The A's are in a hole. A deep, deep hole that they dug for themselves. Our bullpen continued to do horribly, defense has now given up a Major League leading 33 errors in 33 games played... I hate to say it, but if the A's don't kick it into high gear soon, and I mean soon, their season will be over. This week, the A's went 1-6 losing 3/4 in Minnesota and getting swept in Seattle 3 games to none... It was a pathetic, embarrassing, and sloppy road trip. The A's are sitting at 12-21 in dead last in the AL West. They are 8.5 games behind the 1st place Astros. The A's will come home and face the Boston Red Sox & Chicaco White Sox in a pair of 3-game series.
Game #27) L 7-8 – 5/4/15 (Mon):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #28) W 2-1 – 5/5/15 (Tue):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #29) L 0-13 - 5/6/15 (Wed):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #30) L 5-6 5/7/15 (Thur):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #31) L 3-4 - 5/8/15 (Fri):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #32) L 2-7 - 5/9/15 (Sat):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Game #33) L 3-4 - 5/10/15 (Sun):
Highlights:
Concerns:
Wrap -Up & Next Week:
I will write the wrap-up tomorrow!
Game #27) L 7-8 – 5/4/15 (Mon):
Highlights:
- The A’s got off to a booming start in the first inning, thanks to a ‘big fly’, grand salami by Stephen Vogt.
- Mark Canha hit another one of his random solo homeruns in the 6th which gave the A’s a 5-4 lead.
- 8th inning Gentry leadoff bunt, Lawrie single 1st -3rd no out. Canha RBI groundout, Sogard hit a grounder up the middle, snagged by the pitcher, thrown out at first. Runner on 2nd, Burns bloop to shallow center, Schafer excellent diving catch, saved a run 6-8 Twins
- 9th inning, Reddick single, Vogt 10-feet away from a 2-run HR… of course the ball crashed off the right field wall.. 7-8 ball game, and that’s how it ended.
Concerns:
- Jesse Hahn couldn’t get a shutdown inning. He gave up 4 runs in the bottom half of the 1st.
- Hahn didn’t walk anybody, but he gave up 10 hits in just 5.0 innings of work. He gave up 6 ER and had 5 K’s.
- R.J. Alvarez came in, in the 5th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, no outs. Schafer hit a swinging bunt that rolled past Alvarez (he tripped) then rolled past Sogard (he tripped too), it was an ugly play that tied the game.
- Then, Torii Hunter hit a huge 3-run HR which put the Twins ahead 8-5, which was good enough for a win.
- This game could have easily gone our way.. if the A’s had better mojo going on, unfortunate loss, bullpen still sucks.
Game #28) W 2-1 – 5/5/15 (Tue):
Highlights:
- Jesse Chavez, on Cinco de Mayo, pitched an amazing game & got his first W of the season. Well deserved.
- He went 7.1 IP 4 H 1 Unearned Run 1 BB 7 K and threw 87 pitches and 58 strikes.
- THE BULLPEN ACTUALLY HELD A LEAD! Scribner didn’t do anything, but Mr. Tyler Clippard got a 5-out save. He came into the game in the bottom of the 8th inning with one out and runners on 1st and 3rd. He got Torii Hunter, who had the game winning hit yesterday, to strikeout, and got the #3 hitter Joe Mauer to fly out. Then completely shut down the Twins in the 9th.
Concerns:
- Scribner came in, in the 7th, 2 runners on, one out, Santana hit a ground ball to Ike Davis at first, he was literally a step away from tagging the first base bag, but instead chose to try and get the lead runner out at second and airmailed the throw into center field. He should have gotten the SURE OUT at first base, especially since he was so close to the bag.
- Errors continued, luckily, thanks to Clippard, didn't come back to bite us like they normally do
Game #29) L 0-13 - 5/6/15 (Wed):
Highlights:
Concerns:
- ... Oh, no. I didn't forget to put anything in the 'Highlights' section... there were none
- The A's lost 13-0
- Chad Smith and R.J. Alvarez, in 1.1 IP between them, gave up 5 hits, 7 earned runs and a home run while walking 2 and striking out 2
- Scott Kazmir couldn't control his cutter throughout the game and therefore left all of his pitches over the middle of the heart of the plate = hits and runs galore
- Pointless game, A's are gonna have to try and salvage the series tomorrow
Game #30) L 5-6 5/7/15 (Thur):
Highlights:
- The A's stated off playing solid, fundamental baseball, plating two base runners on 2 sac-flies, one by Muncy and the other by Phegley
- After Pomz gave the lead up, the A's offense, again, bounced right back in the 3rd. The top of the 3rd for the A's could have been a monster inning with a crooked number... instead, the A's had to settle for 2. Burns led off with a sharp single to center. The next two batters, Fuld and Reddick, both hit liners to the 4-hole, where Brian Dozier made 2 superb catches, robbing both hitters of hits. Butler then singled, plating Burns, then Ike doubled in Butler. Frustrating that the A's couldn't catch a break on either of the liners.
- Fernando Rodriguez. Holy Crap. He looked EXCELLENT out of the pen. He pitched both the 6th and 7th, struck out 4, walked none, and gave up no runs... just what we need. He looks like a lock.
Concerns:
- Drew. Pomeranz. Shouldn't. Be. A. Starter. He's been horrible at shut down innings this entire season. The A's give him 2 runs, he gives up 3 in the bottom half. He just pitched horribly. Lead-off single, walk, walk, just like that, bases loaded, no out. Twins ended up scoring 3.
- Pomeranz failed to 'minimize' the damage, he needed to be especially careful with Semien getting the day off at short. This caused Sogard (SS) and Lawrie (2B) to play out of position, and not surprisingly, they both committed costly errors in the game
- Pomeranz's struggles on the mound continued in the 4th, leadoff walk, single, error by Sogard - tie game
- Pomeranz's struggled further continued in the 5th, leadoff walk again, then another, then he gone
- Otero in, what does he do? Walks the leadoff batter... A's pitchers walked the bases loaded, then a 2-RBI single was all it took for the Twins to pull out the W
- A's gave away yet another game, defense, horrible pitching, bullpen
Game #31) L 3-4 - 5/8/15 (Fri):
Highlights:
- The A's offense continued to bounce back after giving up runs in the previous inning
- Single by Sogard, Walk to Coco, Fuld tried to move the runners over, but Sogard was cut down at 3rd, Reddick fouled out, Butler came through with a clutch RBI single (tied at 1-1)
- Top 5th A's broke the tie, thanks to a blast to center by Reddick, good for 2 runs, making it a 3-1 A's lead...
Concerns:
- This story is getting repetitive...
- Sonny pitched very well through 6.0 innings, 6 hits, a run, 2 walks and 9 K's... then game in the bullpen
- Scribner in, he allowed the lead-off batter to reach base on a single, then got 2 strike outs... of course, by the way the A's have been going, Miller doubled making it a 3-2 game
- Scribner out, Abad in, gave up a double to Cano, tie game, bullpen blew it again, what's new right?
- Abad's location was horrible. I watched video on where Vogt was setting up behind the plate and where the pitches ended up, something's not right with Abad. His location was horrible.
- At this point, you just knew the A's weren't gonna win...
- They did however, have a huge chance to take the lead in the 8th, Burns pinch hit for Fuld, and was hit by a pitch, advanced to 2nd on a wild pitch, Reddick hit a fly ball that moved him to third... Runner on 3B, Less than 2 outs, of course, again, I am a broken record, by the way the A's have been going... they couldn't get that run home
- Bottom 11, Otero in, LoMo mashed a hit-me, fat, fat, meatball right down the middle into the seats. Walkoff for the Mariners
Game #32) L 2-7 - 5/9/15 (Sat):
Highlights:
Concerns:
- What again?... Again no highlights? Sheesh.
- This was probably one of the ugliest games the A's have had... ever, not just this lousy season (so far)
- This type of inning should never... happen: ground out, ground out, single, wild pitch, double, walk (2 errors by Semien on the same play) - another unearned run given up by the defense
- Jesse Hahn wasn't sharp
- A's defense made a season high 4 errors
- 32 errors in 32 games says it all
- Absolutely inexplicable... Melvin was pissed, shaking his head and taking on and off his hat throughout the game
- Not much else to say... A's face King Felix Hernandez in the final game of the series on Mother's Day
Game #33) L 3-4 - 5/10/15 (Sun):
Highlights:
- Marcus Semien... what did you have for breakfast my good man? 2 bombs off King Felix
- Stephen Vogt, a clutch solo homerun in the 9th inning off Fernando Rodney... who still got to shoot his stupid arrow :(
- The bullpen looked better: Fernando Rodriguez (who did walk 2 batters, but was able to get out of a jam), and Evan Scribner, pitched scoreless innings
Concerns:
- Sigh... to cap off what was another dreadful week, the A's lost their 8th one-run loss of the season
- King + Rodney > A's - That was pretty much how the game went...
Wrap -Up & Next Week:
I will write the wrap-up tomorrow!