News
Giambi homers twice in loss
A's unable to escape early deficit in Gallagher's start
By Eric Gilmore / Special to MLB.com
05/09/09 9:50 PM ET
OAKLAND -- The A's two-game winning streak came to a screeching halt Saturday with a 6-4 loss to Toronto, but they came away with two huge reasons for optimism and with their eyes on baseball history, thanks to Jason Giambi.Giambi slugged a pair of home runs, emphatically ending his power drought. He now has three home runs for the season and, more significantly, 399 for his career. He moved into a three-way tie with Andres Galarraga and Al Kaline for 44th on the all-time home run list.
When Giambi hits his next blast, he'll become just the 44th member of baseball's 400 home run club.
"It's nice," Giambi said. "It means I've played the game a long time. When it happens, it happens. But other than that, I'm more worried about getting this team going. That's what I've here for, to really help lead this team in the right direction."
Giambi certainly did his job Saturday. In the seventh inning, he launched a leadoff home run over the right-field wall off Blue Jays starter Brian Tallet, cutting Toronto's lead to 4-1.
Then with one out in the ninth inning, Giambi crushed a two-run shot to right off reliever Scott Downs, making it 6-3 and putting him one shy of 400.
"It's quite a milestone when you think about it," said A's manager Bob Geren, who watched Giambi's second home run on television in his office after being ejected in the seventh inning for arguing a called third strike on Matt Holliday. "Just to play in the Major Leagues 10 years is a feat that's hard to accomplish.
"Doing simple math, that would be 40 homers a year for 10 years. To get that kind of production out of any player is a tremendous accomplishment. It really is."
Starting pitcher Sean Gallagher was long gone when Giambi hit his ninth-inning homer. He lasted just five innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs (three earned) in his first start of the season. Despite his tough day, Gallagher could appreciate Giambi's march up the home run list.
"I think it's awesome," Gallagher said. "It's going to be such a milestone for him. We're all going to be so happy. I think it's going to be a lot better to hit it in a game we win."
Giambi's second blast made Saturday's game surprisingly interesting.
After Holliday flew out to right, Jack Cust and Ryan Sweeney singled, and then Bobby Crosby walked, loading the bases. Second baseman Adam Kennedy, making his first start for his new team, lined a single to right, plating Cust.
Just like that, the A's were within two runs. Rookie catcher Landon Powell came to plate with the bases loaded with a chance to tie or maybe even win the game with one swing. But on Downs' first pitch, Powell flew out in foul territory in deep right field.
"We didn't lay down," Giambi said. "We came back and we got a rally going. We were one swing away. Take a lesson from it that, hey, we can't sit around and wait for things to happen.
"We need to go out there and attack and get that momentum back and not take it for granted. There's a positive lesson here, and hopefully we can start a winning streak tomorrow."
In order for the A's to win consistently, they'll need Giambi to stay hot and hit for power, the way he did Saturday. Geren said he sensed that Giambi was close to busting out since the A's series at Seattle on May 1-3. Geren saw Giambi adjust his swing, taking a "shorter, more crisp type of approach." He also saw him crush a ball over 400 feet to left-center. It was caught, but it sent a message.
"I've been swinging the bat better and better each time, [since] about a week ago," Giambi said. "Swung the bat good [Friday] night, just didn't get any results.
"But that's the whole part of the process. You can't really worry about the results. You've got to worry about the ingredients. I've been concentrating on that, trying to get a good pitch and hitting it hard. And today I got some results."
Gallagher made a spot start in place of Brett Anderson, who's been plagued by a blister on his left index finger.
He had trouble from the outset, giving up a run in the first. With two outs, Gallagher drilled Alex Rios. Vernon Wells singled softy to right, moving Rios to third. Then Adam Lind grounded a single to right, just out of the reach of a diving Kennedy, scoring Rios.
The Blue Jays struck again in the second, when Lyle Overbay crushed a leadoff homer to right. They scored another run in the third when Lind doubled home Wells before they added an unearned run in the fifth.
"I left a lot of pitches up in the zone, a lot of hittable pitches," Gallagher said. "I've just got to work on getting the ball down in the zone.
"I'm very disappointed in myself right now. I feel like I had good stuff today, and I wasn't able to execute my pitches to the best of my ability."
Tallett entered the game with a 1-1 record and 5.73 ERA. But he held the A's to two hits and one run over seven innings. The lefty struck out seven, walked two and frustrated the A's by changing speeds and hitting his spots with sinkers and cutters.
"He does a great job," Giambi said. "He knows his game. He knows the ins and outs, offspeed, changes speed, changes arm angle. That's what makes him tough to hit against."
Of course, Giambi sent one Tallet's pitches into the seats in the seventh. He was just warming up.
Eric Gilmore is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
