A's Insider notes: Pennington plays savior for A's

May 8, 2011
GUTIERREZ ARCHIVEA'S PAGEA'SVIDEO

Paul Gutierrez
CSNCalifornia.com
Our A's Insider takes a look at Oakland's 5-2 win over the Royals in Kansas City to take the first three on this road trip.

A heads-up Penny - Shortstop Cliff Pennington put a fast end to the sixth inning with a quick-thinking play and nearly saved a run in the process. On Mitch Maier's two-out single to right field, with runners at first and second, Pennington alertly cut off David DeJesus' throw and dived at an over-running Wilson Betemit at second base. He tagged him out to end the inning, a split-second after Eric Hosmer slid across home plate for the Royals' second run of the day. Pennington's tag ended the threat, the inning and was thisclose to costing Kansas City a run. The Royals had cut the A's lead to 3-2 on the play.Coco steps up - It is obvious that Coco Crisp's quad muscle is still hindering him, as evidenced by his dragging his leg. But if the A's dynamic lead off-hitting, center field-playing sparkplug has lost a step, it was one that many others in the game do not possess. He came up huge with a running basket catch of Chris Getz's fly ball in right-center in the seventh inning. Then, flipped to the right side by a left-handed reliever in the eighth, Crisp greeted Tim Collins with a two-out single up the middle on the first pitch he saw to score Mark Ellis and give the A's an insurance run.Suzuki smiles - Yes, it was Mother's Day, not Father's Day, but Kurt Suzuki continued his power surge since the birth of his daughter on April 26. His ninth-inning solo home run with two out and on a full count was his fourth long ball of the season, his third since Malia Suzuki arrived. He also has seven RBI in that span.CoJack just fine, thank you - Two days after a scary-looking collision at first base to end the A's series-opening victory, Conor Jackson was back in the lineupand producing. Jackson had three hits in his first three at-bats and drove in the A's first run with a single to right in the first inning.Pitchers own worst enemies? - The A's defense cost their pitchers in April but the pitchers themselves have made things tough on themselves of late. As pointed out by A's radio announcer Vince Cotroneo, all five of the A's errors in May have been committed by (drum roll, please) pitchers.
-- Paul Gutierrez