As the A's post-trades slide continues, taking them below .500 for the first time since the first week of the season, the team does have one ongoing positive note.
Right-handed submariner Brad Ziegler upped his major league-record scoreless streak to start his career to 30 with three more innings' worth of zeros against the Royals on Wednesday. He's putting some distance between himself and the previous mark of 25 (George McQuillan, Phillies, 1907). In all three innings the 28-year-old worked Wednesday, he induced inning-ending double plays. That's 10 double-play balls in all for Ziegler, who throws a heavy sinker with his low sidearm delivery.
A's catcher Rob Bowen said that Ziegler is helped by the fact that there are so few sidearmers in the game, but the main reason for his success so far is that his command is so good and he changes speeds, too. Bowen said Ziegler throws an effective changeup to lefties, which has made him especially tough.
Ziegler is creeping up on the Oakland record for most consecutive scoreless innings by a reliever. Paul Lindblad had a streak of 32 1/3 scoreless innings in 1975.
ROYALS 4, A'S 3 (10 innings): Kansas City needed extra innings to do it, but Jose Guillen's sacrifice fly in the 10th gave the Royals their first sweep at the Coliseum since 1988. The A's, who are 2-10 since the All-Star break, dropped below .500 for the first time since April 6. Huston Street, who has been frequently mentioned in trade rumors, incurred his fourth loss.
