As odd as it may seem, the A’s opened their season in Tokyo last night, losing to the Bosnians 6-5 in 10. There were two new faces in the A’s lineup, Ryan Sweeney in center and Emil Brown in left, and one new old face, Keith Foulke in the bullpen.
The A’s lost this game the old-fashioned way, through a blown save by MLB blown saves over-achiever Huston Street in the ninth followed by some equally dismal Street pitching in the tenth. Jack Kust struck out every time he came to the plate and didn’t get hit, so there’s a lot of continuity with this squad from last year’s team.
Crosby, Ellis, Barton, and Hannahan all did well at the plate, so for now the infield isn’t holding the team back. With a little production from the over-stocked outfield, and some re-arranging of the deck chairs in the bullpen this could be a solid second-place team.