Recap: A’s @ Diamondbacks Game 61

The Diamondbacks completed the sweep with a 4-3 win and also improved to .500 as the A’s sunk to 26-35. The A’s interleague record now falls to 1-5, next up the Colorado Rockies.

• A’s starter Travis Blackley had another largely unimpressive outing, going four and two-thirds innings allowing four runs, three of them earned on six hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Blackely was as inefficient as one can be throwing 93 pitches in his limited outing, with 53 being strikes. It speaks volumes about the lack of rotation depth for the A’s that he is in the rotation for a Major League Baseball team right now.
• Evan Scribner made his A’s debut tonight, going one and a third innings striking out two. Even more impressive was Sean Doolittle who went two innings of relief setting down five of the six batters he faced on strikes.
• I wasn’t a fan of today’s lineup at all. The idea of Adam Rosales who got the start at first, splitting time there with Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss is pretty pathetic. All three of them got into today’s contest, Rosales went 0-for-3 with a walk, Donaldson who caught went 2-for-4 with a strikeout, and Moss pinch hit and went 0-for-1. While not a potent bat at all, the exclusion of Kila Ka’aihue from this team seems foolish when one looks at these three’s performance: Rosales having a .298 wOBA and 89 wRC+, Donaldson at a .174 wOBA and just 3 wRC+ and Moss at .288 wOBA and 82 wRC+.
• Jemile Weeks, Jonny Gomes and Brandon Inge all added doubles representing the only extra base hits for the Swingin’ A’s in this one.