Lopez stays sharp, and other takeaways from A's 10th-inning loss to O's

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Lawrence Butler was the reason the Athletics were able to take the game to extras on Friday night, so it was only fitting that he had a chance to end it in grand fashion.

After tying the game up in the eighth inning with an RBI single off Orioles reliever Rico Garcia, Butler came up again in the 10th trailing by one run with two outs, Zack Gelof on first and a chance to either tie or win the game.

Facing Alex Hoppe, Butler worked a 1-2 count before ultimately grounding out to second, and the A’s late comeback attempt fell short in a 4-3 loss to Baltimore at Sutter Health Park.

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s defeat:

1. Lopez keeps rolling
Nearly a year ago to the day on Friday, Jacob Lopez experienced one of the lowest points of his career when he exited early from a start against the Mariners at T-Mobile Park due to a flexor strain that shut him down for the remainder of the season, destroying the momentum he had built over a strong stretch he was on before that.

This time around, Lopez is enjoying a strong run that is reminiscent of the one he went on last year before that injury, continuing against the Orioles with two runs (one earned) allowed on three hits and three walks with six strikeouts across five innings.

Since coming back up from Triple-A Las Vegas and rejoining the rotation on July 10, Lopez has been superb. The left-hander now holds a 2.18 ERA over his last nine starts with 54 strikeouts and 16 walks over 45 1/3 innings. This is a stark contrast from his time in the rotation earlier this season, when he posted a 6.75 ERA through his first 12 outings before getting optioned to the Minors.

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Friday’s outing was a sign that Lopez is starting to figure out how to get through outings even without his best command. With his pitch count jumping up early, Lopez still managed to keep the A’s in the game after a two-run second by following with three scoreless frames, finishing the night at exactly 100 pitches.

“For Jacob, early, just a little bit of lack of command,” manager Mark Kotsay said. “Overall, his pitch count got up and we pushed him. For him to go five innings, I thought it was a gutsy performance tonight.”

As much as Lopez is trying to keep this stretch of success going until the end of the season, there is an equal amount of focus on just keeping his arm healthy and avoiding a potential derailment of that momentum once again.

“It was just so weird in Seattle last year,” Lopez said. “I was pitching really well and I thought I was crushing it in the weight room and training room. My body felt really well. It’s just, elbow stuff kind of happens. You can’t outwork it. But I think just trying to have a dialogue with the trainers and the strength coach as best as I can to try to finish strong is the key.”

2. Bullpen stepping up
Throughout this homestand, we’ve seen an A’s bullpen that had been struggling mightily over the past month start to step up with some stability.

In relief of Lopez, the trio of Scott Blewett, Luis Medina and Hogan Harris combined for four scoreless innings to help send the game to extras. Brady Basso came on in the 10th and retired two of his first three batters faced, though he ultimately gave up two go-ahead runs on back-to-back singles to Coby Mayo and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.

3. Muncy showing some signs
You almost forget that Max Muncy entered this season as the A’s starting third baseman with the amount of times he’s gone up and down from the Minors this season.

Currently on his third stint with the A’s this year, Muncy should get ample opportunities to play over this final month of the season, and nights like his two-hit effort on Friday will go a long way in keeping him on the radar heading into Spring Training next year.

“We’re really working on just pitch recognition and in-zone swing decisions for Muncy,” Kotsay said. “When he controls the zone and swings at strikes, good things happen. … For Muncy, I think it’s important that we see that for the rest of the season.”