The A’s showed fight tonight—Jeffrey Springs turned in one of his better outings all year, carving through six innings and limiting the Cardinals to just two runs, according to manager Mark Kotsay's post game comments. But defense matters. Brent Rooker and Tyler Soderstrom each lost balls in the lights, turning routine flyouts into four Cardinals runs. That’s baseball shorthand for "win goes ... somewhere else." Contreras had his night: three hits, four RBIs, and the kind of power display that steals games and headlines.

The A’s finally answered back with Nick Kurtz launching his 28th homer—an opposite-field blast that gave fans hope. But a late push fizzled when Gelof struck out and Hernaiz grounded out on a close call that was challenged unsuccessfully. The A’s now head into a well timed day off before heading west to Anaheim. The story is simple: Pitching was respectable, power came when needed, but defense—especially under the glare—was the difference.

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