Clutch This

OAK 4, LAA 3

First, I have a confession to make. I slept through six innings of the game today. I'm still recovering from the multiple free beers from the choir tour. Tour was fun, but it was just my luck that a bunch of high school girls thought I was cute while I still have crappy luck with women my age. But at least I didn't get hit on by a gay guy, which happened to somebody else in my group.

I woke up to the sound of the A's radio broadcast, with Hank Greenwald (no wonder I fell asleep) and the sound of my mom and her buddies being extremely loud playing Mah-jong, it's a very Chinese thing to do, being loud while playing Mah-jong.

Back to the game. Apparently, I slept through all of the frustrating parts. The A's left the bases loaded twice.

Team LOB: 11

And it seemd that the A's were going to lose due to some freakish inability to drive in runners from scoring position. Look at the pivotal top of the ninth:

Kotsay and Scutaro both hit singles to opening the inning against the vaunted "K-Rod." So it's no outs, with runners at 1st and 2nd. Chavez strikes out. Durazo strikes out. When all hope was nearly lost, Hatteberk manages to hit the game winning two run double.

Thank you Hatty, thank you very much.

Our "big bats" are still silent, and it's frustrating that they can't come through when the game is truly on the line. But we're still winning.

Pitching was excellent. Saarloos did his job and kept the game close. Rincon did well, I'm pleasantly surprised. Dotel's velocity seems to be back in the mid-90's and his fastball seems to have movement again, both good signs. However he had one mistake pitch, which was a staight fast ball that was hit for a double, he got the save tonight when "K-Rod" blew it.

Last but not least, Yabu got his first big league win.

I also hear that Bobby Crosby has been signed through 2009. I thought I was dreaming it because I was in some kind of semi-sleep stupor when it was announced on the radio. But all in all, good game, good win. Way to kill the rally monkey.

Oh yeah, we're back in first.