A’s drop rubber match against Cleveland Indians
Oakland falls despite gem from Bassitt
The All-star break was supposed to refresh and recharge a slumping A’s offense. But the slump carried over.
The Oakland A’s 4-2 loss to the Indians on Sunday cemented a series loss in three games and Cleveland’s first series win in Oakland since 2014. It was another game lost on the slimmest of margins where the pitching staff’s few mistakes were magnified by the lineup’s inability to produce many — or any — scoring threats.
Friday, the A’s rallied back in the ninth for a walk-off. Saturday, the A’s lost by a run and squandered plenty of ripe scoring threats — the team hanging hope on the fact they were at least putting themselves into those opportunities. Sunday, those opportunities didn’t even occur as the A’s went 0-for-1 with runners in scoring position.
With Mark Canha back in the lineup and an injured list down to a small handful, the A’s are still faltering at full strength.
“We feel like we’re healthier and have a deeper lineup, we just haven’t seen the results yet,” manager Bob Melvin said. “I feel good about it every day we go out there. They get in good work in the cage Bushy does well preparing them about how they’re going to be pitched to, we’re just in a rut right now. Every day we go out there, I feel like we’re going to break out of it.”
Cleveland starter Zach Plesac surrendered hard contact up and down the A’s lineup — some luck was involved there.
Sean Murphy was robbed of a potential extra-base hit in the second inning that could have scored Matt Chapman from second. That second inning saw the A’s most significant scoring opportunity and the first run, unearned for Plesac on second baseman Ernie Clement’s throwing error on a tailor made double play ball by Chapman. The error scored Jed Lowrie from third.
Seth Brown’s 11th home run tied the game up 2-2 in the fifth. It could have been a go-ahead home run if not for Ramón Laureano’s aggressive attempt to turn an easy double into a triple in the atbat prior. Lauerano’s hit tipped off center fielder Zimmer’s glove, who made a throw to third baseman Jose Ramirez, who was a few feet off the base.
Trying to create some offensive spark, Laureano went for third. But he was tagged out at third in a bang-bang play that warranted a challenge. Umpires confirmed the out upon review.
“There’s nobody out, and when you aren’t scoring any runs, you try to make something happen,” Melvin said. “(Ball is) out there in no-mans land and saw how far away the third baseman was and took a chance at getting there. Just didn’t work out.”