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What a difference a year makes, am I right? As the 2014 season came to a close, and then a disgustingly abrupt end, I never wanted to hear the word "baseball" uttered again. And in fact, it did take me months before I was willing to hear anything about the 2015 team. In an ironic twist, this season's end can't come soon enough, and all I want to do is start again for 2016. Preferably with an entirely new team. Perhaps we could start the Blue Jays in '16? The Oakland Athletics: The Worst At Finishing Seasons, Ever.
On behalf of two other teams in the AL West, who were looking for the A's to play spoiler during the AL West playoff run, where mediocre teams have a chance to compete this season (rubbing it in yet again that all the A's had to be was competent this year to compete, not even good), the A's are very sorry for losing their fifth in a row, cementing their basement status and reinforcing the obvious: This team is really crappy at baseball.
Yes, Cole Hamels started the game, went six innings, allowed four hits and would have given up zero runs but for an error. Still. The A's racked up seven hits, a run on an error, and hit into approximately fourteen double plays (I think actual count is four, but it felt like more) in a game that they seemed to care about as little as I.
Chris Bassitt started the game for the A's, allowing two runs right off the bat in the first on singles and doubles. The A's should have faked a Coliseum disaster at this point, but they kept on playing. A barrage of singles led to the Rangers' third run, and Bassitt was pulled after the third inning. Meanwhile, a two-out single by Josh Reddick and a stolen base put him in prime position to score on an error to give the A's their only run of the game. The poor fans.
Venditte and Rodriguez both pitched scoreless innings in relief, keeping the A's in the game, an effort as futile as rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic, but Abad was, well, not good; he gave up a whole lot of singles and walks, doubling the Rangers' run total, and putting the A's down 6-1. Leon and Otero managed to not do further damage, but someone called Cody Martin gave up two more runs in his two innings.
This weekend should be at least a tiny bit more entertaining as the A's take on the Giants tomorrow before the Big Game Saturday. I'll see you right here tomorrow night.
So, playoffs, huh? Who do we like?
