Game #48: The One Where They Should Have Won Yesterday

Well, I'd just like to say that thank goodness it is National Wine Day, because you sure weren't getting through this game and last night's without some help. You knew this one was coming; the A's blew a perfectly good series win last night as Melvin tinkered a little too much with the bullpen innings (You FINALLY have Doolittle red-hot and unhittable and you take him out!? In what world should you have called a third; much less a fourth changeup to Martin instead of the high fastball that would have won the game!?)

Believe it or not, the A's once led tonight's game by the score of 1-0, as Khris Davis blasted his 13th (!) home run of the year in the top of the second inning to give the A's the short-lived lead. Adam Lind promptly tied the game on his first home run of the night (don't ask) in the bottom of the inning and things took a weird left turn from there.

If I had to use one play to sum up tonight's game--and really the last two games--I'd use Billy Burns' "double" in the third inning. Burns smashed the ball out into the corner and steamed around first and second, heading for third. I literally have no idea what happened to Ron Washington on the play; despite reports that say he tried to get him to slide--it sure looked for all the world on the replay that Washington just stared at Burns as he ran to third, right into the tag. Granted, Burns runs the bases like a puppy in a restaurant, but tonight's TOOTBLAN is on Wash. His job is to get Burns to slide, at all costs, and from all the replays I watched, the slide was merely a suggestion, instead of the urgent request it needed to be. Burns had no idea the ball was coming, and I 100% blame that on the third base coach.

Of course, the way things end up, Seattle scored six runs on the A's in the bottom of the inning, capped off by another home run by Adam Lind. A Crisp single and a Burns ground out got the A's within four; at 7-3, but a Lind single, a Cruz homer, a Lind double (have a game!), a Sardinas single and another Cruz home run for good measure sent the A's to the series loss by the fantastic score of 13-3.

I had a lot to say after last night's loss, but tonight really speaks for itself. On a silver lining, the A's did record 10 hits, so there's that, and Yonder Alonso plays a really, really good first base. His double-play in the third was truly amazing.

So we do this all over again Friday night as the A's welcome in Detroit. We'll see you back here with all the action!