by Jerry Feitelberg

The A’s beat the Angels Wednesday night by a score of 8-7. The game had a lot of intrigues. First of all, Barry Zito started for Oakland in what was probably the final game of his career. Barry played seven seasons for the A’s and seven seasons for the San Francisco Giants. He won the Cy Young award in 2002 and won two championship rings with the Giants in 2010 and 2012. He was the epitome of a professional. Barry had a rough year in 2010 and was not included on the World Series roster that year. He never complained. Two years later, he came through big time for the Giants and helped them to their second title.Barry did not pitch in 2014 but in 2015 he attempted to join the A’s. The A’s rotation was set, and that meant that Barry would have to go to Nashville. Barry performed well, but he slowed down late in the season and thought his career was over. However, due to injuries to the A’s starters, he was called up to the Majors and started last Saturday against his old teammate and Friend Tim Hudson. Barry left after two innings of work. Again, he thought his pitching days were over but Bob Melvin informed him that he would be starting Wednesday against the Angels. Sonny Gray was supposed to start, but Gray’s season ended with an injury. Zito pitched well. He went four innings and allowed two runs and just four hits. He threw 76 pitches. He probably could have pitched another inning, but the A’s felt that he would not be effective as his arm strength had diminished since coming back from the injury.

The Angels entered the game just one-half game ahead of the Houston Astros in the race for the second Wild Card spot. If the Angels are to make the playoffs, they cannot afford to lose any games. Lots of pressure on them. They had won seven straight before Wednesday’s game, and the A’s were looking to upset the applecart. Garrett Richards was on the hill for the Angels, and the scoring follows below.

The Angels took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Centerfielder Mike Trout, last year’s Most Valuable Player in the American League, hit a solo home run to center. It was Trout’s forty-first dinger of the season.

In the top of the fourth the A’s scored three unearned runs to take a 3-1 lead. With one out, Josh Reddick singled. Danny Valencia reached on an error by Johnny Giavotelal. Stephen Vogt walked to load the bases. Brett Lawrie hit a grounder to third and Angels’ third baseman, David Freese, threw a strike to the catcher to get a force out on Reddick. Had the error not been made the Angels would have been out of the inning. However, Eric Sogard now had the opportunity to do damage. He came through with a line shot down the right field line that cleared the bases. A’s in the lead.

The Angels made it a 3-2 game in their half of the fourth. David Freese led off with a solo homer to left center. The Angels scored three times in the sixth. Catcher Carlos Perez reached on a single but was able to make it to third when Same Fuld misplayed the ball. Johnny Giavotella atoned for his error by hitting a home run.  Erick Aybar followed with a single and scored on a double by Kole Calhoun. Angels lead 5-3 after six.

The A’s scored four times in the seventh. Sogard reached on an error. Coco Crisp, pinch-hitting for Jake Smolinski, singled. Billy Butler, pinched hit for Sam Fuld, drew a walk to load the bases. The Angels brought in pitcher Trevor Gott to face Mark Canha. Canha responded with a bloop single to center to drive in Sogard. Josh Reddick walked to force in the second run of the inning With the bases still loaded; Vogt singled to drive in two more runs and the A’s now lead 7-5.

The A’s added a run in the eighth when Marcus Semien tripled. The ball got by Trout as he lost the ball in the lights. Semien scored when Crisp’s sharp ground ball went through first baseman C.J.Cron’s leg for an error. The Angels’ Carlos Perez got the run back when he homered in the bottom of the eight. Angels trail 8-6 with one out. A’s manager Bob Melvin brought in Sean Doolittle to shut the Angels down. Doolittle retired the next two batters to finish the eighth.

In the ninth, the Angels had the big boys coming up to bat. Doolittle had to face Calhoun, Trout, and Pujols. Calhoun homered to make it a one-run deficit 8-7. Doolittle retired Pujols and Cron. David Freese singled to put men on at first and third with two out. Former Athletic Collin Cowgill then hit a sharp ground ball to A’s third baseman Danny Valencia. Valencia threw him out at first to end the ball game. A’s win 8-7.

Game Notes- There were some oddities in the game. The A’s scored seven unearned runs in the game. The Angels made four errors while the A’s made two. The Angels hit five home runs. Four were solo, and one was a two-run job. Each team used seven pitchers.

The A’ announced that catcher Carson Blair had successful left knee surgery and that he should be ready for spring training.. The A’s have the day off on Thursday and head to Seattle for the final three-game series of the season. The Angels are on their way to Arlington, Texas to face the Rangers and will have to sweep them if they are to win the AL West crown. Houston will either be a half-game ahead of the Angels or a half- game behind depending on the outcome of the game in Seattle.

The   pitching matchups for Friday’s game with the Mariners will be Aaron Brook (2-4) going against Hisashi Iwakuma (9-6)

Attendance at Angel Stadium was 34,033, and the Angels drew over three million people this year.