Oakland Athletics Lose in Heartbreaking Fashion to Baltimore Orioles 5-2

When you look back on the 2012 Oakland A's season, this could be a game that gets remembered. Leading 2-0 with one out in the ninth, the A's surrendered five runs, the last three on a walk-off three run Wilson Betemit home run, and the Baltimore Orioles won the series with a 5-2 comeback win.

The loss is all the more disheartening because for eight innings, Bartolo Colon was fantastic again. Aided by a two out RBI double by Yoenis Cespedes in the sixth and a solo home run by Seth Smith in the seventh, Colon appeared on his way to his fourth victory of the season.

But it was not to be. Attempting to record his first shutout as a member of the A's, Colon induced J.J. Hardy into a dribbler that Eric Sogard made a nice play on, but Daric Barton could not dig the throw out at first base.

After Nick Markakis struck out swinging, Adam Jones hit a topper towards third base. Colon made a low throw and again, Barton could not dig it out and Colon was charged with an error. With runners on second and third, manager Bob Melvin called on closer Grant Balfour to save the game.

Ahead on Oriole catcher Matt Wieters, Balfour threw a poor off-speed pitch that Wieters hit to the wall in left, doubling in the tying runs. After Chris Davis was intentionally walked, Betemit hit a 3-1 pitch over the right field wall to hand the A's a disheartening defeat. 

Good: Bartolo Colon. Final line: 8 1/3 innings, seven hits, two runs, one walk and five strikeouts. He has been an abject steal for GM Billy Beane. Hindsight being 20/20, I would have liked to see him end the game as the Orioles did not hit a single ball hard off of him in the ninth.

He deserved better today.

Bad: A's 7-8-9 hitters. They combined to go 0-11 with two strikeouts. To be fair, one of Kurt Suzuki's outs was a home run if not for a good catch by Nick Reimold.

But Sogard and Luke Hughes simply are not getting it done. The reported signing of former Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge could go a long way in shoring up that spot.

Ugly: Grant Balfour. Second blown save in as many Sundays. He was just terrible today.

Tough spot to be in, but his location was poor and going away from a fastball that was working cost the A's the game on the Wieters double. 

Now 11-12 on the year, the A's head to Boston to start a three game series with the Red Sox. Monday's game will see Tom Milone face Clay Buchholz with first pitch scheduled for 4:10 p.m.