A’s stay alive with walk-off 4-3 win

Gee, that’s odd. I thought the A’s were just going to go away quietly. You think you know baseball, and then something like this happens.

The A’s did not go quietly. They were playing in an elimination game, and it sure looked like they were about to go quietly. They were quiet all night, staying away from first base as if it were covered in gonorrhea. And when they finally broke through for a little something against Tigers pitching, they stranded the runners.

Alburquerque’s first batter was Josh Donaldson. He lined a sure hit right to the second baseman, who caught it for out #1. The first rule about the baseball gods is that you don’t talk about the baseball gods. The second rule about the baseball gods is that YOU DON’... wait, no, the second rule about the baseball gods is that they’re complete asses. So of course the first A’s batter Alburquerque faces hits into BABIP hell.

After that, it was a quite inning. Seth Smith was called out on strikes, taking a slider high in the zone, and Derek Norris grounded out to third to end the inning.

Well, sort of. He was actually out at third base by about 10 feet, although technically he did actually touch third base. Just not in time to avoid committing one of baseball’s Cardinal Sins. So instead of having the tying run on second base with nobody out, the A’s had the tying run in the batter’s box with one out. Somewhere, Billy Beane was driving his pickup truck down the highway and punching his dashboard.

Reddick sent Coke’s second pitch for a ride, but Austin Jackson gathered in the ball on the cusp of the warning track in deep center field.

You knew that a pitcher with 11 K/9 facing a free swingin’ team like the A’s was a recipe for many whiffs. A whiff casserole. Whiff stroganoff. Pineapple upside-down whiff cake. And many other delicacies.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The A’s strike out a ton. Max Scherzer strikes out more hitters than anyone in baseball. The A’s are striking out against Max Scherzer -- five so far through four innings, with just one hit. Sometimes baseball is weird, and sometimes it’s a magazine you’ve already read.

The Tigers have a 2-0 lead to support Scherzer, getting the first run in the third inning. Alex Avila doubled to lead off the inning, and he was moved to third on a sacrifice. Austin Jackson made the sac bunt superfluous, though, singling to left for the Tigers’ first RBI hit since Game 1.

And here is an A’s scout “discovering” him.

Will this move work out for Billy Beane and Oakland? Only time can tell but, yes, it probably will.

After a shutout win in ALDS Game 3 on Tuesday night, the Oakland Athletics will again host the Detroit Tigers in Game 4 on Wednesday evening at 9:30 p.m. ET. Live television coverage from O.co Coliseum will be provided by TNT. First pitch is scheduled for 9:37 p.m.

The A’s need another win to stave off elimination and force a Game 5. They were hoisted to victory in Game 2 by a great starting performance by Brett Anderson. Anderson was helped by his defense, in particular a home-run-saving catch by Coco Crisp early in the ballgame, and his bullpen allowed just two hits scattered across the final three innings.