It wasn’t what we were used to seeing -- at least not lately: A defensive misplay by Marcus Semien.
The error resulted in a shift in momentum in Game 1 of the AL Division Series, in which the Houston Astros walked away with a 10-5 victory over the A's at Dodger Stadium on Monday.
In the sixth inning while playing slightly out of position on a shift, the A's shortstop couldn’t handle a roller toward the second-case side cleanly.
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The play ended up costing the A’s four runs.
“When you’re on the dead sprint and the ball is as low as it is, sometimes you just need to get control of your head,” Semien said Tuesday. “Just slow the ball down. Of course, I was trying to do everything in one motion and it didn’t work. It was still a close play even with the bobble, but [Josh] Reddick got down the line pretty well.”
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Reddick was running quickly, but Semien admitted he should have had it.
“It’s still a play I think I should have made,” Semien said.
Matt Olson after Monday's loss revealed it was a tough play, and not as routine as it seemed. However, the floodgates opened right after the play, as the Astros put together four straight hits to take a lead they wouldn't relinquish. That was something A's starter Chris Bassitt said can't happen.
Game 2 will bring Semien and the A's a chance to reset. While Semien is not one to make these mistakes, he knows he can’t let it consume him.
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“That’s always tough,” Semien said. “Any time you make an error, you want to get out of the inning and hope that guy doesn’t score. That wasn’t the case."
"You want to move on to the next play, the next day, but when it affects the game in that way, it kind of sticks with you the rest of the night," Semien added. "That’s not going to help me or our team today. You have to move on and do what you need to do today.”