Smith got a hitter’s pitch
Seth Smith walked to the plate late in Monday night’s rout, needing a home run for the cycle, and on the mound was Rangers outfielder Craig Gentry. Suffice it to say that Smith’s eyes were getting a little big.
“He was a little better than you would imagine a position player to be,” the A’s designated hitter said. “He was throwing mid-80s, got one as high as 88. But yeah, I liked my chances.”
Smith wound up flying out to center.
“I got a good swing but got under it,” he said. “It’s funny, when you try to hit a home run, it’s not going to happen. In hindsight, I would have had a better chance if I had taken the same kinds of swings I had the previous four at-bats.”
Smith had more good swings Monday than he has had practically all season, going 4-for-5 after hitting .149 (7-for-47) in his previous 15 games.
“I haven’t felt as bad as my numbers look,” Smith said.
A career .290 hitter against right-handers and .202 against lefties, Smith is at .246 and .190, respectively, this season.
No surprise, then, that Smith wasn’t in the lineup Tuesday against Texas lefty Derek Holland (though A’s manager Bob Melvin did say he gave it some serious thought).
“It’s only as hard as I make it,” Smith said. “I have had three starts against lefties this season and if I had gone 4-for-4 in one of those, then I would be playing against left-handers.” No no-no: Melvin said he had “the most miserable last couple of innings you could ever imag ine” Monday, with Jarrod Parker throwing a no-hitter and his pitch count up to 91 after six innings and 107 after seven. Parker missed the 2010 season after Tommy John surgery.
“That’s a game that I should be sitting down and enjoying it,” Melvin said, “and not worrying about anything. But after the sixth inning, I knew I couldn’t let him go nine innings. So I am not rooting for a hit, but it certainly didn’t break my heart. This kid is too important to us.”
The hit came leading off the eighth by Texas’ Michael Young. Briefly: Oakland reliever Andrew Carignan left the game in the eighth after throwing one pitch to his fourth batter when his elbow started to feel sore. … After his homer Tuesday, Yoenis Céspedes is hitting .327 with five homers at home and .200 with one HR on the road. … The A’s selected left-handed-hitting catcher Bruce Maxwell with the 62nd overall pick in the draft. Maxwell hit .471 with 15 home runs and 48 RBIs for Division III Birmingham Southern.