Bob Melvin ripped his Oakland A’s after they lost to the Angels 9-1 on Sunday, which ended a 4-game sweep by their AL West rivals.
The A’s entered Thursday’s series opener one game behind the Angels in the division and ended up five games back after Sunday.
“What can you say? It was embarrassing. Pathetic. We don’t play like that,” Melvin said after the game. “The last three games here are the worst I’ve seen this team play in… I can’t remember how long. I feel bad for our fans to have to watch that.
“The reason I’m upset is because that’s not who we are. That’s not who we’ve been for three years. And for the last … I don’t know how long, it’s mounted. It’s been frustrating. But that last three games for us is just not who we are. At all. And it’s embarrassing. They all should be embarrassed.”
The A’s were held scoreless for a streak of 29 straight innings during the series. They held a closed-door meeting after the sweep.
“I definitely think something needed to be said,” third baseman Josh Donaldson said. “This is the time of the season where you need to start playing your best. And right now, we’re playing our worst.”
Despite the 4-game sweep and a 5-game losing streak to the Angels, the series between the teams is still tied 8-8. The A’s still have a full month to make up ground on the Angels, including a 3-game series later in the month in Oakland when they might be able to flip the standings. It’s way too early to count them out or hand the Angels the division.
