NEW YORK – Right-hander Paul Blackburn, a former star at Heritage High in Brentwood, pitched well enough for the A’s to defeat the Mets on Friday night at Citi Field. But that was not enough.
Ineffective relief pitching, a season-long problem, and a throwing error typical of the A’s defensive gaffes throughout this rough summer, turned a potential victory into a 7-5 loss that marked the rookie’s first defeat.
Blackburn worked 5 1/3 innings in his fourth major league start , allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out one and walked one while throwing 43 of his 76 pitches for strikes.