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Being a 2008 Oakland A's fan is really weird. We get really nervous when our hitters bat with runners on base. And we tend to distrust those pitchers and hitters who are just about the only hope we have. Wherever we look, we know disaster is right around the corner. And it's this nagging fear, dreading the horrific way in which we will somehow lose the game, that manages to prevent our enjoying the occasional win. Today's game, which saw the A's win 2 out of 3 from their hated rival, the LA Angels of Anaheim, was no different.
After getting ahead early in the game, by a 6-0 margin, the A's, and pitcher Gio González, went from hot to cold in a mere inning. González, who had little control, but had managed to thus far make batters miss, had his wildness catch up to him, and he left the game with none out in the fourth, with two already coming across the plate. Embree allowed his two inherited runners to score, and all of a sudden, it was 6-4, and the Angels had all the seeming momentum.
Instead of going to a long reliever, Bob Geren emptied his bullpen, leading to Brad Ziegler getting the chance to close out the series with one out in the eighth after Huston Street had gotten five outs and looked better than he has in quite some time. A ninth-inning Crosby error and a walk to Rob Quinlan had the Angels' tying run in scoring position, but a much-needed double play wiped out the opportunity, the inning, and the game for the Angels. But we were stressed. We knew were toast, and still weren't sure even after the last out was recorded.
The A's, winners of a series for the first time in a long time, head back to Oakland to take on the Minnesota Twins. I'll be at tomorrow's game so if you see any neglected twin two-month old infants in the BBQ terrace... those will be ours.
