Oakland’s bullpen entered Tuesday having gone nine straight games without allowing a run, dating back to Sept. 23. That streak snapped quickly in Game 4, with the bullpen surrendering five runs in two innings in the 8-6 loss.
Sean Doolittle allowed the first two runs, one coming on Victor Martinez’s disputed homer. He hadn’t allowed a run since Sept. 10. Ryan Cook and Brett Anderson combined to allow the other three in the eighth.
It was kind of a surprise to see Anderson in there in the eighth. Jerry Blevins pitched 7 2/3 scoreless innings in September to finish the season with a 3.15 ERA, but he hasn’t made an appearance in the ALDS. Anderson, working in more of a long role, gave up seven runs in 12 2/3 innings in September.
The A’s will almost certainly need a bounce-back performance in Thursday’s Game 5. Bartolo Colon did pitch three shutouts in the season, but including his Game 1 loss to the TIgers, he’s pitched more than six innings just once in his last 11 starts.