Well, you can't say that the A's rolled over. Down by as many as 7 runs at one point, the A's ended the game with the winning run at the plate, and the tying run at first. It's games like these that I probably would rather see the A's lose 8-1 than 8-6; it requires a lot less of the "what-ifs". What if Parker had been just a little better? What if Blevins hadn't pitched? What if Kila hadn't swung at the first pitch? And on and on.

But at the end of the day, the A's couldn't recover from Jarrod Parker's two-plus inning, four hit, four walk, six earned run outing. You're going to lose most of the games when your starting pitcher can't get out of the third inning. His replacement, Jerry Blevins, would give up two of Parker's runs, one by walking Barry Zito with the bases loaded. The two runs he would give up himself were ultimately the difference in the game. Figueroa, Norberto and Blackley put forth a valiant effort, holding the Giants scoreless, but the damage had already been done.

Meanwhile, the much-maligned Josh Donaldson would have a night, going 3 for 5 with 5 RBI. He homered in the third, doubled in the fifth, had a key bases-clearing double in the sixth that would get the A's back in the game, and reached on an error in the ninth.

The A's would put up a teAse in the ninth inning, as Donaldson reached on an error, and after Kila swung at the first pitch and popped it up, Seth Smith singled to put runners on the corners. Jemile Weeks came up as the go-ahead run, but he grounded out.

Disappointing to be sure, and not the way you want to start off the Bay Bridge Series. The A's will try to bounce back tomorrow as Tyson Ross takes the mound.