Chavez’s Gold Glove develops porous holes

OAKLAND, Calif. – Eric Chavez’s glove hasn’t exactly been golden in the American League Championship Series.

His bat is nothing special, either – and those are two reasons the Oakland Athletics are in big trouble.

Chavez went 1 for 4 with a solo homer and two strikeouts in the A’s 8-5 loss in Game 2 on Wednesday night, dropping him to 4 for 17 in the playoffs.

Postseason hitting problems are all too familiar for the A’s five-time Gold Glove third baseman – but his average play in the field has been a shock to fans accustomed to seeing his casual brilliance every day for six months.

Chavez had chances to curtail Detroit’s decisive rallies in both of its victories – and both times, he couldn’t come up with the remarkable plays he usually makes. Yet he shrugged off the plays, still confident in his ability to change games with his glove.

“You don’t get to be a top third baseman like I am without taking some chances,” he said.

With Oakland holding a 3-1 lead in Game 2, the Tigers loaded the bases on two hits and a walk in the fourth. After Craig Monroe’s short single to center scored just one run, playoff newcomer Alexis Gomez hit a one-out chopper toward the hole on the third-base side.

Chavez got to the ball, but couldn’t get a grip on it to start a double play. The hit squirted into shallow left field, and both Magglio Ordonez and Ivan Rodriguez scooted home to put Detroit ahead for good.

“It was just in a tough spot,” Chavez said. “I knew the only chance for me to do anything was to try to cut it off. It was just too far to go. If it was a little bit closer, I would have got it.”

Coliseum fans let out the same groan they elicited in the third inning of Game 1, when Chavez failed to make a clean play on a sharply hit, bases-loaded grounder by Ordonez.

That miscue allowed the Tigers’ second run to score instead of starting a double play.