Harang's return wildly disappointing

Published Jun. 20, 2012 12:02 p.m. ET

foxsports

The last time Aaron Harang had pitched in Oakland, he was a member of the A's in 2003.

"It's going to be fun to go back and pitch there," Harang said on Sunday.

But after what happened Tuesday night, Harang probably wishes he waited more than nine years to return. He walked a career-high eight batters in 3 2/3 innings as the Dodgers lost 3-0 to the A's.

The last time a Dodgers pitcher walked eight batters while facing as few as 22 batters was on May 26, 1943, when Les Webber walked nine of the 21 batters he faced for the Brooklyn Dodgers in a 17-4 loss to the Pirates.

Harang got off relatively unscathed despite walking two batters in each four of the innings he started, giving up just three runs in the first inning. He allowed 11 baserunners while recording 11 outs and left eight men on base.

The start marked a departure for Harang, who was 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA in his previous eight starts heading into Tuesday night.

"You always go through ups and downs, and we've been making sure that mechanically everything is sharp," Harang said.

Tuesday night just happened to be one of the downs for Harang, who is 5-4 with a 3.76 ERA on the season.

NOTES, QUOTES
Loney moves up in lineup but takes an oh-fer
   --1B James Loney batted fifth in Tuesday night's loss to the Athletics, just the second time in June he has batted that high in the lineup. Loney, who has started just 11 of 17 games in June, went 0-for-4 Tuesday and is hitting .282 for the month with a slugging percentage of just .326.
   --INF Adam Kennedy returned to the starting lineup Tuesday for the first time in a week, playing second base and going 0-for-1 with two walks against Oakland. With the return of 3B Juan Uribe from the disabled list, Kennedy's playing time had diminished to just four plate appearances.
   --2B Mark Ellis, on the disabled list since undergoing leg surgery on May 19, traveled with the Dodgers to Oakland and has resumed baseball activities. He's doing more and more on the field with the team, including batting practice and taking groundballs.
   --RHP Aaron Harang walked a career-high eight batters on Tuesday against Oakland but also struck out six in his 3 2/3 innings. Harang became the first Dodger with at least six strikeouts and more walks than strikeouts since Edwin Jackson on September 27, 2003.
   --RHP Jamey Wright pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Tuesday in Oakland, the fifth time he has pitched a scoreless outing of more than one inning this season. In his last five outings, Wright has pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings, with three strikeouts and one walk.
   BY THE NUMBERS: 1943 -- The last time a Dodgers pitcher walked at least eight batters while facing 22 batters, as Aaron Harang did Tuesday night in Oakland. Les Webber walked nine while facing 21 batters in a loss to the Pirates for the Brooklyn Dodgers on May 26, 1943.
   QUOTE TO NOTE: "What a waste. I was thinking about it after all this time, what a waste of resources." -- Manager Don Mattingly, on the federal perjury trial of former pitcher Roger Clemens.