This is the first GOG I have put together so we'll see if it goes well! The A's lost for the first time in awhile and they're July record now stands at 16-3, horrible I know. The Orioles have continued to drop in the standings and are now sitting 1.5 out of the 2nd WC spot. Oakland and Chicago will have the same record going into tomorrow hoping for a Tigers loss to stay tied for that 2nd spot mere percentage points behind the Angels.

Don't forget to score your last GOG!

1. Series outcome (3 points) Give yourself an extra point if there's a sweep, even if you don't predict it, because...well sweep.

2. Bullpen Meltdowns. Last time we were in Baltimore things didn't end well as Balfour gave up a devastating walk off homerun. Do we see any blown saves for either team? (2 points) Any walk offs surrendered (1 point).

3. Balfour was still in possession of the closer role last time these teams played. That has since been handed down to Ryan Cook. Predict his Appearances, K's, BB's, and Saves. (2 points each, 8 total).

EDIT! (I made this before the Tiger game had been played because I had to be at work but wanted to post early. Take the White Sox since they now lead the Central. If you don't get a chance to edit that's fine. No penalty will be made.) 4. Wild Wild Card. As I mentioned there are several teams vying for a spot in either wild card place. As we stand it is Angels, White Sox/A's/Tigers, Orioles (1.5 GB) and Rays (2.5 GB). Predict the order by the end of the A's/Orioles series. (1 point each, 6 total)

5. Battle of the SS's. J.J. Hardy has struggled this year but anything seems to be an upgrade over what we have. Over/Under/Tie for our SS combo vs. Hardy (or anybody else that plays SS). More H/ More XBH/ More K's/ More Errors. Just say A's or Orioles for each or tie. (2 points each, 8 total)

6. Speaking of upgrading: does either team make a trade during the series? (2 points) For each correctly named player involved in a trade for either team give yourself 3 points. (Lots of points possible). For each incorrectly named player subtract 3 points.

7. The A's have been hammering out home runs more than any team since the ASB. How many do they hit in this series? (2 points) Name as many players as you want that hit one (2 points per player correctly named) if you name someone that doesn't hit one you'll get 0 points. So if you guess Sogard and Suzuki and only Sogard hits a home run you get 0 points.

33 points total without bonus points from questions 6 and 7.

Answers due by game time. 4:05 Pacific Coast Time.