That's My Fun Day: A's Improve to 5-0 on Sundays with 7-2 Win

Eventually the A's are going to lose on a Sunday but until then I'll be happy to ride this train a while longer.  They're making it easy on the recaps, that's for sure.  In improving their Sunday record to 5-0 this season, the A's have outscored their opponents 29-9. 

Put it another way: from Monday to Saturday- a total of 23 games- Oakland has managed five or more runs on six occasions.  On Sundays, they've reached- or surpassed- that tally all five times.

Could there be something in the holy water?

The A's wasted no time jumping on Texas starter Matt Harrison.  Coco Crisp led off Oakland's half of the first with a two-base hit, which would become a recurring theme of sorts this afternoon.  Five of the A's eleven hits were doubles.  Conor Jackson followed a Daric Barton walk with a two-bagger down the right-field line to plate both runners, and just like that it was 2-0.  One out later, Kurt Suzuki made it 3-0 with a single past a diving Elvis Andrus at short to score Jackson. 

The offense went right back to work in the second.  Andy LaRoche was rewarded for his one-out double when the ‘fro sportin' Crisp singled him home, and it seemed as if the A's were going to put this to bed early when Barton doubled Coco to third, and Jackson walked to load the bases, ending Harrison's day after retiring just five batters.  But Josh was not a very compliant piggy, as Dave Bush- in relief of Harrison- struck out the left-fielder to strand three runners.

Bush was burned by his own teammates in the third, leading to a pair of A's runs.  Kurt Suzuki reached second on a throwing error by Andrus, and came around to score on a double (what else?) by Matsui, a lovely opposite-field stroke past third base.  Cliff Pennington dropped a base hit in front of centerfielder David Murphy, scoring Matsui to push Oakland's advantage to 6-0.

I bet you're wondering when I'm going to mention Gio Gonzalez, hmm?  While the A's scored a half dozen runs in their first three times at bat, Gio quietly set down the American League champs without a hit through the same amount of frames.  It wasn't until the sixth- when the Rangers scored their first run- that Gonzalez experienced anything resembling a scare.  He was finally chased in the seventh after being charged with two runs (on five hits) and one count of looking dreamy in his Gold Alts.  Gio struck out seven and walked two in 6.2 innings on the clock.

The A's added a gift run in the eighth, and continue to do their best work on this day meant for rest. They can wrap up this important series tomorrow simply by pretending that Sunday never ended.  Keeping Coco in the lineup might not be a bad idea either.