A's 7, Tigers 3

Well, this afternoon may have been uneventful, but the A's ended the day the best way a baseball team can, and that's by winning a baseball game against a tough pitcher.

Justin Verlander and the Tigers got ahead early, 3-0, and it looked like it'd be another "ho-hum" day for the A's offense. But Kurt Suzuki came through tonight, showing the A's that he can lead them to the holy land of hitting with RISP, as he batted in three (klutch!) runs and scored one on a 2-for-3 night.

Maybe this is the start of The Great Comeback for this A's team that stood pat at the trading deadline. Or maybe it's just win #50 on the year. Either way, it was a nice display of getting runners on and getting timely hits, wrapped up in a nice package with a little bow on it for Danny Haren's 13th win of the season.

It's quite a different feeling watching the A's this year, knowing that they're likely out of the race. We haven't experienced that since 1998. Missing is that nervous feeling in my gut, the constant checking up on the upcoming opponents, and the faster heartbeat the comes with the turn of the calendar from July to August. Tonight, I just enjoyed watching the A's play some good baseball. Don't get me wrong - I'd love for them to be contending. But I don't miss the ulcers that come with it.

I'll be first in line for ulcers in 2008 though - no doubt about it.