A’s 5, Tigers 4 (10 innings) After Huston Street couldn’t hold a 4-2 lead for the second game in a row, Dan Johnson’s RBI single won it for the A’s in the bottom of the 10th.
First of all, I don’t think Huston Street has very good 4-2, but he showed very good fortitude in his comeback inning, a dominant 10th through the heart of the Tigers’ order. Blanton deserved the win, but Street got it—and deserved it, in his own way.
There’s a reason Dan Johnson has one sacrifice bunt in his entire professional career. Actually, two reasons. One is that he’s a lousy bunter, but the other is that throughout his professional career his managers haven’t really wanted to take the bat out of his hands. Just as Street made good on his reprieve, Johnson made good on his.
Sometimes the best defensive plays are the ones you don’t make and sometimes the worst defensive plays are the ones you don’t make. In the 9th inning, I thought Ellis showed his smarts by not trying to get a difficult force at second base even though it was the tying run and it was tempting to try to get the lead runner. Instead of risking a disastrous throw into left-field, Ellis calmly threw to first and took the sure out—which would have been a game-saver if only Street had gotten the third out. (Ellis’ decision didn’t look quite so good when Casey singled to tie the game, but it was still the right play.) Contrast that with the final play of the game. How does Polanco not get to that ball at least to knock it down? I mean, thanks and everything, but surely Ellis gets there. <cough> gold glove <cough>
So despite enduring a 5-game losing streak, the A’s finish August 17-12, and they continue to remind the contending teams not to forget about them.
0 recs | 22 comments
Exactly
Planco gold glove?? No way. He should have atleast knocked down the ball. Ellis would have. Planco is not a gold glove fielder.
Arcman - August 31, 2007
He is....he's just the second best
GG contending 2nd baseman in this league.
alox - August 31, 2007
Street
What he really deserves is next week's Vulture Division award on beyondtheboxscore
doctorK - August 31, 2007
absolutely agree
and he needs to get some award for his teammates bailing him out all the time
closetasfan - September 1, 2007
Gives the term "Rolaids relief award"
an entirely new meaning.
PaulThomas - September 1, 2007
Oh, and speaking of defensive plays,
it helps to think ahead. If Timo Perez had known who was running before he chased Piazza's liner off the wall, picked it up, and started to lob it into third, he would have gunned Piazza down at second. Again, thanks.
Nico - August 31, 2007
I hope they pay the $5 mil and keep Ellis
Which is another way of saying, I hope they go with a young shortstop who needs mentoring next year, because Ellis is the perfect player to fill that role. While giving the pitching staff the security of having a fine-fielding middle infielder behind them (sort of the 2B analogy to KME) and offering a fair offensive contribution (.740-ish OPS, no analogy to Kendall there).
96 pitches through 7 for Blanton and Embree comes out for the 8th. I think the apparent after-effects of Blanton's 122-pitch complete game in early July are leading them to be very careful with his pitch count for the remainder of the season. In 6 starts in August, his highest pitch count was 105.
Soaker - August 31, 2007
For those not willing to wade through
the entire other thread: I think that the A's will ultimately resign Ellis for 3-4 years. I don't think there's anybody on the team that Beane respects more than Ellis.
PaulThomas - September 1, 2007
did anybody see
if swish's catch made web gems on baseball tonight? and if so where?
jackcustismyhero32 - August 31, 2007
that was an amazing catch
Swish got a standing ovation from the stands that lasted a couple of minutes.
Also, Cust made a very good catch later in the game (just please, Jack, two hands on the cans of corn!!)
OaklandSi - September 1, 2007
just got back after a long game
and fireworks show.
I was glad when Zumaya was called to pitch the bottom of the 10th, because while he throws 100 mph fastballs he either misses the plate entirely or catches enough of it to get a hit. It looked like Piazza was measuring and timing Zumaya's pitches, and very smoothly sent one that caught too much of the plate down the left field line for a double.
It remained for DJ to do the same. When he very poorly attempted to bunt I screamed "What are you doing?!" The people in front of me started to explain how bunting over the runner, then sacrificing him home, is good strategy -- but they obviously don't know the A's. Thankfully DJ did the right thing and got the winning run home.
OaklandSi - September 1, 2007
See...
there's a stitched sphere, known as a "ball." While the man standing on the mound hurls the "ball" toward the metal, pentagonal "plate" (this action is known as "pitching"), an opposing player with a large, tapered cylinder of wood ("bat") attempts to hit the "ball" with the "bat."
It's a good thing those folks were sitting in front of you; otherwise how would have any idea what was going on?
:-)
oblique - September 1, 2007
I really like the Recap
At the start of this thread. Good idea, and way to go and follow through with it.
Shippee33 - September 1, 2007
The fireworks were excellent
Interesting colors and patterns, not the same old same old. And the music -- segueing from "Dancing Queen" to "Instant Karma" -- only the A's would have the guts to do it. Bravo. And live National Anthem and Roy Steele is back (on his birthday). Oh yeah, the game was okay too.
Englishmajor - September 1, 2007
Ah yes now it makes sense
Pretty sure the guys on my bart train coming back were singing Happy Birthday to Roy Steele. And then the national anthem
Shut it Down - September 1, 2007
no wonder we haven't seen jason windsor
i didn't know he was injured too!
gotgreen - September 1, 2007
staying up late after the game
I was chilling in the bleachers during the game. It was great to see Swish and Cust make ridiculous catches. It wasn't too great to watch Huston blow the save for the second time in two games.
The secret to the A's success for this game came after the Tiger half of the fourth inning when we were still a run behind. I had spotted a little girl in the row behind me who really wanted to play with my prop Hulk fists, so I let her don the smashers for a little while.
Soon after, the A's scored three times (bangers from Cust and DJ included). I told her she did a great job rallying the A's.
Losing the game, giving the Hulk fists to a cute little girl, then going ahead? Coinicidence? I THINK NOT!!
oaklandSMASH - September 1, 2007
First...
...I feel badly for Blanton. He pitched a good game and his teammates EXCELLED at getting him 4 runs. Then Street quickly works the game into a tie.
Perez was 'not in the game' and he has been told about it, I'm sure. Cost a run.
Finally, a major league player not being able to bunt (it was very clear from the way he handled the bat) is part of the problem the A's have had all year. They don't play the whole game. Whether he was successful, or not, is beside the point. All of these players should have that skill, and others, by the time they get this far. If they were all named Ted Williams, I could understand it, but these guys need ALL the help they can get to score a run. THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE FUNDAMENTALS DOWN AND ITS PROBABLY BECAUSE MANAGEMENT IS NOT INSISTING THAT THE COACHES GET THEM. Oh, how I wish Wash were back!
doubleplayer - September 1, 2007
Teaching DJ to bunt would be a colossal waste of
time.
salb918 - September 1, 2007
Baseball is 96% fundamentals.
mikeA - September 1, 2007
There are approximately 283648632 better things
to do with the time of a major league ballplayer than teach him how to sacrifice bunt. I'd rather see him doing fielding practice at third base. Or catcher. Or warming up in the bullpen.
Particularly given that this is DJ we're talking about here. He couldn't leg out a bunt hit if the pitcher had an aneurysm trying to field it.
PaulThomas - September 1, 2007
I'm not ...
...just talking about DJ and I'm not talking about having him become an expert bunter AFTER he reaches the majors. I do think any major league player should be able to move the runner over a base, which was what DJ was asked to do. Finally, I'm not talking about DJ 'legging' out a bunt for a base hit.
This is a one dimension club that is very weak on scoring - 1 run again today, Saturday. When they don't learn ALL the fundamentals of the game, they are worth less to the club, i.e., Crosby not being able to hit the outside pitch to right field. Get 2 strikes on him, throw him an outslide slider and he's out. Automatic!
I think it does get to the point where, if the club won't focus on fundamentals, the player must do it himself.
Enough, already - nothing will change.
doubleplayer - September 1, 2007
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