The Oakland Athletics dropped the first half of their split squad double header against the Giants this afternoon, giving up 5 runs in the 7th inning and falling by a score of 5-1.
The A's held out as long as they could and were buoyed by Kyle Muller's strong start. The lefty threw 3 innings, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 4 while allowing 2 walks. It's the third straight solid outing for Muller, who is looking to force the A's hand and work his way into the opening day rotation.
Neither Francisco Perez nor Royber Salinas had their best stuff but they allowed zero runs between them and kept the game close through the 6th.
Ryan Cusick came in and struggled, giving up the ballgame in the process. He walked the first batter he faced, then Giants first baseman Trenton Brooks reached on a catchers interference call. Cusick followed that up with a walk, a hit batsman, and another walk, letting the Giants stretch the lead to 3-1.
Having given up three free passes without recording an out, the A's replaced Cusick with Danis Correa who promptly allowed two more runs to score, both of which Cusick were responsible for.
Final from Scottsdale. pic.twitter.com/ElPDYxx9VV
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) March 9, 2024
The Athletics lone run on the day came on a bases-loaded ground ball from Ryan Noda that scored shortstop Jacob Wilson from third. The A's managed just 6 baserunners all day and struck out a total of 10 times.
Giants starter Jordan Hicks recorded 6 of those strikeouts in his 3 innings pitched. Hicks was exceptional today, allowing just one walk, no hits, and no runs to go along with the half dozen punchouts.
At the end of the day, the A's just couldn't get the bats going. They'll need to do more if they want to be competitive in the regular season.
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.