Going out on a limb here, but I feel their 3rd baseman was better than ours tonight. You have to feel bad for Scutaro, who has proven that he just isn’t a third baseman—his difficulties date back to before tonight—but you also have to look at a game like this and realize the A’s really did know what they were doing when they kept trotting out Eric Chavez last year even when he couldn’t hit. A lot of balls are hit to third and it really helps to have a vacuum cleaner out there instead of a broom.
The extra outs took their toll on Danny Haren, and it remains to be seen whether the 7th inning, featuring a couple more earned runs and a loss, will affect his chances to start the All-Star Game on Tuesday.
So no, the A’s didn’t give up 32 runs today and no, they didn’t lose ground on the Angels, but it was not a good day for a team that keeps trying to start that elusive hot streak. Hopefully, Chavez will be good to go by tomorrow; if not, it will be interesting to see how Geren plays it considering that his main alternative looked, in the 9th inning, like he was muttering, “Please don’t hit it to me, please don’t hit it to me…”
I wonder how the game would have gone if Shannon Stewart’s drive had stayed fair...
0 recs | 30 comments
Scutaro
Scutaro is an average defensive 2B, a far below average defensive SS, and an atrocious 3B. Despite his lofty reputation on AN, he has been a pretty poor hitter in all but a couple of months in his career. I know this is AN heresy, but can't we do better than Scutaro? A utility IF who can only play one position and can't really hit doesn't really have much utility.
Scutaro is definitely not the biggest weakness on this team, but he is one more weakness on a team that really needs to avoid them. We just don't have enough stars to make up for players who are below average. Please make Scutaro go away for 2008.
BlameChannel53 - July 6, 2007
we have a pretty good back up utility infielder
and his name is bobby crosby
Haren I mean Harden - July 7, 2007
he'd make a fine backup
run em out once every few games to give some starting infielder some rest.
ak_A - July 7, 2007
First the game with the Yankees
where he gave up some ugly runs and now this. Danny isn't looking as sharp as of late. Guy needs a little rest IMO. So if he doesn't pitch at all in the Allstar game it won't bother me.and Scut? he needs to suck this up. Evwn a sub should be able to avoid 4 errors. OK ...now let's hope the A's do some hitting against Felix.
IM4Oakgal - July 6, 2007
I love Haren
But he is not starting the all star game on Tuesday. Not with Jim Leyland managing and with Leyland's stud, Verlander, pitching as well as he is.
Book it: Verlander starts the game on Tuesday. And that is no insult to Haren, but let's be real here.
Crosbino - July 6, 2007
I love Dan Haren as well but now he has had 3 bad
starts in a row, so i do not think there is any way that he starts in the game. His ERA has gone up significantly over his last 3 starts, i am not worried about it yet but he needs to get back on track.
wacchampions - July 6, 2007
Define "bad"
We've been spoiled by Haren's performance thus far this season. He was never, ever going to maintain a sub-2.00 ERA in the American League. Tonight's performance wasn't really bad at all. It was, technically, a "quality start" - six innings, three earned runs or less.Haren kept the team in the game, but was let down by crappy defense, crappy hitting, and crappy relief pitching.
As for the All Star Game, I really don't care. It would probably be just as well for him to throw fewer pitches, under less stressful conditions.
bear88 - July 6, 2007
Teams rarely win when they have as many errors as
hits. Yep, JK stunk again (what was Geren thinking leaving him in against Beltre?) and Marco had a real bad night at third...but the real culprit is our offense. We don't have a hitter pitchers fear and we definately have no offensive consistency. Or in simple terms...our offense blows.
EastbayBen - July 6, 2007
What we learned (not much)
-- Scutaro is a bad third baseman who only serves to emphasize how good Chavez is with the glove. That said, Scoot can play multiple positions (SS, second base, corner outfield and third base in a pinch). He's okay, although I hope he doesn't play tomorrow.-- Kennedy. Gawd, he's terrible right now. I think all of his good luck earlier this season is blowing up in his face. Still, he's our fifth starter until somebody else emerges, or he continues to pitch this badly.
-- Haren. Why does everyone want him to start the All Star Game? Let him pitch his inning in the fourth or something and get out of there. Haren wasn't going to continue at his ridiculous pace all season long. The real problem is, as usual, the team couldn't score.
I'm wondering how the A's scratch out a win tomorrow, needing to rely on the bullpen with Harden starting. It will be mighty tempting to use Gaudin, even though I think he needs the rest. Blanton should be good on Sunday, but the A's need more than a split if the team is to be anything more than a fringe contender.
I'm not grousing, as my expectations aren't high. But I still want to hope against hope that the A's can gain some ground and keep me hoping about the playoffs.
bear88 - July 6, 2007
Just back from the game
(with a detour to In-N-Out...)
The game was irretrievably jinxed in the second inning when security arrived in the LF bleachers, and proceeded to throw Bobby 510 out of the stadium for having tossed Beltre's home run back on to the field. Bad karma.
Englishmajor - July 6, 2007
You can get thrown out of a game for that?
I always have thought throwing a home run ball back onto the field was stupid, but I have never seen a player get hit by a fan's rejected ball.
I didn't know it was against the rules. If so, the rules are almost as dumb as throwing the ball back in the first place.
Maybe I'm just bitter because I have never gotten a foul ball in my whole MLB-attending life.
bear88 - July 6, 2007
I hope Danny pitches well in the ASG
Because I really care whether or not detroit or boston gets another potential game at home when they play the mets in 3 months. really. I want kenny rogers to get a home start.
notah8er - July 7, 2007
A simple request if Chavez can't go tomorrow.
Have Scutaro play a very deep third base and let Stewart play a very shallow left field.
DMOAS - July 7, 2007
OK, first: Who the hell
thinks that 4 errors in one game is actually Marco Scutaro's average game at third base? If you do, you're completely daft. He's played there in 31 games so far in his career, and while his .931 fielding percentage is quite bad, it's not 4 errors in one game bad. So get the eff over it. He had a bad game. Pokey Reese had 4 errors in one inning and he now has a career fielding percentage of nine-freaking-eighty!
Everyone's entitled to have a bad game every once in a while. Hell, everyone's entitled to have an atrocious game every once in a while, as Mr. Scutaro might be considered to have done tonight.
Alright, second: Get used to Haren giving up a few runs a game. You had to know that it wasn't going to be Pedro Martinez utterly historic for him this season. Who on earth calls 3 ER in 6 1/3 a bad outing. Certainly it's not what we're used to out of him this season, but if you look at how he actually pitched tonight, you'll note that he got away with quite a bit.
He struggles to spot his fastball most of the time, and he hung more than a few sliders and curveballs. He got lucky that only Beltre got one out of the yard tonight. I can't count the number of times (mostly because I've forgotten most of the instances) where he left a ball up and over the plate and Willie Bloomquist or Jose "Freaking" Vidro banged a ball hard and/or deep against him.
--
OK, that was terribly aggressive. But look, these kinds of games are par for the course with a team like ours. They're not going to happen particularly often, but when one fielder has an off night which manifests itself in rather critical situations combined with a pitcher who's not quite spot on and an offense that doesn't have it either, you have to expect what results we got tonight.
If Haren was sharp and Marco rocked the house, then it would have been 3-1 or something close. If the offense had been good and Marco was sparkling, it would have been 5-4. If Haren was sharp and the O were firing on all (most) cylinders, it would have been 4-3. But when they all happen to lack at the same time, you get a disappointing blowout. It's not what you want, but you have to realize that this game was a result of a bunch of things not happening... at the same time.
Drunken rant: out!
hunter - July 7, 2007
It's not the errors
It's the fact that Scutaro has terrible range at SS, and terrible range and arm strength for 3B. He simply doesn't have the tools to play any other position besides 2B, which makes him ill suited as a utility IF. Trade him to a team where he can be a 2B only or cut him and let him find his own team after this year. He's not a terrible player, he just is not capable of doing what this team needs him to be.
BlameChannel53 - July 7, 2007
Kielty
i hope Kielty is activated by Sunday. He's been on a tear in AAA and we do need more power in the lineup, particularly from the right side if Washburn is going to start on short rest on Sunday.
oak1 - July 7, 2007
No consistency
That's what it boils down to. Either the injuries or lack of preparation are causing this team to just not play several good games in a row. I'd like to stay optimistic with the Angels playing as poorly as they are, but it takes more than one good offensive game a week to win on a regular basis.
sprtsnwyn - July 7, 2007
Colby Lewis
Can someone tell me why he is still in the bullpen. This guy gives up runs every time he goes out there. Why not send him down and bring up Brad Knox and see what happens.
crd04us - July 7, 2007
I fell asleep in the 8th.
Apparently the team fell asleep in the third. Marco had a rough game. It happens. The guy has been to good to us in the past to hang him out to dry over last night. If Chavez isn't out there today, I hope the home crowd gives Marco a hand if Geren trots him back out to third. He deserves that in my opinion. No matter how good Danny is, a pitcher is going to need more than one run from his offense most of the time. As usual, our hitting let us down. I watched the Yankee's and Angels play before last nights game. I was struck by the fact that if we had half their offensive production, we would be the class of the AL. So it seemed anyway.
alox - July 7, 2007
bullpen and beltre
Beane should trade kennedy while he still has some trade value as a starter. He is a free agent after this year so goodbye to him. Lewis does suck and he has to be the worst pitcher in the bullpen the last 5 years. Why didn't they just keep witasick instead he couldn't do any worse.
Beltre most have gotten some clear cream from Bonds. He has had no power then all of a sudden hits the ball out. Maybe he was snooping around canseco's old locker and found some left overs.
Arcman - July 7, 2007
Crosby to third?
Geren should play crosby at third and sutaro at ss. Scutar is a good ss but third may not be his calling. I played third and it was alot harder than ss. The ball comes at you much quicker.
Arcman - July 7, 2007
First A's Game Today....
Any idea how to get there? I'm close to Downtown San Fran....
henry85 - July 7, 2007
BART to the Coliseum stop and follow the crowds
green star oakland - July 7, 2007
thanks!
henry85 - July 7, 2007
I blame the Dogfather
lookie here ...
green star oakland - July 7, 2007
I don't blame Scutaro for
failing at his third-best position (actually, he looks better in LF and RF than at 3B--is 3B is fifth-best position?). I wonder why the A's needed to use him. If Donnie Murphy can't play 3B, why is he up? Where's Antonio Perez?
The biggest problem I saw with Scutaro last night is that it got into his head. The last error was all mental--he was psyched out by all the previous errors and muffed a play he's made 1,000,000 times at 2B and SS. But he's not a 3Bman--maybe we should have had someone on the roster who is?
Nico - July 7, 2007
That's kind of my point
Scutaro is supposed to be our utility IF, but he has terrible range at SS and is just overall terrible at 3B. Why is he on our team? Why is Donnie Murphy on our team if he is either incapable of playing 3B or Geren doesn't trust him? The failure of the A's to have any sort of reliable backup at 3B means we end up with Chavez dragging his half-dead carcass out to 3B when he is hurt, and he ends up with injuries that drag on and on as he continues to reaggrevate the same injury repeatedly. For such a smart management team, the A's do things that at times I find incomprehensible.
BlameChannel53 - July 7, 2007
Also . . .
The lack of a viable defensive option at SS means Crosby has to play pretty much every day, because the A's know what every scout in baseball knows; Scutaro should not be allowed to play SS in a MLB game.
BlameChannel53 - July 7, 2007
I find the Harenalysis on this thread puzzling
The guy had to throw 22 outs to get 19, and at that point he was at 6.1 IP, 1 ER. He was the only bright spot--the offense stunk, the defense stunk, and the bullpen stunk. Haren gave the team a great chance to win; hardly "another poor outing".
Nico - July 7, 2007
You're right.
The only bright spot last night was Haren. Right now Haren is a very good pitcher with the potential to be a great one. I've got nothing but good things to say about him....why anyone would fault him is indeed puzzling.
alox - July 7, 2007
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