Pratt's Instant Replay: Rangers 6, A's 1

BOX SCORE

OAKLAND -- Everything was working for the A's. They were 9-1 in July, and their starting pitcher Bartolo Colon was one win away from tying the all-time record of 19 wins against the Rangers. On paper, it seemed like it would be a good day for the A's. That's why they play the games. The A's defense fell apart, as the Rangers took the first game of a two-game set 6-1. Starting Pitching ReportBartolo Colon's start was hampered by bad fundamental baseball on the A's part. Colon gave up a run in the third inning when Craig Gentry reached base on an infield single after beating the 39-year-old pitcher to first base. Colon then threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt, advancing Gentry to third base and receiving an error. The speedy Ranger's outfielder scored on a single by Elvis Andrus. Adrian Beltre led off the next inning with a home run, then the A's sloppy defense re-emerged. After a single by Michael Young, Brandon Moss dropped a deep fly ball off the bat of Nelson Cruz. Mike Napoli drove in Young with an RBI single, making it a 3-0 game. Then Gentry laid down a squeeze bunt scoring Cruz, but no one was covering first base after Colon fielded the bunt.This put the A's in a 4-0 hole and left Colon with 71 pitches through four innings. The veteran locked in at this point. He pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning. Then he started the sixth inning by chasing down Young, tagging him out as he ran to first after a comebacker. After the tough fourth inning Colon retired nine of the next 10 batters. Colon's final line was seven innings pitched, eight hits, four runs -- all earned -- and one walk with five strikeouts. Considered the freebies the Rangers got in the third and fourth frames it is impressive that Colon was able to go seven innings against one of the top offenses in the game. At the PlateRoy Oswalt had lulled the A's screaming hot bats into a slumber, until Josh Reddick stepped to the plate in the seventh inning and woke the offense up with a loud crack of the bat. With his 21st homer of the year the A's were on the scoreboard. After Reddick's homer, the A's got two runners aboard, but the bottom of the lineup couldn't get it done. Kurt Suzuki, Brandon Inge, and Cliff Pennington -- the team's 7-8-9 hitters -- went a combined 0 for 11.Oakland would get another big opportunity to score in the eighth inning. They loaded the bases, but Yoenis Cespedes struck out looking and Brandon Moss popped out to third base. Cespedes did find success earlier in the game while hitting to the opposite field. He hit a leadoff double to start the second inning, but the A's couldn't driven him home. He also singled up the middle in the fourth inning. Cespedes has hit safely in all nine of the games he has played against the Rangers. He is 16 for 32 with five doubles, a homer, and seven RBI against the A.L. West leaders. Bullpen ReportJordan Norberto entered the game in the eighth inning and was greeted rudely by Josh Hamilton, who launched a homer to left field. Norberto would finish the rest of the inning unscathed. Jim Miller pitched himself into a bases loaded jam in the ninth inning. He walked two batters and hit one with a pitch. With no outs and three runners on, he limited the damage to just one run. In the FieldChris Carter made a nice diving stop on a ball hit by Craig Gentry, but the speedy outfielder beat Colon to first base. With Gentry on first, Colon attempted to pickoff Gentry, the throw was wide though and Carter couldn't catch it as it rolled into the expansive foul territory. Gentry ended up on third base with Colon being charged with an error.Brandon Moss dropped a ball that should have been caught in right field. The A's also failed to cover first base on a squeeze play giving the Rangers another free baserunner. AttendanceThe A's announced an attendance of 15,115. Dot RaceRed wins the dot race.Up NextTravis Blackley (2-2, 2.63 ERA) starts a game for the first time since July 1, when he defeated the Rangers. The Australian-born lefty leads the American League with six pickoffs. He was skipped in the rotation with back soreness, but pitched three innings of scoreless relief for on July 7. Rangers starting pitcher Colby Lewis (6-6, 3.51 ERA) returns from the disabled list to take on his former team. The right-handed pitcher hasn't appeared in a game since June 23.