A's Abuse Gio, Get Swept By the Mariners, Not So Much Fun Ensues

So let's pretend one of your cornerstone pitchers has thrown 102 pitches through six innings. In no way, shape, or form, can he be called sharp; he is not tossing a perfect game (CLEARLY!), and he has been fairly lousy in his previous starts, as well. You are not in a pennant race. You presumably have a full bullpen. What do you do in the seventh inning?

If you answered "PUT HIM BACK OUT THERE", you are correct! You are also probably slightly daft, as you let one of the only pitchers you have for next year that is not hurt throw 118 pitches in a meaningless game.

Anyway, the Mariners scored two in the fourth, the A's scored one in the fifth, on back-to-back doubles by Jackson and Sizemore, and the Mariners added two more in their half of the fifth, two more in the seventh, and one more in the eighth.

Down 7-1, Willingham hit a 3-run homerun in the ninth so the A's could lose 7-4 instead.

We take a day off tomorrow as the A's head to Tampa Bay. At least there is a team there the A's can beat.