Bullpen implodes as Oakland Athletics fall into Wild Card tie
By Jake Misener
What once looked like a sure thing – a third straight American League West title – fell out of the realm of possibility for the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night, as the club saw a 1-0 lead turn into a 6-1 deficit in the top of the ninth inning, just moments after squandering a bases-loaded, no-out scoring opportunity, while the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim cruised to a win, clinching the division crown for the first time since 2009.
More from MLB News
- MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves still on top with major shifting below them
- Caesars MLB Promo Code: Two Shots at Picking the World Series Winner!
- MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves still on top amid a big shake-up in top 10
- DraftKings MLB Promo: Bet $5 on an Anytime Home Run, Win $150 Bonus GUARANTEED
- MLB Power Rankings: After MLB trade deadline, gap is closing on Atlanta Braves
Oakland closer Sean Doolittle (1-4, 2.97 ERA) allowed five runs in the top of the ninth inning, squandering a lights-out performance by right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who tossed eight shutout innings of four-hit ball, striking out ten. Wednesday night marked the first time the Athletics’ left-hander Doolittle has allowed five runs in an outing this season – he allowed four runs two times; on April 26 at Houston and on June 30 at Detroit.
The top of the ninth began with a Leonys Martin flyout; but things went downhill quickly from there. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus singled to center and Rougned Odor split the left-center field gap with an RBI triple to tie the game. The relay throw from the shortstop went home, and a throw back to third in an attempt to nail Odor was ultimately unsuccessful after a replay review confirmed the safe ruling on the field.
Doolittle, who brought a 15-inning scoreless streak into Wednesday’s matchup with Texas, then intentionally walked Adrian Beltre to put runners on the corners with one away, setting up a potential inning-ending double play. Rangers designated hitter J.P. Arencibia, however, had other plans, taking a 1-2 pitch from Doolittle and putting it into the left field seats, putting Texas up 4-1 and stunning the fans at the O.co Coliseum.
After walking the next batter, the Athletics southpaw was pulled, with Jesse Chavez coming in with hopes of keeping it a three-run game. However, this proved to not be the case, as two more runs came in – one on a hit by pitch and the other on an RBI single by Andrus. After the third out was recorded by the third Oakland pitcher of the frame, Fernando Abad, a visually deflated Athletics team went down 1-2-3 in the ninth, ending the club’s hope of a third-straight division crown.
The loss capped a remarkable collapse by the Athletics, who are now 6-14 over the course of their last 20 ballgames. In mid-August, the club led the division by four games, but a rapid decline now has them on the brink of making the postseason. That being said, if the season ended Thursday, Oakland would still have a shot at making the American League Division Series, playing Kansas City in the Wild Card play-in game in the AL., giving this high-energy team a lot to play for in their final 11 games.