Game #123: A's Fail Spectacularly to Earn Bassitt Another Loss

Happy Friday! I hope you all started drinking early, 'cause you certainly needed it to get through this game. It looked for all the world like Chris Bassitt would be the hard-luck 1-0 loser, but thanks to the ninth inning, he became the hard-luck 2-1 loser instead. More fun? You decide.

The Rays scored the first run of the game in the second inning, and nearly made it stand up all the way. After Bassitt hit the first batter of the inning, he uncorked a wild pitch to move the runner to second, where he would score on a single to give the Rays the early 1-0 lead. The A's had just one hit through the first four innings, as Bassitt dodged a few bullets along the way, loading the bases in the fifth inning, but conjuring up a double-play to get out of the inning.

The A's put together a promising fifth inning with a two-out rally by Coco and Semien to put two on for Burns. He struck out to end the inning. Bassitt wiggled out of a lead-off double in the sixth inning, and the A's mounted yet another rally. Canha singled to open the inning, and with one out, Phegley singled him to second. Smolinski dropped an infield single to load the bases, again with one out, but Brett Lawrie struck out to strand the runner and pinch-hitter Stephen Vogt popped up to end the inning.

The A's botched not one, but two potential double-plays in the top of the seventh, but they did manage to record an out on each ground-out after the lead-off walk. A two-out double moved the runner to third, which sent Bassitt packing and Pat Venditte into the game (HI!!!!!). He pitched the eighth inning as well, pitching right-handed, left-handed and back to right-handed to retire his three batters in the inning.

The A's went one, two, three in the eighth, but after Evan Scribner allowed a solo home run to double the Rays' lead, the A's tried their best made a halfhearted attempt to tie the game. Lawrie singled with one out, and Vogt followed up with a single of his own. A wild pitch moved both runners up a base as the tying runs, and Coco singled in the A's only run of the game. Pinch-runner Fuld ran to third base on the subsequent throw, as Coco stayed at first. He stole second base to put the now-tying and winning runs on base, and the A's looked in good position to at least continue the game. Semien struck out to strand Fuld, and Burns flew out to end the game.

And 2015 continues. We'll see you back here tomorrow night.