Oakland Athletics: Manager Bob Melvin’s Worst Move Ever

Tuesday night’s Oakland Athletics game was horrible. The Rangers winning 5-4 on a walk-off hit-by-pitch had to be one of the sorriest managed games I’ve seen in nearly a half-century of watching baseball.

To intentionally walk a batter and put the winning runner at third base with one out screams of ineptitude for the Oakland Athletics. I’m still baffled at the reasoning of Manager Bob Melvin on that one.

The Athletics play appeared to be par with the rest of their 2016 performance by loading the bases in the first with nobody out and failing to score, followed by loading them again in the second and only able to get one across courtesy of a Lucas Harrell two-out walk to Danny Valencia. Through three innings, the “Swingin’ A’s” left eight runners on base.

Until the ninth inning, the Boys of Oakland were a big fat doughnut for 9 with runners in scoring position and their failure to take advantage of situations came back to bite them yet again.

Fielding gaffes also contributed to Tuesday’s debacle when in the seventh inning, with Texas runner Rougned Odor on first courtesy of a walk (of course), Mitch Moreland hit a two-hop bouncer that even a 1986 Bill Buckner would have come up with, but Yonder Alonso had the ball tip off his glove.

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The play, which for reasons still unknown was ruled a single, could have been a possible double play, but Odor raced to third and later scored on an Elvis Andrus sac fly putting the Rangers ahead 2-1.

The Athletics scrapped back in the ninth when pinch runner Tyler Ladendorf got himself into scoring position with a steal of second.

With two out, Danny Valencia delivered the A’s first hit with a runner in scoring position in the team’s last 10 at-bats plating Ladendorf to tie the game.

Ryan Madson shut the Rangers down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to send the game into extra frames.

In the tenth inning, Brett Eibner walked to open the tenth and scored on a double by Alonso. After Semien struck out, Ryon Healy drove in Alonso with a base hit to left field. The A’s, with a two-run lead, finished the evening 2-for-16 with men in scoring position, but were going into the bottom of the inning with insurance runs.

Next is where the questionable managerial calls come into play.

With his team up by two, Melvin, despite others in the bullpen, called upon the five-blown save John Axford who has only been able to convert two in seven opportunities this season.

True to form, Axford, after striking out Nomar Mazara, proceeded to issue free passes to the next three batters and because this is the 2016 Athletics, and fans would have expected no less, Beltran then ripped a first-pitch breaking ball into center that scored two and tied the game giving Axford his sixth blown save.

If things had not been reckless enough by BoMel, he then brought in Marc Rzepczynski to issue Adrian Beltre an intentional walk.

Still, it is beyond comprehension why a seasoned major league manager would put the winning run on third base with fewer than two outs. (in addition to calling a pitcher from the pen to issue the free pass rather than the outgoing guy).

It’s beyond comprehension because of the number of ways that runner can now score. Given that Rzepczynski has issued 22 walks in 35 innings, he may not be the right guy to get two outs with the bases juiced. All the .274 batting Odor had to do is basically make contact and not have a force at the plate or hit into a double play.

It’s hard to understand the strategy that went into the move. Melvin had to consider these factors in making his decision for all on MLB to now critique. You risk a wild pitch, passed ball, walk, sacrifice fly, hit, error, balk, and, wait for it…… a hit by pitch, which occurred on the first pitch to Odor and end the game.

Next: Reddick Trade a Slap in the Face to A's Fans

The A’s have made it obvious they’re in the process of rebuilding the team, drawing from their minor league system. With that thought in mind, it may be time for Melvin and the Athletics to part ways also.