Phew, did you panic a little when Crosby committed that error in the ninth? I know I did. Granted, Street looked like he was dealing, but I was afraid that with the door cracked, a team that's been winning as often as the Tigers was going to kick it in.
Good job by Huston for coming back and slamming it shut.
Course, the Kuiper and Fosse were saying that the Crosby hit with two outs to take the 2-1 lead was a momentum builder for the A's. I personally think the game was won on defense tonight. Mark Ellis made the key stab on Guillen, and it was absolutely crucial. The Tigers would've only been down 5-4 if that gets through and there is only one out. Chavez then follows up on a nice play to get Marcus Thames out. Duchscherer faced the meat of the order as well in that eighth, so it was what you would call the high leverage inning tonight. It's nice to have Duke back. That's how the bullpen is supposed to work...hopefully Duke will be able to go back-to-back very, very soon.
Jay Pay deserves all the credit in the world for that three-run shot as well. When the Tigers took the lead at 3-2, I figured the A's were done with the way the offense has been going lately. But Chavy wound up with a key single and Frank Thomas pulled a Thomas and walked to set up Jay Pay's heroics.
Blanton was really solid tonight against a team that abused him earlier this year, which is always good to see. It means that he made adjustments in realizing how to better pitch to the hitters. Our Little Joe is growing up.
It was especially important to get this game tonight with the A's facing Verlander tomorrow and he is one of the rising young stars in baseball. The A's were able to tag him for one of his four losses in April this year (he has 10 wins), but his last time out he three-hit the Astros over eight innings.
So this was a perfect recipe for starting over as the first game in the second half of the season. Game 82 was a win, only 80 more like these to go.
0 recs | 57 comments
Great game tonight.
HUGE AB by Crosby with the bases loaded and 2 outs, too. So many times he panics, but he took a great pitch, and did some damage.baseballgirl - July 3, 2006
This just in: Sky not falling
See what winning does. A's will be in first place for at least two more days.And, I'll say it again. They just need to get healthy. Harden, Chavez, and Bradley are the keys. They need to get and stay healthy. Thomas will miss some more time; that's certain. But others can't. No more "six weeks with a broken thumb" or "elbow tendonitis."
RLangford - July 3, 2006
I have to agree with
G. Kuiper and Fosse. The way the A's offense has been going, we so desperately needed an RBI hit--even better it be a two-run job with two outs.Didn't we all instinctively go "too big a hill to climb" when we got down 1-0? Without that hit, we're into the middle innings getting shutout...again...Totally different energy.
The pitch that saved Blanton tonight was the changeup--very effective. Might be time to feature it more, as it will make the fastball more effective. Good job mitigating damage tonight by JB.
And Street looked good tonight. He also pitched quite well.
Nico - July 3, 2006
Hey, isn't that Mark Lodi?
salb918 - July 3, 2006
So someone did see us!
That was my son and I down on the field right before the fireworks, and the camera crew came right up to us and said "You're on!"I put my arm around The Kid and just started cheering. Yes, I realize "Go Oakland! Woo! Go A's!" is a bit lacking in the creativity department, but hey - I couldn't edit for content like I can here. ;)
I had the wife record us on the ole' Tivo, so I wasn't sure whether they actually had us on or not. But we watched it this morning, and there we were! My 15 seconds of fame!
The night was simply amazing. Yes, I will have a full-blown diary in the next day or two, I promise.
And Sal, thanks for noticing! :)
marklodi - July 4, 2006
good and bad
good:our pitchers gave up no walks tonight.
bad:
i'm not convinced that the offense is back, 7 hits (in 30 at bats = .233) isn't that impressive.
xbhaskarx - July 3, 2006
The good news is that
they don't need that many runs with the way the A's pitchers have been pitching. Five should get them a win on most nights.Course, scoring five runs against Verlander and Coliseum Kenny will be quite the challenge.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2006
but you can't really depend on
scoring five runs with seven hits.the a's only threatened to score twice in the whole game. fortunately they managed to do so both times.
this time.
xbhaskarx - July 4, 2006
It WAS against
a guy with the 5th best ERA in the league, though. Agree that the offense wasn't awesome, but for a change the big and timely hits were there.Nico - July 3, 2006
great grinder win
Blanton wasnt great but still managed to keep the Tigers off the board for the most part. Defense bailed him out a couple times.These are the games that the A's need to win. Clearly the inferior team but somehow manage to win.
Keep limping to the AS break and we'll run away with the division once healthy.
pickinmachine - July 3, 2006
We won't run away with it--
We might win it by 15 games, but we will, at best, limp away with it. And be listed as day-to-day, of course.Nico - July 3, 2006
Would that be
the A's equivalent of a near death experience?DMOAS - July 3, 2006
gimp it
seriously I thought Thomas was dead tonight after that foul ball. I expect Larry Davis to say hes DTD tommorrow and Payton to the DL for simply watching it from the on deck circle.pickinmachine - July 3, 2006
Ditto
That was my first thought... "There goes the blasted ankle!!"anomaly_kat - July 4, 2006
Lucky... not good
Before I add a little (and only a little) negativity, I'd like to qualify it. This team can win this division (not saying much). And with this team's pitching, we can win the WS with a timely hot streak that this offense can put together (saying a lot). So while I'm worried about this team, I still have a lot of hope.That being said, this win was all about luck. Yes, Croz came through with a single to get us going with no one following it up for more. But the big thing is that if Payton doesn't hit that one out, we likely lose this game. What was said above about hitting .233 as a team today should leave us worried about the next two games and even the Angel's series. The last thing we want is to go into the break having been swept by them AND waking them up.
But it is better to be lucky than good and tonight we're lucky and hopefully we'll tread water until the team's health returns and we can get back to good.
DMOAS - July 3, 2006
If Payton doesn't HR,
and we don't score in that inning another way, sure we likely lose (though we still have 3 innings left in a one-run game). But how is it lucky to get the big hit, when the opportunity is there, instead of not getting it? Crosby got the big hit and Payton got the big hit.Against a good pitcher, we didn't get a lot of hits, but we did get 4 BBs to go with 7 hits, and we took advantage of the opportunities we had. I don't see the "luck" part.
Nico - July 3, 2006
The luck...
comes in that we had two opportunities to bring in runs and we succeeded. I call it luck, you can call it timely execution, someone else can call it clutch hitting. Based on the past week or so, that's where that sits with me. I'm sure glad it happened and would like for more "luck" if that was what it was.DMOAS - July 3, 2006
I thought that's where
the skill part entered in, but at least we're both happy. :-}Nico - July 3, 2006
Very true...
Maybe in my twisted little mind I equate skill to success while going good and luck to success while going bad. All about perspective I guess. Results are, ironically the same. And happiness can be found by all.DMOAS - July 3, 2006
Well, I suppose one could say
the A's were lucky...to be sooooo goooood!Y'know, winning is more fun than losing.
Nico - July 3, 2006
I agree...
I think the point you were making was "one at-bat changed the game" which does not make for a good offense.Any time the game could have gone either way, you also could have lost it, which is still less than inspiring.
HOWEVER, we beat a legitimately great pitcher tonight, and scored 5 runs.
baseballgirl - July 3, 2006
Sure... make sound so much more
succinct than me. Guess that's why you get the front page. But yeah, that's pretty much what I was going for. But regardless of how it was done, it's still a good win.DMOAS - July 3, 2006
So when are we going to trade for Kenny Rogers?
With how well he's done in the Coliseum against us, I have a feeling he'd be able to pitch effectively into his 80'sRenoTy - July 3, 2006
The A's are planning
to sign him on his 77th birthday, when he's undervalued.Nico - July 3, 2006
Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle
I come to house, fire up the mac, dilly dally a while before peeking at any scores...finally get the gumption...and was pleasently surprised. YES.ak_A - July 3, 2006
I only skimmed your post,
but you dilly-dallied a monkey named Gumption?Eeeww.
Nico - July 3, 2006
In a good mood tonight
and i won't let your inane posts effect me like they usually do (with rage fits...crow-hopping xross the room and shadow boxing while shreiking at the top of my lungs).ak_A - July 3, 2006
Your posts have
no effect on me, which makes my crow-hopping across the room and shadow boxing while shreiking at the top of my lungs hard to explain.Nico - July 3, 2006
oh yeah, Ethier hitting .345 right now
meanwhile Bradley is a great cheerleader and stooge for Swisher after every hit withtheir special handshake. but it hasnt been happening much lately.i had hopes for bradley since he was supposed to be a middle of the order bat while Ethier would've still been in AAA in the A's system. but A"s will be lucky if Bradley even gets a full month of AB's this season, just very disappointing since his return seems get to be pushed back week after week
CaliAsFan - July 3, 2006
i wish people would get over ethier. billy beane
made the trade to help the offense. it's not his fault that bradley got hurt. ethier is on the dodgers. we should be happy for him that he's doing so well. the trade was made and we can't take it back. there's no need to dwell over it because of his numbers.by the way this isn't directed at you this is something that has been bugging me for awhile.
larrysgurl - July 3, 2006
<runs to bedroom and slams door>
ak_A - July 3, 2006
thank you
OaklandSi - July 4, 2006
"It's not his fault Bradley got hurt"
No... but he is paid to analyze the following:Games Played since 2001:
Milton Bradley:
77
98
101
141
75
Only once in the past 5 years has Bradley played anywhere near a full season. Make that once in 6 years. Beane gambled he'd be mainly healthy... and, so far, he has lost.
oaktoon - July 4, 2006
In his defense, if you look at the trend, he
played in more games each year, until last year, so he gambled that it was the fluke year. If he would have played 140, we'd be happytheblackpearl - July 4, 2006
bradley
xbhaskarx - July 4, 2006
Sweet
grover - July 4, 2006
It comes in a cycle
Solid game, enough runs to win the game, strong defense on the right side but this is good momentum and Chavez was out there so that is encouraging.doublehustle22 - July 3, 2006
I am so happy Ellis is back
He has played some tremendous defense the past couple of days (I have been to the last 3 including tonight) and he has been one of few bright spots.The team as a whole seemed to have more spunk tonight. Last night they looked flat . . tonight more bounce in their step. Good win against a darn good team.
If someone will give instructions (again) on how to post pictures, I have some to upload. Can the instructions be put in the FAQs? I have a mind like a steel trap (rusted and permanently closed) so I cannot remember this morning any more much less how-to's that I use sporadically.
0R0H0E - July 3, 2006
According to the AP game notes
Rich Harden responded badly to a throwing session and will be shut down for a week. Ouch :-(green star oakland - July 4, 2006
harden and gagne
don't work out together in canada over the winters, do they?xbhaskarx - July 4, 2006
A's Win A's Win!
All you haters, please stand up. This team may not be the best team in the league just yet, but I refuse to count them out on any given night.BASEBALL! I love it!
Mike Gallego is my Hero - July 4, 2006
It Was Great to Be There
This doesn't warrant a diary - but maybe some long-assed comment instead...My parents drove in from Sacramento, and we got 4 tickets for them, my wife and myself in the second deck to enjoy the festivities. It's always great to see the A's win, and always better to do so in front of a sellout crowd. I love the fireworks games, and they're best in Oakland. Trust me - I saw the Memorial Day festivities at AT&T Park, and even their fireworks suck more.
It's great that the A's know how to look a first-place team in the eye. Blanton pitched well. Duchscherer did his job, and Street closed it out, despite Bobby's attempt to make sure he didn't have to pay his bookie. (Not that I'm suggesting... really... that he had money on the game... that would be wrong.)
Payton did very well, and Thomas was justifiably intimidating - he got his hits and his walks, and the A's won. I love baseball.
Oh yeah - and the family loved it too. As my mother said, "It was even better than I had hoped it would be." Go A's!
louismg - July 4, 2006
Re: fireworks
I never understood why everyone mentions the players rushing out early after on fireworks shows until last night. I always assumed they did things like every other team. I guess not. In KC they don't let you down on the field, and even hauling ass to the parking lot after the game, I usually don't make it to my car before the end of the show. But KC also has fireworks every Friday....Oakland puts on a great show. I couldn't believe EI actually aired the broadcast until it was completely over. FSNBA was awesome last night.
Jennifer - July 4, 2006
that was the best
fireworks game i've ever gone to!!!... because we won... i dont think i've ever gone to a fireworks game where we won... but it was awesome... tailgate, hits, runs, winning, fireworks, being there with my favorite people...CrosbysGirl510 - July 4, 2006
I found this amusing...
From: Yahoo! Sports PhotosOakland Athletics' Frank Thomas lies on the ground after fouling a pitch from Detroit Tigers' Nate Robertson off his shin in the second inning of a baseball game Monday, July 3, 2006, in Oakland, Calif. An unidentified Athletics trainer, center right, Tigers' catcher Ivan Rodriguez, right, and Athletics manager Ken Macha look on.
Ha ha! Poor Larry Davis...
louismg - July 4, 2006
Maybe they thought he was a flag?
baseballgirl - July 4, 2006
perhaps both larry davis and jay mariotti
are [expletive] flags...xbhaskarx - July 4, 2006
<blows whistle>
You! <points> Yes you.That's sensitivity training for you, mister.
Oh, and totally unrelated, but how has no one just flat-out punched Ozzie yet?
"I already had a couple of phone calls, not nice ones," Guillen said. "A couple of teams called, but I could care less what they think. Whoever is not on this team, they have my number. They have my PR department's number. Whoever doesn't like it, play better next year."
Yeaaaaah. Anytime Kenny Rogers is the leading candidate to start the ASG and Liriano isn't even on the team, I don't think 'playing better' is going to help anyone be a part of this crappy farce that is really all about a popularity contest instead of a showcase of talent.
baseballgirl - July 4, 2006
Larry's unrecognizable when not in tie-dye!
Poppy - July 4, 2006
man
that shirt is a disgrace to americaSeanR - July 4, 2006
It's refreshing to see
The Thomas' and Ellis' and Crosby's and Payton's step it up when the Kotsay's and Swisher's and Chavez's are mired in slumps. That's the kind of stuff we need to happen to turn the offense around.walk off bunt - July 4, 2006
I thought in April, and still think
that the A's match up well against the Tigers. Their hitters are aggressive, which helps the A's pitchers plan to get them behind early in the count.Sometimes teams that aren't "the league's best" have more success against the A's, simply because the A's aren't as familiar with them, or their pitchers throw lots of sinkerballs, or for whatever reason.
I thought if the A's played a good tight game and had most of their players available that they could perhaps take 2 or 3 games against the Tigers. (Note all the qualifiers, to avoid the JINX factor.)
OaklandSi - July 4, 2006
anatomy lesson in order?
Here's a snippet from the A's notes:http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060703&content_id=1537820& ;vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
Kielty missed time with a biceps tendinitis in his right shoulder and Chavez was out with tendinitis in both forearms.
Quite a trick to have "biceps tendinitis" in the shoulder, right? Also, I've read elsewhere that it's Kielty's left shoulder that's bothering him. But since he had been quoted earlier as saying he couldn't throw without pain, it makes more sense that the right shoulder would be bothering him.
OaklandSi - July 4, 2006
The biceps muscle...
...runs the length of the upper arm and is attached (by tendons) to the shoulder structures at one end, and the elbow at the other end. So if the upper tendon is the one that's inflamed, that would be causing pain in the shoulder area.Don't know how it's jumping from his left to right shoulder or vice-versa, though... ;)
Poppy - July 4, 2006
maybe I should get that lesson ;-)
OaklandSi - July 4, 2006
finger bone connected to -
hand bone. hand bone connected to the wrist bone. wrist bone connected to the arm bone.ak_A - July 4, 2006
If you need a tutorial...
let these guys walk you through it.Ice Cream - July 4, 2006
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