Out of Chances, A’s Fall to Angels, 7-4

The end came for the Oakland A’s in a foreign clubhouse late in the afternoon, later in September than anyone would have believed.

This was coming, they knew, and still they went quiet at the news of it, the finality of it.

“It would have been a minor miracle,” Manager Art Howe said, “for it to happen.”

The Boston Red Sox won in Chicago on Wednesday afternoon and therefore clinched the American League wild-card entry, at the least. The A’s were eliminated before they took batting practice, then lost to the Angels, 7-4, at Edison Field, where Darin Erstad drove in the eventual game-winner with a single in the eighth inning off reliever Doug Jones. Jim Edmonds and Mo Vaughn also drove in eighth-inning runs after hitting earlier home runs.

With BOS 6, CWS 2--the first-game score out of Comiskey Park--burned into the scoreboard in right-center field, just in his peripheral vision, Howe smiled sadly at the close of a season that began with a $22-million payroll and will conclude with nearly 90 victories.

“I told them [in August],” Howe said, “no matter how this turns out, it’ll make us better. This is a day you hope never comes. But, it’s here. You face reality and move on.”

The Red Sox split their doubleheader with the White Sox, but needed only the one victory to qualify for a second consecutive postseason.

“If anybody had told us we’d go into the last five days in contention, we’d have had to check their temperature, we’d think they were smoking something,” Howe said. “We’re happy where we are, but disappointed we couldn’t pull it off.”

A’s starter Omar Olivares, sacrificed by the Angels along with Randy Velarde at the trading deadline, allowed four runs in five-plus innings.

The Angels have been on their own program for months, and only as near to a pennant race as their opponents allowed.

Rookie right-hander Brian Cooper, something of an A’s story himself--from double-A Erie to the big leagues inside one season--started for the Angels and pitched capably until he momentarily lost the strike zone in the fifth inning.

To that point he had allowed a two-run home run to Ben Grieve in the second and had the Angels within 2-1. Cooper allowed two hits and walked three batters in the fifth, but pitched right to the edge of a quality start.

Though he had left-hander Mike Magnante warm in the bullpen, interim manager Joe Maddon permitted Cooper a crack at the middle of the A’s order, with one out and the bases loaded.

Cooper struck out left-handed hitter Jason Giambi with a letter-high fastball, then had John Jaha at 0-and-2 before a full-count fastball missed. The walk forced home the A’s fourth run, and Magnante had Grieve ground out to end the fifth.

Grinding dangerously close to a club record for defeats, the angels scored a run in the first inningon Vaughn’s 32nd home run. Vaughn also homerd in the first inning of Tuesday’s game. In his last 19 games, Vaughn has nine home runs and 23 runs bated in.