It was shaping up as a well-played victory for the Oakland
Athletics. Then again, things haven’t always gone according to
script. The Detroit Tigers tied Friday night’s game with Miguel
Cabrera’s ninth-inning homer. Then they watched the Athletics
unravel in a seven-run 10th inning that sent Oakland to an 8-4
defeat in front of a disgruntled crowd of 21,853 at the
Coliseum.
OAKLAND
It was shaping up as a well-played victory for the Oakland Athletics.
Then again, things haven’t always gone according to script.
The Detroit Tigers tied Friday night’s game with Miguel Cabrera’s ninth-inning homer. Then they watched the Athletics unravel in a seven-run 10th inning that sent Oakland to an 8-4 defeat in front of a disgruntled crowd of 21,853 at the Coliseum.
The A’s committed three errors in the 10th as the Tigers batted around on the strength of just three hits.
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That makes seven errors for the A’s in the past four games, as they’ve hardly demonstrated the sure-handed defense that was supposed to be a marking characteristic.
The A’s couldn’t build on an early 1-0 lead to support starter Brandon McCarthy, who deserved a victory with 6 2/3 shutout innings.
Brian Fuentes (0-2) entered in the ninth trying to close out the victory. But Cabrera tied it with a leadoff homer.
Then things turned ugly in the 10th.
Alex Avila reached as first baseman Daric Barton let his leadoff grounder bounce past him. Avila advanced from second to third on Fuentes’ errant pickoff throw to second.
Fuentes walked Jhonny Peralta intentionally, then lost the strike zone in a walk to Ryan Raburn. Brennan Boesch delivered a two-run double that put Detroit ahead 3-1 and opened the floodgates.
Andy LaRoche’s errant throw home on a slow grounder allowed two more runs to come home.
Fuentes came in having converted all five of his save opportunities, and he hadn’t allowed a run in any of those five outings.
The A’s failed to build on their early lead, a trend that’s developing early in the season.
McCarthy is the one starter who had enjoyed solid run support so far, getting six and five runs, respectively, over his first two starts.
He scattered six hits, struck out seven and walked one.
McCarthy, who has struggled with shoulder problems in recent seasons and didn’t even pitch in the majors in 2010, lowered his ERA to 2.45. He’s walked just two batters in 22 innings this season, continuing the pinpoint control that won him the fifth starter’s job coming out of spring training.
McCarthy allowed a base runner to advance past first base in just one inning. Victor Martinez singled with two outs in the fourth and advanced to third on Don Kelly’s double. But McCarthy retired Brandon Inge on a fly out to right to end that threat.
The A’s rallied in the bottom of the 10th with three runs, but the margin was too much to overcome.
Coco Crisp, minus the large Afro he was wearing Thursday, ignited the A’s first scoring rally in the third inning. He singled with one out and notched his sixth stolen base to get in scoring position.
David DeJesus drove him in with a single to center. Oakland’s No. 3 hitter has been quiet this season, entering the night hitting .190 with no homers and three RBIs.
A’s manager Bob Geren has sat DeJesus against some left-handers to get the right-handed hitting Conor Jackson in the lineup. But DeJesus, acquired in an offseason trade from Kansas City, is a hitter the A’s are counting on to boost their offense.
Interestingly, DeJesus has 13 career homers in April, the most of any month in the season.
— Story by Joe Stiglich, Contra Costa Times
