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Well, I just returned from the Angels/Boston game and I have to say that the farewell to Big Papi tour is in full swing. We saw a RBI single and a Red Sox win but no rally monkey. Meanwhile, ugh. This game. Really, two things decided the game tonight; the Semien error which just ruined an otherwise fantastic performance by Kendall Graveman, and the Josh Reddick ball to end the game, that for all the world looked like a three-run home run to give the A's the lead, and instead it was caught literally at the wall to end the game. For a week that has by and large gone the A's way in almost every circumstance, it was a disappointing night. And lost in all of this is while Semien does have 21 home runs on the season, his OBP has dipped under .300, while he is now batting .230. And he has made great strides in defense, but tonight was not his best night. He has played every game this season, starting all but one recently, and you do wonder if he's a little worn down.
Once again, the A's jumped out to an early lead, but were unable to add on. A Billy Butler single brought in the first run of the game after Josh Reddick reached on an error. And then in the sixth inning, in what should have been a great highlight of this game, Josh Reddick and Khris Davis went back to back to stake the A's to a 3-0 lead with Graveman dealing. He gave up a home run in the bottom of the sixth to cut the score to 3-1, but the seventh is where it all fell apart. Graveman got the first out and should have had the second, but the error by Semien allowed the runner to reach. A single, a single, another run, a pitching change as Rzepczynski replaced Graveman, a walk, a single to tie the game, a wild pitch for the one-run deficit and a sacrifice fly for the 5-3 score that finished the game.
Despite one-out singles by Coco Crisp and Ryon Healy in a valiant effort to come back, Reddick's ball was just inches short of giving us another special weekend win. But it fell short, and now the A's have to win Saturday and Sunday to continue their streak of series wins. We do it again tomorrow; 4:10 Pacific, Dillon Overton is pitching.
