Few show to watch A’s fall
Smallest crowd since 2011 in attendance as Oakland is held to two hits and sees its winning streak end; Davis’ home run only bright spot
The A’s offense shared something in common with the attendance number for Monday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. They were both dreadful.
In front of an announced crowd of 9,736 at the Coliseum, their lowest attendance since May 2, 2011 (9,193), the A’s bats were stymied by Rays starter Jake Odorizzi and limited to just two hits in a 3-2 loss that snapped Oakland’s three-game winning streak.
After a three-game home stand over the weekend that saw large crowds that reached up to 33,000 to watch the A’s sweep the Cleveland Indians and score 17 runs, Monday’s scaled-down crowd did not have much to cheer about. Khris Davis’ solo home run in the fourth inning was the only thing that provided any type of excitement for most of the night in a stadium that looked more like a ghost town.
Odorizzi departed after seven innings, but the combination of Tommy Hunter and Alex Colome shut the door in the final two innings by recording the remaining six outs. The A’s mounted a threat in the ninth after Yonder Alonso led off with a double to bring Davis to the plate as the potential game-tying run, but Colome got both Davis and Jed Lowrie to ground out. Alonso eventu-
ally scored on a wild pitch to bring Oakland within a run, but Ryon Healy grounded out to short to end the game.
Rookie Daniel Gossett pitched seven innings in what was the longest outing of his career and kept the A’s in the ballgame with just three runs allowed, but the long ball ultimately did him in. Gossett gave up solo home runs to Steven Souza in the second and Evan Longoria in the fifth, now having allowed at least a home run in six of his seven starts this season. Tampa Bay’s third run, which proved to ultimately make the difference, came in the third after Longoria reached on a grounder that was bobbled by Marcus Semien and allowed Mallex Smith to score.
Blake Treinen made his A’s debut in the eighth inning. The former Nationals closer pitched a clean inning, surrendering only a walk to keep the A’s deficit at 3-1.
• Treinen, who was acquired from the Nationals in the deal that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to Washington, is expected step in immediately and play a key role in the A’s bullpen. “He knows he’ll be one of the guys leading up to (closer Santiago) Casilla in the ninth and we feel good about it,” manager Bob Melvin said. Treinen, a power pitcher who can reach the high 90s with his fastball and also throws a sinker, began the year as Washington’s closer. But a poor start that saw him begin the year with a 7.11 ERA through eight games led Nationals manager Dusty Baker to remove him from the role.
Melvin said a return to the A’s, the team he was originally drafted by in 2011, could help Treinen regain some of the success he had in 2016 as Washington’s set-up man. “I think a change of scenery always helps when you’re having a difficult time,” Melvin said. “It just seems like the baggage comes off and it’s a fresh start for you.”
• Bobby Wahl threw 20 pitches in a simulated game as he recovers from a shoulder strain that has kept him out since May 24. There is still no timetable on his return, but Wahl will make a rehab appearance with Class-A Stockton on Thursday.
• Oakland’s Davis hit his 26th home run of the season Monday off Odorizzi, tying Logan Morrison for third-most in the American League.