ANAHEIM -- Jesse Chavez pitched well, and even got twice his usual run support. The A's hit three home runs, including a seventh-inning two-run shot by Josh Reddick that gave them a late lead. Really, Oakland only had one shaky area -- its bullpen -- Friday night at Angel Stadium, but it was enough to cost the A's in a 5-4 loss in the series opener. And that hasn't been unusual.
"The numbers indicate where we are with [the bullpen] -- and it's not good," manager Bob Melvin said. "It's the reason we're losing games like that.