The Athletics scored first and took an early lead over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night, until they didn’t.
After fouling off seven straight pitches, Seth Brown got things rolling in the bottom of the second inning. Brown lined a double to right that brought Billy McKinney swimming and sliding home for the 1-0 lead.
McKinney was initially called safe with the sneaky headfirst slide, but the Orioles challenged the call and it was, after several minutes of review, overturned.
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That was the only time any A’s player reached home plate on Wednesday.
But they got close, and had several opportunities to get back on the board. Oakland had eight runners on base, with seven of them reaching scoring position.
But it was just one of those days, manager Mark Kotsay said after the game.
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“We just couldn’t push runs across,” Kotsay told reporters. “We didn’t play a clean game of defense either. We talk about that a lot. We got to play clean to give ourselves a chance to win.”
While the A’s struggled offensively and a defensive error led to Baltimore’s only run, Oakland’s pitching was excellent.
Daulton Jefferies was dealing on Wednesday as he finished his career-high six innings allowing three hits and one unearned run. He also struck out five and had no walks.
“Dalton did a great job,” Kotsay told reporters after the game. “It’s good. He’s continuing to grow. Continuing to build on his outings. I think we got him to 83, 85 pitches today which is good. Six innings. Can’t really ask much more of that.”
The A’s couldn’t get any run support, but the efficient night from Jefferies showed that the 26-year-old right-hander is continuing to get better.
Kotsay also remarked Stephen Vogt has a right knee sprain after colliding at first base with Cedric Mullins and exiting the game. He will be evaluated and the A’s will have more details on Thursday.
For the Orioles, Jordan Lyles whiffed six and walked one in five scoreless innings in his first win with Baltimore. And it was Jorge Lopez who got the stunning five-out save, his first since 2019.
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The Oakland Coliseum was filled with all-around impressive pitching on Wednesday, but the small things made all the difference for the A’s in the end.
With the series tied at 1-1, Oakland will look to bounce back on Thursday and get the series win at home.