See, this is what I was talking about last Saturday: when you have a strongly one-sided pitching matchup, you press your advantage and end up with ... a one-sided final.

So, as usual, regardless of the pitching matchup, the A's offense stands around like a bunch of Muggles waiting for an invisible train that they'll never see.

(You were wondering how I'd pick up the train metaphor from the game thread opener and tie it to the wrapup title, weren't you? mikeA, that's a rhetorical question.)

Seattle took advantage not only of the pitching mismatch, but of the defensive mismatch. The Mariners aren't exactly an offensive powerhouse, but they do boast several strong hitters (albeit with uneven track records) and the ability to recognize and punish inferior pitch location. And, for that matter, inferior glove location.

In some respects, it's not really fair to jump all over Scutaro for his shortcomings as a third baseman. And as a shortstop. And as a batter.

As I and others have often said, Scooter is an adequate utility infielder with an uncanny knack for guiling opposing closers into underestimating his ability to hit batting-practice fastballs.

But after how many years of injuries and debilities to Chavez and Crosby, and Beane's emphasis on defense, don't you think maybe we could have a little stronger backup for the left side of the infield? Reliance on pitching and defense, marginal decreases of opposing teams' chances for big innings, keeping the team competitive even with a lousy offense, etc.?

(And keep in mind the various recent flameouts in auditions for the second-understudy: Ginter, Perez, Rouse, et al. None of them would have fielded more efficaciously tonight, either.)

In any event, ultimately one has to acknowledge that even a perfectly fielded and league-average-pitched game tonight wouldn't have sufficed to have beaten King Felix.

So, the gap widens, the train pulls away from the station, and the A's wave their hanky forlornly.

(As opposed to what Beane did earlier this week to Kielty: waive his honky forlornly.)