Tampa Bay sits 2.5 games atop the American League Wild Card standings — 4.5 ahead of Oakland — after a definitive 8-2 win over the A’s on Sunday propped up their cushion even further.
The A’s had to settle for a series split against a team they’ll be hunting down as the 2019 season’s second half looms; the team had plenty of time to come to terms with a loss essentially sealed after the fourth inning.
“One of those days where what could go wrong, did go wrong,” said Brett Anderson, the game’s starter. Here are three takeaways:
Anderson’s clunker
It was clear to manager Bob Melvin out of the gate that Anderson didn’t have his best stuff.