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SAN DIEGO –– It was a battle of Dodgers pitching phenoms at Petco Park on Friday night.

The former one, in Walker Buehler.

The current one, in Roki Sasaki.

In a 7-1 Padres win, there was no comparing their two performances.

While Sasaki took a major step backwards in his up-and-down sophomore season, walking five batters and giving up a three-run homer in a shaky four-plus-inning outing, Buehler tapped back into his dominant form of old for San Diego, cruising through 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball to hand the Padres the opening game of this pivotal mid-season rivalry series.

That Buehler was ready for the moment was no surprise.

Before the game, manager Dave Roberts was only half-joking when he said the former Dodgers ace would “love nothing more than to shove it up our you-know-what.”

Sasaki’s struggles, however, represented a more foreboding development in a campaign suddenly headed back in the wrong direction.

He lacked command from the start, walking three of his first five hitters while grinding through long, foul-ball-extended at-bats. Then, after getting Ty France to an 0-2 count with two aboard in the second inning, he threw a low slider that France launched to left for a no-doubt three-run blast.

The Dodgers would trail the rest of the way, failing to solve Buehler before squandering a bases-loaded, one-out opportunity after he exited in the top of the sixth. The Padres didn’t even have to go to lockdown closer Mason Miller, either, not after their offense tagged Dodgers reliever Jonathan Hernández with four runs in the eighth to pull away.

For Buehler –– now on his third organization since getting the last out of the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series title –– the outing continued his recent turnaround, giving him a 3.81 ERA this season and a 1.71 mark since the start of June.

For Sasaki –– who has now allowed 13 runs in 14 innings over his last three starts –– the dud continued his recent regression, leaving him on Friday to be outshined by his current club’s former star.

What it means

The Dodgers’ division lead isn’t in danger. But, as they begin a seven-games-in-10-days stretch against the second-place Padres, it is worth monitoring.

With what remains the winningest record in the majors at 52-30, the Dodgers are still eight games up in the National League West on the Padres, who are 42-38. But the Padres have now won four games in a row, coming off an impressive sweep of the Braves, and are 11-7 since a woeful 1-10 rut over late May and early June.

Who’s hot

The Dodgers did lead briefly on Friday, courtesy of the hottest recent hitter in the lineup.

In the top of the second, Mookie Betts tagged Buehler with a solo home run on an elevated first-pitch fastball, continuing a torrid two-week stretch in which he has hit .375 with four home runs.

Nevertheless, even Betts eventually went quiet on a lackluster night from the Dodgers’ offense, hitting into two double-plays later in the game –– including one to end a two-on, one-out chance in the eighth.

Who’s not

Three weeks ago, Sasaki seemed to be on the ascent. He pitched seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts in a June 5 masterpiece against the Angels. He had a 1.49 ERA with 29 strikeouts and only five walks over an extended four-start stretch. And, most importantly, he was finally pairing triple-digit fastball velocities with an expanded arsenal and consistent command.

Alas, he has wasted no time squandering all that momentum.

Though he still averaged nearly 98 mph with his fastball, and topped out at 100 mph yet again, he reverted back to the wild command that dogged him earlier this season, issuing six free bases when accounting for a hit batter in the fourth.

As a result, Sasaki’s season ERA is back up to 4.88, the highest it has been in a month.

And it’s fair to wonder if his uptick in form earlier this year –– which included another seven-inning gem against the Angels –– was more the result of poor opposition and good batted-ball luck than a true turning point in his ongoing development.

Up next

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-5, 2.65 ERA) will take the mound Saturday opposite Padres right-hander Randy Vásquez (6-5, 4.17 ERA).

Box Score

Both the Brewers and Cubs came into this series hot, but it was the Brewers who kept that heat going. Despite a cold opening to the game, they turned on the burners late and defeated the Cubs 6-2. It was their 50th win of the season and fifth win in a row.

Jacob Misiorowski was fired up right from the start. On his third pitch of the game, he reached 105.5 mph with his fastball. That was part of a 13-pitch inning where he struck out the first two batters he faced. Meanwhile, the Brewers loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but left them stranded.

The top of the second was quick as well, with Misiorowski striking out two more. Meanwhile, the Brewers offense was mostly quiet with one exception. Cooper Pratt hit a one-out double down the left-field line for his first career extra-base hit. Pratt moved up to third on a David Hamilton groundout, but was left stranded there.

Both starting pitchers, Misiorowski and Colin Rea, continued to pitch a scoreless duel until the fifth inning. Misiorowski gave up his only run of the night to Seiya Suzuki, who hit a low slider out for the first run of the day. After that, Misiorowski lost a bit of control as he walked Ian Happ and threw a wild pitch, but escaped the inning with no more damage.

As for the Brewers, Hamilton led off the bottom of the inning with a single, then stole second and got to third on a throwing error by catcher Carson Kelly. Despite having a runner at third with no outs, the Brewers could not score him. Christian Yelich and Brice Turang struck out, and Jackson Chourio flew out.

The sixth started well for Misiorowski with strikeouts of Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong. However, he struggled after that. Alex Bregman singled to left, then Michael Busch walked on five pitches. Another wild pitch from Misiorowski moved the runners up, and Suzuki walked to load the bases. Despite being over 100 pitches, manager Pat Murphy stuck with Misiorowski, who rewarded Murphy’s trust with a strikeout of Happ to end the inning.

Misiorowski finished the night with 107 pitches thrown over six innings. It was an uncharacteristically wild night for him, as he walked four batters and threw two wild pitches. However, he limited the Cubs to one run and two hits, and struck out eight in the game.

The Brewers’ offense kept trying to break through in the bottom of the sixth. They had a good start thanks to a William Contreras single and Jake Bauers walk. That ended Rea’s night, and Craig Counsell brought in Ethan Roberts. Andrew Vaughn was the first batter he faced, and almost got out of the inning on his third pitch. Vaughn hit a line drive right back at Roberts, who snagged the baseball for the first out. Both Contreras and Bauers were halfway off their bases, and Roberts threw to Nico Hoerner at second to try for a triple play. They got Contreras at second, but Bauers just made it back to first to keep the inning alive.

All that did was delay the Brewers by one batter. The next batter, Garrett Mitchell, hit a high 1-0 cutter out over the right-center field fence. It had an exit velocity of 109.1 mph and traveled 407 feet. All of a sudden, the Brewers had a 2-1 lead.

That wasn’t it for the offense in the sixth. Pratt drew a walk on five pitches, then Hamilton extended the lead with a triple down the left field line that ricocheted off the left field wall. That increased the lead to 3-1.

Yelich finished the inning with a hard hit ball, but Matt Shaw caught it to end the inning.

After Abner Uribe kept the Cubs in check in the seventh inning, the Brewers added on. Chourio led off the inning with a double off new reliever Jayden Murray. Two batters later, Contreras hit a massive 449 foot home run out over the Brewers’ bullpen. It was now a 5-1 lead.

Aaron Ashby took the bottom of the eighth and did get into some trouble. He walked the first two batters of the inning, Crow-Armstrong and Bregman. The Cubs manufactured a run after that with fly outs from Busch and Suzuki that each moved Crow-Armstrong up a base. However, Ashby didn’t allow anything else, getting Happ to fly out to end the inning. The Cubs traded three fly balls for a run, but the Brewers still held a 5-2 lead.

However, the Brewers would get that run back in the bottom of the inning. Pratt drew another walk to start the inning, then recorded his fifth steal in 10 games to put a runner in scoring position. Two batters later, Yelich hit a low and away sweeper hard enough that it should have been a home run. Crow-Armstrong made a leaping attempt to catch it, and the ball was in his glove. He couldn’t complete the catch, but did prevent the ball from leaving the ballpark. It robbed Yelich of a home run, but still went for an RBI double that scored Pratt.

From there, Trevor Megill finished out the game in the ninth. He walked Kelly, but that was it as he locked down a 6-2 win, the Brewers’ 50th of the season.

Yelich, Chourio, Contreras, and Hamilton each had two-hit days for the Brewers’ offense. Pratt also jumped in with a double and two walks, and Bauers went hitless but walked twice. Contreras and Mitchell each drove in two runs. The only two starters who did not reach base were Vaughn (who went 0-for-3) and Turang (who went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts).

After the game, Contreras talked about the game and his thoughts about Venezuela in the post-game interview.

This Brewers’ team is officially the fastest to 50 wins in franchise history, and still have two more games to add on to that before the halfway point. They will send Kyle Harrison to the mound, while the Cubs will start David Peterson, who they acquired from the Mets on Thursday. First pitch is at 6:10 p.m.

Introduction

In the latest example of the linear passage of time, it’s already the halfway point of the baseball season as the D-Backs played their 81st game today in their loss against the Rays. This first half of the season has featured some high highs and some even lower lows. It’s also continued the mystifying trend of key players being hobbled by injuries that have kept the D-Backs from reaching the potential they’ve shown sporadically. Amongst that team inconsistency though, there have been plenty of exciting individual results – from electrifying individual plays to intriguing MLB debuts. And given that at 41-40, the team finds itself at exactly the same place as they were last year after 81 games, I thought it might be a good time to instead check in on the personal milestones I detailed back at the beginning of the season.

Ketel Marte’s Chase for 200 Homers

Like the rest of the team, the club’s unofficial team captain has had an uneven first half. He started the season very slowly at the plate with his OPS bottoming out at .619 at the end of play on May 15th after an 0-for-5 effort in a win against the Rockies. Even more alarming, he had hit just five home runs and only 12 extra base hits in 41 games. Since that point however, Marte has been among the league’s best hitters with a .329/.381/.580 slash line, eight roundtrippers, and 20 extra base hits in 35 games. That extended hot streak gets him at least within shouting distance of his career norms of a .280/.349/.472 slash line, 23 home runs, and 65 extra base hits. That streak also means that he still has an outside chance at reaching the 28 homers necessary to hit 200 for his career. It would require sustaining and slightly increasing it over the second half of the season, but I’m certainly not counting him out after the turnaround he’s executed already this season.

Nolan Arenado’s Pursuit of 2000 Hits

When Mike Hazen traded for Arenado this past offseason, I thought it was a pretty astute move. It shored up what was a mediocre defense last year, brought in some needed veteran leadership, and while he wouldn’t bring MVP-level offense, the team would take whatever it could get from him. Instead, Arenado has seemingly found the Fountain of Youth in the desert as he’s brought the first two elements and has been surprisingly able to contribute at the plate too. He was always going to reach 2000 career hits unless he completely cratered at the plate or he got injured and was unable to play, but he’s already at 61 knocks for the season and could get to 2000 by the All-Star Break if he gets hot over the next couple weeks. After he reaches that milestone, he can next look to his bWAR milestone of 60 which is currently just 0.9 away and he’s already accumulated 1.1 so far this season. If he were to reach that second milestone, it would make him just the 132nd position player in baseball history to reach 60 career bWAR and would likely indicate further movement towards his resurgent season with the D-Backs and even more good news for the club.

Paul Sewald Securing His 100th Save

Paul Sewald etched himself into Diamondback legend during that magical 2023 World Series run with an incredible eight game, eight-inning scoreless streak that helped the team reach that World Series. He was significantly less effective in 2024 with his ERA jumping from 3.12 to 4.31 and his ERA+ dropped from 132 to 98 (although he did secure 16 saves), prompting the D-Backs to let him walk in the offseason. Those trends continued in 2025 even if he was slightly better after getting traded, leaving Sewald in one of the lower tiers of relievers this past offseason. But given the decimated nature of the Arizona bullpen, it wasn’t a difficult ask to pencil Sewald into the closer role until some combination of AJ Puk and Justin Martinez were back from injury – something the team is still waiting to see. Under the radar, Sewald had amassed 86 saves over the past five years so this was a very reasonable milestone to reach that he actually accomplished at the end of May so the next milestone of 125 saves would only be possible if he maintains his closer status and the team continues to lean on him through the rest of the second half.

The Braves used six pitchers on Friday night to snap their four-game losing skid and finally get a west coast win, taking down the San Francisco Giants, 3-1, at Oracle Park on a foggy night.

Reynaldo Lopez started the game and was shaky in the first, allowing San Francisco’s lone run to score. Despite decreased velocity and a lot of hard contact, Lopez was able to work through three innings in his first start in nearly two months. We’ll see if he gets another turn in the rotation next week.

Dylan Dodd covered an inning effectively and gave the ball to Hurston Waldrep, who was effectively wild — to be nice — over 2+ innings. Waldrep, who was called up to the majors on Friday after a couple of shaky rehab starts, had little command of the strike zone (55 pitches, 28 strikes) but was able to work through it with four strikeouts and a couple of weak-hit grounders. Similar to Lopez, we’ll see what next week brings for the talented righty.

Dylan Lee was masterful for the seventh in relief of Waldrep, stranding two runners and making quick work of San Francisco’s middle of the order. Lee then recorded two outs in the eighth before giving way to Didier Fuentes, who promptly struck out Matt Chapman on a perfectly located fastball to send it to the ninth. Raisel Iglesias worked a perfect 9th on just 10 pitches to close it out.

The Braves didn’t exactly put on a show with the bats, but they managed to squeeze out three runs. Dominic Smith singled home Austin Riley in the second, Ozzie Albies singled home Mauricio Dubon in the third, and Albies was able to hit a deep fly ball to score Dubon again in the fifth. In total, the Braves recorded just seven singles and a double.

Saturday’s pitching matchup will feature Bryce Elder against Logan Webb. It would be swell if Bryce could find himself again. First pitch is at 9:05 p.m. ET.

The New York Rangers made their first significant move of the offseason, acquiring Pavel Dorofeyev in exchange for the 26th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a 2026 third-round pick (92 overall), and a 2028 top-10 protected first-round pick. 

This move offers insight into the direction Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury wants to take the team.

In January, Drury issued a letter to fans outlining the Rangers’ intention to “retool” the roster. 

Despite implicitly saying that the team will not be rebuilding, Drury also stated that the Rangers would prioritize “obtaining young players, draft picks, and cap space to allow flexibility moving forward,” which sent mixed messages about the franchise's exact direction.

At the surface, early signs pointed toward the Rangers looking to rebuild with the trade of Artemi Panarin, but a closer look will show otherwise.

Drury opted to acquire forward prospect Liam Greentree instead of a highly valued draft pick due to Greentree’s readiness to take the professional leap.

Following a disappointing 2025-26 season, Drury gave no indication of his outlook on the future. 

“I’m not going to get into the timelines,” Drury said during his exit interview about how close the Rangers are to being a playoff team. “I said it before, and feel the same right now, I think we have a lot of good players, we have a lot of talented players. I do like a lot of our pieces, and I'm excited to begin the offseason and take a deeper look at it and try and figure out how to be better.”

The big question leading into the offseason was whether or not Drury would look to continue tearing down the existing veteran group of players and follow suit in a rebuild or look to add younger players who could make an instant contribution and complement the “core” of players, including Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin, J.T. Miller, and Mika Zibanejad.

Those core players, specifically Fox, who once seemed uneasy about the Rangers' future, spoke optimistically about the road ahead after a late-season surge, indicating their confidence in the team’s trajectory and willingness to stick around for whatever this apparent retool had in store. 

“For me, it was just, we’re still in a unique situation,” Fox said via The Athletic. “Not many people have been through a retool letter and kind of what that means, so I think that’s kind of where the figuring out stuff was from. It was never really about belief in the guys. It was just kind of direction and where it’s going. I think that’s where I was at. But obviously there’s been some promising signs of the possibilities of the kind of team we can be.”

The Rangers’ trade for Dorofeyev proves that Drury is looking to propel the Rangers into a competitive state sooner rather than later and has no appetite to sit through a prolonged rebuild. 

Dorofeyev, a 25-year-old left winger, gives the Rangers immediate top-six help and offensive explosiveness they lacked. 

Shortly after the completion of the trade, the Rangers signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $77 million contract extension, showing their confidence in the young forward. 

Instead of centering the deal around established players on the roster like Alexis Lafrenière or Will Cuylle, the Rangers gave up a slew of draft picks, further establishing the message that while the team is looking to get younger, they’d rather add immediate impact players as opposed to building through the draft and starting fresh. 

Drury’s willingness to give up a 2028 first-round pick, although it’s top-ten protected, is a sign that he hopes the Rangers are a competitive team in two years’ time, further fast-tracking this retool process.

There are still questions left unanswered. What exactly does this all mean for Vincent Trocheck and Braden Schneider’s futures, and will they still be traded this offseason? That remains unclear.

While the Dorofeyev trade does not answer every question, it does paint a clearer picture for what the Rangers’ immediate future may look like and how the years ahead will possibly take shape. 

The home run that Roki Sasaki gave up to San Diego’s Ty France was more dramatic than the two walks he issued to open the inning. But it was the free passes that really hurt him.

In the Dodgers’ 7-1 loss to the Padres on Friday, Sasaki was out of the game before he could record an out in the fifth inning. He gave up only three hits but issued five walks, tying his season high, and hit a batter.

“I actually felt different than I ever felt before, mechanically,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo, noting that his lower body felt a little off. “So I need to go over it and see what was really happening.”

Read more:Shaikin: Did Padres curse themselves by messing with that anti-Dodgers FTD burger?

Sasaki successfully pitched around traffic for much of his outing, other than the three-run homer to France in the second inning. But the inefficiency sent his pitch count past 80 before he exited with runners on first and second in the fifth.

“I’m not going to have it every time out, so that’s something I have to improve,” Sasaki said. “And also the game plan. I was able to execute some of the pitches, but some of the pitches I couldn’t, so that’s something I have to go through before next start.”

Earlier this month, when Sasaki held the Angels scoreless through seven two-hit innings, it seemed as if he’d had a breakthrough. But in three starts since, including a seven-run dud against the Chicago White Sox two weeks ago, he has yet to pitch through the sixth inning.

“I am a little surprised, because there was such good momentum going on,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Hopefully we can get him back to throwing the way he did in May.”

Sasaki’s command issues Friday showed up almost immediately. After striking out Padres leadoff hitter Fernando Tatis Jr., Sasaki walked Samad Taylor on 10 pitches. But Sasaki bounced back by inducing a double play.

The next inning, there would be no such escape. Sasaki walked both Manny Machado, whom he also battled for 10 pitches, and Gavin Sheets to open the frame. Then Xander Bogaerts’ sharp line drive to center field found leather.

France’s long fly ball to left field, however, found the seats.

Sasaki’s only clean inning, the third, was made possible by catcher Dalton Rushing’s successful challenge of a called ball four against Tatís, flipping a walk into a strikeout.

“I know that there’s confidence in there,” Roberts said. “But when you feel good and you don’t feel good mechanically and can’t execute pitches, then the results are walks, and 1-2 [count] homers, and things like that. But I do think that we can kind of tackle the mechanical things that he’s probably looking for right now.”

The Padres piled on in the eighth inning against reliever Jonathan Hernandez, as the sold-out crowd chanted “Beat L.A.!”

Read more:Roki Sasaki is no longer lost in translation, finding his swagger and delivering wins

Mookie Betts hit a home run off former teammate Walker Buehler for his second homer in as many games. Betts seems to have come out of his offensive funk, entering Friday with a 1.061 on-base-plus-slugging percentage over the previous 11 games.

Buehler earned the win, delivering five strikeouts in 5⅓ innings.

“[Buehler] is reinventing himself,” Roberts said. “He’s throwing the kitchen sink at you. Cutter, slider, changeup, two-seamers. He doesn’t just try to bully you, and he’s finding ways to just get guys out. So yeah, he’s gonna still go up there and compete.”

The Dodgers went 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position and squandered a bases-loaded opportunity with one out in the sixth inning after chasing Buehler. Max Muncy popped out and Kyle Tucker, back in the lineup after exiting Monday’s game because of back spasms, flied out.

The Dodgers have built such a big lead in the division that the loss barely made a dent. The Padres, in second place, trail by eight games.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

The Dodgers (52-30) scored only once against old friend and World Series hero Walker Buehler and the San Diego bullpen, dropping the series opener 7-1 to the Padres (43-37) Friday night at Petco Park.

The game remained close, within two runs, for most of the game. The Dodgers failed time and time again to drive in runs with runners in scoring position (0-for-4), and they left six men on base. They also hit into three double plays. It was a testament to how good San Diego’s pitching is, including Buehler, who impressed against his former team for the win.

Shohei Ohtani rolled a leadoff single into right field off Buehler to open the series between the NL West rivals. Andy Pages bounced into a Fielder’s Choice. While Freddie Freeman struck out at the plate, Pages was gunned down by Rodolfo Durán at second on a steal attempt for a strike ’em out, throw e’m out play to end the first.

The Dodgers also used their defense to turn a double play to end the first and prevent San Diego from cashing in a walk.

Mookie Betts continued to be hot at the plate with a leadoff home run in the second off his former teammate.

The Betts home run would be the sole offensive highlight of the night for the Dodgers who were shut down therafter by San Diego pitching.

A 10-pitch walk and a wild pitch put old friend Manny Machado into scoring position in the bottom of the second with nobody out. He also walked Gavin Sheets which spurred a visit to the mound by Mark Prior.

Ty France got the Padres their big hit with a three-run homer off a bad Sasaki slider to give San Diego a 3-1 lead.

A rare miscue from Pages near the center field wall allowed Machado to reach second to lead off the bottom of the fourth. After Sasaki walked Will Wagner to load the bases with two outs, the Dodgers bullpen began to stir. It was the fourth free pass allowed by Sasaki on the night. Betts made a good defensive play to retire Rodolfo Durán and end the bases-loaded threat.

Freeman doubled to the left field corner off left-handed reliever Yuki Matsui with one out. Betts was intentionally walked to load the bases for Max Muncy. Muncy popped up the first pitch for the second out, and Kyle Tucker flied out to leave the bases loaded…again.

Machado allowed the ball hit by Muncy to fall, and it nearly bounced foul despite the infield fly rule call on the field. Manny…still being Manny.

The Padres took advantage of the nine walks allowed by Dodgers pitching on the night. They broke the game open and scored four more runs thanks to two more walks and four hits in the bottom of the eighth against Jonathan Hernández. Tatis Jr. knocked in the final run on a RBI single to make it 7-1.

The Padres didn’t need to use Mason Miller with a six-run lead and gave the ball to Wandy Peralta to close things out. Alex Call managed a single in the top of the ninth, but the Dodgers offense wasn’t able to muster anything else.

The second-place Padres move up to 8 games back of the Dodgers in the NL West standings.

Friday particulars

Home runs: Mookie Betts (10); Ty France (10)

WP — Walker Buehler (5-3): 5 1/3 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts (74 pitches)

LP — Roki Sasaki (3-5): 4 IP, 3 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts (81 pitches)

Up next

The series down south continues Saturday night at (5:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA), with Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-5, 2.65 ERA, 0.87) and Randy Vásquez (6-5, 4.17 ERA, 1.40 WHIP) starting. 

The A’s took the first game of their weekend series against the Angels on Friday night, winning in Anaheim by a 9-3 final to make it two in a row for the Green & Gold. The club won its 40th game tonight and remains just a game and a half back of the Mariners in the division.

The first four innings

The offense did not show up at all through the first four frames in tonight’s game. Facing the Angels’ top young starting pitcher Walbert Urena, the A’s went down 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 in this one (four perfect innings).

On the bright side of things, the A’s had their own young rising ace in J.T. Ginn on the mound tonight. While he wasn’t as perfect as his counterpart, Ginn did his job with three scoreless innings in going toe-to-toe with his mound opponent.

Los Angeles did strike first tonight. A double and passed ball put an Angels baserunner on third base but with two down all Ginn needed was any sort of soft contact. Alas, a line-drive single plated the first run of the game to give the Angels the first lead of the night.

The fifth inning

That lone run really woke up the A’s bats. After getting perfected for the first four innings the offense got to work against the rookie right-hander that had had their number for the past 15+ innings dating back to his previous two starts.

It all started with, of course, a walk. Followed by a force out at second. Nothing too crazy. Then a walk. Then a single to load the bases, the first domino. Then the hit that gave the A’s the lead, another single from Jeff McNeil:

Then another single from Alika Williams brought in another run to make it 3-1. After him the lineup flipped over and it was lead off man Henry Bolte’s turn to get in on the action with his own base knock, this one driving in a pair to make it 5-1 A’s:

Urena’s unraveling continued as Nick Kurtz followed Bolte with another single to drive home the A’s rookie center fielder. And finally, to cap off the 7-run inning was the likely AL starting catcher Shea Langeliers and he hi his own single to bring home Kurtz:

It was only after that final hit did Halos manager Kurt Suzuki come to get his starting pitcher. Five straight singles was what it took to knock him from this game. The Angels reliever then quickly got the next two outs to escape the frame but the damage was done. A 7-spot to give Ginn plenty of room to go on cruise control.

The Angels did not provide the A’s with a shutdown inning. A single and home run off the bat of Jo Adell cut the lead from 6 to 4, but Ginn was generally in control tonight. He pitched one more inning to put a bow on his performance this evening.

• J.T. Ginn: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 89 pitches

An overall solid night from Ginn as he held the Angels to just three runs. One mistake cost him two off that Adell home run but other than that he more or less held down a Los Angeles lineup that doesn’t have many bats of recognition. He’s set to take a 3.15 ERA into his next scheduled start against the Miami Marlins next Friday.

The final frames

The A’s quickly got back two of those runs in the top of the seventh. Kurtz brought Bolte home on an RBI single, moved to second on a hit from Shea, then came home himself off a ground-rule double from Jonah Heim:

That made it 9-3 with just nine outs to go.

Luis Medina and Hogan Harris combined for a scoreless eighth and ninth. Then, maybe hoping to get him right in a lower pressure situation, Mark Kotsay sent Elvis Alvarado out for the ninth. It was an uneventful 1-2-3 inning to finish off the game, which is probably exactly what Kotsay was hoping for from the young righty reliever. Lock in win #40.

A great win by the A’s tonight. A huge fifth inning against a rookie starting pitcher that had already bested them twice this year was the perfect formula for tonight’s victory. Ginn was of course fantastic with run support and the A’s now have a 2-game winning streak and have started this series off on the right foot.

The series continues tomorrow night. Right-hander Jack Perkins is slated to get the ball for what’ll be his fifth start since joining the rotation. It hasn’t been a smooth or easy transition for the starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter again as he sports a 7.50 ERA in those four starting assignments, the last of which came against these very same Angels last weekend. The A’s will be hoping for better results and who knows how long his leash is if he falters against the Angels tomorrow.

Speaking of Anaheim, they’ll counter the Athletics’ righty with left-hander Reid Detmers, who will be looking to continue a solid season in his own return to starting duties. Overall he’s had a great season but he’s coming off one of his worst starts of the year, when he allowed five runs in six innings of work in an eventual Angels victory in Sacramento. We’ll all be hoping for a better outcome than that, but let’s have more of that offense show up against the lefty!