A’s beat Brewers for their first series sweep of season

MILWAUKEE — Seth Brown and Brent Rooker hit back-to-back homers in the fourth inning to help the Oakland Athletics complete their first series sweep of the season with an 8-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Kevin Smith also homered as the A’s erased an early 2-0 deficit and won their fifth straight. This marks the first time they’ve had five consecutive victories within the same season since September 2021.

This surge has given the Athletics (17-50) a higher winning percentage than the 1962 New York Mets, who went 40-120 for the worst season-ending record of any team since the start of the 20th century.

Since falling 5-4 at Pittsburgh on Monday for their 15th straight road loss, the Athletics have gone 5-0 on the road against the NL Central’s top two teams — the Pirates and Brewers.

Christian Yelich homered for the Brewers.

The Brewers played this game without manager Craig Counsell, who was attending his son’s graduation from Whitefish Bay (Wisconsin) High School on Sunday. Jack Counsell will play baseball at the University of Michigan next year.

Oakland trailed 2-0 before pulling ahead for good by scoring four runs in the fourth off Freddy Peralta (5-6).

Brown capped an 11-pitch at-bat with a three-run homer over the right-field wall. Rooker followed that up by launching a 1-1 pitch into the left-field seats.

The Brewers threatened to tie or pull back ahead on few occasions.

Blake Perkins’ two-out RBI single in the sixth cut Oakland’s lead to 4-3 and put runners on the corners, but Lucas Erceg ended the threat by retiring pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez on a grounder to second.

The Brewers trailed 5-3 but had two on and two out in the eighth when Tellez hit a deep drive off Richard Lovelady that Esteury Ruiz caught at the center-field warning track.

Oakland scored three runs in the ninth to extend its lead to 8-3, but the A’s bullpen struggled to close the deal.

Oakland’s Trevor May walked three batters and allowed a hit in the bottom of the ninth. He got pulled in favor of Sam Long after walking Victor Caratini with the bases loaded and two outs.

Pinch-hitter Abraham Toro’s bloop single made it 8-6 and put the tying run on first before Perkins bounced to third to end it. Long got his second save in three opportunities.

Athletics starter JP Sears (1-3) struck out five and allowed six hits and two runs in five innings. Peralta struck out five and gave up four runs, three hits and two walks in five innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Athletics: RHP Drew Rucinski, who has been on the injured list with a stomach virus, suffered a low-grade sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during a bullpen session. He will be rehabbing for two to three weeks before getting on the mound. … RHP Freddy Tarnok (shoulder) is throwing a bullpen session in Oakland on Monday and will pitch for Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. … LHP Kirby Snead (shoulder) will pitch at Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Brewers: LHP Eric Lauer (shoulder) allowed seven runs — five earned — along with eight hits and two walks over two innings in a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Nashville. … LHP Wade Miley (lat) threw five shutout innings in a rehabilitation start for Double-A Biloxi.

UP NEXT

A’s: Return home to begin a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. RHP James Kaprielian (1-6, 7.21 ERA) will start for the Athletics in Monday’s opener.