Athletics salvage series, beat Brewers 4-3

Hitting the road on a high note

Whew. After losing the first two games against the NL Central leading Brewers, the A’s stole the finale by beating Milwaukee 4-3, salvaging at least one win from the series and finishing the home stand on a winning note.

Oakland rookie starter Joey Estes got the ball for today’s finale. The right-hander has been on his A-game in recent outings and today he continued that trend. Over 5+ innings in today’s contest Estes only really got stung hard one time, a 2-run home run in the second off the bat of longtime Yankees backstop and current Brewers catcher Gary Sanchez. That put our A’s in an early hole but nothing out Green & Gold couldn’t fight back against.

Facing old friend Frankie Montas, the Oakland lineup went down in order the first time through the lineup, nine up and nine down. It wasn’t until the good guys saw Montas one time through that they got to work. Young stud outfielder Lawrence Butler got things started with a leadoff single to start the fourth followed by two more singles to load the bases for catcher Shea Langeliers. A home run would have been nice but a bases-loaded walk would suffice, halving the Milwaukee lead. Bases still loaded, Seth Brown came up next and swatted an RBI single against his former teammate to tie this game up 2 apiece:

It’s been a hard year for Brownie. Starting the year with the big league club with expectations, failing to meet those lofty standards before a demotion to Triple-A. Demolishing minor league pitching and forcing his way back to the big leagues. Things still haven’t gone as smoothly as one would hope but things seem a bit more on track for the lefty slugger after his demotion. Today’s hit helped the club and certainly helped him. Youngsters Daz Cameron and Zack Gelof followed up Brownie with a pair of sac flies to push the lead to 4-2, giving Estes a bit of breathing room to play with.

Not that he needed much of it today. That homer in the second inning was the most the Brewers would get against Estes. After the Sanchez home run Estes locked in the rest of the way, allowing just one more base runner (a HBP) over the next 3 ²⁄₃ innings. We’ve seen the peaks and valleys of Estes’ first full season as a major league starter and we’re finally starting to reap the rewards of letting the youngster grow in the big leagues. The pitcher we saw on the mound today looks completely different than the rookie who started the season. You love to see this type of growth, and it’s special when you see it before your very eyes. He got the early hook today at just 82 pitches but with the arms in the bullpen it felt like a safe bet to get him out of there before the wheels came off.

-Joey Estes: 5 ²⁄₃ IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 82 pitches

All in all a great outing from the rookie. Although at this point calling him a rookie feels off. Estes is pitching himself into the top of the 2025 rotation and who knows? Is the 2025 Opening Dat assignment within reach for the young hurler?

Taking over for him was TJ McFarland. All he needed to do was wrap up the sixth cleanly and he did that with a strikeout to wrap the frame. Just nine outs to go and a 2-run lead to play with.

An extra insurance run saved the day for our guys. Rookie reliever Grant Holman showed that he is, in fact, a mortal human as he allowed his first run as a major leaguer, a solo home run off the bat of Brewers shortstop Willy Adames. That would be it for Milwaukee tonight though as the Oakland bullpen held it together the rest of the way. Tyler Ferguson finished the seventh and got the first two outs of the eighth before making way for All-Star closer Mason Miller. Nothing to see here, except for Miller’s electric fastball and shutting the door on the playoff-bound Brewers:

That cute little pop out ended today’s contest, securing Oakland’s 56th win of the 2024 season and Miller’s 21st career save.

What a fun game! The home team fell behind early but their young gun of a starter settled in and kept this game close. Estes continues to grow before our very eyes and it’s exciting to think about what he’ll get up to next year with a full season of experience under his belt. One big inning against former Athletic Frankie Montas was all it took to take today’s contest and now the club gets a well-deserved off day before hitting the road for a quick two-city road trip.

Up first, Cincinnati. The A’s will travel to Great American Ballpark to begin a 3-game set with their second straight NL Central foe. The club will go with another rookie in right-hander Mitch Spence, who will be making his 18th start of the season. The Reds meanwhile have yet to announce the Tuesday starter so we’ll be keeping our eye out for an announcement. For now however, the club and its fans can have a relaxing Sunday evening knowing the good guys came out on top with the W tonight. Isn’t it always a better day when our A’s win?