Losing streak at 5 after Texas sweep
Getting swept in a threegame series by a combined score of 26-10 doesn’t exactly build a ton of enthusiasm for the next series.
But after the A’s fell 8-1 to the visiting Rangers on Thursday afternoon, Oakland manager Bob Melvin made it clear he expects his players to put Texas’ overwhelming sweep quickly behind them.
That’s because the Giants will be at the Coliseum for three games this weekend.
“We better be ready to play these games,” Melvin said, “because this place is going to be packed and there’s going to be excitement and our fans are going to expect us to perform better than we have here recently.”
Recently means a five-game skid and 27 losses in their past 40 games.
“It’s not like we’re not playing hard,” Melvin said. “You get into the position we’re in right now, you kind of see the end of the season.
“You start losing some games and there’s just not a lot of energy — but we better pick it up (Friday), and I don’t know why there wouldn’t be energy because this place is going to be exciting.”
Two months ago, San Francisco swept a three-game set from the A’s along the shores of McCovey Cove.
Count right fielder Josh Reddick among those looking forward to seeing and hearing big crowds along Interstate 880.
“It’s going to be fun to play in front of a packed house for three games,” Reddick said, “something we haven’t experienced a whole lot this year.
“We always say that the fans make the rivalry, and they really do.”
The 14,452 fans Thursday didn’t see much of a game. The AL West-leading Rangers scored twice in the first inning off Chris Bassitt, who made his first appearance since Aug. 26. He had been sidelined since then because of a strained shoulder.
The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits in three innings while throwing 73 pitches.
“For not throwing for a month,” Bassitt said, “I’m OK with it.”
Melvin took some solace simply in the fact that Bassitt was able to take the mound again before the end of the season.
“It is important psychologically and physically to know he can go out there and perform,” Melvin said.
Bassitt (1-7) didn’t perform quite as well as Cole Hamels (5-1) did. The former Philadelphia left-hander limited the A’s to an unearned run on four hits in six innings.
Hamels induced four double-play grounders in the first five innings.
The A’s committed two errors Thursday, meaning they committed two in each of the three games in the series.
Melvin was asked what he thought of his players’ body language in those three games.
“We didn’t play very well,” Melvin said, “and when you don’t play very well, a lot of times it looks like your body language is bad.”