Gallego admits to 'bad call' in latest tough loss

OAKLAND -- The A's found a new way to lose Friday evening.

The events leading up to their Major League-leading 24th loss have played out several times before: A costly error jumpstarts a messy inning made messier by the bullpen. But, unlike so many others, that's not how this 7-6 defeat to the White Sox will be remembered.

Not after Stephen Vogt was caught in a rundown between third and home to end the game, stuck in no-man's land when waved home by third-base coach Mike Gallego on Coco Crisp's two-out double off the left-center field wall.

White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton started a perfect relay throw to shortstop Alexei Ramirez, who fired it to first baseman Jose Abreu. It was at this time Gallego flashed a stop sign, but Vogt was already several feet past third, and Abreu launched the ball toward third baseman Gordon Beckham, whose throw to catcher Geovany Soto met Vogt with ease.

"It was a bad call," Gallego said. "Should've held him up earlier.

"Vogter's digging and you're hoping he can find a fifth gear. He was in fourth gear, and that's as fast as he's gonna go. You're trying to watch the throw and as soon as I saw the ball come out of Eaton's hand right to Alexei, I knew I was a little late holding him up, and Vogter couldn't get back to the base in the time that I stopped him. … It's tough to lose a game in that manner, the way these guys keep coming back."

Video: CWS@OAK: Melvin on final play in loss to White Sox

Vogt said he "was hung out to dry."

"You just run until he makes you stop," said the catcher, who reached base on a pinch-hit walk. "By the time I saw the stop sign, I was already too far past third.

"Right off the bat, I'm going as hard as I can. Anytime there's a ball in the gap with two outs, I'm putting my head down and running as fast as I can."

That the play began with just the second hit of Coco Crisp's season in 33 at-bats -- and first out of the infield -- and ended in yet another nightmare for the A's essentially sums up the disappointment and frustration they've bottled into 37 games -- 13 of which have been decided by one run.

The A's have lost 12 of those.

"It seems like we've had quite a few of these where, an inch one way or another, a foot one way or another, one good at-bat, one good play, and we end up winning the game," said manager Bob Melvin, "and we always end up losing it."

Said Vogt: "Every day, it gets harder. We still have faith. We still believe we can do this, but it is frustrating."