For at least the second time this year, the A's lost to Adrian Beltre and Adrian Beltre alone thanks to an ill advised fastball in an ill advised count. This one went for a grand slam and the Rangers beat the A's, 5-2.
Beltre sets up the redemption story
Normally their best defender and one of the better defenders in baseball, Adrian Beltre effectively put the A's on the board to start the game. New lead-off hitter Marcus Semien grounded to third for what should have been the first out of the game, but instead Beltre threw the ball away allowing Semien to reach. He would move to second on a groundball by Smolinski and would score when the A's best clutch hitter, Billy Butler, knocked him home with a single.
How refreshing is Butler's resurgence? It's like finding a few year old Filet Mignon in the back of your freezer. At first glance, you're not stoked. But fire it up, let it disappoint you for a season and a half, and then it starts to taste oh so good.
Sexual Healy in the second
There's just something so aesthetically pleasing about a good Ryon Healy swing. In the second, he blasted his second homer in as many days. The man's got pop.
That was Ryon Healy's 20th homer of the season between the bigs and the minor leagues. His previous career-high was 16.
— Melissa Lockard (@oakclubhouse) August 16, 2016
As Healy starts to heat up, pitchers will challenge him less, and his line will stop looking so Khris Davisian. The dude has legit middle of the lineup potential, and it's nice to see him start to figure it out.
Rangers on the board in the fourth
After 24 consecutive Athletic like innings of not scoring, the Rangers finally broke through in the fourth. Carlos Beltran singled and moved to second on an error by Jake Smolinski and scored four batters later on a single by Elvis Andrus. Mixed in there was an incredible leaping play by Tyler Ladendorf, a walk, and a fielder's choice which easily could have been a double play if it was hit a bit harder.
It was a mix of some bad luck for pitcher Ross Detwiler (the error and the slow grounder), some bad pitching (that walk), and a sprinkle of good defense thanks to Tyler Ladendorf. Baseball.
Shit, meet fan
Detwiler danced in an out of trouble for the first four innings, giving up the lone run in the fourth. In the fifth, the floodgates burst, raining the tears of the baseball gods upon our franchise.
With the bases loaded, Adrian Beltre didn't choose to go to the moon because it was easy, he chose to go to the moon because but because Ross Detwiler left a fastball right in the middle of the plate to a hall of fame hitter who really doesn't need fastballs in the middle of the plate.
Don’t call for a ride, Adrian Beltre’s bringing you all home. https://t.co/PlleGhmI8z #PapaSlamhttps://t.co/bK1R9Ict7N
— MLB (@MLB) August 16, 2016
Adrian Beltre has 27 homeruns against the A's since 2010. Twenty. Freaking. Seven. I've said a lot of nice things about Adrian Beltre before because he seems funny and I want to minimize the chances he'll try to wear my skin, which seems plausible. I take them all back. I'm tired of watching him destroy the most destroyable pitches in baseball history.
Detwiler's second start
Detwiler would stay in to walk one final batter after giving up the grand slam. The good news on his second start? It doesn't exist. He repeatedly lost the zone on his way to four walks and a hit by pitch. When he was ahead in the count he was fine, when he was behind in it he gave up free passes with the occasional easy grand slam mixed in.
Also, this happened which isn't ideal.
Shin-Soo Choo has fractured left forearm.... he is going on the disabled list... could be out for the season
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) August 16, 2016
What's next for the lefty? He's certainly earned a third start, though anything he adds to this team for the rest of time should be nothing more than a nice surprise. If he can find the zone, he can be serviceable. If he can't, he's bad.
The offense
After a nice first couple of innings, the A's approached Martin Perez in a truly pathetic ways. Hitters routinely rolled over on fastballs down in the zone and flailed at changeups below it like they were unaware such a pitch exists. Perez pitched well, but probably not two runs well.
I take some of the blame as before the game, I said nice things about this lineup. Just another day at the office for the always underachieving A's offense.
A reminder
Bad baseball is better than no baseball, even if bad baseball is really annoyingly bad baseball where the A's put the ball on a tee for Adrian Beltre every dang time.