Aside from the ninth inning, when Travis Buck, Mark Ellis, and Daric Barton all failed to even make contact with the ball, the A’s hitting still wasn’t all that great. In fact, the team only had three hits on the night, including Jack Cust’s homerun in the second inning, and singles by Suzuki in the third and Bobby Crosby in the eighth.
Joe Blanton pitched seven innings well for the Athletics, only giving up two runs, and allowing Boston’s Kevin Youkilis to score twice. Oakland maintained a 1-0 lead until from the second inning until the fifth when the Red Sox scored once, and again in in the sixth. After that, the game remained 2-1 for the rest of the game.
If there’s one thing that lost this game, it’s hitting, plain and simple. Three hits is not enough for Oakland to consistenly win and earn a spot as one of the top teams. After Cust’s homer, the team went seven scoreless innings, and committed an error. The team can’t expect to win with an offense like this.
