San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Bats fail again in homer haven
DENVER — Trips to Coors Field are supposed to get offenses going and homers happening.
Instead, Oakland’s typically hearty hitting on the road appears to be missing against the Rockies, who topped the A’s 4-1 Saturday and ended Oakland’s streak of not losing a series at 11; the team went 10-0-1 during the stretch, which began June 16. This is the first time the A’s have lost consecutive games since June 14-15.
“We should feel good about what we’ve accomplished,” Oakland manager Bob Melvin said. “We’re not going to be perfect every game, we’re not going to score seven or eight runs every game. You have to give them credit; they’ve pitched well.”
The A’s, who homered 11 times in sweeping four games at Texas earlier in the week, have not gone deep in the thin air at Coors Field, and the team is 2-for-19 with runners in scoring position after batting .413 in such situations against the Rangers.
“That was the story of the game again,” Melvin said. “Left nine guys on, last night it was (13). I don’t know how we can expect to do it all the time like we’ve done for a while now, just a couple of games where we didn’t come through.”
Matt Chapman is the only A’s player who’s really been contributing at Coors, with four hits, including two doubles, and two walks.
In the first game at Colorado, a 3-1 loss, the A’s faced Kyle Freeland, who gives plenty of teams trouble. Saturday, the Rockies’ starter was Antonio Senzatela, who is primarily a reliever and who came into the game with a 5.55 ERA.
Oakland’s only run came in the first and almost didn’t count. Nick Martini, who might be gaining traction as the primary leadoff man, opened things up with a double, went to third on a base hit by Chapman and, with one out, dashed home on Khris Davis’ flyball to right. Carlos Gonzalez made a strong throw home and Martini initially was called out in a close play, but the A’s challenged the ruling and the call was reversed.
The ugliest moment for Oakland’s lineup came the next inning when, with one on and one out, starter Brett Anderson tried to put down a sacrifice bunt. Two strikes into that attempt, he finally got his bat on the ball, but struck it too hard. Senzatela fielded it and threw to second to start a double play, ending the inning.
Things didn’t go all that well for Anderson on the mound, either. He gave up two runs in the second, when Gonzalez doubled and scored on the first triple of Tom Murphy’s career; Pat Valaika then sent Murphy in with a base hit to right center.
“It was kind of a weird start in that the pitches I made were either really good or really terrible,” Anderson said. “There was no in between.”
Nolan Arenado hit his second homer of the series, a solo shot in the third, and Valaika hit a solo drive in the fourth. “That was kind of a backbreaker, that can’t happen,” Anderson said, adding later, “The one Valaika hit, I could have hit, which is saying a lot.” Though he did make it through six innings Saturday, Anderson is the only member of Oakland’s rotation with an ERA over 3.86 — his stands at 5.55, and he is on potentially shaky ground with Daniel Mengden pitching well at Triple-A Nashville.
Martini was in center field for the first time in the majors, but he had played 296 minorleague games there. With Davis in left at the National League park and with rookie center fielder Dustin Fowler struggling, center was the best option for Martini, who is now 8-for-15 hitting leadoff. Oakland’s other leadoff batters combined are hitting .227.
Fowler is 3 for his past 32, and while the A’s view him as their future everyday center fielder, his playing time is eroding lately with Oakland focused on pushing for a playoff spot.