WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Phillies climbed all the way back from a three-run hole on the final day of a week-long road trip and took a late lead after an uplifting start from Jesus Luzardo only for the A’s to score twice on Matt Strahm in the eighth inning to prevent a sweep.

The Phils were a mere five outs away from pulling off their first undefeated road trip of at least seven games since July 1968 but had to settle for a 6-1 week after losing, 5-4.

The game ended with pinch-runner Johan Rojas being caught stealing second with Brandon Marsh at the plate against A’s closer Mason Miller. Rojas was in the game for that purpose but didn’t appear to get his best jump.

Strahm recorded the first out in the bottom of the eighth, then walked rookie Logan Davidson and allowed a game-tying triple to left-handed-hitting Lawrence Butler, who went 2-for-2 with two extra-base hits vs. Strahm this weekend after going 5-for-42 with two extra-base hits against all other lefties this season. Rookie catcher Willie MacIver followed with the game-winning RBI single.

“The walks, way too many this year, I feel like they all score,” Strahm said. “That pitch to Butler, I wanted a slider down there, not necessarily in, but I feel like it was down and he got the head to it and found a corner.”

It’s not as if Strahm is walking many batters. Entering Sunday, he’d issued one free pass in his last 10 appearances. But they have been clustered together. His last three appearances that included a walk resulted in five earned runs in 2⅓ innings.

“I’m always upset about walks,” he said. “I feel like I’ve had too many too close together so it’s just kind of a building frustration, I guess.”

The Phillies had a terrific week, and despite the loss they’ll still come home with the best record in baseball at 34-19. The bullpen will continue to be a question, though, as Jose Alvarado serves the remainder of an 80-game suspension that will also include the playoffs. Strahm has not yet been as sharp as he was in 2023 and 2024. Jordan Romano’s run of nine straight scoreless appearances ended Friday with a three-run ninth inning. The Phillies have too much invested in an elite team to not bolster the bullpen in-season, but the trade deadline is still more than two months away with some sellers yet to present themselves.

“We have high expectations in this clubhouse and our expectation coming into today was to sweep and we didn’t do it,” Strahm said, placing some of the loss on himself.

The Phils were close to pulling it off and extending their winning streak to 10 games. Trea Turner put them ahead in the top of the eighth with a solo home run, his third in four days, after driving in a pair earlier with a single and sacrifice fly. He helped the offense chip away as Luzardo stacked up zeroes after a rocky bottom of the first.

Luzardo allowed a leadoff homer to AL Rookie of the Year-favorite Jacob Wilson and a two-run double later in the first inning to Davidson, then he completely settled in. He was still hitting 98 mph in the bottom of the sixth and ended up striking out 10 over seven innings. It’s the first time Luzardo’s struck out at least 10 in consecutive starts, and he’s already exceeded last year’s innings total.

Luzardo is 5-0 with a 2.15 ERA and has struck out 77 in 67 innings.

“Unbelievable,” Strahm said. “I think that just shows how much he’s grown as a pitcher and his game. I feel like seeing it from afar the last few years of him, that’s when things kind’ve unraveled for him and he never got back into it, but to watch him flush it and go pitch by pitch, I mean, that’s what we stress in the bullpen, one pitch at a time. Can’t change a thing, just get the next guy. It was good to see him do that.”

Luzardo is averaging more than 6.0 innings per start and has thrown at least 100 pitches five of his last six times out, matching the most times he’s done it in any single season.

“I feel like it’s just maturity, just progressively maturing,” he said. “I think everyone moves at a different pace throughout their career. Some guys figure it out really early. Unfortunately for me, I’ve taken my lumps and bumps, and I’ll continue to take my lumps and bumps. But I thought I’ve done a good job this year, especially just kind of maneuvering around contact and finding ways to get deeper in the games.”

The Phillies are cognizant of Luzardo’s workload and have gotten him an extra day of rest before eight of his 11 starts. He’ll have an extra day again this week before facing the Brewers at home. That helps. They could dial him back as the summer wears on, they could skip a start, they could go to a six-man rotation when Andrew Painter arrives. There are ways to preserve Luzardo’s arm without going too easy on him and that’s the balance the Phillies are hoping to find. They’ve found it so far, though two-thirds of the season remains.

“The strength coaches, just the whole staff in general, they do such a good job of managing workload,” Luzardo said. “I’m finding ways to really recover in between outings and I think that’s huge, something that in the past in my career, maybe I didn’t take it seriously, the recovery aspect of it. Almost taking a step back, not doing more, doing less. Letting your body really bounce back. All you need is to be ready for the fifth day. Thanks to them and hopefully we keep it going.”