A's Continue To Have No Clue About How To Do Anything

It's hard to pinpoint a clear "low point" in today's game because there were so many great candidates. It wasn't even the bottom of the 1st, when Jemile Weeks led off with a triple and was subsequently stranded. Overall, the A's philosophy of taking as many called strikes as possible (I can't give you an exact figure because I lost count at 4,712) didn't seem to generate tons of runs as Colby Lewis retired 17 in a row following Weeks' triple, including one stretch of 5 consecutive strikeouts.

Was the low point in the top of the 6th when, with the score 0-0, two out and the bases empty, Weeks fielded the most routine of bouncers to 2B, bobbled it, then hurried a pointless throw to 1B, and threw it away for errors #2 and #3 of the 4 errors that would be charged to A's infielders today? Naturally, that's how Texas got on the board first, on an Ian Kinsler RBI double. Trevor Cahill had taken a no-hitter into the 6th, but not a perfect game thanks to ... an earlier error by SS Eric Sogard.

No for me, the lowpoint was the bottom of the 7th when manager Bob Melvin, with the A's trailing 2-1 and Brandon Allen due to face lefty Darren Oliver, sent up Conor Jackson to pinch hit in a matchup that quickly became Jackson against the RHP Koji Uehara. Seriously? You call up a rookie and then pinch hit for him after two at bats (both called third strikes; welcome to the A's), so you can get Conor Jackson up against a tough RHP?

And the A's wonder why their young hitters often fail to progress. Allen needs to hit, and Allen needs to play, but don't worry: Before the game Melvin was quick to note that Jackson is still the A's regular 1Bman. Well thank God for that. I was worried that a guy who hasn't hit well since 2008, is batting .266/.328/.365 overall and .255/.314/.348 against RHPs, and should have no part of the A's future beyond 2011, will lose playing time to an actual prospect.

Meanwhile, Scott Sizemore was charged with one error but failed to play two other ground balls that a 3Bman needs to play, each time leading to runs. In fact, every single scoring inning for Texas included at least one error, or a playable ball not fielded, by an A's infielder.

Weeks was a highlight at the plate, with a single, double, and triple for three of the A's five hits, but looked terrible in the field -- he tried to make his third error on another ball he had no chance on (Endy Chavez' infield hit) but his errant throw was saved by Jackson.

I don't know what else to say, when the A's don't seem committed to playing the right players and when the ones who do play are this inept. It's just embarrassing.