The Athletics have relied on hitting home runs and getting contributions from their entire lineup to find success in games in Las Vegas.
That’s the recipe the Colorado Rockies used on Sunday to snap the A’s four-game winning streak.
Hunter Goodman and Willi Castro each hit two home runs, as Colorado blasted six homers to beat the A’s 23-9 Sunday at Las Vegas Ballpark in the series finale. It was the franchise’s most runs allowed in a single game since 1955.
The A’s (35-36) concluded their six-game series in Las Vegas, their future home beginning in 2028, with a 4-2 mark. They took two of three games against the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and two of three from the Rockies (27-45).
“This is as successful as we could have had here,” A’s manager Kotsay said of his assessment of the six-game series in Las Vegas. “(Sunday) was a day after playing five games here and grinding, you could say it caught up to us. But overall, a 4-2 homestand in these conditions and environment, I think it was a successful one.”
The A’s opened their series in Las Vegas with a 15-14, 12-inning loss to the Brewers in a more than four-hour long game that featured 34 hits.
The Rockies’ 23 runs are a franchise record for most runs scored in a game, breaking the previous mark of 20 runs (achieved four times). Castro finished 4-for-6 with seven RBIs to lead the Rockies, who pounded out 24 hits in total.
Kotsay credited starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs for “battling,” but added that the weather conditions were a challenge for both teams.
“We played really poorly behind (Springs),” Kotsay said. “I think both teams had a really tough day with the conditions. It’s a game we need to flush.”
The Rockies scored six runs on six hits during the sixth inning to break the game open. Goodman led off the inning with a solo homer to left field. The Rockies batted around in the inning, as five different Rockies drove in a run to extend their lead to 14-6. The Rockies added four more runs in the seventh, where they sent all nine batters to the plate.
The first inning proved to be a sign for another high-scoring affair when Goodman belted a two-run homer to give the Rockies an early lead.
Then the A’s added four runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a Carlos Cortes two-run single to take a 4-2 lead.
The back-and-forth continued as Castro’s two-run homer in the second put the Rockies ahead 5-4 during a three-run inning.
The A’s draw back even on a Nick Kurtz RBI double in the bottom of the second, and the game stayed at 5-5 until the top of the fourth when Troy Johnston helped put the Rockies back up 8-5 with a two-run homer.
Colorado added five runs in the eighth inning as the A’s brought in Cortes from center field to pitch the final 1.2 innings.
“Both teams played in these elements, it’s nothing new for us with these conditions, the wind, the sun, the temperature,” Kotsay said. “We have to be mentally tough. Which, I didn’t see guys quit. But it was challenging.”
Max Muncy finished with three RBIs for the A’s with a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer in the fifth. Lawrence Butler led the A’s with three hits.
Throughout the series, Kotsay said the Las Vegas series was an opportunity for the team to start to build momentum offensively as it nears the midway point of the season battling for a playoff spot.
“We went through a little rough patch (earlier in June) and then to bounce back and get back to (.500), I know we dropped (below .500) today, but that’s the goal to get back to .500 and keep winning games,” A’s left fielder Tyler Soderstrom said. “It’s a step in the right direction.”
The A’s return to West Sacramento, their temporary home before the team’s new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is ready for 2028, to begin a three-game series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday.
“Vegas has been great. Enjoyed the week here,” Soderstrom said. “It’s been a lot of fun on and off the field, going out on the Strip and hanging out and see what it has to offer. Playing here, the fans have been great. A lot of energy, so it’s been fun.”
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
