As the A's fell 6-5 Tuesday courtesy of a 5-run Padre 8th off of Shane Komine, there is an unmistakable pattern emerging for the A's this spring training season. The starters dominate, the reserves cough it up big time. "Pitchers who will make the team" are shutting down the opposition, while "pitchers who won't make the team" are so unsightly as to undo 7-8 innings of good work in about 20 minutes.
This is not a problem, because, as Captain Obvious knows, it's the players who will make the team who--by virtue of making the team--will impact the regular season. Still, the contrast is stark, leaving many fans to mutter, "Mabeus, just mabeus, Shane shouldn't have Komine."