Game #126: Déjà Vu All Over Again, A's Blow Early Lead

Well, that was very unfun. I don't even know where to start with the A's right now, so I'll pick a point. You know that nervous feeling you had this morning when the A's didn't call up a backup catcher after Norris' injury? You know the worried feeling that something would happen to Vogt and our best hitter would have to play a rusty catcher, putting Donaldson at injury risk? Well, it happened today, only Vogt played hurt the last three innings to avoid the Donaldson situation. Which means he had two at-bats where he probably couldn't see the ball coming in. Which helped the A's not come back in this game (although he dropped a fine sacrifice bunt, which was wasted because the A's simply are playing the worst offense of the season right now). I'm not sure anything would have helped the loss.

Because Cook and Doolittle pitched a heavy workload yesterday, and Chavez was used, Blevins and Otero were it for the 'pen today. Of course, it didn't really matter, as A.J. Griffin walked six in his six innings, leading to 4 Seattle runs. Well, it should have been 3, but the umpires just really don't care about their jobs and make whatever calls they feel like these days. Or so it feels like to Oakland fans right now.

Once again, the A's jumped off to an early start on a home run by Coco Crisp, and Lowrie tripled as the next batter and was stranded on third base. With. No. One. Out. The Mariners would tie the game in the second on a Morse home run, who apparently only homers against the A's. The A's would grab the lead back in the fourth on a Moss home run, a Cespedes double and a Callaspo sacrifice fly, but Griffin would walk two batters in the sixth, and both would score on a Brendan Ryan double (BRENDAN RYAN, people!). Well, in reality-world, one would score, and one was easily thrown out at the plate in a collision with Vogt, but the umpire incorrectly called him safe. Vogt was never the same.

The A's wasted a Cespedes double in the sixth, two walks in the seventh, leaving another runner at third with one out, and didn't even bother with an 8th or 9th inning rally. The Mariners would add an unneeded insurance run in the eighth, and the A's would lose the game, and the series. Oh, and are possibly out of catchers.

They have tomorrow off, as they fly to Baltimore for Friday's game, and we can only hope that they play first half baseball, rather than second half baseball. We'll see you back here for every excruciating moment Friday night! Hang in there, Oak-land!