Athletics fall to Bronx Bombers 3-0 in New York

Anemic offense dooms the A’s again.

The Athletics traveled to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to take on their American League East rival New York Yankees in game one of a three-game series tonight.

Mitch Spence took the mound for the A’s against Will Warren, a 26-year-old right-hander. The A’s loaded the bases in the first on walks to Butler, Kurtz, and Soderstrom, but Warren also struck out three, including Gio Urshela, to end the inning. Kurtz flashed some defense too in the bottom of the inning with a leaping grab to save extra bases.

The Yankees got the scoring started in the bottom of the second, with one out when Jazz Chisholm launched a homer into the right field stands.

Anthony Volpe led off the third with a walk, and Spence intentionally walked Aaron Judge. Cody Bellinger then singled to score Volpe and move Judge over to third for Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton popped out to Lawrence Butler to limit the damage to just one run. At the end of three, the Yankees led 2-0.

Spence worked his way into a jam again in the bottom of the fourth, loading the bases with just one out on a catcher’s interference and two walks. DJ LeMahieu singled on a come backer to Spence that he couldn’t handle, scoring Goldschmidt. He struck out Trent Grisham for the second out of the inning, but that brought up Judge, with no room for him on the bases. Judge went down swinging on a 91-mph cutter high in the zone.

Willie MacIver doubled to lead off the top of the fifth inning. Max Schuemann worked a nine-pitch walk. That brought up the top of the order. But Warren was able to get the next three batters without even moving a runner over.

Mitch Spence was pulled in the bottom of the sixth. His final line was five innings, three runs (only two earned) on three hits and four walks. Sean Newcomb took over for Spence. He made quick work of the Yankees in the sixth.

Newcomb tossed three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk. He kept the A’s in a position to make a ninth inning comeback, but Devin Williams, who has righted his season after a horrible start, sent the A’s down in order to lock down the loss for the A’s, 3-0.

The two teams are back at it tomorrow at 10:05 AM PDT. See you then A’s Nation!