Athletics:  4  Angels:  1

For the first time since 2006 the Oakland A’s will finish the season with a winning record.  This is a big step for the A’s, who were once thought to be a 90 game (or more) losing team.

Last night’s win against the Angels marked their 12th win in a row on the road, tying a franchise record for consecutive road wins.

A.J. Griffin was the story of the night, throwing 8 shutout innings against the Angels.  He allowed only 6 hits, walked none and struck out 6 and improved his record to 6-0.  In last night’s game, Griffin became the first pitcher, since at least 1918, to allow 3 runs or less and walk 2 or less over his first 11 starts.

The A’s scored in the first inning off of an Erick Aybar error, scoring Josh Reddick, who reached base off a double.  They would not score again until the sixth inning, when Yoenis Cespedes lead off the inning with a home run, it was his second in two days.  After blowing their chance to extend their lead in the seventh, they would go on to score 2 more in the eighth.  Josh Donaldson lead off the inning with a double and scored after a double by Derek Norris. Norris would score off of an RBI single by Coco Crisp.

Sean Doolittle came in to replace A.J. Griffin in the ninth inning and the shut out was immediately broken by a lead off home run from Albert Pujols.  He then got Kendrys Morales and Howard Kendrick to ground out, but was replaced by Ryan Cook after he gave up a double to Erick Aybar.  Ryan Cook recorded the last out by getting Vernon Wells to ground out, officially making the A’s a winning team.

Thanks, Jerry!!

Athletics:  6  Angels:  5

I’d say that last night’s game was the scariest of the season so far.  I’d say most of these games are “must” wins at this point, but last night was a MUST win for the A’s.  The A’s needed to gain ground on their division rival before the next two games, as they have to face two pitchers they have struggled with in the past.

The A’s got on the board first again, this time a Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo home run to give them the lead in the second.  The Angels took the lead immediately after when Vernon Wells hit a 2-run home run to put the Angels up 2-1.  The A’s retook the lead in the fourth on Brandon Moss’ 2-run home run (his second home run in two days).  In the same inning, Josh Donaldson and George Kottaras followed with back-to-back singles and Stephen Drew hit a sacrifice fly, putting the A’s up by 2.

The Angels cut their lead down to one after a Torii Hunter home run in the seventh.  The A’s scored two more runs in the top of the ninth, which ended up being the most important of the game.  Cliff Pennington singled with two outs and Coco Crisp came up and drove a ball to right field, thanks to bit of fumbling by Hunter, both Pennington and Coco himself scored.  The play would later be ruled as a triple and an E9.

With a 3-run cushion Grant Balfour came in to save the game.  Balfour has been good for the A’s since he took over at the closer spot, having only allowed 3 runs over the last 10 outings (and no blown saves).  Last night he was not at his best, to say the least.

Grant Balfour walked Chris Iannetta to lead off the inning.  He then walked Mike Trout. Torii Hunter came up and singled and Iannetta scored, cutting the lead to only 2 runs.  Balfour then gave up a single to Albert Pujols and Trout scored and the A’s saw their lead cut to just 1 run.  Then with runners on first and third and no outs Jerry Blevins came in to replace Grant Balfour.

Blevins was put in a tight spot, he needed to record three outs without letting the runner on third cross the plate to tie the game.  That’s exactly what Blevins did.  The first batter he faced was Kendrys Morales and he got him to strike out swinging.  The following batter, Howard Kendrick, hit a 2-1 sinker right to Josh Donaldson who threw out Peter Bourjos (who was pinch running for Pujols) at second and then Cliff Pennington threw out Kendrick at first.  It was Jerry Blevins second career save and the first of this season.

Dan Straily, who made his first start since August 16, did pretty well tonight.  The last time he faced the Angels he allowed four home runs to them, tonight his only two hiccups were the two home runs he allowed to Wells and Hunter.  Through 6.2 he allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 8.  Pat Neshek tried to record the final out of the seventh, but an error by Stephen Drew put the runner on first and Sean Doolittle came in and relieved Neshek.  Doolittle did record the final out and pitched a clean eighth.

In other good A’s news, Brandon McCarthy was released from the hospital yesterday after having surgery 6 days prior.  Hopefully he will be able to resume baseball activities within a few months.

The A’s will begin a big 3-game series tonight against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (58-51).  The Angels are only a half a game behind the A’s, who are currently tied with the Tigers for the first wild card.  In order to keep the lead the A’s are going to have to defeat 3 very tough pitchers and one of the strongest offenses in baseball.  The last time the 2 teams faced each other was in May and the Angels took 2 out of 3 from the A’s.

Monday 7:05 PM PST: (RHP) Jered Weaver (14-1) Vs (RHP) Jarrod Parker (7-5)

• Jered Weaver has been one of the most consistent players in baseball this season, having only allowed 3 or more runs in 4 of his 19 starts.  In his last start against the Texas Rangers he held them to 5 hits, 2 runs, walked one and struck out 3.  Weaver has faced the A’s twice this season and has only allowed 1 run over 14.2 innings, while walking 3 and striking out 10.
• Jarrod Parker last faced the Tampa Bay Rays and lasted 6 innings, allowed 8 hits, 3 runs, walked 3 and struck out 2.  Parker has faced the Angels once this season and over 7 innings he allowed 7 hits, 1 run, walked 1 and struck out 8.

Tuesday 7:05 PM PST: (LHP) C.J. Wilson (9-7) Vs (RHP) Bartolo Colon (8-8)

• C.J. Wilson had a very poor start in his last outing against the Texas Rangers, allowing 8 runs on 10 hits and 3 walks while striking out 7.  Despite his disgust in playing in Oakland, he last faced them in May at the Coliseum and only allowed 1 hit over 8 innings, while walking 2 and striking out 7.
• Bartolo Colon had a great outing in his start start against the Toronto Blue Jays only allowing 7 hits, no runs, walking 1 and striking out 3.  Colon has faced the Angels twice this season and his last his start he allowed 4 runs on 12 hits, walked none and struck out 3 over 6.2 innings.

Wednesday 12:35 PM PST: (RHP) Zack Greinke (0-1) Vs (RHP) Dan Straily (0-0)

• Zack Greinke will be making his 3rd start for the Angels on Wednesday afternoon.  In his last start against the Chicago White Sox he allowed 10 hits, 6 runs walked 2 and struck out 4 over 7 innings.  Greinke has faced the A’s 13 times (9 starts) in his career and has a 5-1 record with a 3.00 ERA against them.
• Dan Straily will only be making his second Major League start on Wednesday.  His last start (and also first start) was against the Tampa Bay Rays and he lasted 6 innings, allowed 5 hits, 1 run, walked 1 and struck out 5.

Keys to Success: 

The last series showed several of the A’s weaknesses.  When the pitching was strong the offense was weak and when the offense was strong(er) the pitching wasn’t great.  The Angels are a big threat to the A’s right now, so they are going to have to figure it out some how.  They are going to have to find ways to score against 2 pitchers they have struggled against in the past and the pitching is going to have to be near perfect again.  This is going to be a tough series for the A’s and I am hoping their fight comes back for this one.

Hello? Anyone? (Photo: Spitzgogo_CHEN (Nokia 6230i)/Flickr)

Angels:  3  Athletics:  1

There really isn’t a lot to say about today’s loss.  The offense has been pretty poor this entire season, but it has now gone from being pretty poor to repulsive.   The A’s have only scored 1 run in the past 25 innings, they only have 4 hits in their last 4 games and they have only had 1 extra base hit in their last 26 innings.

There was a bright spot in today’s game, Jarrod Parker had a nice bounce back start going 7 innings while only allowing 5 hits and 1 run.  He also threw 95 pitches (66 for strikes), only walked 1 and struck out a career high of 8.

Maybe they can use tomorrow’s off day to relocate their ability to score runs.

A’s Extras:

• Bob Melvin says Yoenis Cespedes took swings in the batting cage today and everything went well.  Cespedes was due to come off the disabled list yesterday, but was unable to swing the bat until today.  There is still no time table for his return.

I apologize for the delay in getting this post up a day late, but I did not want to go without highlighting a few things from last night’s game.

• Tom Milone had another strong outing at the Coliseum last night,  over  7 innings he allowed 5 hits, 1 run, walked 1 and struck out 3.  His one run was on a pop up by Mike Trout that dropped in for double.
• Coco Crisp was activated from the DL yesterday, Eric Sogard was sent down to Triple-A to make room for him.  Crisp went 1-4 and scored 1 run in last night’s win.
• The A’s combined for 6 hits and 6 walks, the only 2 players to not reach base yesterday were Jemile Weeks and Kurt Suzuki.
• Last night was the first time I have seen Ryan Cook live, he did not make me feel nervous so that’s a plus!  He pitched 1 clean inning and did not allow a baserunner.
• Brian Fuentes collected his 4th save of the season last night, like Cook, he also did not allow a baserunner.

After a dreadful weekend filled of Interleague play, the A’s are back at home to play real baseball!  The A’s will be facing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (18-24) for the third time this season, but it’s the first time they will play their division rivals at home.  It’s been less than a week since the A’s last saw the Angels, since then the Angels have split a 2-game series with the Chicago White Sox and lost 2 out of 3 against the San Diego Padres.

Monday 7:05 PM PST: (RHP) Jerome Williams (4-1) Vs (LHP) Tom Milone (5-3)

• Jerome Williams collected his 4th win of the season in his last start against the Chicago White Sox.  He threw 8 innings, allowed 10 hits, 2 runs, struck out 5 and walked 1.  Williams is the only Angels pitcher the A’s have not faced this season.
• Tom Milone had one of his better starts on the road in his last start, which was against the Texas Rangers.  Over 7 innings he allowed 9 hits, 4 earned runs, struck out 4 and walked 1.  In his one start against the Angels this season, Milone allowed 2 earned runs over 5 innings.

Tuesday 7:05 PM PST: (LHP) C.J. Wilson (4-4) Vs TBA

• C.J. Wilson, shockingly, struggled with his control in his last start against the Chicago White Sox.  He walked 6 batters over 3.2 innings, allowed 4 runs (1 earned) and struck out 3.   Wilson has pitched in 16 games (3 started) at the O.co, in those games he has a 3.30 ERA, a 1.93 SO/BB ratio and an 8.7 SO/9 rate.  He also really hates the mound.
• There has been no official announcement yet, but it sounds as though Graham Godfrey will be starting for the A’s this day.  Godfrey had 3 starts in the majors this season, he went 0-3 with a 5.06 ERA and a .245 BABIP.

Wednesday 12:35 PM PST: (RHP) Jered Weaver (6-1) Vs (RHP) Jarrod Parker (1-2)

• Jered Weaver was very…Jered Weaver in his last start.  To be more clear, he lasted 7 innings against the San Diego Padres allowing 3 hits, 2 runs, walking 3 and striking out 4.  He also collected his 6th win of the season.
• Jarrod Parker had his shortest outing of the season in his last start.  Over 2-plus innings of work he allowed 6 earned runs on 4 hits and 6 walks.  His biggest issue has been his control, having only put up a 1.06 SO/BB ratio and a 5.20 BB/9 rate so far this season.

Angels:  4  Athletics:  0

It was a role reversal today in Anaheim, the A’s only managed to collect 5 hits over 9 innings while striking out 11 times.  Ervin Santana continued to dominate the A’s, like he usually does, striking out 9 and only allowing 4 hits over 7.2 innings.

Lines of the Day:

• Cliff Pennington:  3 AB, 1 H, 1 BB.  This was tough, because no one was really that impressive in today’s game, Cliff Pennington wins for having a double and taking a walk.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• A’s Offense:  32 AB, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 11 SO.   The A’s were also 0-9 with runners in scoring position today, it was pretty ugly.

A’s Extras:

• Bartolo Colon wasn’t great today, but he was a lot better than his previous start.  He allowed 4 earned runs on 12 hits over 6.2 innings while striking out 3.
• Jemile Weeks stole his 10th base of the season, he also went 1-4 today.

Athletics:  5  Angels:  0

The A’s got on the board early with a solo home run from Josh Reddick (his 9th of the season) in the first inning and although they scored 4 more times, that was the only run they needed to win the game.

Lines of the Day:

• Tyson Ross:  6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO.  This is exactly the kind of outing Ross and the A’s needed, he threw 94 pitches, 60 for strikes and 10 of his 18 outs were ground balls.
• Seth Smith: 5 AB, 2 H, 1 R, 2 RBI.  Seth Smith and Kurt Suzuki were the only 2 players to have a multi-hit night. Both of Smith’s hits were doubles one which included 2 RBI.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Jemile Weeks:  4 AB, 0 H.  Weeks was the only player in the starting lineup to not reach base tonight.  I was hoping he would never fall below the Mendoza Line again, but he is now batting .198 on the season.

A’s Extras:

• Brandon Inge and Kila Ka’aihue both sat out of the lineup again due to their injuries, both are not considered to be serious and Ka’aihue could be back in the lineup as early as tomorrow.
• The A’s now lead the majors with 5 shut outs, the Angels also lead the majors being shut out 8 times.
• Josh Donaldson went 1-3 today, he had a double, scored a run and hit a sac fly.
• Ryan Cook threw another clean inning tonight in the 9th, he allowed 1 hit and struck out 1.

(Photo: Kwong Yee Cheng/Flickr)

The A’s are headed to Anaheim…err Los Angeles for a short 2-game series to face their division rivals, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (15-20). The Angels have gone 5-5 in their last 10 games, their offense and pitching have been pretty inconsistent this season so far, but should be due for a break out any day now.

Monday 7:05 PM PST:  (RHP) Tyson Ross (1-3) Vs (RHP) Dan Haren (1-3)

• Tyson Ross was pretty mediocre in his last start against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it also happened to be one of his better starts of the season.  Ross lasted 5.2 innings, allowed 5 hits, 3 runs, walked 3 and struck out 3.
• In his last start, Dan Haren had his shortest outing of the season against the Minnesota Twins.  He allowed 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks while striking out 1 in 3.2 innings.  Haren believes his troubles in his last start were due to back spasms and is now feeling better.

Tuesday 4:05 PM PST: (RHP) Bartolo Colon (3-3) Vs Ervin Santana (1-6)

• In his last start, Bartolo Colon only lasted 2.1 innings against the Detroit Tigers.  Colon allowed 8 runs (7 earned) on 9 hits, the good news is he did not walk a batter, but he also did not strike one out either.
• Ervin Santana recorded his first win of the season in his last start against the Minnesota Twins, but his record really does not reflect how he has pitched this season since the Angels have been shut out 5 times in his 7 starts for them.  Over 7.1 innings he allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, walked 3 and struck out 1.

Keys to Success:

I think the obvious key to winning right now is getting the team back to being healthy.  With Yoenis Cespedes on the DL and 4 players sitting out with [insert body part] pain the A’s absolutely cannot win games.

Athletics:  4  Angels:  2

The good news from tonight is the A’s took the series from the Angels and it came off our of our favorite pitcher we love to hate.  The bad news is, they only had 3 hits, but thanks to a throwing error from CJ Wilson himself, the A’s were able to score the 2 runs that essentially won the game for them.

Wilson has a pattern of talking trash about the A’s (and their fans) every time he takes a loss to them, it’s possible that the most interesting thing about tonight’s game will be his post-game interview.

Lines of the Day:

• Jonny Gomes, Kurt Suzuki, Kila Ka’aihue: Outside of the win, there wasn’t a whole lot of good lines from today, but these 3 win by default for being the only 3 players to collect a hit.

Ugly Lines of the Day:  

• Josh Donaldson: 3 AB, 0 H, 2 SO, 1 Error.  It’s hard to pick just one player since no one hit tonight, but there’s a few reasons why I chose Donaldson.  For one, he committed his 3rd error of the season and although I am not really big on judging players based on batting average alone, he is now only hitting .094 on the season after going hitless again tonight.

A’s Extras:

• Tom Milone pitched 5 innings tonight, he allowed 7 hits, 2 earned runs, walked 1 and struck out 3.  In his 3 starts this season, this was his shortest outing so far, he threw 94 pitches and 67 were for strikes.
• Grant Balfour recorded his 4th save of the season, he did not allow a hit or walk.

I am on vacation starting today for 10 days, so I may miss a couple of days here and there over the next week and a half, but Oakdown Breakdown will be back on a daily basis beginning April 30th!