Los Angeles Angels may lose Wild-Card berth after 5-6 loss to Oakland Athletics
The Los Angeles Angels now have a big ladder to climb in the next three games as they lost a good chance to slit the gap between them and the Boston Red Sox for the Wild-Card berth. The club is trailing the American League East club by three wins and they
had a chance to cut that figure down to two. That did not go well, unfortunately as the Angles lost to the Oakland Athletics 5-6 on Sunday, September 25 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.
The loss came in the ninth inning as rookie closer Jordan Walden conceded four costly runs in the ninth to lose the game for the club. After allowing Josh Willingham of the A’s to snatch a homer, the rising young hurler committed a throwing error that could
have seen an entirely different result. That was however not the case as Walden missed Erick Aybar on the throw.
"I had it [covered]," Aybar said. "It hit the tip of my glove. We have to forget today and try to win three games."
Manager Mike Scioscia was upset over the proceedings of the affair that lost the Angels a major opportunity. He did not condemn Walden but he did explain his impression of the play.
"Erick was right in the frame where he needed to be," Scioscia said. "If he throws it where he needs to, it's a non-issue. You're throwing it to the bag.”
The loss means the club will have to head to Rangers Ballpark to pick up a series clean sweep if they want a good chance at qualifying. At the same time, they will need the other contenders for the Wild-Card berth to lose.
"We've still got life," Los Angeles Angels’ leader Torii Hunter said. "This game hurts, but at the same time, we're still breathing."
Whether the Angels can make it to the playoffs or not, there is one thing for sure. The team has lost a lot of chances in the season to go straight up. Will this play cost the club? One will have to wait and see.
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