Game #24: Lack of Hitting, Horrible Defense Ruins Milone's Brilliant Start

Did you guys see the game!? It was so amazing. Back and forth, one team would score, then the other; the fans were going crazy, and it was so loud, and all of Oakland was rocking, and the team was playing to win! And then Curry, and then Jack, and then Green even made a three! Oh....wait.

That was next door.

Meanwhile, at the Oakland Coliseum, I'd like to apologize to you; you who fought through the basketball crowd, $30 parking rates, and a packed parking lot to root on the A's. They sure weren't worth it tonight.

I mean; where do I even start? You know the problem you face when your right fielder is struggling so badly at the plate and you hit him third in the lineup? He'll take it out to the field with him, making the key error that costs your team the game. You know the problem with playing your shortstop at second base for the first time in a while? He'll make a key error that ensures that you are cost the game.

I'll give credit where credit is due. Wei-Yin Chen was phenomenal tonight. As Nico said in the Game Thread, he's like Tommy Milone +3MPH. He was exceptional, but I'm tired of making excuses for the A's crappy offense. You want the offensive line tonight? Crisp had a hit, Lowrie had a hit, and Freiman had a hit. That's it. The A's never came close to scoring, and until Reddick took his eye off the ball, Milone matched Chen pitch for pitch. Unfortunately, he was saddled with the tough-luck loss, despite not giving up an earned run.

Seriously, there's nothing to recap. The game stayed scoreless until the seventh inning, when Baltimore led off with a single that Reddick turned into a double. That run scored on a two-out single. Doolittle (who would replace Milone) was lights-out, but Cook was an absolute disaster. He managed to load the bases with an infield hit and two walks before Lowrie made his error; trying to turn two and not fielding the ball. Down 3-0, the A's really had no chance to come back. (The A's third error was a terrible one for Donaldson, who made a great play and was charged an error as the ump didn't give the A's the understood "around second base" out.)

So that's the game. I hope you like basketball.

But seriously. Last year, at exactly this time, the A's were 10-10. These A's are 13-11, and Tommy Milone pitched a hell of a game tonight. That's the best sign we could have hoped for; well, that and a return to the lineup for Cespedes (Sunday, hopefully).

We do it again tomorrow at 1:05PM. We'll see you here for every torturous moment.