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After the game, CJ Wilson said something to the effect of, "I gotta go out there like it's a championship season and set the example for the youngsters." After hearing that I so did not care about this loss at all. Yes, you have to pretend you are in a pennant race. We get to enjoy the real thing. So for one night, let the Angels flap their wings. As long as any A's loss is accompanied by a Rangers loss (now 7 in a row, the latest courtesy of Wil Myers and Tampa Bay), the A's inch closer to a second straight AL West division title.
From the A's perspective, there's not really a whole lot to talk about. Jarrod Parker looked like a guy who spent yesterday vomiting and then getting on a plane and flying across the country. It is unclear why A's management decided it was so important for him to start today, but it seemed like a bad decision. His fastball, when he was able to locate it for strikes, was mostly sitting between 88 and 91 mph, a few ticks below his normal velocity. The Angels, led by Mike Trout (2-5 with a HR and 2B) seemed to have an easy time hitting Parker, Jerry Blevins, and Pedro Figueroa (who at this point probably has proven that his "live arm" isn't much more than that).
Parker had allowed six runs when he was pulled in the fifth inning, and Blevins could not stop the bleeding, allowing two more. At that point it was 8-0 and garbage time followed soon thereafter.
Other than the Rangers loss, the best news was that Yoenis Cespedes was back in the lineup and went 2-3. Apparently he has been dealing with the shoulder soreness for a couple of weeks, during which time he has gone deep a few times and is hitting over .400. Which begs the question, why didn't we mess up his shoulder earlier this year?
I'm glad they had a loss like this at this juncture, only to remind them to keep the pedal to the metal. All the better when it doesn't cost the team a game in the standings, and gets them closer to a division crown. Time to refocus and take care of business for the rest of this homestand.
