Rangers 8, A's 6

Chad Gaudin sure was a nice first half story. He went into the rotation in the injured Rich Harden's place and became a solid replacement, posting All-Star worth numbers for the first two and a half months of the season.

But nothing that has happened since then has been pretty, and last night was no different. His once nice 2.88 ERA has inflated to well over four, and he hasn't won since July 5. What's the matter here? Well, for one thing, his walks are way up. His old control issues have started to resurface. And his opponents' batting average, which was .246 before the break, is now .295. It seems the league is starting to figure him out.

Earlier this season, I said often that he should not go back to the bullpen. But maybe this second half nose-dive is an indication that he may be better suited there long term. The A's brass knows better than I do, so we'll see what his role is come 2008.

In other news, the A's had the bases loaded with nobody out in a crucial part of the game. They had the middle of the order up in this situation, and they couldn't score. The A's are the worst team in baseball with the bases loaded, hitting only at a .200 clip in that situation. I know we know this already, but I feel the need to reiterate just how bad in the clutch this team is.

One more game tonight (DiNardo vs. Milwood) and the A's get their first off day in three weeks. It should be some welcome rest.

Go A's!!