ROUND ROCK, Texas – More than a few baseball insiders expected superprospect Gio Gonzalez to be promoted to the A's starting rotation when the team traded Joe Blanton on July 17.
The consensus among scouts and front-office types was that the 22-year old left-hander was more than ready for big league competition.
But the Oakland front office got some validation for their decision to keep him in Sacramento as Gonzalez struggled through an uneven start, throwing 101 pitches, only 59 for strikes, in four innings in a 6-2 loss to Round Rock.
River Cats pitching coach Rick Rodriguez, in a silent postgame clubhouse, didn't want to talk about the outing. It was clear, however, to everyone in the ballpark that Gonzalez had problems with both his control and his consistency. It was his 20th start of the season, and it greatly resembled an outing in the first week of May when he allowed five walks in a four-inning outing.
Round Rock starter Jack Cassel, a soft-tossing veteran control specialist who has had two stints with the parent Houston Astros this season, provided a marked contrast to Gonzalez. Cassel allowed only two hits through the first three innings.
Cassel never overpowered the River Cats' hitters, but he improved to 7-1 with seven innings of five-hit ball.
The River Cats' only runs came on solo home runs, by Joe Gaetti in the fifth inning and Donnie Murphy in the seventh.
David Shafer took over for Gonzalez in the bottom of the fifth and allowed a run in his two innings on the mound. Chris Farley, making his second relief appearance since being called up from Double-A Midland, gave up two runs in the seventh inning.
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