In a series where we saw a lot of thrilling moments for the A's, there were far too many moments they let get away from them which ended up proving costly, resulting in a series loss against their AL West rivals, the Seattle Mariners.
Still, they are showing how competitive they will remain in the division for the rest of the season. Make no mistake, the A's have all of the pieces and the attitude to be in the top spot in the AL West.
The lights will continue to shine brightly on them as they are given tougher tests in the coming days with the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants on their schedule. With each day, game, and series that goes by, the A's are gaining great experience and developing an identity for themselves.
In Game 1 of their series with the Mariners, the A's set the tone with a dramatic win and walk-off magic provided by none other than Jacob Wilson, the hero and hitter of the night and frankly, the series. After the three-game set, he is batting .357 and collected eight hits in this series alone.
It's safe to say that when Wilson is at the plate, home or away, he's able to make contact and something special usually results. He's also been stellar defensively, and you can rely on him to provide the energy and spark when the team needs it the most. Wilson and Judge, who are the batting leaders of MLB, will go head-to-head beginning Friday night.
In Game 2, Brent Rooker showed off some speed, swiping a pair of bags and hustling for a double as part of a 3-for-4 night. Unfortunately, the A's bullpen was gassed, and with the team holding a lead they turned to righty Tyler Ferguson for the fourth consecutive game in the ninth while leading 3-2. He surrendered three runs, as Seattle came-from-behind to even the series.
With a quick turnaround for Wednesday's day game, they were hoping to have a series win under their belt already, but had no choice but to push onto the following day, where they hoped to take the rubber match at home.
On a warm Wednesday, the A's came out firing on all cylinders. They attacked Bryan Woo early, and got off to a 3-0 start in the first and capped it off with JJ Bleday's 2-run double. On the mound, things were going well, too.
Gunnar Hoglund was great again in his second start, going 5.1 innings giving up five hits, two ER with just one walk. He's battle-tested now, and his next challenge will come when the team hits the road against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Seattle came back late in the game, with recently claimed Leody Taveras and Dylan Moore, who was just reinstated from the inured list (right hip inflammation) providing the spark the M's needed to get them back in the game. Taveras tied the game with a single, and Moore's go-ahead RBI double gave them a 6-5 lead in the eighth inning, and the A's couldn't muster any more offense of their own.
Friendly foe from Elk Grove, Rowdy Tellez, hit a three-run blast to add insult to injury and secure the series win for the Mariners. That's their ninth-consecutive series win, which breaks a record held since their 2001 season.
The A's will look to pick themselves up and after a much-needed off day on Thursday, will regroup and prepare for the New York Yankees (and their torpedo bats) to arrive in West Sacramento. RHP Will Warren will take the mound for the pinstripes against RHP Osvaldo Bido the Athletics. First pitch is at 7:05 PDT.
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