Chris Sale is one of the toughest pitchers in the American League if not all of baseball, and prior to his previous start versus the Athletics in Oakland he had never lost to an AL West team.  He suffered a hard luck loss in that game, and took much more of a punch to the gut in losing tonight’s game.

Jun 7, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (16) celebrates a win over the Chicago White Sox with third baseman Josh Donaldson (20) at U.S. Cellular Field. The Athletics beat the White Sox 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

He was cruising along through the first 5 innings, having allowed just 2 hits to the Athletics while the White Sox had posted 3 runs to give themselves what seemed like an insurmountable cushion.  The top of the 6th inning was a different story as things began to turn sideways for Sale.  Adam Rosales led off the inning with a single, Coco Crisp struck out looking, then Jed Lowrie really put the heat on with a single to move Rosales to third base, this was followed by a 4 pitch walk to Yoenis Cespedes.  The A’s had themselves an opportunity to get back in this game with their most productive hitter of 2013 in Josh Donaldson coming to the plate, and boy did he deliver.  Donaldson launched a 1-1 fastball from Sale towards the Athletics bullpen in right field and out of the reach of Alex Rios to give the A’s a 4-3 lead.

That would be all the offense the A’s would need to lock down their 38th victory of the year and overtake the Texas Rangers, who lost to the Toronto Blue Jays tonight, for sole possession of first place in the AL West by a 1/2 game.  This is the first time the A’s have been in this position since about mid April before injuries and poor pitching caught up with them.  Needless to say they’ve rebounded from that down period.

Jarrod Parker was not dominant tonight, but he was certainly effective.  In getting his 5th win of the season he pitched 7 strong innings plus faced one batter in the 8th, allowed 3 runs (2 earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks, he struck out 4.  He’s righted the ship from his early season struggles now, and it appears as if the mechanical issues he was dealing with are behind him now.  Ryan Cook replaced Parker after the single allowed to Tyler Flowers to start the 8th, and he got himself into a little bit of trouble by walking Alejandro De Aza, but retired the next three batters without incident to preserve the lead.

Grant Balfour had his own adventure in the 9th inning that the boxscore won’t reflect.  On a 1-2 fastball to Conor Gillaspie that caught a bit too much of the plate, Gillaspie didn’t miss it.  Off the bat it appeared as if this game was tied, but Josh Reddick had other ideas.  He retreated to the fence, timed his jump, and stole a home run that would’ve meant Balfour’s first blown save in 32 chances since last year.  Reddick showed no emotion, and tossed the ball back towards the infield as Balfour saluted his right fielder.  The nonchalance of Reddick could fool many as to how huge that play was, but trust me it was massive.  Balfour finished off the victory in routine fashion to notch the save, his 15th of 2013.

Both Reddick, Donaldson, Nate Freiman and Adam Rosales should all be recognized tonight for their defensive contributions as well.  Reddick’s robbery, Donaldson’s nifty diving stop and full extension diving catch by Freiman while staying on the bag to reel in the throw, and Adam Rosales’ nifty flip to Jed Lowrie to start a big double play that sealed the shutdown inning for Parker in the 6th.  Pitching, clutch hitting, and defense is the perfect formula for winning games, and the Athletics are doing it quite well right now.

Donaldson continues his emergence as not just someone who belongs in Major League Baseball, but as one of the better occupants of the hot corner in the game.  While Miguel Cabrera is firmly entrenched atop the third base totem pole in the AL, Donaldson’s play puts him right below.  At this point, it would be a crime if Donaldson wasn’t elected to the AL All Star team.

The Athletics have ensured themselves a winning road trip, and are now at 38-25 which puts them 1/2 game ahead of the Texas Rangers in the AL West as I noted earlier, it also is the highest win total in the AL and second highest in all of baseball behind the St. Louis Cardinals who have 40 wins.  There’s little chance the A’s will maintain this level of play for the duration of the season, but they absolutely should try to rack up as many wins as possible now while they’re hot, and before the tough second half of June arrives.

The Athletics go for the series victory tomorrow in the third game of four, Tommy Milone (6-5, 3.91 ERA) looks to win his 4th straight decision against John Danks (0-2, 5.63 ERA).  Danks is just coming off a long stint on the DL after shoulder surgery last year, and has yet to hit his stride so the Athletics will have to make sure to capitalize on his rustiness.

May 31, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (16) and starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) celebrate after defeating the Chicago White Sox at O.Co Coliseum. The Oakland Athletics defeated the Chicago White Sox 3-0. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

The story of this game without a doubt is the 40 year old Colon.  There were questions abound going into this season as to what he would be able to bring to the table coming off a PED suspension.  Colon has outpitched his 2012 self so far in 2013, and this may have been his masterpiece.

Colon is known for his ability to command the strike zone, he’s walked all of 5 batters this entire season.  Tonight he walked no one of course, and threw 77 of his 106 pitches on the night for strikes.  He allowed 5 hits, all of them singles.  There is no other way to describe his night than as a simply dominant performance to win his 6th game of the season.  The complete game shutout lowered his ERA on the season to a very nice 3.33.  He hasn’t allowed a run in 16 innings since turning 40.

Upon making his return, Josh Reddick has had an immediate impact, to go along with the go-ahead double in the 8th inning he made his presence felt in the field as well.  Perhaps some time off to heal will do him a lot of good and bring back the productive Josh Reddick from 2012.

The A’s and White Sox take to the field once again tomorrow afternoon as we turn the page to the month of June.  Dan Straily (3-2, 5.08 ERA) takes on Jose Quintana (3-2, 3.75 ERA).  Straily has had two successful outings in a row against tough opponents in the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants, but it will be a warm afternoon in Oakland so expect the ball to be carrying and we all know how Straily is prone to giving up the long ball.  It may be that the A’s will have to bring the lumber tomorrow afternoon, but I’ve said that before and Straily has proven me wrong, hopefully he does it once again.

Apr 20, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (16) before the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Offensively: The biggest part of Reddick’s game that makes him a valuable player for the A’s. Obviously his defense gets the accolades but his offense is what helps put the A’s over the top as a team being considered “great”. His 30 plus home runs from last season probably will not be reached this season but 25 home runs is not certainly not out of the question. With a healthy wrist and being under the radar again somewhat expect Reddick to catch fire fast when he returns.

Defensively: Even with the wrist injury Reddick’s defense did not falter to an extent where he became a disservice to the team defensively. However, with the wrist being healthy his defense will only get better.

Clubhouse: Reddick’s leadership may have tumbled a little bit with his struggles and frustration. With a healthy wrist and some better play Reddick’s contagious attitude and leadership will again infect this team. Couple that with the emergence of Josh Donaldson and his same character traits and the A’s may have found a more productive Brandon Inge and Jonny Gomes.

Roster: With Reddick returning the A’s will need to make a roster move. The most likely candidates to be sent back down seems to be either Jesse Chavez or Luke Montz. Montz seems to be the prime candidate since he still has options left and Chavez is acting as the teams current long reliever.

A’s fans were frustrated with Josh Reddick before he went on the DL. However, with a few weeks off and some time to heal Reddick seems poised to break out and put a charge into an offense that is already taking off. If he can return to form from last year the A’s will be in an excellent position to make the postseason again.