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There’s not much left to be said about the amazing ability of the A’s to give away ballgames. They let a journeyman pitcher shut them down Saturday on four singles and a walk. And Jerome Williams is such a journeyman, he’s played with three different clubs just this year … and has now beat Oakland with each one — the Astros, the Rangers and Phillies.

They get a terrific, much-needed fill-in starting performance from Drew Pomeranz — five shutout innings, one hit — and can’t score for him. How many pitching performances can this team possibly throw away?

They know about the Kansas City Royals’ loss earlier in the day and their opportunity to gain ground in the wild card. The Mariners subsequently get whipped by the Houston Astros. So the A’s can gain on both teams yet don’t take advantage. Instead, a single game still separates three teams.

They have a bases-loaded situation with one out in the second inning and one of their best situational hitters much of the year (although not lately), Derek Norris, hits into a double play on a 3-1 count. The A’s are now hitless in their last 11 bases-loaded at-bats. Unbelievable and unconscionable.

Finally, the game-winning runs come on a two-run homer by the Phillies’ No. 9 hitter, a little guy named Freddy Galvis, who came into the at-bat hitting a mighty .158. Goodness, at least make Chase Utley or Ryan Howard beat you.

You’d swear this was a bad dream but it isn’t. Oakland has lost 8 of 10 and 16 of 22 at the most important time of the season and over the last 10 games, they’re hitting .182. Jon Lester gave them a shred of momentum Friday night, yet the club couldn’t run with it.

As stated initially, nothing new can be said. There are no signs of a breakthrough, and the games keep peeling away. One more against the Phils, three against the Angels (oh my) then it’s off to Texas, where this thing will surely be decided.

It’s either baseball’s best or worst soap opera at the moment. Whatever, come back tomorrow for another A’s episode of “As The Stomach Churns.”

Versatile Stephen Vogt was named the 2014 winner of the A”s annual Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award on Saturday, which honors a player whose play and conduct best exemplifies the late A’s Hall of Fame pitcher.
Vogt has played four different positions for the A’s this season in addition to designated hitter and has been one of their most productive players, even though he started the season in the minor leagues. Vogt is currently hitting .300 with nine home runs and 32 RBIs and spent time at catcher, first base, left field and right field.
The Hunter award, established in 2004, is voted on by A’s players, coaches and staff.
“Obviously, it just means the world to me to have an honor like this,” Vogt said. “To have your teammates think of you in that regard is the highest honor you can have as a ballplayer. I’m so appreciative.”
Vogt said his inspirational qualities undoubtedly come from his father, who coached him from Little League through high school in his hometown of Visalia.
“My dad was a huge influence for me as far as my leadership,” he said. “With my older brother and me, it was just kind of bred in us that you don’t have to be an outspoken leader, that if you play the game hard and play it the right way, that’s leadership all by itself. So for me, it’s something I’ve always done naturally is just kind of lead by example.”
Vogt, 29, spent five seasons in the minors before finally making his major debut with Tampa. He didn’t get his first major league hit until he came to the A’s last season. He admitted a lot of people have told him his career is an inspiration to them.
“To me, it’s just my life,” he said. “I’ve never looked at it as this huge inspirational story. The way I kind of see it is if one kid looks at Stephen Vogt and says, `Wow, if that guy can play in the big leagues, I think I can,’ that’s kind of what you want. I’m a firm believer if you want something bad enough and you work hard enough for it and make enough people say `no,’ somebody’s finally going to say `yes.’ “
Vogt, who grew up a Giants fan, said his underdog hero was former outfielder Marvin Benard, a 50th round draft pick who beat the odds to play nine seasons in the majors.
Manager Bob Melvin said Vogt was a most deserving winner of the award.
“That’s terrific,” Melvin said. “I think we have several candidates for it, you certainly can’t go wrong with Stephen. I think he embodies the whole spirit of the award, such a versatile guy for us and one of those grinders who just wants to win, no matter how you do it.”

How long will the Coliseum, shown here with the adjacent Arena, be the A’s home?

It was exactly 60 years ago Friday that the A’s played their last game in Philadelphia.

The club, one of the original members of the American League dating back to 1901, would be start playing in Kansas City in 1955, leaving Philadelphia to the Phillies. And 13 years later the A’s would move to Oakland.

Getting to the present day, interleague play brings the Phillies to Oakland for just the third time in history.

The A’s aren’t in immediate danger of moving, but compared to the Phillies, who have been in the same city since 1883, the A’s are veritable baseball transients.

From one year to the next, you never need to wonder where the Phillies will call home. Not so with the A’s. And with just 10 games left on the A’s schedule, you have to wonder where the A’s will be playing in five or 10 years.

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Derek Norris and Scott Kazmir clearly had issues with each other that carried on in the clubhouse after the game.

I’m with Bob Melvin. I don’t get it. The A’s looked like they’d turned the corner and gained some momentum with two huge weekend wins over the Mariners in Seattle. Then they even got a day off Monday to savor it and reload mentally and physically.

Maybe they thought the Texas Rangers would come into town and just roll over for them, or that they could play without a sense of urgency and still have no problem with the lowly visitors, who came to Oakland with baseball’s worst record at 57-92. Instead, it was Texas that showed the zest and grit, and the A’s simply didn’t look ready to play. They lost 6-3, never led, got outhit 12-6, 4-10 Nick Tepesch outpitched Scott Kazmir, the A’s had two physical errors, one big mental one, three wild pitches and managed just one hit over the the final 11 batters.

Charles Woodson, you want to chime in here? What Woodson said about the Raiders on Sunday pretty much could have been applied to the A’s Tuesday night. They, er, stunk.

You get a strong sense that the A’s are really such lovey bunch right now, either. Kazmir and catcher Derek Norris were still having discussions in the clubhouse after the game about some sort of pitch selection disagreement. Kazmir wouldn’t reveal the details, that it was something between him and his battery mate. Nobody seemed too happy with shortstop Jed Lowrie after a horrible fifth-inning overthrow and a lapse in heads-up when, after getting an out at second on a perfect throw from Josh Reddick, he allowed Texas baserunner Rougned Odor to steam around third base and score. Lowrie was claiming afterward that nobody communicated with him that Odor was heading home and wound up making a desperate throw way too late. So who’s that on? Lowrie or other infielders to yell something? Probably both.

In any case, it was an ugly loss at a very bad time of the season, one of Oakland’s worst during this most disillusioning second half. Kazmir was gone after 4 1/3, clearly unnerved by the plays not being made behind him and whatever issues he was having with Norris, who also had a bad throwing error trying to cut down a bases stealer.

The sad thing is that the A’s could have gained a game against Kansas City in the wild-card race with a win. And they could have kept Seattle three games back of them. Instead, the Royals are a game behind and the Mariners two with 12 games left to play. The schedule still favors Oakland, but not if they play like this against a challenged team like Texas.

As Kazmir said afterward, “That was a game that just doesn’t happen in September when you’re in a race to make the playoffs,” said Kazmir. “You just don’t play like that, that’s just the way it is, all the way, top to bottom. To be honest, I’ve never seen anything like that at the major-league level.”

Pretty strong stuff following a very weak performance.