ANAHEIM -- Before an 8-3 lead morphed into an agonizing 10-8 loss at Angel Stadium on Wednesday evening, a young A's team -- swept out of Anaheim in three games this week -- showed encouraging signs at the plate.
The bullpen's seventh-inning mishaps, which included Chris Hatcher's grand slam offering to Cliff Pennington, will surely define this one. But wins and losses only hold so much weight right now for these A's, who are riding a youth movement into the offseason and beyond.
The future could be bright with more innings like Wednesday's eight-run fourth, which not only featured a pair of home runs from Matt Olson and Bruce Maxwell, but hits with runners in scoring position, which have been lacking of late.