J.B. Wendelken covered his face with his hands, took a deep breath, then slowly rose from his seat. When he spoke, Wendelken’s frustration was painfully obvious, his words barely above a whisper.
A seventh inning that turned sideways on Wendelken ultimately cost the A’s the game — and a chance to string a couple victories together — as they lost, 6-4, to the Pirates on Saturday at PNC Park.
At the center of it was the Oakland bullpen and a middle reliever who actually made a pretty good pitch. Facing Pirates shortstop Kevin Newman, Wendelken fired a 96 mph fastball at the bottom of the zone that Newman somehow flipped into the right field corner for a two-run triple.