Game #80: A's Avoid No-Hit Bid, But Lose in Ninth

I wrote that paragraph quickly to sum up the game, but it turns out, that was kind of the game. The A’s came thisclose to getting no-hit, and had Matt Olson not had the at-bat he did; a nine-pitch affair, in which he drained the final pitches from a tiring Foltynewicz, they would have. Of course, this couldn’t be the game that the A’s allowed 13 or 20 runs, right? It had to be the night when Sonny Gray was at his best; eight crisp, snappy, gorgeous innings pitched with two hits and only the single run, mixing in one walk and four K’s.

A perfect game it was not; the A’s walked four times, so it was a long 3-1 game, but it was one of those 2017 A’s games that just kill you. Doolittle, who has been the star of the bullpen, relieved Gray for the ninth, intending to hold the 1-0 lead and could not. He allowed the two runs that put the game out of reach for the A’s and their one hit.

The home run was exciting for sure, no one wants to be no-hit, but it was another loss for the A’s when all was said and done. At least Sonny Gray looked fantastic. We play tomorrow with a rookie pitcher, Paul Blackburn will make his Major League debut (replacing Cotton) at 1:05PM. We’ll see you back here with all the action.