strikeout.
— Tony Kemp is 4-for-8 in his last four games with a run, a double and three walks.