Angels and A's: Scott Kazmir Has His Worst Career Outing

With a crowd of just over 13,000 reported in Oakland for a Friday night baseball game, it was no surprise that starting pitcher disappointments Scott Kazmir (7-8) and Ben Sheets (3-8) failed to draw a record breaking attendance for Saturday evening's game.  These pitchers came in tied for seventh in losses for the American league, but the odds were in Kazmir's favor who has an ERA against Oakland of around 1.5 this season as more fans arrived Saturday for a post game fireworks show. 

Bobby Abreu was robbed by Coco Crisp to avoid two early RBI's to get out of trouble early for Sheets.  The pace of the game moved quickly as Kazmir needed only eight pitches to escape the second inning with the game scoreless.

Ben Sheets gave up only two hits through three innings as it seemed neither pitcher was looking to concede the game's first run. 

This intent was short lived as Scott Kazmir showed the familiar signs of unraveling in the third.  Rajai Davis lead-off the bottom of the third with the first A's hit as a double, and then stole third base.  A wild pitch would allow Davis to break for the plate to give the game its first run.  A Kendrick communication error in the field allows Crisp to get a RBI hit to score Cliff Pennington and take a 2-0 lead.  Rosales added another run driving in Daric Barton 3-0.  The conditions worsened for Kazmir after an intentional and unintentional walk which made it 4-0 Athletics.  How could it get worse?  Rajai Davis returned to the plate after scoring the game's first run and blasted the A's first Grand Slam of the year for an astounding eight running inning that mercifully ended for Kazmir on the next at bat.  This market Scott's worst inning of his career with eight earned runs.

Friday comments from All-Star Torii Hunter about the Angels seemingly cruising into the mid-season break were supported by the early scoring deficit as the team looked to fight back into an uphill battle.

Rajai Davis continued a career night with another RBI double and his fifth run batted of the night shattering a recent slump coming into the game as no pitcher warmed for the Angels.  Yet another home run was chalked up for three runs off the bat of Coco Crisp.  Kazmir floundered through hoping to rebound but relinquished another home run to the next batter Daric Barton.  Thirteen runs on eleven hits through the inning as Kazmir walked back to the dugout with his head down.  From Kazmir's ERA was adversely affected and dropped from 5.98 to 6.92.  This was the most runs ever given up by an Angels pitcher, previously 11 runs by Scott Schoeneweiss in 2001.

Ben Sheets breathed easy when he walked back to the mound sitting the Angels down in order in the sixth inning.  Cory Aldridge, Kevin Frandsen, Bobby Wilson and Reggie Willits entered the game to rest the starters for the Angels.  Scot Shields relieved the downtrodden Scott Kazmir and pitched a scoreless sixth inning.

Ben Sheets was relieved with four strikeouts, two hits, and no earned runs.  The Angels again went down in order in the seventh inning and Rich Thompson came into the bottom of the seventh to pitch in his second appearance for Los Angeles.  Rajai Davis added his fourth hit of the game.

The Angels got on the board with a Brandon Wood base hit, followed by Cory Aldridge's RBI Triple, his first MLB hit. The A's weren't finished however, as they took a 15 to 1 lead in the bottom of the eigth to add further insult as the lead proved insurmountable as this game had been over for some time.

Game two of the three game series between Oakland and Los Angeles will take place Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, pre-game starts with Jeff Biggs at noon on AM 830, KLAA.