Spring Game #6: A’s Fall to Dodgers 5-3

Good afternoon and Happy Wednesday! As you can tell from the 2-1 score for most of the game, and the 5-3 final, perhaps it’s beginning to look a little more like baseball out there. Unfortunately, the A’s drew the short end of the stick again today in what was another less-than-inspiring start for the A’s “starting pitching” staff, as Daniel Mengden started the game giving up the only runs A’s pitching would allow on the day until the ninth inning, where the Dodgers tacked on four runs to win, and survive the A’s late teAse.

*** Click here to revisit today’s Game Thread! ***

An early Dodgers’ single, double and additional single, mixed in with a throwing error from everyday-Robbie Grossman, apparently our only left fielder, put the A’s in an early 2-0 hole, from which they would not recover. Mengden left his two innings with a five-hit, two run, one walk line.

But let’s examine the rest of the pitching:

• Joakim Soria - .2 of an inning, but walked two.
• Ryan Dull - .1, finished the inning
• Blake Treinen - 1.0 inning, two strikeouts
• Lou Trivino - 1.0 inning, two strikeouts
• Jesus Luzardo - 2.0 innings, three strikeouts; we’ll highlight him later
• Dean Kiekhefer - 1.0 inning, perfectly clean
• Norge Ruiz - 1.0 innings, not his best shot; allowed 3 hits and 3 runs to seal the A’s fate

If you’re looking for positive news, look no further than Jesus Luzardo, who really should just be penciled in somewhere between Daniel Mengden and Brett Anderson (tomorrow’s starter). I mean, if you can’t crack this rotation, are you really even trying?

The A’s got on the board and cut the Dodgers lead in half in the bottom of the fourth as a one-out Canha double and a two-out Pinder double scored their only run until the ninth. The game would remain a tense 2-1 affair until Ruiz took the mound to open the ninth, where he was greeted by a double and a triple. He hit batters, he allowed hits, sacrifice flies, basically, he was dreadful as he allowed 3 runs to cross the plate, securing the Dodgers’ 5-1 lead.

But then the plucky A’s came up to bat, having struggled mightily all game. Barreto singled to open the inning to give the A’s life. With two outs, Nick Hundley homered to cut the score to 5-3. Interestingly enough, I can’t read “Hundley” without referring the adorable professional door-dog named Hundley in Curious George, because I have a three-year-old who loves baseball, but during the off-season, educates me on Curious George. Can the season start already?

Two Dodgers miscues on Skye Bolt and Sheldon Neuse’s batted balls put two more on, but Beau Taylor grounded out to end the game. And there you have it.

Brett Anderson starts tomorrow. We’ll see you back here with all the action!