The San Francisco Giants were on the brink of achieving their first series sweep of the season on Thursday, but a late collapse by their bullpen allowed the Oakland Athletics to rally for a 9-6 victory in the series finale. The Giants had held a four-run lead entering the ninth inning.
Starting pitcher Landen Roupp delivered a strong performance, limiting the Athletics to two runs over six innings and striking out six batters. He was in line for his first win since April 26, but the bullpen was unable to protect the lead.
Ryan Walker, Erik Miller, and Dylan Smith allowed the Athletics to chip away at the Giants' advantage in the seventh and eighth innings. The game unraveled completely in the ninth against closer Caleb Kilian.
Kilian, who was named closer earlier this month, faced trouble after a leadoff infield single. A wild pitch advanced the tying run to second base with no outs. While Kilian managed to record two crucial outs against Nick Kurtz and Shea Langeliers, he then issued a two-out walk to Tyler Sodorstrom. The sequence allowed the Athletics to score four runs off Kilian before Matt Gage could record the final out, turning a one-run lead into a three-run deficit.
The blown save was Kilian's second in seven opportunities and the Giants' 10th as a team in 26 save chances. This loss marked the fifth defeat for San Francisco in 34 games where they held a lead after eight innings.
Despite the bullpen's struggles, Roupp's outing marked his second consecutive quality start. He now awaits another opportunity to secure a win.
In other notable performances, the Giants' Victor Bericoto had a significant two-game stretch. Starting for the first time since June 10, Bericoto made an impact with a strong throw to home plate and a walk-off home run in a previous game. He continued his contributions by throwing out a runner attempting to stretch a single into a double and hitting a two-run homer in the sixth inning of Thursday's game. Bericoto and teammate Jonah Cox received rare starts against the Athletics' left-handed pitchers.
Conversely, the Athletics' Nick Kurtz, who entered the series as the league's RBI leader with 61, struggled. Over 13 at-bats in the series, Kurtz recorded no hits and drove in only one run. He struck out in his first two plate appearances against Roupp and again with the tying run on base in the ninth inning.
The Giants are scheduled to face the Atlanta Braves in their next series. The opener on Friday night is set to feature Trevor McDonald for the Giants against Reynaldo Lopez for the Braves, with first pitch at 7:15 p.m.