Let's review...
The A's scored their first run when Cliff Pennington walked and would have been picked off but the throw was wild. Pennington tried to go all the way to 3B where he could have been thrown out, but that throw short-hopped Andy LaRoche and caromed away as Pennington scored. 1 run, 0 hits, 2 errors.
The A's scored their second run when Jack Cust walked, Ellis hit a fly ball that Andrew McCutchen dropped for a two-base error, and then Pennington's bouncer to first base froze the runners -- but the pitcher, Ross Ohlendorf, also froze and Pennington beat him to first to load the bases with nobody out. Ohlendorf then walked Coco Crisp to force home a run before the A's squandered a bases loaded nobody out opportunity to break the game open. 1 run, 1 sort-of hit, 1 error.
Then after the Pirates scored two in the 7th to tie it 2-2, with two outs in the bottom of the 8th Kurt Suzuki lifted a pop foul between home and first that catcher Jason Jaramillo dropped. Suzuki HRed. 1 run, a real hit!!!!, 1 error.
How did the game end? On a base hit, of course, when Jose Tabata's single ticketed for RF off of Andrew Bailey struck the runner, Pedro Alvarez, going from 1B to 2B.
The A's may be headed to Baltimore to play the "Pirates of the AL," but there is no team that can match the Bad News Bears who graced the Coliseum this weekend.
As for Gio Gonzalez, don't be fooled by his line (6+ IP, 1 ER) as he was really rocky, starting only 7 hitters off with a first pitch strike, walking 4 against 2 Ks and barely throwing half his pitches for strikes. He did get a lot of ground balls, though -- 14 outs on the ground -- which saved him.
Pittsburgh has now lost 17 in a row on the road, one for each consecutive losing season they have endured since the mid-80s. So you see, it could be worse, folks. It could actually be worse.
