OAKLAND -– It was an ending tailor made for glass-is-half-full thinking.
The A’s showed guts in battling back from a four-run deficit in the ninth Thursday, only to be done in by the brilliance of Mike Trout in a 6-5 defeat to the Angels.
Given the chance to pat his team on the back for the effort, A’s manager Bob Melvin took a pass. He emphasized instead the reality of what took place over the past week at the Coliseum.
The A’s dropped five of six games to AL West opponents in their home ballpark, and that simply won’t cut it in a division race that is showing signs of being tougher than anyone could have predicted.
“Awful homestand,” Melvin said afterward. “We felt like we could get some momentum coming back here at home, win some games. We get swept (by Houston), then lose two out of three (to the Angels). We’ve got to play better than that.”
The A’s nearly pulled off a memorable comeback. Down 6-2, they closed to within a run and had the bases loaded against Angels closer Huston Street. With two outs, Ike Davis drove a ball deep to center. Trout tracked the ball all the way and made a leaping catch on the warning track for the final out.
[Instant Replay: A's rally falls short, Angels take series]
It was a terrific play, a difficult play -- just not a surprising one. Any ball that doesn’t clear the wall by a substantial distance is within range for the 2014 AL MVP.
“I think I pulled an oblique doing a fist pump,” Street said of Trout’s catch. “That's why he's the MVP. He could have been the MVP every year he's been in the league. Just a special player.”
The A’s were left shaking their heads after literally having victory snatched away from them. But if they’re to turn things around after a 9-14 April, it starts with awareness and urgency regarding their position.
Yes, it’s early. The calendar is just now turning to May. But Thursday’s loss dropped the A’s to six games behind first-place Houston, pending the Astros’ result Thursday night. At 14-7, the Astros may come back down to earth soon. Then again, they may not.
It figures that the Angels and Seattle Mariners – pegged as the top division contenders entering the season – will hit their stride eventually. Both entered Thursday with 10-11 records, and both currently stand between the A’s and Astros in the standings.
Oakland can’t afford to fall too far behind too early, because making up that ground will be difficult regardless of how much season is left.
It’ll be hard to reverse their fortunes if they don’t start playing better before their home fans. The A’s were 48-33 last season at the Coliseum. It’s been the site of walk-off victories and celebratory pies to the face – the epicenter of the good times that have come with three consecutive postseason berths.
But the A’s 4-9 home record so far is tied for their worst 13-game home mark in Oakland history. They’re also 0-8 in afternoon games, an odd trend that is tough to explain but one they must turn in their favor.
Asked about his team’s 9-14 record in April, Davis responded: “The good thing is we’ve got five more (months left). We’re not losing by crazy amounts of runs, so we’ve got a lot of time to catch up and get back in it.”
But things have to change. The bullpen needs to tighten up. Melvin revealed that lefty Eric O’Flaherty has dealt with a shoulder issue, which might partly explain his 11.57 ERA through eight appearances. O’Flaherty gave up a run in two-thirds of an inning Thursday, but indications were he felt OK physically afterward.
Going hand-in-hand with the bullpen improving, A’s starters need to get back to pitching deep in ball games. Jesse Chavez left after five innings Thursday, the fourth time in five games that a starter has completed five innings or less.
The A’s will look to right their ship away from home – they embark on their second consecutive 10-game road trip starting Friday at Texas.
“It’s never fun when you lose a homestand, a division homestand,” Chavez said. “You always want to (win) division games or at least split. Unfortunately this wasn’t the homestand we wanted. But we’ll go out on the road and figure things out.”
