A’s waste great Cahill start, fall 1-0.
Cahill’s solid effort goes for naught as Tampa Bay wins 1-0 in 13 innings
OAKLAND >> Life without Khris Davis continues to be a struggle for the A’s offense.
The A’s continued to have trouble scoring at home as they were shut out for the third time this season in Monday’s 1-0 loss in 13 innings to the Tampa Bay Rays in front of 10,881 fans at the Coliseum.
Through seven games of their 10-game homestand, the A’s (28-26) have scored just 12 runs in 64 innings. All of those games have been without Davis, who is on the disabled list with a right groin strain.
“I think we feel it’s no excuse,” A’s outfielder Stephen Piscotty said of Davis’ absence. “We just gotta keep grinding. We’re a good offense, just gotta believe in ourselves.”
The anemic offensive display wasted a brilliant outing by Trevor Cahill.
Cahill gave the A’s eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits and no walks with six strikeouts. It was his first time completing eight innings in a game since May 27, 2013, when he was with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“He’s been great, but unfortunately he’s the guy we don’t score a whole lot for,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Every time he’s out there, he either comes out with a tie or something like that. He pitched great and is pitching as well as he did the first time he was here.”
Something about the Oakland seems to bring out the best in the right-hander, who continues to improve his dominant numbers at home.
Cahill lowered his ERA at home to 0.64 this season, having allowed just two earned runs over 28 innings in four starts. He has
the lowest home ERA of any starter in the majors.
“I guess you’re just comfortable with the mound,” Cahill said of pitching at home. “Everything from the mound, the rubber, the rosin back. It’s kind of what you’re used to, so it just makes it a little easier.”
Cahill did not get the win, but he did lower his overall ERA to 2.25 as he continues to be one of the more reliable starters in the A’s starting rotation.
After throwing a season-high 102 pitches in his previous start, Melvin gave Cahill an extra day of rest by electing to start him Monday instead. Entering the day with a career 3.48 ERA in 62 starts on five days rest, the 30-yearold right-hander appreciated the extra time off.
“It helps out a lot,” said Cahill, now in his 10th season in the majors. “I used to be a guy that hated extra days. I liked to set my routine. But now I’ll take the extra days when I can get them.”
Chris Archer did his best to keep up with Cahill. He didn’t go as many innings, but Archer kept the A’s scoreless through six innings, allowing just four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts before Sergio Romo took over to start the bottom of the seventh.
The Rays (26-26) failed to record a hit from the sixth to the 12th innings, but Mallex Smith delivered the gut punch in the 13th with a two-out single to right off Chris Hatcher to bring home Johnny Field and give the Rays the only run
of the game.
The A’s went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring positon, leaving 10 on base.
Davis was really missed in the sixth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, Matt Olson, who has been batting clean up in Davis’ absence, grounded into an inning-ending double play.
“I think with any team, once you get a little deeper into games, guys are trying to do a little too much,” Melvin said.
The A’s also had a golden opportunity in the ninth with no outs and runners on second and third for Chad Pinder. Pinder laid down a hard bunt out in front of home plate for catcher Jesus Sucre, who threw out Jed Lowrie on a close play at third base. Matt Chapman followed up by popping out in foul ground and Piscotty struck out to end the threat.
“I had him bunt,” Melvin said of the play. “I was gonna go pitch to pitch with it, but the way that game was going, I wasn’t gonna sit around and wait for hits. We felt like if we could get a guy to third, we have a chance to bring him in.”