How Many More? A's Late-Inning Problems Reach Breaking Point

The A's looked poised to snap their late-inning demons, jumping on Reid Detmers for four runs in the opening inning and later riding a mammoth 437-foot blast from Nick Kurtz to build a 7-4 lead entering the eighth inning. Zach Gelof continued his strong night at the plate, Tyler Soderstrom drove in an early run, and the offense once again produced enough to win. But in a season that seems determined to test the patience of everyone wearing green and gold, the bullpen delivered another gut punch. Hogan Harris surrendered a game-tying three-run homer to Guzman in the eighth, and after the offense went quietly in the bottom half, Elvis Alvarado was tagged in the ninth as Zach Neto launched a two-run homer that proved to be the difference in a crushing 9-7 Angels victory. The A's have now turned too many potential wins into painful losses because they simply cannot protect leads. At some point, saying "it's a young team" stops working. The bullpen problem isn't a leak anymore. It's a flooded basement, and something has to change.