Thanks for showing up, Cespedes!

Rays:  4  Athletics:  1

The A’s have lost back-to-back games for the first time since June 30th.  The A’s are coming off a great July, going 19-5 on the month, which set a franchise record for the month, so is losing the first game in August mean it’s time to panic?

I’d say “yes” and “no”.  Okay, maybe not “panic”, but it’s a bit concerning.  The A’s looked absolutely terrible at the plate in this series, they scored only 5 runs over the 3 games, struck out 39 times total and in the last 2 games only combined for 8 hits and 1 run.  It was ugly, to say the least, and looked a lot like the A’s from earlier in the season.

On the other hand, the A’s have not had a day off since they began their 6-game east coast road trip and the first game in this series was 15 innings long.  It’s a silly excuse, but may also be a legitimate reason why the A’s looked so defeated over the past couple of games.  Most importantly, it’s only 2 games.  There are 7 more games in this homestand, and I think those 7 games will determine whether or not the July A’s are the real thing or not.

Lines of the Day:

• Brandon Inge: 4 AB, 1 H, 1 RBI.  Brandon Inge is responsible for the only run scored for the A’s over the past 18 innings, he also holds a season high 11-game hitting streak.
• Yoenis Cespedes:  4 AB, 2 H.  Cespedes was the only player to collect 2 hits today, he was 5-14 in the series.

A’s Extras:

• Josh Reddick went 0-4 today and is now hitless in his last 21 at-bats with 8 strikeouts.
• Jarrod Parker was okay today, lasting 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 3 runs, walking 3 and striking out 2.
• Jordan Norberto pitched 2 innings of relief today, he allowed 1 hit (a solo home run to Carlos Pena) and struck out 1.

For more on the Tampa Bay Rays, visit Cowbell Clankers.