The Oakland A’s wrapped up their tough six-game road trip today, going 2-4 at Texas and Chicago. The A’s received a mix of decent to solid pitching in Chicago, but unfortunately the offense could not consistently get on the board. Dallas Braden was solid, and while Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez gave up five and four runs, respectively, their performances were still relatively solid.
As has been the case much of the season, the offense could not quite hold up its end of the bargain. In their two losses to Chicago, the A’s were killed by a lack of timely hitting. For example, in this last loss they loaded the bases with one out in the sixth, but couldn’t get a run across. If they want to get back into the playoff race they’ll need to get the bats rolling.
The A’s open up a six-game homestand against the Royals and Rangers tomorrow. This is yet another chance for the A’s to gain some ground in the West. Since July 1, the A’s have made up a half game on the Rangers. With two months remaining, they’re going to have to step it up a bit more if they want to have any shot at the division.