Defense a major concern after A's drop three straight on opening weekend

Entering the season, we knew starting pitching could be an issue for the A's, but through four games, the biggest problem has actually been the defense.

Sure, Oakland has only committed three errors, but they have failed to make some fairly routine plays at pivotal moments.

“We've had some trouble and it's cost us the last couple games,” A's manager Bob Melvin admitted.

The defensive struggles culminated Sunday afternoon, when four separate misplays led to six Angels runs in a 7-4 defeat at the Coliseum.

The first two came in the second inning. With two outs and nobody on, Andrelton Simmons popped a fly ball into shallow center field. Boog Powell, Jed Lowrie, and Marcus Semien converged, but all three pulled up, allowing the ball to fall in.

The next batter was Luis Valbuena, who lined one to deep left field. Khris Davis got in position to make a running catch, but the ball bounced off his glove for an RBI double. The Angels would score twice in the inning.

Then in the fifth inning, with the A's leading 3-2, Jefry Marte sent another line drive deep to left, and again the ball bounced off Davis' glove for a double, sparking a two-run rally.

“Usually he makes those plays,” Melvin said of Davis. “He's done a good job for us tracking balls in the outfield. ... He's a better outfielder than he showed (Sunday).”

Finally, in the seventh inning, with two outs and runners on second and third, Simmons hit a chopper to third. The usually sure-handed Matt Chapman took a step back, but could not field the ball cleanly, and it ended up in left field for a two-run single.

This all comes on the heels of Friday night, when Matt Joyce committed a costly error in the ninth inning, allowing the Angels to score a key insurance run.

The A's know they have to perform better in the field to help out their young pitching staff. For a team with such a small margin for error, every misplay will be magnified.