Trailing 4-1 going to the 9th, the A's gave it the ol' college try -- apropos given the lineup of roughly college hitters the A's like to keep on their roster -- scoring twice with runners still at 1B and 2B when pinch-hitter Adam Rosales struck out against the fire-balling Jason Motte to end the game.
The game turned in the bottom of the 5th, largely on one very iffy ball/strike call: A 3-2 pitch from Ben Sheets to Yadier Molina that appeared to come in right at the knees. Ruled ball 4, it started the 2-run rally that gave St. Louis a 2-1 lead it would not ever quite relinquish.
For the most part, Ben Sheets looked good tonight, certainly better than his final line (7IP, 4 ER) would suggest. But make no mistake about it: This is a team, and arguably an organization, that is unraveling by the day. A now 1-7 road trip mercifully ends tomorrow, so that the A's can finally get some peace and quiet at the Coliseum.
