The Phillies survived a late rally from the Athletics to earn a 4-3 win in their first appearance at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, California. Philly and (the team with no host city name) battled in a tight 1-0 ballgame that slipped into the early morning hours of Saturday on the East Coast. Fans who stayed awake for the ninth inning saw an unexpected offensive display that threatened Wheeler’s sixth victory. Still, the Phillies’ bullpen did enough to collect all 27 outs to close the book on Philly’s eighth straight win.
Phillies vs Athletics recap
Trea Turner led off the ballgame with a home run off of Athletics starter Jacob Lopez, who was making only his second MLB start, for an instant 1-0 Phillies lead. The 31-year-old shortstop has been swinging the bat well during this road trip, including multi-hit games in four last five outings. Turner is batting .344 for May with 32 hits, including nine extra-base hits, nine RBIs, and 17 runs scored over his last 21 games for the Phillies.
LEADOFF TREA pic.twitter.com/SEMr59P11e
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 24, 2025
Lopez settled into the game after the first batter and completed seven innings with three hits, a walk, and eight strikeouts. Wheeler allowed three hits and struck out eight A’s batters over 6.2 innings. The Phillies’ 33-year-old ace was not a big fan of his working conditions on Friday night. “The mound was terrible,” Wheeler said postgame. “It (the dirt) was like cement right in front of the rubber. I was trying to break it up. It probably doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you are used to pitching on similar mounds throughout the league, that little difference kind of messes with you.”
Wheeler was removed after back-to-back walks, which put the tying run into scoring position with two out in the seventh inning. Orion Kerkering entered the game, tossed four pitches for a strikeout against the only batter he faced, and received high-fives in the dugout for a well-done job in relief.
Athletics reliever Justin Sterner wiggled out of trouble in the seventh inning. Turner singled to left and swiped second base. An understandably frustrated Bryce Harper was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game to put two men aboard. Sterner got flyouts from Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos to end the inning with the contest still at 1-0.
Matt Strahm entered in the eighth but faced some early trouble after Lawrence Butler smacked a double to right field. Jacob Wilson moved Butler to third base, just 90 feet from tying the ballgame. Athletics catcher Tommy Soderstrom stepped to the plate and ripped a screaming line drive to centerfield, where Johan Rojas made an unbelievable twisting catch to preserve the slim one-run Phillies advantage. “I thought he (Soderstrom) broke his bat, to be honest,” Turner said about the deep fly ball. “Then I looked up and saw 106 MPH and was like ‘oh no’. Big out because who knows what happens after that. Great play out of him. He’s been doing that for a while, and we expect that out of him because we need it.”
OH MY RO pic.twitter.com/MJtNmL3qQy
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 24, 2025
The Phillies also needed more runs on the scoreboard, but they didn’t quite know it yet. The A’s sent Mason Miller to the mound in the ninth, but that plan didn’t work well for Mark Kotsay’s club. J.T. Realmuto led off the inning with a single and moved from first to third on a throwing error by Wilson. Alec Bohm bashed a double to center field to score to double the Philadelphia lead, 2-0. Rojas singled to right field with two outs, scoring Bohm for a 3-0 advantage. The speedy outfielder stole second base and scored on Turner’s single to centerfield for a 4-0 Phillies lead. Harper flied out to end an eventful top of the ninth inning.
Jordan Romano entered the game but faced early trouble after a Brent Rooker single and a Shane Langeliers walk to start the inning. Lancaster, PA-born Nick Kurtz, the No. 4 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, cracked a 425-foot homerun over the centerfield wall for a quick three runs, and suddenly there was a ballgame in California at 4-3. Roman struck out the next batter, but was lifted from the game after a Scott Alexander pinch-hit single. Thomson turned to Tanner Banks, who fired four pitches and three strikes to Butler to end the ball game.
It will be another late night on the East Coast for Phillies fans on Saturday night. Game 2 of the three-game series begins with Ranger Suarez battling Jeffrey Springs at a yawn-inducing 10:05 PM EST.
Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Image
