More bullpen troubles for A's in 8-7 loss to Rangers

ARLINGTON, Texas - The A’s lengthy run of brutal bullpen work stung Oakland again when the seriously slumping Shin-Soo Choo tied the game in the seventh inning and set up an 8-7 Texas win in the 10th inning.

Choo was riding a 2-for-39 skid in the seventh when the A’s brought Fernando Abad in expressly to face the left-hander, and Choo launched a game-tying homer just over the leap of Josh Reddick in right.

Then, in the 10th, with Ryan Cook pitching for a second inning, Choo opened a 7-all game with a double to deep right. Cook then walked Robinson Chirinos and, after a first-pitch ball to Carlos Peguero, the right-hander got a visit from pitching coach Curt Young. No matter. Cook issued Peguero a four-pitch walk.

Manager Bob Melvin then asked R.J. Alvarez to try and work out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam.

Roughned Odor looked at two pitches, both balls, from Alvarez, then stroked a grounder up the middle. It deflected off the glove of diving shortstop Marcus Semien as Choo came home with the game-winner, but even if Semien had stopped it, it’s unlikely he would have gotten the out at home.

The A’s bullpen gave up five earned runs in the final five innings after Oakland starter Drew Pomeranz had allowed three runs in the first five innings.

Another big inning late in the game should have been the ticket for the A’s, who scored six times in the seventh to take a 7-3 lead. But more shoddy Oakland bullpen work meant that lead didn’t make it to the eighth inning.

Oakland was down 3-1 in the seventh when an error on Rangers’ shortstop Elvis Andrus was the quiet opening to what would be some raucous offense.

Brett Lawrie followed with a hit and the A’s caught a break when Mark Canha’s grounder hit umpire Jerry Meals. Instead of one out, or maybe a double play, the ball was called dead, Canha had a hit, the A’s had the bases loaded and Nick Martinez, the Texas starter who had baffled Oakland all night, was gone.

Lefty reliever Alex Claudio gave the A’s a gift run by hitting Josh Phegley after getting the Oakland catcher in an 0-2 hole. Craig Gentry tied the game with a sacrifice fly, spelling the end for Claudio.

The Texas bullpen isn’t very good, and the next man to prove it was Anthony Bass, although the first run he gave up wasn’t his fault. He caught a comeback from Billy Burns and threw to the plate to get Canha in a rundown. Instead of getting the out, catcher Robinson Chirinos threw the ball away as the A’s scored their third run of the inning.

Two batters later Reddick crushed a 3-2 pitch from Bass over the right field fence for a 7-3 lead.

Unfortunately for Oakland, the A’s bullpen isn’t very good right now, either. With one out, Chris Bassitt issued back-to-back walks. Dan Otero took over, got an out, then gave up a run-scoring single to ex-A’s first baseman Kyle Blanks, his fourth hit of the night.

That was it for Otero, replaced by Abad, and that was it for the lead, Abad being crushed by Choo’s homer.