Offense comes up missing behind Gossett
Right-hander allows just two earned runs as A’s three-game winning streak snapped
ANAHEIM >> The A’s were unable to take their impressive hitting show on the road Monday night.
After racking up 19 runs and 27 hits in a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers over the weekend, the offense went cold against the Los Angeles Angels.
The A’s ran into a buzzsaw in Andrew Heaney. A former first-round pick of the Miami Marlins, Heaney was once considered one of baseball’s elite prospects. Injuries, including Tommy John surgery, have derailed that hype over the past two seasons, but the A’s may have run into a rejuvenated version of the 26-year-old right-hander. They struck out ten times in the first six innings of a 3-1 loss that snapped their three-game win streak.
A’s manager Bob Melvin thought Heaney’s mix of velocity was what made life difficult for A’s hitters.
“His fastball was a little sneaky. He probably threw more breaking balls than we expected. One he was throwing for strikes and one he was throwing down and in to chase,” Melvin said. “The difference between his fastball and breaking ball was around 12 to 15 miles per hour so he had us a little bit off balance.”
The 10 strikeouts were a career high for Heaney, and the A’s were unable to put up much of a threat after he left the game after six innings. Oakland registered just two hits in
the final three innings.
The A’s still had some their share of opportunities to turn the game around against Heaney, making the night all the more frustrating.
After getting runners on first and third with no outs in the second, the A’s were retired in order. They failed to capitalize again in the fifth when they had runners on second and third. They finished the night going 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
“We tend to strike out some,” Melvin said. “We hit some homers too, but with two strikes, when you put the ball in play you at least give somebody a chance to make an error or give yourself a chance. We didn’t do that.”
Daniel Gossett ended up pitching longer than his counterpart, but he fell victim to some timely Angels hitting.
Gossett allowed a run in the first and the fourth, both coming after he had recorded the first two outs of the inning. The third was an unearned run in the seventh that scored after Matt Joyce fielded a hit and made an errant throw from right that bounced away from Marcus Semien at second and allowed Martin Maldonado to score from first base.
Although Gossett allowed nine hits, he managed to limit the damage over his 6 2/3 innings of work. The ability to escape out of a couple of dangerous situations early on left Gossett with at least some positives to take away from his start.
“Struggling early and then being able to make my adjustments turned it into a decent outing,” Gossett said. “I’m happy with the way I threw the ball, it just comes down to executing pitches. But it was good for confidence reasons to know I can pull myself out of that.”
It was the first time Dustin Garneau caught Gossett in a game. After Garneau drew praise from Melvin before the game for his defense, Gossett seemed to concur with his manager’s analysis.
“I though we were on the same page the whole night. It was a good night for him and it was actually really fun working with him,” Gossett said. “It’s always a treat to work with a guy for the first time.”
Garneau provided the only offense for the A’s when he evened the score in the third after sneaking a liner just over the short wall in left for a solo home run. A Cal State Fullerton product who grew up in nearby San Pedro, Garneau received more than a few cheers from a good amount of friends and family that were in attendance.
It was Garneau’s first home run with the A’s, and to be able to hit it in front of about 50 people who came specifically to support him made it a little more special.
“My wife’s family is from out here and my family is from Los Angeles,” Garneau. “They all came down here, so it was close enough. I had a good crowd down here tonight.”
• Gossett’s wild pitch in the first inning was Oakland’s 73rd of the year, setting a new franchise record for most in a season.
• Melvin said results came up “good” on Paul Blackburn’s MRI. “I think we’re in good shape with him.”
It is still unlikely that Blackburn will be ready to return when he is eligible to come off the disabled list this weekend.
• Monday’s trip to Angel Stadium was a special occasion for A’s rookie Boog Powell.
He grew up in the nearby city of Irvine and attended Mission Viejo High School and Orange Coast Community College.
Naturally, Powell grew up a huge Angels fan and would often attend ballgames along with his friends and family.
Although he played in the stadium once already earlier this season as a member of the Seattle Mariners, this is Powell’s first trip back since. There will be no shortage of support for the A’s outfielder. He said he expected to know about 400 people in the stands attending Monday night’s game alone. Impossible to accommodate such a high number of ticket requests, Powell kept the list small.
“I told my parents I’m only getting tickets for my family,” Powell said. “Nobody else.”
While playing in front of your hometown is a memorable experience, Melvin, who recalled his own experiences returning to play games in the Bay Area as a player, said it could become a bit of a hassle at times.
“It can be great and then after the three days are over you’re looking forward to getting out of town,” Melvin said. “There’s a lot more that goes into it as far as leaving tickets and you can’t help but think about that group of people that are in the stands. It’s got a little different of a dynamic.”