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		A's comeback falls short in 5-4 loss By Morris Phillips June 12, 2010

	So much happened in the eighth and ninth innings Saturday that the primary Athletics-Giants storyline was almost forgotten. Barry Zito, the 2002 Cy Young award winner for the A’s, finally got a win against his former team, as Oakland fell to the Giants, 5-4. Zito came in 0-4 against Oakland in four starts, another wart on his Giants' resume where he’s developed several since signing his $126 million deal with San Francisco following the 2006 season. But 2010 has been a year of redemption for the left hander, and this was another step for Zito in rewriting his San Francisco history book. Zito finally got a win against the only major league team he hadn’t beaten, a team that had rocked him, as his ERA against the A’s was an unsightly 8.85. Just three weeks ago, Zito fell to the A’s in the interleague opener, getting hit early and often in a 6-1 loss to the A’s. Oakland went on to sweep the series, as the Giants went meekly in all three contests. Since then, the Giants have revamped their lineup, started hitting and winning. Meanwhile, the A’s surged for a week, but injuries and misfortune have left them scuffling again. On Saturday, Zito took advantage. With Kurt Suzuki on bereavement leave due to the death of his grandfather in Hawaii, the A’s fielded a patchwork lineup. Zito, always the opportunist and the master of finding people he can get out in a tough spot, zeroed in on Oakland’s six through nine hitters on Saturday. American League teams often find themselves at a disadvantage during interleague games in NL ballparks, but A’s manager Bob Geren decided to pencil in a backup catcher, a 28-year old with just 13 games on the major league level, a .207 hitting shortstop that has scuffled for better than a month, and a pitcher with only 12 RBI in eight full seasons in the National League. The quartet went 1 for 11 with five strikeouts, as Matt Carson had the only breakthrough, a solo homer off Zito in the second inning. Zito dominated the end of the A’s lineup with his slow-then-slower repertoire, striking out Jake Fox twice on changeups in the low 70’s and getting Ben Sheets on strikes twice with only six pitches. While Zito motored along, Ben Sheets struggled, allowing runs in each of the first three innings. What Sheets didn’t surrender via base hits, the A’s shaky defense gave up with a pair of errors, including Cliff Pennington’s bobble that opened the door to a two-run third inning for the Giants. “Asking pitchers to get 27 outs is a tough task in the major leagues and to give an out or two away is definitely a disadvantage,” Geren said. Given four runs to work with, Zito is as certain as hot pants and halter tops on a warm, summer day in San Francisco, capturing 108 of 114 decisions in his career. And when he struck out Daric Barton with a man on to end the seventh, he departed in exceptional position, up 5-2. But the top of the eighth inning played out as a situational baseball showdown as the A’s rolled out three consecutive pinch hitters and the Giants countered with a quartet of relievers, including closer Brian Wilson. While Guillermo Mota, Santiago Casilla and Jeremy Affeldt not only opened the door for the A’s but made sure they had quality seats and a variety of snacks, allowing a hit, four walks and two runs, Wilson wasn’t hospitable at all. The fireballer came on with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out Adam Rosales and got Rajai Davis to ground into a force out. Then in the ninth, Wilson created his own situation, allowing singles to Mark Ellis and Jack Cust. But with runners at the corners, Wilson finished it, getting Landon Powell to ground into a game-ending force out. Afterwards, Wilson was as good with the media as he was with the A’s batters. “That’s what I signed up for. You’ve got a chance to be a hero or a failure,” Wilson said when asked if he embraces the pressure of the closer’s role. “I always like to choice the hero option, because it’s more lucrative and fans like it.” The A’s fell to 32-32, the tenth time this season they’ve sat at .500, but the first time since they were 23-23 on May 25. On Sunday, Oakland looks to avoid falling below .500 (for the first time since May 21) when Vin Mazzaro gets the call opposite the Giants’ Matt Cain. A’s BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE: The A’s continue to operate in an efficient manner off the field as they have already signed 17 of their 50 draftees from the First-Year Player Draft held earlier this week. The Billy Beane business model popularized in Michael Lewis’ book, Moneyball, continues to serve the A’s well as they once again invested heavily in more experienced, college players that figure to reach the major league level faster, and be easier to sign to contracts. All 17 of the players to ink contracts were drafted out of college, including third basemen Tony Thompson from Reno, who just completed his junior year at the University of Kansas. Of course, the A’s and Beane aren’t completely predictable in their approach as they picked high schoolers with four of their first five picks, but then reached into the prep level only 11 times in their final 45 picks. Of the prep stars, Yordy Cabrera of Lakeland, Florida is the most heralded. Cabrera has signed with the University of Miami and can hit and play shortstop as well as showing proficiency as a hard throwing relief pitcher. Manager Bob Geren’s son, Bobby, was a 36th round selection for Oakland out of San Ramon Valley High School. Geren missed Friday's game against the Giants to attend Bobby's graduation ceremony in Danville.