Quick! What happens when you throw two front-line aces in a room with two of the worst offenses in the league?
7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 K
8.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 13 K
Aside from one mistaken fastball to Casey Kotchman, both pitchers were simply magnificent tonight, carving up hitters with ease. For a duel like this, it just comes down to which pitcher will break first. That was Anderson, and unfortunately, Felix and the A's offense left him absolutely no margin for error.
I don't blame the A's offense that much, though. Make no mistake—Felix Hernandez was phenomenal tonight. All of his pitches had fantastic movement with pinpoint location. What else can you really do? Aside from a rather frustrating first inning bases loaded situation that ended in failure, the A's had no chance against Hernandez.
Chris Carter watch: 0 for 3 with 2 strikeouts. That's not so much a mark on Carter as a testament to how well Felix was throwing tonight.