Posted 10:18 AM by Floyd

Fathletics

The A's keep teasing me by showing flashes of being a breakout playoff team, and then reverting to mediocrity. Take this past week's four game series with the Red Sox, who were leading the Oaklanders by one game in the wildcard. The A's faced Pedro Martinez in the first game and drove him off the mound by the fifth inning, while Hudson held the Sox batters to two outs. In the second game, Zito was shaky but closer Foulke was masterful.

So now the A's had the wild-card lead, and Mulder pitching in the third game. So far this season Mulder has been the most consistent of the Big Three. Not Wednesday, as he was shelled and the Sox won 7-3.

Yesterday's game featured reasonable pitching by fourth starter Ted Lilly, all kinds of chances for the A's to take advantage of men on base. But they did not convert, and Boston won the game in the 10th inning. Back to a one game deficit in the wild card. :-(