Cahill Continues Dominance, Pennington Helps

It's been approximately 130 years since the Oakland offense picked up a pitcher who was having an off-night. Of course, for Trevor Cahill, an off-night means eight innings, seven hits, three runs, five strikeouts, and fourteen groundouts.

But pick him up they did, as Cliff Pennington, the walk-off hero from yesterday, hit a booming two RBI double to RF that hit the bottom of the wall about a half an inch from the foul line. For a team that has had difficulty with runners in scoring position, a big hit like that was a welcome surprise. Daric Barton also had a great night, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and a walk. And while Coco Crisp wasn't terrific with the bat, he saved the game with an absolutely miraculous over-the-wall grab that proved to be the difference in the game.

Of course, this series isn't exactly a win in the schedule just yet. We've still got three very difficult pitchers to face in Jeremy Hellickson, David Price, and Matt Garza. And yet...it just got a little brighter. Isn't that enough?