Athletics 8, Rockies 2 (boxscore)
What Went Wrong: We caught a little glimpse of what our present and future would have looked like had Arizona held on to Jarrod Parker. He was absolutely phenomenal today (7 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 6 K) against an offense that was starting to string together some big games, and stands a strong chance to be phenomenal for a long, long time. Thankfully that will now happen in the American League West.
Turning Point: Scoreless game in the 2nd. Oakland had runners at the corners with one out when Adam Rosales chopped one to Jordan Pacheco at third. Pacheco had to charge and move towards to the line to field the ball, and then unloaded an off balance throw to first that skipped past Tyler Colvin, allowing both runners to score on the play.
It was exactly as it sounds: a mess. But I firmly believe Pacheco made the right call not throwing home because Brandon Moss was 75 feet down the line and he didn't have a clear shot. As for the other side, the throw wasn't good, but that's a ball Todd Helton picks 99 times out of 100.
Unfortunately, Colvin will never be Helton's equal with the glove at first. But he has played the position before and played it respectably, so there's no harm at all in getting him work. Though Cuddyer at first and Colvin in right may ultimately prove to be the better setup when Helton/Giambi don't start.
Alex White's Line: 4 IP, 4 R (2 ER) 7 H, 4 BB (2 IBB), 5 K, 85 pitches (46 strikes)
Another line that's all over the place. White certainly wasn't sharp, but he also had little help from his defense (two errors, two passed balls) in four short innings. That will often lead to looks and reactions like those pictured below. But he did keep the A's in the yard, so there's that.
Screengrabs of the Game
What's Next: Jeff Francis (0-1, 21.60) vs left-hander Casey Crosby (1-1. 9.35) at 5:05 on Friday. The Tigers elected to start Justin Verlander on regular rest Thursday afternoon rather than keep their rotation in order, so the Rockies instead get this kid from just down the road (Maple Park, IL). Should be a lot more interesting than spending the whole game praying they don't get no-hit.
Final Thoughts: Nine interleague losses down, six to go. This is really going to happen, isn't it?
0-15.
1 comments:
Great game wrap, as always. We both had the same reaction about Parker. I don't want to see this kid pitching for a division opponent ever.
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