April 21: The A's Get Weird And Win (Of Course)

How weird are the Oakland Athletics? That's a rhetorical question. They are very weird. Last night, they put a 32-year-old pitcher on the mound, a guy just called up from Nashville and who hadn't started a major league game in seven years. He went up against the Mariners and pitcher who hadn't given up a run in 23 innings. And so, of course, the A's won. There's a drummer out there that only A's management can hear. I mean other than the one they bang at the Coliseum. More on each team below, with links.  

Astros (11-5)


Lance McCullers followed a gem by Dallas Keuchel with one of his own, going 6 2/3 and allowing no runs. He also struck out eight. And how about Chris Devenski? He gave up a run, but he pitched 2 1/3, struck out four and threw 31 strikes in 39 pitches. The Astros have steamrolled the American League West (except arch-nemesis the Rangers, who they haven't played yet), Now it's on to St. Petersburg, Fla,. and a good challenge against a decent Tampa Bay Rays team.

Here's a look at how the acquisitions of Reddick and Aoki are paying off.

Athletics (8-8)

The A's reached .500 by putting up 9 runs for the second night in a row. They also got an adequate 4 innings from Cesar Valdez, the man who hadn't started a big league game in seven years.  He managed to out-pitch James Paxton of the Mariners. In a way, this was a classic A's game, even though it's only April. In addition to the pitching strategy working, the A's also came back from an early three-run deficit against Paxton, who hadn't given up an earned run yet this season. He certainly has now (five in total). Rajai Davis singled in the winning run and Travis Plouffe sealed the victory with a three-run homer run. The team used six pitchers, with Ryan Dull picking up the win.

This man understands the weirdness of baseball.

Angels (7-10)

The miracle wins and first place status already seem a distant memory. Once again, the much-maligned pitching staff came through - Matt Shoemaker gave up two runs in 7 innings on solo home runs by Carlos Beltran and Jake Marisnick. In all, they gave up just three hits. But that's all the Astros needed.as the Angels could muster only one run - a solo shot by Mike Trout.  They look to turn it around this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays, who bring a 3-12 record into The Big A.

There's an argument in this entertaining game recap that maybe it's time to freak out about the bats, not the pitching.

Mariners (7-10)

Fresh off a series win against the Marlins and with James Paxton on the mound, it seemed like a good spot for the Mariners. But Paxton finally looked human. On the plus side, Taylor Motter tied the game with a home run. He's got four homers, eight RBIs and am OBP of .349 - all as a replacement guy for the injured Jean Segura.

Here's someone who found a reason to hope after a loss that wasn't as bad as earlier losses. And it makes sense.

Rangers (6-10)

It took 13 innings, but the Rangers got one in the win column. That's a good start to a 10-game home stand, and it ended the Royals hot streak The beleaguered Rangers pitching staff gave up zero runs.

The Rangers continue to tinker around with their bullpen, which, let's me honest, needs some tinkering.

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