Nate Freiman, like any first baseman, knows how to gauge a close play at first base, even a play he can’t see.
Judging the impact of the ball hitting the glove while feeling through your leg as a runner is almost simultaneously hitting the base becomes a habit.
And what did Freiman think of the eighth inning play Saturday when second baseman Jed Lowrie tried to throw out Chicago leadoff hitter Alejandro De Aza on a medium-speed grounder with the score tied at 1-all?
Dan Straily retired the first seven White Sox batters he faced and the last seven he faced.
In between, there were some rocky moments. But it’s fair to think that Straily’s role in the A’s 10-inning 5-4 win over Chicago could serve as a positive learning experience for the 24-year-old right-handed starter.
The Sox got him for three runs in the third, putting together four hits in the space of five batters. After Oakland had crept close at 3-2, the Sox added a run on an Alejandro De Aza single in the fifth and tried to add a second on a sacrifice fly.