Well, this game took on shades of ’07 for me, as the A’s put together yet another brilliant starting pitching performance against the defending World Champs, and couldn’t get a single run across the plate to compete in this game.
Both Blanton yesterday and Harden today were MORE than good enough to put themselves in line for a win, but the A’s offense failed to get up off the deck for either one of them. I liked today’s lineup too, on paper; Mike Sweeney, Jack Cust, and Emil Brown filled the power spots, and the Travis Buck, the early leadoff black hole, was given the day off.
It didn’t seem to matter. Much like Dice K yesterday, Lester absolutely stifled the A’s for seven plus innings, throwing zeros across the board behind three hits and three walks. The A’s patented double-play train didn’t help, erasing nearly all of their early baserunners.
Barton, Emil, Suzuki and Hannahan picked up the lone four hits for the A’s, and because I didn’t say it yesterday; I’ll say it today: Hannahan looks great in the field. The A’s had a runner on to start both the seventh and the eighth innings, but Crosby was at the plate with a 3-1 count for one, and Dan Johnson pinch-hit for the overmatched Norfie for the other. Enough said.
On the pitching side, James Richard Harden was brilliant again, recovering nicely from the worst first inning situation possible in baseball: Bases loaded. Manny up. No one out. A’s fans everywhere ducking and covering.
However, he escaped the jam nicely, and went on to throw 86 pitches (no, I’m not going to speculate about his low pitch-count; I’m assuming that most of those pitches where thrown under stress); allowing four hits, four walks, and striking out six over five innings without surrendering a single run. The A’s pitchers continued their Houdini routine until the seventh, when Boston finally broke through against Alan Embree, who gave up a 2-run homerun to the no-longer-dormant Ortiz.
Lenny DiNardo secured the loss by allowing Boston to connect on four consecutive hits in the eighth, leaving the bases loaded for Casilla with one run in. Casilla promptly allowed another consecutive single for Boston’s fourth run, but then shut down the heart of the lineup by striking out Ortiz and getting Manny to ground into a double play, leaving the score at 4-0 until Street came in to give up a homerun to Varitek. Keep a close eye on Street; there have been many comments about missing velocity.
But in the end, it didn’t really matter if the pitching was great or terrible, since the Red Sox would have won with a single run today, making this the only game in the four-game set that the A’s were really and truly blown-out, despite losing three. Tough start to the Oakland homestand; the A’s offense has gone missing.
Frustrating for us, yes, but the A’s will score some runs. Some of the young hitters will figure things out, and the overall bat speeds will increase. Hang in there.
The A’s start a new series on Friday night at 7:05 against Cleveland. Duchscherer will make his first start.
0 recs | 188 comments
Give it another two weeks.
If nothing changes, sign Bonds. At least it would be exciting and you know he'll at least have a good OBP. Bonds DH/LF, Cust DH/LF, CarGon CF, Brown/Buck RF. Just give us something to watch this year.
Swishdball - April 2, 2008
Me Concur
They should sign Bonds. They also need to get some speed at the top of the lineup. Billy needs to sign/draft some dudes that have high OBP and wheels. Pitchers don't get disrupted when they face the A's and station to station baseball approach.
Constance BH - April 3, 2008
What about Huston Street?
As alluded to by Korach in the 9th inning, Street's velocity does not appear to be what it should be. Granted he'll never be a fireballer, but he threw 20 pitches, one of which hit 90 but most of his fastballs are coming in at 86-88. By contrast (actually, not by nearly enough contrast), his two slowest changeups registered 80 and 81.
I'm not sure if I'm "concerned" on April 2, but it's something to watch in the next week or two.
Soaker - April 2, 2008
Street used to hit 94-95 on radar guns
A 5mph drop in velocity would be a concern, for sure.
mikev - April 2, 2008
He's been infected
with Zito-itis.
Actually, though, he's never even averaged 92 MPH. Hard to tell whether this is just him not in midseason form. Casilla was only hitting the high 80s yesterday too, except for one pitch that he got up to 94.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
I think the radar gun was off
I saw 98 at one point when Casilla was throwing, and there's no way Matsusaka was only throwing 88-90. He's usually up around 91-93.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I added a comment about it
Thanks
baseballgirl - April 2, 2008
Street
also looked awful (both velocity and location) in the exhibition game against the Giants last weekend. It could just be one of those temporary "dead arm" things, but in light of his problems last year I'm worried.
andeux - April 2, 2008
dead arm? it's April 2nd.
If he's got dead arm, he needs to be traded away ASAP
mikev - April 2, 2008
Um
You do realize that players who are injured are, you know, worth less, right?
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/muldema01.shtml
mikev - April 2, 2008
... Mulder started 32 games
had an ERA of 3.64, and led his team to the postseason in 2005, in which he pitched extremely well.
As much as people might like to gloat about selling the Cardinals a lemon, Mulder was not injured when he was traded. Either that or he somehow miraculously managed to disguise it next year as a highly effective season.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
Runaway assertion alert!
He was effective in 2005, but he was also pretty lucky. I'm not going to be penning a Staturday offering anytime soon, but I know a 70/111 BB/K ratio means he didn't exactly dominate his way to that glossy 16-8, 3.64 mark. And I can spot a trend ... K/9, 2001-July 2004: 6.0, 6.9, 6.2, 6.2. Aug-Sep 2004: 4.23. 2005: 4.87. 2006: Arm fell off.
Anyway. Watching him pitch during the second half of 2004, it was blindingly obvious something was wrong with him. Velocity way down (7-8 mph), no snap, no location. Just a mess, and out of nowhere. I guaran-damn-tee he was not physically sound.
Obviously he collected himself enough to finesse his way through another year (weaker league, crummy peripherals, etc.), but he was never the same, post all-star break, 2004. Not even close. And I'm kinda sorta thinking that's because he was injured.
74mk - April 2, 2008
I guess the question is moot, to some extent
because what's important, assuming an injury isn't SO obvious that a physical will catch it, is not whether someone's injured but whether they're perceived to be injured.
It's pretty obvious, given what the A's got for Mulder, that he was not perceived to be injured at the time.
Trying to sell low on Street when he IS perceived to be injured would be an entirely different issue. Now, I don't know that he's perceived to be injured right now, but he definitely is perceived to be struggling, which will have a similar effect.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
I don't know ...
... if Mulder had been healthy, how do you know St Louis wouldn't have included Pujols in the deal?
I didn't have any idea who Barton, Haren, and Calero were when the trade went down, but if I had, I would have been astonished at that haul for a pitcher who, despite his repeated assertions to the contrary, was definitely, obviously, no doubt about it hurt. Clearly the Cards convinced themselves otherwise, but that doesn't mean they were right.
But as to the question of perception, I suppose you're correct. Though that's not quite what you said in your comment above.
Street? Who knows? He's gone through periods of diminished velocity before, but generally when coming back from injury, which (supposedly) isn't the case now.
(I was at this game, for example, and remember him topping out at 87 on the stadium gun)
For now, I prefer to stick my fingers in my ears, hum a bouncy Stevie Wonder song, and pretend everything is fine.
74mk - April 3, 2008
and don't forget that Mulder was the second shoe to drop
After Beane traded Hudson (whom the Cards had also been in on), the relative scarcity of available pitching apparently boosted Mulder's value a bit.
And I agree with you -- he was clearly not in good physical condition the second half of the season before he was traded.
monkeyball - April 3, 2008
Did either of you watch him in 2005?
I mean, on multiple occasions?
Genuine question. I mean, I cannot see how someone with the kind of extensive structural damage that was repaired (not very effectively) in 2006 could have pitched effectively for an entire season with it. He would have needed more rabbits' feet than he had back pockets to have that kind of luck.
Shoulder damage is somewhat cumulative, so it's possible that it was a two-step process-- but even if that's the case, the Mulder the Cardinals acquired was not today's Mulder. If people are correct about Street, he's already in Stage Two now (diminished velocity and effectiveness). Had the market realized that Mulder was a diminished pitcher, there's no way the A's get a second good prospect out of the deal, and I think the same can now be said of Street.
Now, if the A's can get someone to pay Stage One value for him-- sure, trade him, I guess. But there didn't seem to be a ton of demand over the winter.
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
I did, maybe 4-5 times
The time (or two?) he matched up against Hudson, and two or three times otherwise. Plus the playoffs. What I remember is the same precipitous velocity drop, but a better ability to pitch down with some sink, whereas during the latter stages of 2004 everything was 85 and at the belt (then over the wall).
So: Not wrecked yet, but not nearly the pitcher he was in his heyday. I don't have any clue what that indicates with respect to the various stages of shoulder deterioration - seems like he was really hurt (04), then kinda hurt (05), then dead (06). Or really hurt, semi-rehabbed but tempting fate, then dead. Or hurt one way, then better but diminished, then hurt a totally different way. Who knows. Whatever the case, I only mean to dispute the notion that he was perfectly fine when he was traded, and that 2005 somehow proved that.
Anyway, "the market" just needs to be one team, right? Is the fact that Cardinals overpaid necessarily an indication that there was a bidding war, or that many, many other teams were interested? (I don't recall the particulars)
74mk - April 3, 2008
I think that the story that was promulgated was ...
... that the Braves and Cards (and one or two other teams?) were in hot pursuit of Hudson, and when Beane finally got the players he wanted from the Braves (yeah, I know), the Cards were so invested in getting a pitcher, and Beane had 'em so hooked already, that it didn't take much work to pull them into the boat and gut 'em.
monkeyball - April 3, 2008
I did not
Did you watch him in '04? He looked far, far worse then than Huston does now.
IIRC, it wasn't his shoulder that was most proximally bothering him in '04, but a flareup/complication from his 2003 hip stress fracture.
monkeyball - April 3, 2008
No... I was several thousand miles away
at the time. (I actually did not get to watch many A's games prior to last season, for one reason or another. Mostly to do with being out of town and/or broke.) Basically my entire knowledge of that season is derived from boxscores and reading "Aces."
Besides, baseball coverage in Japan in 2004 was pretty much all Ichiro, all the time...
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
The A's left their hits
in Phoenix, Arizona
oaklandSMASH - April 2, 2008
I hate Sox fans
This team is not good at hitting baseballs. We need Bonds.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
+3
andeux - April 2, 2008
Seems like the anti-Bonds sentiment has kind of tailed off around here
I wonder if all the people opposed to him were the same people who couldn't figure out the switch to AN 3.0.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
I dunno
There's at least one person still here who doesn't want any part of Bonds in an A's uniform.
Eff Barry Lamar Bonds.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Distraction
"There's at least one person still here who doesn't want any part of Bonds in an A's uniform."
Make that two, Flashfire. Just what the A's need...a mutated ego who's under indictment. Forget it.
gregorymark - April 2, 2008
Make it three.
Poppy - April 2, 2008
What if we sign him and dfa Cust?
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Nope.
Poppy - April 2, 2008
Hey, mikeA -- YOU SUCK!
monkeyball - April 2, 2008
3d, 7tg
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Are you trying to personally exemplify AN's new spirit
of abbreviated, research-free posts?
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
Yeah, I suck
But hopefully by late May I'll suck and have $20.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Is this the Harden bet?
What were the terms again?
andeux - April 2, 2008
10 starts+saves (of which there have been 3) for the A's
mikeA - April 2, 2008
No thanks
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
I think it's just that it hasn't come up
mikeA - April 2, 2008
the switch couldn't have been all that challenging
Witness today's game thread.
monkeyball - April 2, 2008
what do you mena
lest brng up teh young guyzzzz
flipgatey3 - April 2, 2008
y our are hiters strugling?
BWH - April 2, 2008
ESPN your faggotz
green star oakland - April 2, 2008
Lookout Landing wants him now, too
monkeyball - April 2, 2008
A good compromise then:
He plays for the A's and blogs for LL.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
+ 1000
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
On the positive side
The season has started out pretty well for the A's. The two biggest trade chips that the A's have(Harden, Blanton) are still healthy and pitching well against a very good hitting Boston club. Hopefully they will continue pitching well and the A's can get some good, high upside hitters to go along with our good yet very young pitching.
asfaninpismobeach - April 2, 2008
i take it we lost today
and finally read yesterdays score after getting back in this evening. sigh.
ak_A - April 2, 2008
mikev, wherever you are
STOP SAYING THAT
Holy fucking shit, they're just a baseball team. It's not like they're automatically going to win every fucking game they play because ZOMG THEY'RE THE WOLRD CHAMPS!1one!1!1shiftplusone!1!!!!
Ugh. It's like ESPN.
by mikev on Apr 2, 2008 3:47 PM PDT up reply 0 recs
Your response to all of the "well, we are playing the world champs" was absolutely CLASSIC!!!! Man, that made my day ... definitely "Post of the Day!"
Vacafan - April 2, 2008
I laughed out loud for a while, to be honest.
baseballgirl - April 2, 2008
yikes
i said that too...glad you didn't notice
flipgatey3 - April 2, 2008
i knew when ortiz go that little inside-out bloop single over crosby's head he wasn't gonna stay quiet for the rest of the game. that made me more mad than the home run. ortiz and hrs are inevitable but if he could've waited and got the bloop at the next ab we might have been ok.
guerillarag - April 2, 2008
TWO WORDS
Rebuilding season. While it was frusterating losing 3 of 4 from the Sox (especially considering their ace wan't even pitching), I don't think we did to poorly. We played the world champions tough, and had a chance to win all of those games. Its encouraging to see strong starting pitching and Harden and Cros on the field rather than on the trainers table (I know it's only Apr.2, but knowing those two...). We have to put things in prespective and remember that this is a team with alot of talent in the minors that has a bright future. Just my $0.02
KarvKid510 - April 2, 2008
I think it's not exactly uncommon to have...
...fans acting like each loss is like Game 7 of the World Series, while there are other quieter ones who don't get as up and down over the results or events in every game, especially when we already know they're going to struggle this year.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Yup -- I'll pitch mine in with yours.
The Dogfather - April 2, 2008
It's extra weird seeing Danny Haren
in an Arizona uni. I love that guy though.
Tyler Bleszinski - April 2, 2008
Oh I can't fight this feeling anymore
After the Sox went up 2-1 last night, with Matsuzaka dealing and the lineup looking anemic, the one run deficit felt completely insurmountable. Same deal today (without the ballpark ambience to soothe my savage breast)...down a couple to Cy Lester and it felt like the A's were toast.
A lineup with Emil Brown in the 5 hole, protected by Bobby Crosby, doesn't exactly conjure visions of comebacks. Sigh...at least Harden's arm is still attached to his body (it is, right? Gameday is spotty sometimes).
FreeSeatUpgrade - April 2, 2008
I felt like they were Micro$oft to our Netscape --
-- and they just steadily choked-off our air supply.
The Dogfather - April 2, 2008
are you all out of love?
monkeyball - April 2, 2008
unbelievable...
Low percentage with men on base and now they are running into outs! Worse offense than the Giants? Maybe so...
Oaktownflav - April 2, 2008
Tale of the Hero Usher
So a family of four Sox fans were sitting in front of me (two kids ~~4-8), sporting those melodious Boston accents. The mother dozed off in the middle of the game and the usher came to wake her up for safety reasons (down the RF line by the bullpen), at which point she starts cussing. The usher was unfazed, but her husband didn't like the cussing in front of the kids and she wasn't having that. So the next inning, she takes a can of mountain dew out of her bag, and the usher comes to make her pour it out. Haha. I should have given her a tip.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Awesome
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Of course...
...now she'll probably go back and tell all her friends what pricks Coliseum ushers are and how she was treated so unfairly because she's a Boston fan.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
If she got hit by a foul ball she'd be bitching too about the usher not waking her up.
3amA'sfan - April 2, 2008
Haren's getting roughed up...
2 HRs in one inning.
Oaktownflav - April 2, 2008
watching espn yankee jays game
Orel Hershhash on Derek Jetter..."he must date some high quality gals."
And I am loathing hearing about the last year of Yankee Stadium every freaking inning from here to the end of time.
ak_A - April 2, 2008
I wonder if Hershiser was trying to be hilarious
or has no idea what he was saying.
I mean, I guess he did "date" some high quality gals... but it seems he also "left his mark," as it were.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
Mariah Carey != high quality gal
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Left his mark?
Jeter's no Marv Albert.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I'm thinking more along the lines
of Don Corleone, if you catch my drift.
You know, gave them a gift they couldn't refuse.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
No Marv, Herp.
green star oakland - April 2, 2008
That's some mighty thin ice
for a guy named Orel to tread upon.
FreeSeatUpgrade - April 2, 2008
Dan Haren
Just hit a double...then scored
drink409 - April 2, 2008
He WAS rated the best hitter on the A's staff
in MVP '05...
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
This evening, just before the end of PTI,
when ESPN is telling the world what great information is coming up on the 6 p.m. (ET) SportsCenter, I'm told I'm going to hear what is wrong with the Tigers and Cubs after their 0-2 starts.
I thought, "I don't know what's wrong with the Tigers and Cubs, but I do know what's wrong with SportsCenter -- that they think they already know what's wrong with the Tigers and Cubs after two games. And that it blows in general."
Same thing with the A's. Granted the A's don't have the same expectations as Detroit and the Chicago Cubs, but I'm not ready to say this offense is already worse than the Giants based on two games. This is the same group that just last week posted 10 runs in Japan against the same team that put up the same two starting pitchers. And from what I sensed on AN during the spring, the offense didn't seem like it was going to be so bad -- now it is after two games?
I echo what Swishdball said -- give it another two weeks. Except I give them four. And I believe it won't be Bonds the A's will be signing -- if Bonds was really what the A's thought they needed to boost their offense, I think they would've done it already.
FormerHuntsvilleStar - April 2, 2008
hey, you are talking about the Sports Authority
and they gotta have some special insight....by golly I will tune in and take notes!
ak_A - April 2, 2008
Im With Ya
Do I think we're going to blow people away with our offense? No. But worse than the Giants? Absolutely not. We've got a young team who are still learning the ropes, its early. The fact is the A's are going through a higly publicized rebuilding phase and in my opinion it wont be a long one. We've already got some of our young guys in place (Barton, Buck) with a few more just about ready (CarGon, Gio). The A's are a scrappy team, thats what we've been known for, a scrappy team with quality (if not excellent) pitching. It wont be too long. Bottom line, I love this team too much to give up on them after two games. This may not be the most enjoyable season but it will definitly be useful, the kids will come around. In the meantime Go A's!
oaktownjim - April 2, 2008
+4
Let's give it some time. Cubs and Tigers, 0-2, case closed. Those are veteran clubs, extremely proven MLB hitters, and they didn't get it done.
Is hitting contagious?? Is lack of hitting contagious? I'd say it seems to be, regardless of "rebuilding", or Cabrera added to Ordonez added to Polanco.
One won lost won - April 2, 2008
korach and Cotroneo jinxed the game
just kidding -- sooner or later Ortiz was going to break out of his 0-fer to start the season.
OaklandSi - April 2, 2008
Every year we need hitting.
It is getting a little old to watch these kids pitch so well and come away wtih L's. Would it be so fricking terrible to sign Bonds and let Cust play LF?
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Worse than having Bonds play it...
Even at age 43 he's still a better fielder than Cust.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
Yeah but Bonds
is old and would probably get hurt if he played it.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Yeah
It should definitely be Cust in the OF when we sign Bonds. I think I'll offer to babysit BB's twins for free if he pulls the trigger.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
I will offer to babysit and
mow his yard for a month if he signs Bonds. Now top that!
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I'm not tellin' what I'll offer if he *doesn't* sign Bonds.
Poppy - April 2, 2008
Ok don't tell us...
just post the PIC of it.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I will buy him a custom, authentic
Arsenal jersey.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
But...He wants a custom...
Quake Jersey...which I volunteer Andeux to buy for him. After all you are babysitting and I am mowing the yard...Andeux has to do something too!
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Okay. I'd egg his house.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
This exchange reminds me of that old commercial
What would you do for a KLONDIKE bar...and the people make fools of themselves...
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I'd buy the eggs
DMOAS - April 2, 2008
There is absolutely no point in wasting...
...a roster spot and money on Barry Bonds. None whatsoever.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
The point would be
that the A's might be able to win a few games. I don't enjoy watching a beautiful pitching performance if there are no runs to support it. I enjoy being entertained....Rebuilding is ok but if you can win and rebuild? It's a lot better.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Bzzzt
Nope, sorry. Bonds would only be a sideshow attraction at this point. Rebuilding is about giving the kids a chance to show you something, not bringing in Bonds for the chance of a few extra wins.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
The kids
like Emil Brown and Mike Sweeney?
andeux - April 2, 2008
^5 andeux!
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Better them than Bonds in my book
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
I don't think I'll read your book.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Time for a book
Bonfire ;-)
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Come on
It's not that cold here.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
to score runs?
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Wouldn't make much of a difference this year.
Certainly not enough to be worth it.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
I am willing to find out if it is worth it.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Not me
Not ever.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Not me
Not ever.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Meant to go to IM4Oakgal
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Oh no the Yankees just scored.
It must be nice to have a big bat like Rodriguez on the team... hint hint.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
hee hee
mikeA - April 2, 2008
How much are they paying him?
I forget. Oh, right - more than the entire Marlins roster.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
But the current Homerun King...
Needs employment and may be an "undervalued commodity". Does anybody know any GMs that like those? Just curious.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
And how much do you think Bonds would...
...be willing to play for? Seriously.
All I know is if the A's do bring Bonds in I'll pay less attention to them until he's gone again.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
The entire country will be paying more attention.
You'd be in the minority. As for Bonds price he won't play for peanuts(in baseball dollars) like Thomas did. But he won't be able to set his price if he really wants to play.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I don't really care what the rest of the country does.
The attention it will bring is not the kind of attention this team needs.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
I understand your point.
But I disagree with you vehemently. But I still like ya, you mixed up crazy kid. hehe.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
It's all good. What would it be if we all agreed?
I just really do not like Bonds and want him nowhere near this team.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
I don't like his personality either.
I just like his biceps.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
The truth, revealed
You like dudes who are chemically enhanced!
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Better than your favorite...
blow-up dolls haha
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Who told?
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
Wow
We've played 4 games and people are already wanting to overhaul the offense. This is a YOUNG team. Everybody calm down and realize that these guys will probably be a little inconsistent in the first couple months, but we should have people start to hit their strides. Besides, the pitching is always ahead of the hitting in the first month of the season.
Signing Bonds would be a dumb move. We already have 2 DHs!! (3 if you count Johnson) We need the younger, cheaper options that are under contract to get major league at bats.
Why don't we wait until after the first two months to evaluate the team? We are just working with a small sample size right now.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I hear you,baseb, except
that after watching the A's struggle in many different seasons offensively I can already predict that it will continue to be a big problem. Yes, the Young guys will do better...but tremendously better? Naw..I don't think so.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
The talent is there
The numbers from the minors are there, past production dictates that this will be a solid, if unspectacular lineup. There aren't any superstars here, but there isn't one horrible hitter in the A's lineup like we've had in years past.
Past years are past years. We didn't have Barton for a full season last year. We didn't have Kurt Suzuki for a full season. Ditto Denorfia, Buck, Cust, et. al. We had Kendall and Kotsay sucking up at bats. Chavez was still injured. Crosby can't possibly be any worse than last year. There is plenty to look forward to.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I think that there is hope...
but I don't believe the A's will hit any better than last season.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
You have to realize
Kendall and Kotsay had horrible seasons of epic proportions. We're talking OPS+ of 45-50 with over 200 ABs each. We're replacing them with Suzuki, OPS+ of 99 last year, and Denorfia, career OPS+ of 91. That alone makes this offense better.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I should say 40-60, which is still terrible
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
We had a few gains
but a few losses too...like Swish and even Scutaro.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Scutaro was a nice fill-in
But let's get real. He's a utility backup infielder, and never had great stats. He's a fan favorite and that's great, but again, he's a backup. Swish was a legitimate loss. But who's to say that getting rid of dead weight like Kotsay and Kendall won't help this offense immensely? Not to mention Chavez will be back in a month.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
Chavez may be back
but he may not be back and if he is back will his back hold up and will he be able to protect the back of the hitter in front of him and ...oh what was I saying?
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Chavez will be fine
He played with two bum shoulders and a bad back and still put up above league average numbers last year.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I do wish the best for Eric..
He really is a gamer and I hope he comes back. But his injury is serious and seems chronic. It's bothering him greatly so I don't count on him. But I have enjpyed him very very much.
Now I must go eat my fishsticks.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
Regardless of whether it's chronic
He's still a damn good hitter and fielder, even with the injuries he's dealt with his whole career. He'll continue to be good as long as he's on the field.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
"Damn good hitter ..."
LMAO!
Vacafan - April 2, 2008
He's no longer a damn good hitter and fielder
He was around average last year, maybe slightly above average.
rfloh - April 3, 2008
haha
i love your ghandi pun.
dtownmbrown - April 2, 2008
Scutaro, the utility backup infielder
was still better hitter than Bobby Crosby, great stats or not. Let's get real.
rfloh - April 3, 2008
The A's are who we thought they were;
weak hitting, injury prone and rebuilding.
Now let's all take a deep breath and hope Street can get a few outs and Harden can remain unjured through June so we can dump them for prospects.
Bacon - April 2, 2008
I hope that Street isn't injured already.
IM4Oakgal - April 2, 2008
I've always admired
your succinct analysis, Baseball Girl, and I love your enthusiasm. But I don't understand that optimism when it comes to this offense. Certainly I see the potential in young players such as Buck and Barton. But Emil Brown? Jack Cust? Bobby Crosby? Mike Sweeney? I mean, really, let's not kid ourselves.... This could be the first team in history to lead the league in ERA and win only 65 games.
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
First of all
Cust has hit everywhere. He will continue to do his thing. Emil Brown is a great platoon player, a lefties masher like Bobby Kielty was, and a useful tool for the club. Crosby will have a good season, he's already off to a decent start. Sweeney at his worst is league average in OPS. Guys like Buck and Ellis haven't started hitting yet, and that's why this team is struggling right now.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I hope you're right
I remain skeptical. But I honestly didn't expect much from this team this year, so I'm not worried. Just realistic. I guess we'll find out eventually. I hope to eat my words. But I don't think so...
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
I don't expect much
But at a minimum the offense will be better than last year. In contrast, the pitching will be worse without Haren, that's the part I fear the most.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I already miss Haren...
and I'm really worried about that bullpen.
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
I would not count on the offense being better than last year
Kotsay/Kendall and Swishern roughly evens out. Cust and Buck figure to regress.I don't expect improvement at 3B or 2B. SS will be probably a bit better but bot by much. Overall OF offense will definitely be worse.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
I don't think most people on here realize
How poorly Kotsay/Kendall hit for the amount of ABs they were given. They absolutely killed the offense statistically.
Also, why are Cust and Buck going to regress? They've hit well everywhere they have been, and Buck is also young. Buck and Cust didn't play full seasons, so even if they doesn't post the same OPS's of last year, they will still add to the offense over a full season.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
Buck's perfomance last year
was somewhat out of kilter from his prior performance, and it seems that something is seriously wrong with him this year. Cust put up a historically high HR/FB ratio last year. I like both of these guys a lot, but they were both great last year, and I don't think they'll equal it this year.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
I disagree
Buck didn't hit below .300 at any point in his minor league career, and he's only 24 with less than 3 full years of minor + big league experience. He'll be a fine hitter for years to come. Cust has put up big numbers over the last two years. In his 2006 AAA stint, he had an OPS of over 1.000. Given his ridiculous numbers there, his performance in Oakland was not out of character by any means. Looking at the statistics and the results on the field, there is no reason not to expect good seasons from both.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I expect a good season from Cust
Buck has some health Qs, otherwise I would certainly expect a good season. I agree that he'll be a fine hitter for years to come. But... all the statistical projections expect a downturn for both. And really that's more about the two of them having really great seasons last year than me being down on those guys, which I am not. I don't expect them to crash by any means, but I would be surprised if we got the same production. Every projection system would also be surprised.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
Even with those projections, which I don't completely agree with
We still are projected to score more runs as a team than last year.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
This has been posted many times
but a recap:
In 2007, on contact BA: 437. on contact SLG: 861
Prior to that in MLB, in very small samples, OC BA: 376, OC SLG: 659
Cust's cumulative MLB numbers: 421, 807
In the minors: OC BA 423, OC SLG: 712.
Some comps:
Ryan Howard, career: OC BA 439, OC SLG 920!!!
Thome, career OC BA 426, OC SLG 805
McGwire, career OC BA 354, OC SLG 793
Canseco, career OC BA 367, OC SLG 710
That is why people expect Cust to regress. His HR / FB rate was a ridiculous 33.7%. His on contact batting average, and on contact slugging, ie what happens when he manages to get his bat on his ball, were among the best ever of any MLB players.
It certainly could be that he is this good. But even in comparison to his numbers in the minors, he had a spike in 2007.
rfloh - April 3, 2008
Would you say 2007 was Sweeney's "worst"?
That was not "league average", especially NOT from a 1b / DH.
Signing Bonds would be a dumb move, but Emil Brown is a great platoon player like Bobby Kielty. Exactly why does a rebuilding team need a 33 year old Bobby Kielty? And "lefty masher" Brown has a career OPS of 777 against LHPs. I bet who makes LHPs wet their pants.
rfloh - April 3, 2008
LET'S CROWN THEM!
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
And that was to Bacon but I guess the new comment that popped up affected it.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
The same Eric Chavez
who hits .380 for a week and .210 the rest of the month? Yeah, that will save the day.
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
Sorry but you can't argue with numbers
He's a legitimate 30 HR threat in the middle of the lineup, plus Gold Glove caliber defense. You'd have to be crazy to say he's not a key element of this A's ballclub.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
I won't argue his defense
But he hasn't been a threatening hitter for a while now. And he's way too streaky to be the reliable centerpiece of an offense. IMHO.
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
This offense is not build around a centerpiece
The whole point is to have average to above average hitters throughout the lineup, and that's what Beane has built this lineup to do. Regardless of whether he's "threatening" or not, he still puts up the numbers every year and is a key component of the offense.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
Numbers can be deceiving
Love his glove, and yes he is a 30 HR threat, but for the last couple years he's been the last person that I want to see walking to the plate in an important situation. Pressure? Strike-out or weak pop-up. Up or down by enough runs that it doesn't matter? That's when we see HRs and hits.
UncleLeo - April 2, 2008
"30 HR threat ..."
Really LMAO!!
Vacafan - April 2, 2008
Also, my goodness
We faced Matsusaka at his best yesterday and we happen to have an off day today. Big deal. Let's see how this team responds.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
Because of where I live
I got to see every one of Matsuzaka's starts last season. He wasn't that good. Wildly inconsistent and, well, wild. Maybe he had one of his better games yesterday, but don't let the Matsuzaka hype overshadow his actual ability. Honestly, I think both Harden and Blanton are better, more consistent (when healthy, in Harden's case).
Connecticut Jim - April 2, 2008
His fastball is very good
As evidenced by his high K numbers. When he's locating well, as he was yesterday, he's a great pitcher. He did have one of his better games yesterday. He has a lot of late movement on his fastball and he was dropping the curveball wherever he wanted. We ran up against great pitching, and that happens sometimes. You just have to tip your cap and move on.
baseb3383 - April 2, 2008
Twins have Gomez bunt with 2 strikes; predictable result
Dear other teams: please don't stupid shit against the Angels.
mikeA - April 2, 2008
My biggest concern right now
is that Street looks terrible - his fastball has mediocre velocity and absolutely no giddyup, and he isn't throwing his slider much. A lot of changeups along with flat fastballs - not the arsenal of a healthy Street. Hopefully it's dead arm or something equally benign, but I'm concerned.
As for the offense, I didn't quite realize how bad it was until today. Maybe it's the contrast with the Red Sox, but especially our outfield just looks mediocre compared to others'. Why don't we sign Lofton to play LF? A real leadoff hitter who would probably sign cheap considering right now he's unemployed. Emil Brown? Come on, seriously. He's done a fine job so far but come on - seriously.
Nico - April 2, 2008
My gut says...
...see if Detroit is still interested and trade him. I just have this feeling he's going to be a flash-in-the-pan and that his value is going to decrease steadily if he's not unloaded now.
As far as the OF, would Shannon Stewart have been that expensive to keep for another year? It's not like he got blown away with offers from other teams.
UncleLeo - April 2, 2008
Do I need to put this in my sig line or something?
Detroit.
Has.
No.
Farm.
System.
Exclamation point.
Exclamation point.
One.
Exclamation point.
Short of some totally retarded move by Dombrowski (like, I dunno, Verlander for Harden and Street, or something) there is no way they could possibly have the chips to acquire Street.
PaulThomas - April 2, 2008
Why don't you put this in your sig line:
I.
Can't.
Just.
Reply.
I.
Have.
To.
Respond.
As.
If.
The.
Other.
Person.
Is.
An.
Idiot.
Nico - April 2, 2008
salb warned us this would happen
Regression to the meanie.
FreeSeatUpgrade - April 2, 2008
Well played :-)
green star oakland - April 3, 2008
+eleventy1!
The Dogfather - April 3, 2008
Hm. I intended that post as over-the-top exaggeration.
In retrospect, perhaps that wasn't clear...
I apologize to UncleLeo if he didn't see it as such. He just got the wrong end of the "I've seen this suggested 15 times in two days" progression.
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
Forgive me my sins...
...but I've been busy and haven't been around as much lately to see how often others have suggested the same thing. Anyway, the Detroit part was only a minor aspect as it had been reported that they had expressed a "what will it take?" type of interest. The real gist of my point was that I feel that Street should be unloaded to somebody. I really don't care who, as long as the A's get a decent return while that is still possible.
UncleLeo - April 3, 2008
Leverage, friend, leverage
If the A's suddenly start calling up teams and being like "hey, will you give us x for Street?", those teams are going to know that something is suspicious about the situation. Anytime a team is noticeably trying to bail on a young player with good numbers, that screams "injury" to any half-awake GM. And that, in turn, reduces the return.
To put it another way, by the time you're saying "get a decent return while that is still possible," it's usually no longer possible.
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
so, basically, if Huston *is* hurt ...
... and Beane wants to move him, his only realistic strategy is to insist that Geren only bring Huston in to games in (relatively) low-leverage, "cheap" 1-inning save situations -- which would offer some protection for his peripherals and enable him to rack up meaningless-albeit-value-inflating saves.
monkeyball - April 3, 2008
This Winter, Beane said, "If you wait
until people say 'you need to rebuild' you're too late" - same could said of Street, that if Beane wanted to deal him for premium value, he had to do it before there were questions about his health/effectiveness. Even if Street is healthy, the fact that there are questions will reduce his value.
Nico - April 3, 2008
I'd rather give Denorfia and R. Sweeney a chance over bringing Lofton here.
Flashfire - April 2, 2008
1-3!
Worst loss of the season!
No offense!
Someone hit the ball!
This is about what I expected, now let's take 2 of 3 from Cleveland.
fansince1980 - April 2, 2008
I know Harden had some control issues but I think they should have tried to get another inning out of him. Maybe Billy figures Harden is more effective and stronger early on and to pull him after 5 innings or so to keep his ERA low and his stock higher for a possible trade. A's still would've lost though. Boston pitching last two days was lights out.
3amA'sfan - April 2, 2008
Harden should NOT be traded
You take a chance on his staying healthy. You can bet he would stay healthy If he's traded and I for one do not want to see our team get NO HIT by him.
You DO NOT TRADE soneone with his stuff. They do not grow on trees.
Take the chance and keep him
I predict he stays healthy anyway
TimTimTimbo - April 3, 2008
The A's have a pitcher who has:
a higher lifetime K rate than Harden
a lower walk rate
a better career ERA
Can you guess who it is?
Also, who cares if they trade Harden and he stays healthy? If he stays healthy, the A's won't be able to afford him when he hits free agency anyway! He'll be gone one way or the other. Why not get something in return?
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
Steve McCatty?
74mk - April 3, 2008
No, his K/BB ratio was terrible...
I have to say, looking at his B-ref page, his 1981 season has to be one of the fluke seasons of all time.
PaulThomas - April 3, 2008
This just in:
A's struggling and once promising talent can't hit!
Except for Crosby, Sweeney (Mike), and Suzuki, we can't hit shit!
I really and honestly think Billy B. can't see his way out of this thing....
I know it is early but we had better get ready for the old saying: "The worst has yet to come!"
MMunoz33 - April 2, 2008
Should relievers stats be compared with starters?
It's Foulke. And Duke is close (better ERA, strikeout rate slightly less).
Steve in Napa - April 3, 2008
Foulke was a great signing - this year's Beane-coup
(Hannahan before him, Gaudin before that, and so on)...
Nico - April 3, 2008
For the last time...
It's been 4 games for goodness sakes. The Rockies last year started 10-16 in April last year, got held to 2 runs or less in 10 of those losses, and got shutout twice. Their offense basically stunk the first month, and they ended up in the World Series.
Let's have some optimism here; we just faced good pitching one day and had an off day yesterday.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if we took 2 of 3 from the Tribe.
The fact that we have a bunch of people ripping on Beane and the A's offense and predicting doom and gloom after 4 games drives me crazy. There's still 158 games to go!
baseb3383 - April 3, 2008
Not only that, but the last time the A's started 1-3
was 2001 - when they won over 100 games and the Wild Card spot.
Nico - April 3, 2008
So are you telling me to buy my playoff tickets now
and to get Cust extra sliding practice in case there is a close relay throw to the plate?
5Aces - April 3, 2008
Yes, and yes please
"Slide, Custy, slide!!!!"
Nico - April 3, 2008
Mulder trade
As a hardcore Cardinal fan, and more of a casual A's fan, here's a long winded version of what I think happened.
Dave Duncan and Tony LaRussa have a well deserved bad reputation with young pitching. I believe LaRussa said Haren had the potential to be a very good middle reliever one day, and they also decided he shouldn't throw a splitter.The same thing is occurring with the much blogged about Anthony Reyes, except this time they tried to make a power pitcher into a sinkerballing clone. He also wasn't fortunate enough to escape in a trade for a declining ex-star before having all of his value torpedoed.
Hudson was the true Cardinal target, and Mulder was more of a panic move after the Braves got there first. Mulder was ok in 2005, not nearly as good as the numbers looked. But his delivery began to erode, and became such a mess he eventually needed the surgery. His arm was dragging so far behind his lower half that it hurt me just watching. But the Cardinals were prattling on about some nonsense about arm slot. (And are saying the exact same thing this spring...great)
Dave Duncan is more of a game plan/preparation pitching coach. If Cardinal pitchers aren't able to maintain mechanics on their own, they are in trouble. The 5 mph drop in velocity/loss of command is a Cardinal trademark.
Some fans are scared Anthony Reyes is going to be Dan Haren 2.0 as soon as he's able to escape the organization. Their minor league careers are very similar.
Sonicblast12 - April 4, 2008
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Athletics Nation to post a comment.