Marathon Games, Blown Leads, Losses, the Oakland Athletics, and You
By Sean Davis
It would be accurate to call this a little guide for everyone as to how to weather the current storm.
Jun 23, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners designated hitter Kendrys Morales (8) is mobbed by his teammates after hitting the game winning 3-run home run against the Oakland Athletics during the 10th inning at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated Oakland 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Needless to say this past week was a bit of a rough one for the Athletics. They lost 5 of the 7 games they played on this road trip, and had an extremely difficult time holding onto leads on a number of occasions. After Sunday afternoon’s walk-off loss in Seattle, the Athletics are heading home for a day off while licking their wounds as they prepare to re-enter interleague play.
Since the 18 inning marathon on June 13th versus the New York Yankees the Athletics have a 3-7 record, and simply look tired. It’s hard to say that the 18 inning game itself is the reason for this swoon, but perhaps the timing of it in the middle of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days makes the impact a little more significant. Essentially they played 14 games in 13 days, and that’s a tough workload for any team to endure.
That is why this upcoming week couldn’t come at a better time. While the opponents remain tough, as the Cincinnatti Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals come to Oakland, the fact that they have days off on Monday, Thursday, and the following Monday will do wonders for this team as they turn the calendar towards the month of July and move towards the All Star Break. They’ll have one more day off before the break as well.
Once the A’s are done with the Cardinals, they’ll welcome the Chicago Cubs to Oakland before heading out to play a good Pittsburgh Pirates team and the struggling Kansas City Royals on their final road trip of the first half (Technically the first half ends after Friday night’s game versus the Cardinals). They finish the season series at home with the Boston Red Sox before the break in what should be a very interesting battle of contenders.
So while it may seem that the Athletics can’t possibly hold a lead, start a big rally, or even win a game right now, take comfort in knowing that the team is going to snap out of this funk sooner or later. After this week the Athletics will hopefully get a chance to pad their record again against some inferior teams like the Cubs and Royals. The Texas Rangers have proven that they aren’t going to give up the division without a fight, and they haven’t forgotten what took place in September and October 2012.
The A’s have an extremely talented team, one that doesn’t depend on a single player to carry the load. When they’re going right, they have a very balanced attack. So as the team rests during the off days this week, the fans shall too. Sometimes we all need a breather from the daily grind of Major League Baseball.