Game 61 Recap or It's Raining Singles Part II

Anaheim 7, Oakland 1 (WPA Graph from Fangraphs)

A's Current Record: 31-30

The A's found themselves on the wrong end of a singles-driven laugher, as 13 of the Angels 16 hits were one-base hits.  Dallas Braden, who is still battling ankle and foot problems, as well as forearm tightness, allowed ten singles and a double and was charged with 4 earned runs in 5.2 innings.  While the defensive/pitching side of things wasn't pretty, the A's lack of offense really gave them no chance yesterday.

I hate watching Joe Saunders pitch against the A's because I have no idea how and why they can't hit him.  Saunders' xFIP this season is 5.31 and the stuff he throws really seems to support that number.  Still, he's thrown a complete game in both of his last two starts against Oakland and has given up a total of one run.  Last night he gave up only six singles and a double, with almost all of that damage coming from Daric Barton.  The A's simply had a tough time making good contact, and when they did hit line drives, as Mark Ellis did a couple of times, they found the Angels' gloves.

The A's need all sorts of help offensively, and there's good news and bad news on the injury front.  The bad news is that Rajai Davis won't play until Friday at the earliest.  Davis is nothing without his speed, so I really hope he comes back strong from his hamstring strain.  On a more positive note, Travis Buck is getting closer to going on a rehab assignment.

The A's look to salvage a split with the Angels and avoid falling to .500 and three games out of first since last month.  They go up against Ervin Santana, who has been rounding into form lately.  Hopefully, Trevor Cahill, who has also been strong as of late can put up another quality start.