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New York Yankees hitter Aaron Judge celebrates after a home run hit by Ben Rice (22) in the seventh inning against Athletics pitcher Scott Barlow on Friday at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento.<\/p>\n
JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS<\/p>\n
jvillegas@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
The game was out of hand, but that likely mattered less to Brent Rooker than the miserable streak he was trying to end.<\/p>\n
Down 8-1 in the bottom of the ninth inning to the New York Yankees on Friday, the A\u2019s 2025 All-Star slugger walked to the plate mired in an 0-for-17 slump. His batting average coming into the game was a miserable .189. His .626 on-base plus slugging percentage was nearly .200 worse than his mark for his career.<\/p>\n
Rooker\u2019s rough go in 2026 has coincided with the A\u2019s slumping offense, as they dropped their fourth straight game and six of their last seven. They fell out of first place in the American League West while getting swept earlier in the week by the Seattle Mariners. Things didn\u2019t get any better Friday with 8-2 loss to New York, the seventh time the A\u2019s have scored three runs or fewer in the past eight games.<\/p>\n
But Rooker had fight left in him. Like any veteran hitter, he knows one at-bat can snap a season back into place. A hot streak can start with a hard-hit ball just as easily as a downturn can begin with a strikeout.<\/p>\n
Rooker in the ninth inning worked an eight-pitch at-bat, and then broke his bat with a soft dribbler to shortstop. But he reached first with an infield single, giving him his first hit in eight days when he had a two-hit game May 21 on the road against the Angels.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a hit,\u201d Rooker said. \u201cSo it\u2019s something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rooker is one of a few A\u2019s sluggers hitting well below their expectations. Tyler Soderstrom, who hit 25 homers in his first full season last year, is hitting .209 with six long balls. Lawrence Butler is no longer a mainstay in the lineup, slashing just .163\/.258\/.248 in 50 games. The A\u2019s recent streak of 31 days in first place in their division ended this week, but had held up in that stretch largely despite three of their stalwarts hitting below replacement level.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s a lot about belief,\u201d Butler said when asked keeping the big picture in mind during a prolonged slump. \u201cIt\u2019s knowing that the guys in the lineup are really good players, and with enough time and enough work and enough patience that the results are going to be there, because they always have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
The offense will have to come around while the A\u2019s pitching is similarly tattered. Ace Luis Severino exited Friday\u2019s loss after a few warmup pitches before the second inning after allowing a four-run first. An A\u2019s starter hasn\u2019t earned a win in 13 days. And while none of Severino\u2019s runs allowed were earned due to an error in the inning, A\u2019s starters had a 5.73 ERA during that span.<\/p>\n
The pitching splits between home and road have been stark. The A\u2019s have a 5.45 ERA at Sutter Health Park and a 3.39 ERA on the road. The A\u2019s have a plus-21 run differential in 31 road games compared to minus-52 in 31 games at home. Friday\u2019s loss dropped the A\u2019s to 10-16 at home this season, compared to 17-14 in away games.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve paid for mistakes more (at home) than what we\u2019ve paid for mistakes on the road,\u201d A\u2019s manager Mark Kotsay said. \u201cThat being said, we\u2019ve got to play better defense at home. … That\u2019s a combination of what it takes to pitch better, it\u2019s also to play better.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Athletics](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1095_262905_JV_A'S_YANKEES.jpg\" "\\"1095_262905_JV_A'S_YANKEES.jpg\\"")
Athletics base runner Colby Thomas is tagged out by New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the third out in the bottom of the fourth inning on Friday at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com Severino\u2019s status uncertain<\/p>\n
Severino came out of the game with right arm soreness after having his scheduled start on Tuesday pushed back to Friday after feeling discomfort during a side throwing session.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I threw a pitch, it was just getting worse,\u201d Severino said.<\/p>\n
The right-hander said he\u2019ll undergo testing on Saturday and is fearful of a long-term absence. He said if he only had to miss one or two starts, \u201cI\u2019m happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Athletics pitcher Luis Severino (40) walks off the mound after giving up four runs in the first inning against the New York Yankees on Friday, May 29, 2026, at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. Severino did not come out to pitch the second inning. JOS\u00c9 LUIS VILLEGAS jvillegas@sacbee.com <\/p>\n
Severino fell to 2-6 with the loss and has similar splits to last season when he was a far more effective pitcher on the road. He came in allowing an .895 OPS to hitters at home and .681 OPS in seven road starts.<\/p>\n
The A\u2019s will try to snap their four-game losing streak on Saturday by sending J.T. Ginn (2-3, 3.19 ERA) to the mound against lefty Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.14). Friday\u2019s game had an announced attendance of 12,254, which the A\u2019s said was their 10th sellout of the season after having just seven in all of 2025.<\/p>\n
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