Even Bannister knew himself, in the 1st inning even, that today was not going to be a great day. There is a lot to be said for that “extra-little-something.” That one thing that you can’t quite explain, but you know whether you have it or not. Bannister did not have it today. Don’t get me wrong, he still looked better then most, but he just could not put batters away today, and he looked like a man always working from behind.
In Dick Kaegel’s column for MLB.com , Bannister had this to say:
“I could tell in the first inning that it wasn’t going to be one of my electric nights where I felt really sharp.”
Kansas City had everything going for it clear into the 6th inning, having a 2-1 lead (seemingly all Bannister would need to close it out) going into the 6th inning. But that was when the A’s broke lose. 4 runs were scored in the sixth, quickly, and before you knew it, it was 5-2, and the A’s never looked back. After another brutal inning in the 8th, seeing reliever Yabuta walk four give up some hits, and Nomocoming in after him, and some poor fielding (getting signals crossed with the outfield on a pop-up, ans watching the ball fall between them), saw 8 notched up on them, creating a 13-2 deficit, and that was how this one ended.
The Royals have slipped even closer to .500 today, taking there record to 9-8. They lose this one today, badly, to the A’s of Oakland. Game 2 of this series tomorrow, where the Royals try to break this 2-game losing streak, and force a rubber-game on Sunday.