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Open Thread: Fifth Spring Training Game

Rich Harden finally makes his spring debut for our A's.  

Arizona takes on the A's today at Phoenix Muni and the A's are looking for their first spring victory.

You can listen to Robert Buan calling the game here.

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Comments

I suppose we shouldn't place too much significance
on yesterdays ugly beating. It may yet be too early to draw any firm conclusions. Maybe the best thing to do is relax and enjoy spring training for what it is, Still, it seems clear that spring play will be decisive in determing unfilled positions. I hope we win every game, but either way it's a lot of fun.
Angels bloggers noted ...
that the A's beat the Angels 26-5 last year in spring training.

So yeah, it probably doesn't mean much.

no significance...
even the yankees still haven't won a spring training game.  it'd be funny if they ended up in last place in the east tho.
Eric Karros...
...is broadcasting the Rangers/Cubs game on ESPN today. In the first inning, Gary Thorne asked Karros a question and his mouth missed the microphone badly, popping up his words to the right side.
Funny
Gotta admit, though, I was pretty happy with the Karros signing last year. On paper, it sure looked like a Hatteberg-Karros platoon was going to be exactly what we needed at 1B.
I agree Eck
I thought Karros was a terrific signing at the begining
today's lineup
Kotsay
Kendall
Durazo
Chavez
Byrnes...RF
Hatteberg
Crosby
Swisher...LF
Ellis

Once again Scutaro doesn't start.
Byrnes in right, and the rookie in left

looks like macha wants to win today
i wonder why!
scoot played winter ball so he's ready,
Maybe the real evaluation that is going on is E & G's glovework at 2b.
Harden stirkes out the side
after a lead-off single a la Major League: "You really hit the sh#t out of that one"
Byrnsie!!!
What a stud.  Byrnes, baby, Byrnes!

More 3 run doubles, please!

I'm totally in the dark up here
any and all updates are welcome...
byrnes in RF again
showcase time
Byrnes hits a bases-clearing double
A's 3, Diamondbacks 0 after one inning

Now we're in the top of the 2nd

three up three down for Harden
now coming to the bottom of the second
Thanks OSi
If you could just bang some sticks together occasionally to simulate the crack of the bat, it'd be perfect.
yeah...
keep it coming...
THANKS!!!
A's, A's, A's
Screw showcasing...
Just let him play and kick ass
thats right, and plus
impress those pirates and mets scouts sitting in the bleachers.
All right!
The King is on!
Top 3
Still 3-0 Oakland

Harden is still pitching.  Bill King is now in the box

Harden goes three innings
Still 3-0 at the end of the top of the 3rd

this is fun! (I should be working, but, well, you know)

MLB audio keeps cutting in and out. the quality is worse than it was over the weeken.

Harden sounded sharp
Re:
Mine cuts out occasionally, but a lot of the time its just dead air because of buan.  

Kendall leadoff single to center, just stole second.          Ortiz is out of the game.

Huston Street warming up in the pen.  

Macha is not fucking around today :)

bottom of the third
Kendall hits a single off Ortiz to open the A's half of the inning. Now Durazo is up
Kendall steals second base!!!
Sound fX
Crack .... yeahhhhhhh .... I mongo, hit ball
Huston Street is warming up in the pen
Durazo strikes out
chased a pitch out of the strike zone.

Arizona is changing pitchers now.

When doesnt
Kendall get on base? I love this guy.
good things
yesterday never happened
I paid fifteen bucks a year for this?
Is everyone else having the same problems with MLB Audio?  It keeps cutting off and now I've had to restart it to get it to play at all...
It never starts for me directly from the A's link
I then have to click on mlb audio to get it to work.

and today it's definitely choppy (it's not all Buan).

3 and 1 to Chavez. Ball 4 walks him.Now comes Byrnes

Kendall went to third
on a passed ball during Chavez' at bat

3-1 to Byrnes. byrnes fouls, with chavez in motion. 3-2

Is Asada referring to Carne?
If so, I'm intrigued ;-)
LOL
Me too, come to think of it.... :)
last year and this year
i have not had the same choppiness that you guys are talking about (fortunately) and i double the games up listening to the tigers then to the a's

i did have to restart once today though.

i bought the full kit last year and it was pretty good, but am just listening to the games for free right now.  i am sure that i will have to pay the 15 for the regualr season though.

AWESOME
thanks for the updates, everybody! it's frustrating sitting at work not being able to listen to the game and getting updates by refreshing yahoo. haha.
Yes, thanks!
I'm in the same boat as you Gotgreen.
ditto
Yahoo - Refresh
Repeat.
byrnes hits into a 6-4-3 double play
ends the inning, after 3 A's 3 diamondbacks 0
could be key
that 5 spot in the order is gonna be interestng for the A's all year.  

Huston in baby!

Huston to face
Gonzales, Glauss & Green...
I'm not sold on Durazo batting third
I can imagine him lubering around the bases with Chaccy on his heels.

GO STREET!!!!

Huston Street is now pitching
He'll be facing gonzalez glaus and green, the heart of the order
Pitching to Gonzalez
1-2, then tapper to first base. Nice pitch selection.
Glaus up
strike on inside corner 0-1

misses 1-1

bouncer to ss, chavez to hatteberg, 2 away

shawn green up
(chavvy cut in front of crosby in the last sequence)

first pitch strike

second down and in 1-1

third pitch fouled back 1-2

inside 2-2

swing and a miss, strike out!!

Yessss!
Im so pumped about Street making the team
Thanks
so much!!! I gave up refreshing yahoo every three seconds...this is so much better. :)
Go Street!
Huston Street
is in the game now.

1st out dribbler to the infield

2nd out ground out to Chavy at 3rd

3rd out - swinging stike out

all against the no. 3, 4 and 5 batters in the Arizona lineup

Ahead in the account to all three batters

This is
more like it.  Great to read this during lunch at the office.  Finally, showing the real deal (we hope).
Bottom of the fourth
Hatteberg grounds out to the first baseman

Crosby up, grounds to third base, two away

(Are Hatty and Crosby still looking for their first hits of spring training?)

Swisher up, strikes out looking

Saarloos pitching top of the 5th inning
3 up 3 down
nice work by Saarloos
Not the A's
But Huddy's got his first win of ST, a 5-0 shutout over the Mets.
MLB.com
MLB Radio's net feed is TERRIBLE for the A's Spring Training games that are only webcast only. I really wish they were all on KFRC.
agreed
the weekend feeds were much clearer than today's feed
Street
It's great to hear that he is doing so well!  

Thanks again for the updates, everyone.

Ellis flies out for out #1
Kotsay flies out for #2

Kendall flies out, bottom of the fifth over

Saarloos
Another 3 up 3 down for Saarloos
thanks
I had to do something for my job
Durazo homers
to straightaway center, leading off, now A's 4-0
Durazo just hit a homer.
4-0 A's...

with the exception of yesterday, the pitching has been AMAZING.

WooHoo
great dinger Durazo......
that was Durazo's first hit of spring training
now Chavvy's up

chavvy singles to right field

now byrnes is up

Pitching
man, it's going to be tough deciding who's going to be the #3 and #4 starter!
I thought #3 was Haren's to lose
and #4 and #5 are up for grabs..???
Whoops
yeah, i meant the #4 and #5 spot.
Thomas pinch runs for Chavez
Byrnes flies out

Hatteberg up now

Hatteberg bounces out to first, Thomas moves to second, two away

Crosby up hits to shortstop, three out

Bobby Smith at third, Rincon pitching
Diamondbacks get their first hit of the game (someone who replaced gonzalez).

6-4-3 double play!

announcer says Ellis' arm looks great
Rincon vs. Shawn Green
roller to Dan Johnson at first, top of seventh over.
Wow
Forget about Swisher, Blanton, Meyer, and Yabu. Street for ROY!!!
Bottom of the seventh
Swisher up, called strike 3 (second time in a row).

Tyler Johnson is warming up in the bullpen (back to back lefties for the A's)

Ellis hits a stand up triple going the other way, hits over the head of the right fielder.

Ellis' 5 hits leads all A's this spring
Bocachica up now. (Conor Jackson at first for the diamondbacks).

Bocachica walks, now Kendall is batting.

Buan acknowledges MLB.com technical
difficulties.

Kendall hits flyball to centerfield, and Mark Ellis trots home, 5-0

Technical Difficulties
Bout God Damn Time!
Ellis is leading...
...everyone in hits for the Spring. :)

GOOD SIGN!

Bad sign for Ginter :-)
Let's hope not!
Gint's my boy, and the Brewers are trying to get to 5-0, leading the M's 9-5 in the 8th.  Be a great day if both my teams could win.
Bochachica caught in a rundown
ends the inning, A's 5 Diamondbacks 0
Is it wrong that I LOVE that name?
not at all
try saying
 "estaban german cc sabathia hiram bocachica" really really fast.... very amusing... :)
Tyler Johnson pitches top of the 8th
Conor Jackson makes it to first (I missed how).
strikes out the second batter he faces.
Kurt Suzuki behind the plate, rouse at ss, scutaro at second. bobby smith stays at 3rd, dan johnson at first.
Facing Quentin -- wild pitch sends jackson to 2nd.
walks quentin (very high and away, a bit wild).
Tyler Johnson strikes out the batter, two away, men on first and second.
Calero warming up in the pen.
Johnson strikes out the side.

Good stuff, though a bit wild.
 

That was the scouting report on him ...
Tyler Johnson strikes out the side...
Fantastic!
How funny is it that OaklandSi and BaseballGirl say essentially the same thing, but completely differently?

This Blog rules!

bottom of the 8th
Durazo leading off.Lines out to center field.
Charles Thomas up. Flies out to center field.
Bobby Smith up. Bounces it to shortstop.

Now coming up to the ninth inning.

Kiko to close it out in the 9th
First hitter flies out to Thomas.
Next hitter hits a line drive over third for a base hit.
Popped out to Scutaro, two down.
Popped out to Scutaro,

a's win their first spring training game!
5-0

A's WIN!
Hee :)
thanks for egging me on
first time "play by play" for me, what a blast!

okay now i gotta do some work.

YOU DID GREAT!!!
THANKS!!!
this could be habit forming
You guys rule!
No way I'm paying $15 to subscribe to MLB--the play by play you guys are giving is WAY more entertaining :)  Keep it up, I look forward to tomorrow's action...maybe you guys can coordinate yourselves so that a few of you can do play-by-play and another few can do color.  Oh, and one of you can cover promotional announcements and ads--"When you're working up a real giant appetite, got to be a nations...Anytime morning, noon or nite, got to be a nations. When you're heading to a concert, game or a show.  Monster truck rally or rodeo, only one place you've gotta go.  Got to be a nations.  Hi, this is ken macha..."  
just think at the end of the season
know one will listen to KFRC/MLB/XM we will all be glued to AN.  Thanks for the laughter this afternoon.
"That's just plain crazy."
one more post
mlb.com will cover tomorrow's split squad game: a's (blanton starting) vs. cubs (zambrano). the other game (a's with haren) vs arizona (brandon webb) won't be covered.

and mlb.com feeds cut off exactly after the wrapup, whereas the krfc feed (besides being clearer) hangs on indefinitely.

Thanks!
great play-by-play! thanks again!
Another thanks
for the commentary.  Did Scutaro play at all?
that was great!
wow, that took me about five minutes to read, and i feel like i watched the game.  

i hope you people are prepared to do blog play by play like this for every game open thread!

Wow...
...the Yankees have Jason Giambi playing in what is essentially the "B" game today, a nighttime road trip to Ft. Myers. The mostly partisan Red Sox crowd boomed him, and there were a number of anti-Giambi signs, most prominently, "Got Juice?"
MLB Audio
Regarding the comments on MLB.com audio:

I've had it for the past 2 seasons, and the audio quality is usually significantly better than it has been for this spring.

It's possible that the cactus league isn't as well equipt to webcast.

Wow
Giambi homered of John Halama
Hats off to OSi
Great post!
Great fun!
next best thing to being there
Saw this paragraph on mlb site. . .
and it warmed my heart:

Rich Harden, the projected No. 2 starter, was dominant in three innings, striking out three and yielding two singles.

Huston Street pitched a perfect fourth, Kirk Saarloos was perfect through the sixth, Ricardo Rincon blanked the Diamondbacks in the seventh, Tyler Johnson tossed a scoreless eighth, and Kiko Calero finished off Arizona with a shutout ninth

Here's to many, many more stories like that.

Here's to
Huston Street not seeing much more action in the 4th innings.
Tonights blogcast!
Thanks a lot everybody! That was so much fun to read the game in a few minutes. I felt like I was right there. All I needed was an Arizona texmex burrito and an ice cold beer. Thanks again! And the AN tee shirts are totally awesome! I can't wait to wear them to Oakland soon enough! Probably Seattle sooner, though. Go A's! Mitch.
Nah, it's *great* that Street...
...pitched in the fourth. It means Beane wanted to see Street against Arizona's big boys. And he distinguished himself.

Great note in the Chron this morning from Macha, who pronounced himself impressed with Johnson, who struck out the side, each K coming on a different pitch. If he makes the team, yesterday's game is going to be the day Macha and Beane say that he got their attention.  

It was a joke
If it happens in the reg season, it means someone got injured or we're getting our asses kicked - both bad things. It also indicates that he probably hasn't been doing that well lately, if he's pitching in long relief.
OK, I see what you mean.
My guess is that Street never pitches in long relief for Oakland. If he doesn't make the squad as a 7th or 8th inning guy, or even maybe as the closer, then he goes to Sacramento.

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