It took the A's exactly three pitches in the bottom of the first to be down 1-0. And even if the Padres didn't score another run all game, this one would've been tied through nine.
Even when the A's stung the ball hard, like Kotsay in the first at-bat of the game, the ball got tracked down. Josh Barfield robbed Swisher of a hit. There's a reason that the Padres have one of the top ranked defenses in baseball.
Hensley didn't walk a single batter tonight, unlike his recent history and that meant problems for the A's. They had a total of six hits tonight and didn't really have any huge threats except the fourth. Of course, the bottom of the fourth is where it all unwound for Blanton, especially with that wild pitch keystone cops impression.
Part of me wonders if this team is going to need to deal for a bat or even two. Of course, that wasn't the plan at the start of the year. The offense was supposed to be better with Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley. And to be fair, the A's will soon be getting Ellis and Thomas back, and hopefully Milton Bradley. So it will essentially be as though the team is trading for three more players. But the fact remains that the offense has looked pitiful on this road trip, if you subtract two games from the San Francisco series.
So as we close in on a month to go until the trading deadline and Billy Beane assesses what this team needs, it's important that he get a chance to see the offense with the key cogs in place. The problem is, he may not get that luxury especially when it comes to Bradley.
Thankfully the only team that seems to be winning right now is the Mariners. The A's June rise has been slowed by this road trip as it is now 3-5 with tomorrow's game to go. And it won't be easy facing Jake Peavy. Haren better bring it tomorrow.
