The Oakland Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies faced off in a three-game series from May 23 to 25, 2025, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, California. The series showcased contrasting narratives for both teams: the Phillies extended their impressive winning streak, while the Athletics continued to grapple with a challenging season marked by a losing streak that stood at nine games.
The series opener was great, until it wasn’t. The Phillies scored one in the first, but then it at 1-0 until the ninth inning. The A’s bats couldn’t get it done, but the mound certainly held strong. The Phillies narrowly defeated the A’s 4-3. They added 3 in the ninth. Trea Turner led the Phillies’ offense with a home run and three hits, while Zack Wheeler continued his dominant pitching form, extending his scoreless streak to 22⅔ innings. The A’s, despite a valiant effort that included a three-run shot in the ninth, fell short, with Brent Rooker providing a bright spot by extending his hitting streak. Unfortunately for the A’s, their losing streak would extend to 10 games.
Game 2 ended 9-6 in 11 innings, but it was thrilling until the end. The A’s took a 2-0 lead in the first and extended that to 5-2 by the end of the sixth. In fact, they led 5-3 after the stretch. Then came the pitching changes. It all went downhill from there. The Phillies tied things up, the game went into extra innings, and while the A’s still had a chance, the mound melted down in the top of the ninth, more or less sealing their fate. And with that, the A’s losing streak extended as far as the night’s final inning count: 11. Kyle Schwarber played a pivotal role, hitting his 18th home run and delivering a go-ahead two-run double in the 11th inning. Max Kepler’s ninth-inning home run had briefly tied the game for the A’s, but the Phillies’ late-game heroics ensured their ninth consecutive win.
The final game of the series, played today, saw the A’s go up three runs in the first inning. Things looked suddenly miraculous, especially given the way the previous two games ended. However, the men in red would claw their way back with runs in the second, third and fifth. All tied at 3 heading into the eighth, the Phillies would score one to take the lead 4-3, but then the A’s would answer and tack on two of their own, thus recapturing the lead at 5-4. The Phillies were held scoreless in the ninth, thus leading to the end of the losing streak. The A’s won game 3 of the series by a final score of 5-4.
The series highlighted the Phillies’ formidable form, driven by key performances from Turner and Wheeler. At 34-19, they are expected to win most of the time. For the A’s, while the losses were disheartening, the resilience shown in games 1 and 2 offered glimmers of hope. The win in game 3 stopped the bleeding. With the losing streak now over, the team has a chance to turn things around. It begins now. With an overall record of 23-31, they have some ground to make up in order to get back to .500. They’re currently at the bottom of the AL West. And yet, they only trail the team in the lead – the Seattle Mariners – by a relatively miniscule 6 wins. Let that sink in. If this team can get its bullpen sorted and get its bats consistent, they can be on top of the AL West in a couple of weeks. Next up: the Houston Astros, on the road, and then the Toronto Blue Jays, also on the road. That’s five games on the road to complete the month of May.
The A’s return home to Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, CA on Monday, June 2, at 7:05 PM, to face the Minnesota Twins in a four-game midweek series that could very well mark a critical turning point in the 2025 season.
Ahsan Awan has been covering sports for two decades and has been covering professional baseball since 2005. All images taken by Tia Lee, Robert Longan, and John Larracas for American Presswire and ©2025 Robert Longan, Conrad Melendez, and Ahsan Awan for their specific unique images for American Presswire and subject to unlimited use under license unless otherwise noted. Robert Longan can be found on X as @robbielphoto and on Instagram as @robbielonganphotography. Conrad Melendez can be found on X as @bionicslugg and on Instagram as @cam_spectrum. Ahsan Awan can be found on X as @quackarazzi and on Instagram as @quackarazzi. American Presswire can be found on X as @ampresswire and on Instagram as @ampresswire.