A's Use Daring "Broad Side of Barn" Strategy, Still Draw Eight Walks in 8-0 Win

Scott Kazmir was, to put it frankly, as wild as anyone I've seen all year. Not just once, but twice, he threw a fastball to a left-handed batter so far outside that it missed the right-handed batter's box. No, really. In the first inning, he hit two batters and walked two more, the last of which came with the bases already loaded. And yet...that run was the only run that the A's would get with Kazmir still on the mound. Some of that was Kazmir settling down and regaining a little control, but a large portion was the same old story of the A's stranding sixty seven men on base (I didn't really count).

In fact, the only reason the score differential was as big as it was came from Anaheim's bullpen. The seventh inning featured three singles, a stolen base, a double, and two home runs, for six of the eight runs scored tonight by Oakland.

But in the end, the story was the A's pitching (as usual). Gio Gonzalez wasn't dominant, but he was certainly very good, as he scattered four hits and three walks in six innings without allowing a run. Michael Wuertz, Henry Rodriguez, and Brad Ziegler combined to one-hit the Angels through the remaining three innings, and preserve the shutout.

The A's continue the series with a marquee Cy Young-contenders pitching matchup as Trevor Cahill and Jered Weaver face off at 1:10 PM.