A's outlast Phillies on Donaldson's homer in 10th

OAKLAND, Calif. - A.J. Burnett walked his sixth batter, the immortal Nick Punto, and turned his back to the Phillies dugout. Ryne Sandberg snatched the ball from a perturbed Burnett in the fifth inning of Sunday's 8-6 loss to the A's. The 37-year-old pitcher marched 39 steps to the dugout.

Later, after his teammates fought a desperate Oakland team for 10 innings, Burnett spoke like a spent man. He contemplated retirement last winter. He must make a $12.75 million decision about his future soon after the World Series ends. The Phillies would not quibble should Burnett forfeit that money by retiring.

"It's embarrassing," Burnett said. "It's embarrassing to me. It's embarrassing to this team what I've done all year."

The A's should not have required an extra inning to win. Josh Donaldson, nonetheless, crushed the Phillies' 200th pitch of the afternoon, a belt-high Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez fastball, for the game-winning homer. The Phillies' brief time as potential spoilers ended. Their resolve, especially this late in a lost season, was commendable.

"The offense kept battling back," Sandberg said.

The game fell to Gonzalez, the $12 million mystery import from Cuba. He failed in his most important situation yet. But Cesar Jimenez, Luis Garcia, Jake Diekman, and Justin De Fratus held Oakland scoreless for 42/3 innings before that, a fact that made Sandberg proud.

The Phillies manager shook his head at another infuriating Burnett start. A third of the 24 Athletics who batted against him reached on a walk or hit by pitch. Six of them scored.

"I didn't get anything done today, man," said Burnett, who leads the majors with 93 walks. "Being inconsistent in the strike zone is very frustrating. I'd rather give up 20 hits and 20 runs rather than walk them on base and give them free passes."

Burnett, who alluded last week to further health problems beyond his hernia, will not answer questions about his future until the season ends. Sandberg is not aware of another injury. He did not think Burnett looked gassed Sunday.

"You know what? His stuff is still there," Sandberg said. "Four of the walks scored. So that came back to haunt him. But he was just off the plate. He wasn't able to work ahead in the count. . . . The zip is still on the ball. He still has a good a breaking pitch when it's for strikes."

Burnett has allowed five runs or more in seven of his last 11 starts.

He slogged through a 32-pitch first inning. Seven of his first eight pitches were balls. The Phillies activated the bullpen in the third inning when Burnett loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter. He started the third with an 0-2 count to Donaldson, who then walked on four straight pitches. Donaldson later scored on a bases-loaded walk. That sequence encapsulated Burnett's season.

Why have walks been such an issue?

"I can't give you that answer," Burnett said.

His 93 walks are the most for a Phillies pitcher since Robert Person walked 95 in 2000. No Phillies pitcher has hit more batters than Burnett's 16 since Paul Byrd plunked 17 in 1999. His nine wild pitches are the most since Ryan Madson uncorked 12 in 2006.

Sandberg showed little trust in Burnett; Jimenez resumed warming up in the fourth before Burnett even threw a pitch. He was lifted at 85 pitches, his fewest this season other than an Aug. 2 game in which he was ejected.

"I just walked them all," Burnett said. "It's embarrassing."

Ryan Howard and Marlon Byrd became the first teammates in baseball history with 180 strikeouts each in the same season. . . . Jonathan Papelbon threw a bullpen session before Sunday's game. His seven-game suspension will end Tuesday, when the Phillies begin a three-game series in Miami. . . . Jimmy Rollins (strained left hamstring) did not play for the 13th straight game.