[新聞] Sanchez can't hold lead in loss to A's
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Sanchez can't hold lead in loss to A's
Giants' offense squanders scoring opportunities
By Adam Berry / MLB.com | 6/19/2011 2:36 AM ET
OAKLAND -- For a brief moment Saturday night, it seemed as if the Giants
would overcome a few missed opportunities, some uncharacteristic mistakes and
their all-too-characteristic struggles to get runners across the plate and
even the Bay Bridge Series.
Instead, left-hander Jonathan Sanchez immediately coughed up a two-run lead
the Giants had scratched and clawed to secure, allowing Oakland to put up
four runs in the fifth inning and go on to beat San Francisco, 4-2, in the
Oakland Coliseum.
The Giants dropped their third straight contest -- their first three-game
losing skid since getting swept by the Marlins on May 24-26 -- and have
scored only two runs in each loss. San Francisco left 10 runners on base
despite matching the A's with seven hits, ruining potential scoring
opportunities with a mix of poor baserunning, a lack of timely hitting and a
dearth of productive outs.
"That's been pretty much the case the last few days. We're just having a hard
time driving in a run," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "That's what it
comes down to, and that's what wins ballgames for you. They got some big
hits. We didn't."
Both of the Giants' runs Saturday came in an inning that saw A's third
baseman Scott Sizemore trip over his own feet on Chris Stewart's infield
single; an Andres Torres walk; a throwing error that turned Emmanuel Burriss'
sacrifice bunt into two bases; and a sacrifice fly by Aubrey Huff. That
accumulation of bad defense and good fortune gave San Francisco a 2-0 lead,
which looked strong enough to squeak by, given the way Sanchez had shut out
Oakland through four innings of work and the Giants' reliable bullpen, which
turned in 3 1/3 shutout innings Saturday.
"We're getting them out there. We're just not getting a hit with runners in
scoring position, and those things come back to haunt you," Bochy said. "The
way we scored wasn't really pretty, but you take it.
"Runs are a premium for us, and we got a two-run lead. That's nice to have.
We haven't seen that in a little while."
But the A's immediately responded in the bottom of the fifth, as scuffling
first baseman Daric Barton's double to right field scored Sizemore and cut
the Giants' lead in half. Cliff Pennington then slammed a two-out double down
the left-field line to score Barton and tie the game.
And Oakland didn't let up. Stewart said Sanchez was throwing noticeably more
strikes Saturday than he normally does, and the A's picked up on that after
their first time through the order, taking a more aggressive approach at the
plate by the time the fifth inning rolled around.
A wild pitch by Sanchez allowed Pennington to move to third, and Coco Crisp
walked then stole second. Up came Hideki Matsui, who drilled a seeing-eye
single into right field to score both runners and give the A's a two-run
lead. Sanchez and Stewart said the pitch was where they wanted it, but Matsui
simply got the best of the left-hander.
"He's been getting some of his best swings against left-handers, certainly
since I've been here," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "I don't even give it a
second thought. He's always been able to hit left-handers."
"That's a play that nobody can make. It was in the hole," added Sanchez, who
fell to 4-5 on the year with a 3.71 ERA. "He's a good hitter. That's why he's
here. I just went out there and gave it everything I had. It was his day."
And once again, it was not the Giants' day at the plate. They loaded the
bases in the second but couldn't score. In the fourth, Cody Ross got to
second on a one-out single by Nate Schierholtz, but Aaron Rowand and Brandon
Crawford recorded quick outs to end the inning.
After fumbling away several scoring chances early on, the Giants failed to
capitalize on another opportunity in the sixth. Schierholtz lined a leadoff
double to left but was tagged out in a rundown the next at-bat. Crawford
stroked a single and pushed Rowand to third, but a pinch-hit strikeout by Pat
Burrell and another punchout by Torres brought a quick halt to San
Francisco's would-be rally.
"It's tough. It's just one of those things. We're not coming through right
now," Stewart said. "We're going to keep going out there, keep having
confidence, and it's going to be one of those things where hopefully it turns
around soon and we get those big knocks when we need to and try to put some
more runs across for our pitchers."
"There's no getting around it: It's frustrating for the guys. They're trying.
We're in a rut right now," Bochy added. "They're trying to get settled in.
There's no excuse. We're better than this. We've just got to go out there and
compete and find a way to get it done. Right now, we're not."
Adam Berry is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject
to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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