Tough loss in Baltimore

Tonight's game (2-0 defeat in Baltimore) saw the M's play poorly enough on offense to surrender an important early August game. Combined with the current Rangers demolition of Minnesota (it's 8-0, bottom 5th), this sees the M's drift back down to last place in the West.

There were some encouraging things about this loss...Moyer looked pretty good, baffling Orioles hitters at times, and he's key down the stretch for any attempt to mix it up with Oakland, LA, and Texas.

Moreover, we're only going to be 4 or at most 4.5 games behind Oakland when tomorrow rolls around.

What is it about Rodrigo Lopez that the M's can't hit him? Honestly, watching him I couldn't see what (other than the big strike zone) helped him throw a second fine game in three tries against Seattle this season. He's been hammered pretty regularly by other teams, but we can't seem to solve him. Baffling...maybe it was the heat this time.

The Dog Days have officially begun.