How ironic that before the game today, I was musing that had the A's, not the Giants, signed free agents Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe to play LF and SS, Oakland might be the "team to beat" in the AL West. Well I guess the A's are the team to beat -- the Giants beat them for the third straight time, led by a pair of 2-run HRs by Aubrey Huff and a solo blast by Juan Uribe.
When I looked this up, I nearly barfed. Huff and Uribe were each signed to one-year deals, Huff for $3million and Uribe for $3.25million. That's what the A's would have had to outbid -- and come on, outbid it by 25% and you will get a player to sign even with Oakland -- to create this possible lineup:
Davis - CF
Barton - 1B
Huff - LF
Kouzmanoff - 3B
Cust - DH
Sweeney - RF
Suzuki - C
Uribe - SS
Ellis - 2B
Instead the A's spent 1.5 times than that for Coco Crisp, are anxiously trying to get Eric Chavez on a rehab assignment, and have kept Patterson and Fox on the roster for now 65 straight games. But it's ok, because the World Cup is on, right Billy?
Fittingly Rajai Davis, who was released by the Giants and eagerly snatched up by the A's, got himself inexplicably doubled off 2B on a liner to CF to end the game and give San Francisco the sweep.
Am I saying "ZOMG the A's clearly should have signed Huff and Uribe!!!111"? No. It's just frustrating to watch the A's get beaten by exactly the kind of players the A's need -- left fielders and shortstops who are actually productive and/or dangerous hitters.
Anyhow, Vin Mazzaro pitched well until he ran out of gas in the 6th, Cliff Pennington clobbered two doubles off the right field wall, Jack Cust had 3 hits, and the (s)crappy A's loaded 'em up again in the 8th to take their shot at coming back. So it's not all bad. I just wish it could be the other team that was "scrappily trying to comeback" and the A's that had wins in the bag at the end of the day.
