The mild summer weather had been good to the Athletics during their first season in West Sacramento — until Sunday.
Temperates reached triple digits in the seventh inning of the A’s 9-6 loss to the Texas Rangers, while the few remaining members of the 8,716 announced crowd at Sutter Health Park were tucked in the shade in the last rows of the lower bowl.
It was the first time the A’s played an afternoon game in triple-digit temperatures since coming to West Sacramento. They’ve had first pitches in the mid-90s during evening starts throughout the homestand, but the sun usually sets during the first four innings, making it far more comfortable.
“It was a warmer day. I haven’t been too used to that,” All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson said. “Being in California, it doesn’t really get that hot too often, but you just gotta stay hydrated.”
It was only the A’s seventh afternoon start at home since June. The game-time temperature was announced as 97 degrees. The average temperature from the preceding six afternoon games was 81 with the hottest being 85.
“It’s just something you gotta get used to,” Wilson said. “You realize we play baseball in the the summer, it’s gonna get hot.”
The relatively cooler temperatures of the summer haven’t had positive impacts on attendance. Even on a Sunday of a three-day weekend, coming off a sweep of the Detroit Tigers who had the best record in the American League, the A’s failed to draw 10,000 fans, which they’ve done just twice in their last 24 home games. They haven’t had 12,000 at Sutter Health Park since hosting the Giants for a three-game series over Fourth of July weekend.
A’s manager Mark Kotsay said “we felt it” when asked about the heat, but pointed out he prefers Sacramento’s heat to other parts of the country when it can be cooler but far more humid.
“When you go back to the Midwest and the South, that’s heat,” Kotsay said. “This is hot, yeah. I mean, I have a little bit of a sweat. But when you go to the Midwest and it’s 80, 85 degrees and it’s 80% humidity, you’re going to get a lot more tired in that type of weather and temperatures. So I thought today was comfortable.”
The A’s and schedule makers worked to avoid the heat following last year’s historically hot summer when planning the team’s first season in the capital region. From June to August there were six getaway days that were made night games, which typically would have been afternoon affairs.
Five of the A’s remaining 13 home games will be afternoon starts, providing the club with data points before start times are determined for next year’s schedule, which was announced Aug. 26.
Times for the games won’t be announced until late January, but the A’s have said they would like more afternoon games next year, particularly for the final games of series to allow more time for travel and for players and coaches to spend with their families.
“We’ve talked about day games, for sure, and I think those are doable,” Kotsay said. “But obviously that’s not up to me.”
The A’s were down 8-0 Sunday until scoring six runs in the last two innings to make it close.
Rangers designated hitter Joc Pederson opened the scoring with a 2-run home run down the right field line in the top of the first inning. Josh Jung led off the second with another, taking the first pitch from A’s starter J.T. Ginn 405 feet to left-center. The Rangers added runs in the fifth on doubles from Josh Smith and Pederson to push the lead to 5-0.
Ginn lasted six innings and allowed five runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. He hasn’t gotten a win in his last six starts. The Rangers added two more in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk and single from Adolis García.
“I don’t think the heat really affected me much,” Ginn said. “But I thought it was good to get through six innings, that’s something that’s been a struggle for me throughout the year. … It was good to six innings but I got to be better.”
Down 8-0, the A’s rallied in the eighth inning and made it a game again. They scored two runs on a bases-loaded double from Jacob Wilson, an RBI-groundout from Brent Rooker and got doubles from Tyler Soderstrom and Carlos Cortes. It was 8-5 before Texas scored a run in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the ninth, Lawrence Butler doubled in a run to make it 9-6.
The A’s after the game traveled to St. Louis to begin a three-game series against the Cardinals beginning Monday. Former A’s pitcher Sonny Gray (12-7, 4.19) will get the start for St. Louis against Luis Morales (2-0, 1.19), who’s allowed two earned runs in 20 2/3 innings since entering the rotation Aug. 10.