Game #67: A’s get shut out, again

By the Royals this time, final score 2-0

Have we tried turning the lineup off and then back on again? Sometimes when the computer is broken, a restart does the trick.

The Oakland A’s were shut out on Saturday, again, this time by the Kansas City Royals in a 2-0 loss at the Coliseum.

*** Click here to revisit today’s Game Thread! ***

It’s the eighth time the A’s have been blanked this season, which doesn’t quite lead MLB but does represent 12% of their games. They collected only two hits along the way this afternoon, the fifth time that’s happened to them this year.

Oakland didn’t reach base at all until a walk to lead off the 3rd inning, and that runner was soon eliminated when a line drive was caught for a double play. They finally got their first hit in the 6th inning, a two-out double by rookie Jonah Bride, and they followed that with a pair of walks to load the bases, but a flyout stranded them all and with it the club’s biggest rally of the day. One more double in the 8th by rookie Luis Barrera was also squandered.

That was the entirety of the A’s offense today. They hit the ball hard five times, including the two doubles, the flyout to end the 6th, and a couple sharp groundouts.

Kansas City didn’t get much going themselves against Oakland starter Cole Irvin. The lefty kept them off the board for six innings, navigating around some baserunners but getting big outs when he needed them, including some key strikeouts. He came back for the 7th inning but allowed a “triple,” and the bullpen was unable to hold the inherited runner, finally breaking the scoreless tie.

• Irvin: 6⅓ ip, 1 run, 6 Ks, 2 BB, 3 hits, 99 pitches

Unfortunately, that strong performance by Irvin was rewarded with a tough-luck loss in the box score. The triple he allowed was really more like a single, but left fielder Seth Brown made a diving attempt and the ball scooted past him to the wall. (Irvin appreciated Brown’s effort!) The subsequent RBI double against reliever Domingo Acevedo was a softly hit high chopper that bounced over the first baseman and fortuitously dribbled into the RF corner. That’s the way batted balls go sometimes.

The Royals added a very Royals insurance run in the 9th, using a HBP, a sac bunt, and an RBI single, and that 2-0 lead held as the A’s went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Another day, another quiet loss. Bride made a nice impression on both sides of the ball (watch manager Mark Kotsay’s postgame comments), and Irvin had a quality effort (watch more from Kotsay), but their MLB-worst record is now 22-45, and their 7-25 mark at home is on pace to set MLB history. CTRL+ALT+DEL maybe?