Rich Harden’s struggles as Oakland Athletics lose 1-4 to Los Angeles Angels – MLB Update
Rich Harden struggled as the Oakland Athletics lost to the Los Angeles Angels 1-4 on Wednesday, September 14 at Oakland Stadium.
Harden fumbled his chance in the top sixth when he allowed a tie breaking homer to the Angels’ Mark Trumbo. A possible win turned into a loss for the A’s and it also meant Harden lost his third game of the season.
His misery started off with a walk to Howard Kendrick in the top of the sixth. He was approached by the coach and from there things started going downhill. He allowed a RBI double to Bobby Abreu and that allowed Kendrick to run home for the equaliser.
Josh Willingham had brought the A’s to a 1-0 lead in the bottom third against an in-form Jered Weaver. With the score 1-1, Harden then allowed a tie breaking homer to Angels’ first baseman, Mark Trumbo. Unfortunately, the hurler’s control did not keep up
with his consistent performance in the last five innings.
"I got behind some hitters and, 0-2, made a bad pitch," Harden said. "I basically wanted to bounce that pitch. And if I throw it down -- start it low in the zone and it breaks down -- it's a swing and miss. But I just left it up. It's really frustrating.
That's kind of been the story of my year, so far - making pitches late in the game and mistakes here or there that have cost me. That's what I gotta change."
Harden was switched with Fautino De Los Santos on the mound but the damage was done. Trumbo’s homer got Abreu home and the Angels were 3-1 up. The game was taken away from the A’s later on when Abreu scored in the top of the eighth on a missed catching error
by second baseman Eric Sogard. The A’s eventually lost the encounter 1-4.
"That's just kind of the way our season's gone," Harden said. "It's been up and down."
Harden is now 4-3 in the season. The 29-year-old will be looking for a good time in spring training before he heads out to the park in 2012.
Tags: