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A’s Report: Another 1-run game!
By Charlie O. Mallonee June 6, 2010 |
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The last thing the Oakland Athletics wanted to see on Sunday was another one-run game. The A’s had lost on Friday and Saturday to the Minnesota Twins by one-run in each contest. The A’s wish was not granted as they were involved in another one-run game on Sunday. However, the A’s were on the winning end as they downed the Twins 5-4. The A’s came into the game with a Major League best 10-4 record in one-run games this season. On Sunday, that record improved to an impressive 11-4. The win also the A’s from being swept in their own house. It also kept them close to the first-place Rangers and the second-place Angels. The A’s struck first by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jack Cust and Kevin Kouzmanoff hit back-to-back RBI singles to give the A’s a 2-0 lead. The A’s scored in the second inning on a Ryan Sweeney RBI double. The A’s came back to score two additional runs in the third inning on back-to-back RBI base hits by Mark Ellis and Cliff Pennington. The two runs would also be the end of the A’s scoring for the game. A’s starter Gio Gonzalez (6-3) produced a quality start on the way to his sixth win of the season. Gonzalez went 7.0 innings giving up two runs (both earned) on six hits. He struck out four and walked just one with 117 pitches. Up 5-2 after seven innings, the A’s turned to the bullpen. Craig Breslow came on in the eighth inning and produced two outs, but he walked Joe Mauer. Tyson Ross came in with outs and promptly gave up a two-run home run to Delmon Young to make a 5-4 game. Jerry Blevins was brought in stop the bleeding, and he did just that. Michael Wuertz was sent to the hill to close it out in the top of the ninth inning. Wuertz – who struggled recently – set the Twins down 1-2-3 to save the game and give the A’s the win. Notepad • The disabled list continues to be the A’s enemy. The team has used the list 15 times so far in 2010 compared to 17 times for the entire 2009 season. The latest Athletic to go on the DL is Brett Anderson. The A’s have had at least five players on the DL all season. • The one-run losses on Friday and Saturday are the first time that has happened to the A’s this season. The A’s are 11-4 in one-run games which is the best record in the Major Leagues. • Rajai Davis leads the Major Leagues with 23 stolen bases. The 23 steals make him the first Athletic in 16 years to have at least 20 stolen bases by the All-Star Break. Rickey Henderson had 37 steals before the break in 1998. • Adam Rosales has become Mr. Utility. Rosales has started 10 of the last 16 games at five different positions. The last Athletic to do that was Marco Scutaro in 2007. • The Twins will not be back to Oakland this season. The A’s will make two trips to Target field yet this year. The A’s will play in Minnesota August 13-15 and September 17-19. On this date in A’s history On June 6, 1990, Rickey Henderson posted his 1000th hit for the Oakland A’s. Henderson went on to set the A’s record with 1640 base hits … in 2003 the A’s returned to Philadelphia for the first time in 49 years. The A’s downed the Phillies 7-4 in an interleague contest. |
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