Fuente: © Oakland Athletics
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MLB: ATHLETICS: Zito outdueled in finale with D-Backs

A's southpaw surrenders two unearned runs in ninth

/noticias.info/ OAKLAND -- The A's entered Interleague Play on June 16 with the best Interleague record in baseball since its inception in 1997.

They were 95-63, and A's general manager Billy Beane has always said that he loved playing National League teams because they waste at-bats.

After a 3-1 loss against the Diamondbacks on Sunday, the A's are 8-10 in Interleague this season -- the first time they have had a losing record against the National League since '97. They were also swept at home for the first time this season during the three-game series against Arizona.

A's manager Ken Macha referred to the A's offense as "meager" after the game and said that the slumping bats have been a big part of the recent decline.

"We were in an offensive funk, and it was probably just a timing thing," Macha said.

The A's have been shut out three times by National League clubs and have scored a total of 58 runs [3.2 per game] in the 18 games against the West.

Macha said after the game that facing new pitchers didn't have to do with recent drop off in batting average (.217 in Interleague Play), because they had faced most of the pitchers before -- either during Spring Training or in previous seasons.

First baseman Dan Johnson agreed.

"[The pitchers] are in the same boat as we are," Johnson said. "We're just not hitting the ball, that's all there is to it. You should adjust as a hitter. I know I have been terrible the last 10 games."

Johnson has improved his average a lot since April and May, and was batting .321 in June. But has three hits in his last 22 at-bats.

The other struggling A's include Nick Swisher -- who has one hit in his last 29 at-bats -- and Mark Kotsay -- who is hitless in his last 23 at-bats.

"When you face a guy for the first time, the pitcher obviously has the advantage," Kotsay said. "We have run into some good pitching at a time when we aren't swinging the bats well."

On Sunday, they ran into Brandon Webb, who came into the game with an ERA tied for third in the National League at 2.85.

Webb (9-3) lowered his ERA even further (2.72), holding the A's to one run while recording his third complete game of the season.

Frank Thomas provided the only offensive power for the A's for the second straight day. After hitting a home run on Saturday to break up the no-hitter, he homered in his first at-bat off Webb on an 0-2 pitch. It was Thomas' 466th career home run, which moved him past Dave Winfield for 25th place on the all-time list.


The A's had just four baserunners after Thomas' homer in the second inning and went 4-for-30 against Webb.

And on the pitching side, it was Barry Zito who was tagged with the loss after again getting little run support.

The A's have scored a total of three runs during Zito's five losses this year.

"He deserved to win," Johnson said. "To loose in the way that we lost, it was not fair to him."

Zito gave up one run in the fourth inning off a Luis Gonzalez single and had three double plays turned behind him before things fell apart in the ninth inning.

With his pitch count around 100 entering the ninth inning, Macha sent Zito in the last frame. The southpaw ended up throwing 128 pitches on the afternoon to tie his career high.

"He said he wanted the ball [before the ninth]," Macha said. "After the game, he thanked me for letting him go back out there."

The first two runners reached base in the ninth when Chad Tracy reached on an infield error from Johnson and Conor Jackson followed with a double to left field.

The error on Johnson -- who is playing with a swollen ankle and a boot on his right foot -- hit off the heel of his glove when he was going toward second base.

"I was playing on half a leg," Johnson said. "I tried to run over there, and I didn't get it. I should make that play every time, no doubt. No excuses, it's a play I should make with or without an ankle."

After the double, Zito got Gonzalez to hit a soft ground ball to third base for the first out before intentionally walking Johnny Estrada to load the bases for Shawn Green.

Zito walked Green on five pitches, and then Orlando Hudson hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put the D-Backs up, 3-1.

The A's Nos. 2-4 hitters were retired quickly in the bottom of the ninth and Webb finished the game on 107 pitches -- 75 for strikes.

Gonzalez was a player the A's couldn't get out during the three-game series, as he went 7-for-12 with two runs, four doubles and four RBIs.

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