Colon Blanks the Angels, Cespedes and Gomes Provide the Fireworks

Okay, I didn't see it coming after Monday's uninspired loss, but the A's have manged to at least earn a split of the four game series with another win tonight; in what was a commanding, fantastic, solid you'll-take-it-and-like-it job against the rival Angels, and boy if it felt good to us, it probably felt great for Bartolo Colon. Colon was sensational tonight, just nearly perfect, as he earned his third win by blanking the Angels for eight innings; at one point he was on a streak of 38 consecutive strikes; eleven batters who never saw one ball. He would finish the eighth, having allowed just four hits, no walks, while striking out five. FDLS finished the ninth and completed the shutout.

In a year when Texas looks like the best team in baseball (they won their 10th tonight), it's quite refreshing to see the Angels struggle out of the gate. They made one major improvement in the last couple of years, though, and I'm not talking about Pujols. Victor Rojas, who was part of the broadcast team that replaced Rex Hudler, is absolutely fantastic. This is my third straight night listening to him, and he's one of the best I've heard. He knows baseball; he knows the A's, he isn't a blatant homer, and I don't have to watch every pitch to know what's happening in the game.

On the other side of the field tonight, we had the A's offense. For the first time this season, the A's collected 10 hits, but none bigger than the first inning homerun by Yoenis Cespedes, who followed up a Pennington single (BAT HIM SECOND!) and a Reddick single (who DH'd tonight due to the flu) with the big blast. Obviously, that would be all Colon needed. Jonny Gomes also homered (a solo job) in the sixth inning, for good measure, and the A's added two more in the ninth with a Weeks double and a Gomes walk (the 707 does it all).

Perfect game. All A's, all the time, as they fight to get back to one game under .500. They try for the series win tomorrow at 7:05PM.