Athletics earn Big League Weekend victory in split squad matchup vs Brewers

The Athletics picked up the win in their second and final game against the Brewers in their Big League Weekend series in Las Vegas, winning by a score of 4-2. Gerardo Reyes earned the win, while Tyler Ferguson picked up the save.

Armando Alvarez and Cooper Bowman led the way for the A's on offense. The two prospects picked up three hits apiece, with Bowman adding a double and Alvarez knocking his first home run of the spring.

The A's went ahead in the bottom of the 3rd, plating runs on sacrifices by Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom. They added insurance runs with a Jeisson Rosario single in the 4th, and Alvarez's homer in the 8th.

Lefty JP Sears had a strong outing, giving up just 2 hits and a run in his 3 innings pitched. He notched 3 strikeouts and allowed just 1 walk. Sears' slider looked sharp this afternoon, a pitch he'll need if he's to be successful in 2024.

Athletics reliever Michael Kelly continued his scoreless outing streak. He's yet to allow a run in his 5 appearances. He picked up a single strikeout this afternoon in a clean inning.

Neither Bowman nor Alvarez are pegged to make the major league roster out of camp but both are doing everything they can to impress David Forst and his front office staff.

Bowman is hitting .455 with a 1.136 OPS so far this spring and is coming off a strong year at Double-A in which he hit 8 home runs and stole 35 bases in 38 attempts.

The A's have a couple guys ahead of him on the depth chart, specifically Nick Allen and Darell Hernaiz, as well as Zack Gelof who is entrenched at second, so it's unlikely that he'll get much opportunity at the major league level.

Alvarez has one-upped Bowman with a .583 batting average and a 1.476 OPS in his 8 games this spring. Alvarez was a minor league signing this offseason. He hit .308/.379/.581 with 18 homers for the Giants Triple-A affiliate but never got a crack in the majors.

At 29, time might be running thin for Alvarez and his professional career but with the Athletics' lack of strong options at third base, he could make his major league debut in Oakland this summer.

The A's will return to full squad action tomorrow with a matchup at Hohokam Stadium against the Royals. Paul Blackburn is set to take the mound for the A's, while the Royals will send out righty Brady Singer. First pitch will be at 1:05 pm PST.