Everyone homered constantly, especially Ellis, as the A's hammered Arizona early and often. Final Score: A's 15, Diamondbacks 1.
Though she got the opponent wrong, my cat tried to foreshadow tonight's outcome by bringing in a dead Blue Jay in the middle of tonight's game. I suppose asking her to find a diamondback would have been a bit much. Anyhoo...
The A's cranked out 15 runs and six HRs (Ellis twice, Chavez, Suzuki, Crosby, and Raj Davis), but what was probably most gratifying was how solid the hitters' approaches were the entire evening. Obviously they A's did not get Webb at his finest, but even after Webb left Oakland kept piling on runs with great at bat after great at bat. Walks, hits, HRs, shots the other way, you name it the A's produced it again and again and again.
Meanwhile, Justin Duchscherer continues to be remarkable, giving up 2 ER or fewer for the 10th time in 11 starts, and completing 8 innings after it looked - for a scary, scary moment - as if he might only last one inning when he tweaked something in his side swinging at a second inning pitch from Webb. Duchscherer has a chance to make the All-Star team this year as a starter, after making it previously as a reliever. He deserves it.
If the A's are going to stay in the race to the bitter end, they will need to be a very good road team, because Oakland plays just 20 home games in all of August and September combined. Oakland started the season by playing the World Champions even halfway around the globe, and this road trip - now 4-0 with a win against Webb - is going a long way to validating the team's ability to somehow get it done against anyone, anywhere.
0 recs | 192 comments
Hey everybody
I know I haven’t rapped at ya in a while, but here’s what my home town of Cedar Rapids was looking like this past week:
So I thought it would be a good time to leave town for a few days. Anyway, way to go Oakland!
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Whoa.
Hope you and your loved ones are all okay.
pam5981 - June 17, 2008
Thankfully, yes.
I am so glad I bought a house in the hilly part of town. A quarter of the city was evacuated; waters rose ABOVE the 500-year flood plain; the damage is simply unimaginable.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
I've been thinking about all of you
and wondering how we can best help.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Donate to the American Red Cross
Or the Salvation Army. There are a lot of homeless people here now, and those organizations are doing their best to help.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
I'll definitely add you, your family and your hometown in my prayers
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Thanks.
My family is fine, but definitely pray for Cedar Rapids. We need it bad.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Can we
get something together for you? We’re in bad straits too, economically, but I’m sure we can find some way to
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Help.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Like I said above
Donate to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, or similar organizations. If you guys want to organize something on behalf of AN, fantastic. Otherwise, if just as individuals, anything helps. I’ll be all right, but there’s a lot of people who have lost everything out here. Please help if you can.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Will do.
I’ve been thinking about you all every day.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
And here is where you can
http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_7859,00.html
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Thanks so much.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Are those cedars in those rapids?
Maybe bad timing with that comment, but I’ve always been one to fight hard times with harder humor.
Hang in there man. Just remember….what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.
Good luck and god bless.
Force - June 17, 2008
Depressed
We are so set up to be shut out by Danny boy tomorrow
asfansince1989 - June 17, 2008
Ummmm....
Hudson….check.
Zito….check.
Haren….bank it!
Force - June 17, 2008
Hooray for hope!
muffinpryde - June 18, 2008
Not a Blue Jay?
Traditional Blue Jays are East Coast birds. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_jay . Perhaps your cat got a Stellar’s Jay?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steller%27s_Jay
(Does it have a black crest, or a blue one?)
MobiusKlein - June 17, 2008
You want me to go pull it out of the garbage?
Nico - June 17, 2008
Sure - if you are west of the Rockies, and it's a real blue jay
you could have an important find!
MobiusKlein - June 17, 2008
i want you to eat it
blue jays are a bit more chewy, whereas stellar jays taste like chicken that has gone bad.
xbhaskarx - June 17, 2008
Wrong bird for him
I think Nico’s more accustomed to the taste of crow.
(I kid, I kid.)
PaulThomas - June 17, 2008
M-f-f-mfff --
Definitely a Blue Jay.
Nico - June 17, 2008
If it's in California
it’s a Stellar’s Jay, but they =are= blue!
One won lost won - June 17, 2008
Stellar!
monkeyball - June 17, 2008
nice
ak_A - June 17, 2008
Caption
Georg Steller expresses frustration at yet another misspelling of his name.
iglew - June 17, 2008
Looks more like Georg
when he fell overboard in the Pribilofs.
One won lost won - June 19, 2008
Disagree kind of
I feel like it would be more likely a Western Scrub Jay
this all depends on the area that Nico lives. I’m not that familiar with that aspect of his life.
bluthbanana20 - June 17, 2008
And Stellar's Jays are bad-ass
I don’t know if Nico’s cat is tough enough.
Scrub Jays are more wussie
MobiusKlein - June 17, 2008
If it's got a prominent crest, it's a Steller's Jay.
No crest = Scrub Jay. Both are common.
So no dead Blue Jay unless Nico’s cat somehow got hold of Shannon Stewart. And you’d think he’d have noticed that.
Faust - June 18, 2008
Scutaro's not THAT bad
JediLeroy - June 18, 2008
I've rarely, if ever, seen a Steller's Jay in the Bay Area...
So, which was it, Nico?
A Steller’s Jay
Or
A Western Scrub Jay
FoolshGame22 - June 17, 2008
I've seen them in Big Basin redwood park, for sure
The black crest gives them away.
MobiusKlein - June 17, 2008
Their big mouths give them away
They aren’t what you’d call really shy.
I remember them being pretty common in the Oakland hills.
Faust - June 18, 2008
It was bloody albatross color,
with a head. That’s about what I remember as I put it into a plastic bag and did an anti-rabies prayer.
Nico - June 17, 2008
do birds carry rabies?
nope, I checked it. Only mammals. Now, perhaps, you should have done an anti-avian flu prayer.
FoolshGame22 - June 17, 2008
Does it come with wafers?
5Aces - June 18, 2008
strange you don't see them in the Bay Area
I see both these birds all the time in Oakland.
Brian in 317 - June 18, 2008
I have Stellar's Jays
here in Albany, about a mile or two (guessing) from Nico. We have them all the time.
I also have them up at my property in the Sierras. Typically, they want trees, and lots of them.
Perhaps you stay in the “strictly pavement” areas??
Contrary to their persistent noise and annoying behavior…they DO die! Sometime…
Probably the cat got a sick, dying, or dead one.
One won lost won - June 19, 2008
You cleverly added
“(guessing)” but I still think you’re stalking me.
Nico - June 19, 2008
Not true, I live in Houston, TX which is relatively to the west and I've seen many Blue Jays here...
just the other day I saw four of them in my own yard!
LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn - June 18, 2008
Saw the map! And I bet that Blue Jay was lost! lol Took the wrong turn, lol.
Blue Jays tend to reside in Texas all year ,lol. Oops!! Sorry.
LiZaRdReVoLuTiOn - June 18, 2008
I'm told it was a female Blue Jay
So it WAS Shannon Stewart!
Nico - June 18, 2008
It could also have been a Bluebird
A little smaller than the aforementioned Jays
GusanoQuemador - June 18, 2008
It was the Bluebird of Happiness
and now WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!
FreeSeatUpgrade - June 18, 2008
Down on the farm
Buck and Murphy have homered tonight for the RiverCats
A'sfaninNC - June 17, 2008
correction 2 homers from Murphy
A'sfaninNC - June 17, 2008
nice
those guys must have seen the a’s scoreboard…
xbhaskarx - June 17, 2008
Nice Win, Bitches
Colorado Fan - June 17, 2008
"No Webb Gem"
now THAT is professional quality.
I bet SuSlu steals it.
One won lost won - June 17, 2008
that is pretty good
xbhaskarx - June 17, 2008
So good that it's PLAGIARY!
too bad i haven’t learned how to make things linkable on the new AN… it would be more dramatic
http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_5579848
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
haha I figured it out
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
I thought he was talking about the CarGon catch...
I was like “WTF? Damn ESPN.”
Sacred#24 - June 18, 2008
Holy Toledo!
gregorymark - June 17, 2008
From Unicorn to the Bomb Shelter
all the A’s deserve the win today!
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Pink elephants fly?
Rajai Davis hit a homerun?! Way to go!
Too bad I was stuck watching the Giants…
streetfan - June 17, 2008
Bomb Shelter definitely did some unexpected damage.
I want the name to stick.
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
How about Flood Shelt...
Say what? Inappropriate?
PaulThomas - June 17, 2008
Just
a tad.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Um, seriously
Funny, yet not funny. What is that, a paradox?
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Its a tragedy
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
You're lucky that
the cat didn’t bring in a Yankee cause that’s illegal everywhere except South Carolina.
Tyler Bleszinski - June 17, 2008
or Texas, if the Damned Carpet Bagger is on your property...
As Fan in the Bronx - June 17, 2008
BTW
I love Justin Duchscherer. He very well might be my favorite pitcher. I just really, really love watching the guy pitch.
Tyler Bleszinski - June 17, 2008
cool hand duke
ak_A - June 17, 2008
Nice!
Duke has been my favorite since Huddy left….but he’ll be back, someday, right?
Right?
McFood - June 18, 2008
Of course!
Duke is the Shizzam baby!
All Star Game, here we come…......!
mrod - June 17, 2008
Duke's K/BB ratio
48/16. That’s just silly.
I hope he’s alright. He obviously pitched pretty goddamn well, but I don’t like on-the-field trainer visits.
Joey C. - June 17, 2008
AL Whupping Up Tonight
12-2 when the Tigers finish off the Giants. Not much question which is still the superior league. And the playoff questions cointinue
madmongoose - June 17, 2008
Holy toledo
It was 4-1 when I turned it off….
streetfan - June 17, 2008
that's not the tigers-giants score
it’s AL vs NL for the day.
xbhaskarx - June 17, 2008
Oh. Duh.
Guess I should check this stuff before I open my mouth…. insert foot ;)
Thanks for the correction
streetfan - June 17, 2008
More Possible Good News (Calero to go down to AAA when Casilla activates)
Casilla on hold: Santiago Casilla made his final rehab appearance Monday and joined the A’s in Arizona on Tuesday, but he is unlikely to be activated until Thursday unless there is a pressing need in the bullpen. Casilla worked 12/3 innings at Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, making him unavailable for at least a day or two.
Right-hander Kiko Calero is expected to be designated for assignment to make room for Casilla. If Calero clears waivers, he has enough service time to decline a minor-league assignment, but he already has told the A’s he would accept an assignment. Entering Tuesday, Calero had not worked in six days.
Trainman - June 17, 2008
Well, at least he's being positive about the situation
PaulThomas - June 17, 2008
sad news
Calero was a good arm. Maybe he should have opted for surgery?
bluthbanana20 - June 17, 2008
Would he pitch any better as a woman?
Nico - June 17, 2008
If he wore a really tight jersey?
mikev - June 17, 2008
Dude. Cut it out.
Can’t I read the postgame recaps in peace, without having to laugh all the time? :-)
louismg - June 17, 2008
Who's Bomb Shelter and why?
I’ve been in a cave
Buck Turgidson - June 17, 2008
er, mineshaft
Buck Turgidson - June 17, 2008
R. Davis
because we were hitting tons of homers and someone said if he hit one too then they would go into their bomb shelter… and then he subsequently did.
In-game thread inside joke.
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
If Raj hit a homerun it might as well be the end of the world.
Head for the Bomb Shelter!!
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Then I guess you didn't hear about Rick Peterson.
;-)
iglew - June 17, 2008
Thanks
Well I think that nickname will last a couple of weeks. I think Davis is destined for a DFA
Buck Turgidson - June 17, 2008
DFA
Bomb shelter, it still works.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Beane to othe GMs
Trade for Rajai and not only do you get speed, but you get a Bomb Shelter!!
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
QOTM candidate
right there.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
schadenfreude
does it get any better than the CSN postgame wrap-up after a giants loss?
“boy 43 year old kenny rogers was just unhittable tonight, a real pleasure to watch. not even ted williams could have touched him.” (okay i made up that last part)
“zito has a chance to start over tomorrow and really turn things around.”
xbhaskarx - June 17, 2008
The Giants' announcers are ridiculous.
From the other night: Well, the Tigers have been on a real roll, so they’re due to the lose! And the Giants, well, they have the worst home record in the majors, so when you look at both, it’s bound to turn-around now!
Of course, if I had to follow the Giants as a profession, I’d take to drugs and drink pretty fast myself.
louismg - June 17, 2008
Duscherer At Bats
I only got to watch on Gameday on the computer…So after the one swing by duke was he restricted from swinging for the rest of the night? every at bat afterwards was “called strike” x 3
mikeprooo - June 17, 2008
Following called strikes one and two each time
Nico - June 17, 2008
He stood away from the plate and accepted the out.
He gladly accepted the golden sombrero, melted it down, and turned it into another win for his wall of awesomeness.
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Anything is possible in baseball
but in games like this, there should be an option for the losing team to resign. Call it a day, and get ready for the next game. No point finishing 9 innings.
javaball - June 17, 2008
Yeah, they refused to resign, so finally
we had to send up Emil Brown cuz it was really getting late.
Nico - June 17, 2008
You think Harden is bad
It took Kazmir 110 pitches to go 4.2 innings while allowing only one run to be scored.
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
that was a close game. The Rays can win close games
javaball - June 17, 2008
Wow, how is that possible?
Walk, walk, walk, K,K, K… etc. for 4 innings? Weird.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
yup, that's what happened
javaball - June 17, 2008
Duke Can't Hit ...
But another beautiful game pitched. Only one small thing tonight: I wish the A’s had ended the game with just 8 runs. I don’t know what the stat is (I’m sure an AN has it …) but it seems to me like the post-Giambi A’s very often score 1 or 0 runs the day after they’re in double digits.
Ellis … Ellis … Ellis … can we re-open the thread where people actually debated keeping him?
solotar - June 17, 2008
so you agree we should give him the boot?
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
Oh, Iknow
I
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
Whoops!
Hit the wrong button. Meant to say: I’d trade Ellis; for BABE RUTH! Otherwise, no.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
I'd trade Emil for a
BABY RUTH! Otherwise, yes
GeorgiaBoy - June 17, 2008
You'd trade Ellis for a dead Babe Ruth?
Somewhere a steinbrenner is digging up a grave…
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Babe Ruth's zombie corpse
vs. Mark Ellis. I see a possible film here… any investors?
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
A lot of people were thinking the same thing
But at least they were walking and hitting homeruns, and not running the bases that much, so shouldn’t that bad
javaball - June 17, 2008
Tomorrow's game against Haren will be a real test
javaball - June 17, 2008
Quick review of last season suggests no correlation
Discussion here
iglew - June 18, 2008
The Duke needs to be signed long term....
I have always felt that the Duke would become one of the best starters for the A’s when finally given the opportunity. Now that he has once again proven that he is one of the most effective pitchers in the league as a closer, middle reliever and a TOP STARTER, Beane needs to figure out a way to sign him long term. Anyone know what long his current contract runs?
Vegas Ace - June 17, 2008
Through 2009, I believe
I agree, yet I also know Billy is wise about not signing rickety players in their 30s to long-term deals. If he doesn’t re-sign Duke, it’s probably because it’s actually the right decision – but I really hope he does. The guy is amazing and still will be even when he loses a little velocity on his fastball.
Nico - June 17, 2008
The guy is amazing and still will be even when he loses a little velocity on his fastball.
Duke has a fastball?????
(Just kidding,,,,,he’s the shit bro!)
mrod - June 17, 2008
The A's really turned it up a notch tonight
Added great defense and strong offensive production to back their solid pitching staff. Great formula for success.
javaball - June 17, 2008
In a way, I feel tomorrow is a "freebie" -
All I really wanted out of the first two games of this series was a split, and there’s certainly no shame in losing to an ace one out of two tries. But if somehow the A’s could win tomorrow, that would be just huge.
Nico - June 17, 2008
So far this year, Dan Haren hasn't won a game after Webb lost,
so let’s hope the trend continues.
javaball - June 17, 2008
Day After A's Score 10 Runs
Just curious so I checked: as of today the A’s have played 7 games this year after having scored 10 or more runs. In those 7 games they scored: 4, 6, 0, 3, 0, 3 and 1 runs. 17 runs in 7 games, for about 2.4 runs per game. Not as bad as I had thought, but pretty bad. You wonder why that is. You can say it’s a fluke, but …
Last year the A’s scored 10 or more runs 13 times. They did better the day after such games last year, averaging 3.6 runs per game – but still pretty bad when you might be inclined to think that the team is ‘swinging the bat well’ and, for that matter, is likely often further into an opposing team’s bullpen.
That’s why I was kind of hoping they would stop at 8 and bring a big appetite tomorrow.
solotar - June 17, 2008
Well...
teams are most often going to give up a ton of runs when it’s the #5 starter, right?
And who usually comes after the #5 starter?
PaulThomas - June 17, 2008
I have an alternative theory
A’s score 10+ runs semi-randomly, then revert to their old habits. Eh?
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
#6?
oakinboston - June 18, 2008
Barry Zito?
oakinboston - June 18, 2008
I think the why is that the next day's pitcher
isn’t having an awful start – which the previous starter obviously did – and the A’s aren’t a robust hitting team, so against some random pitcher not having a bad day they often score 2-4 (2.4-3.6) runs. Basically, regression to the mediocre.
Nico - June 17, 2008
I think all teams cool after a rout
the most recent example is the Phillies, they clobbered the Cardinals 20-2 in the first game, and then lost the next two games
javaball - June 17, 2008
Last time we discussed this,
I came up with 3.77 for last year. Table here. Did I get one wrong? I was just typing scores off the website, so it’s possible.
So far I’m not convinced either way on the question. It would be interesting to see a larger set of numbers. The data is out there. I would think someone would have compiled it and taken a look by now.
iglew - June 18, 2008
One thing I have to point out
This ain’t much of a “road trip.” The first half of it wasn’t on the road at all; the players were all living in their in-season homes. The second half is in Arizona, where half the team has permanent homes.
This is like the cushiest road trip ever. This entire month’s schedule is ridiculous (and of course the flipside is that August is going to be ridiculously brutal).
It’s really rather difficult to imagine the schedulemakers making a worse schedule for the team than they put together this season. I figured it wasn’t worth complaining about when it came out because it was supposed to be a rebuilding year, but it might actually end up coming back and biting the team in the ass.
PaulThomas - June 17, 2008
That is a legitimate concern.
javaball - June 17, 2008
True, but to me "road" means other team's fans,
less familiar mound, field conditions, etc. The A’s don’t usually play where it’s 112 degrees outside and regulated with air-conditioning inside, for example.
Nico - June 17, 2008
No, they just live there.
mikev - June 17, 2008
Like Japan was for the Red Sox?
As Fan in the Bronx - June 17, 2008
So when the Yankees visit us, that’s a road game?
iglew - June 18, 2008
+1
Masaryk - June 18, 2008
Speaking of whom, Chavy has been
nothing short of awesome. Far better than I ever would have expected for 2008.
Nico - June 17, 2008
+1
I’m a huge huge HUGE Chavy fanboy, but I have to admit I questioned whether he would even play again after all of his surgeries.
mikev - June 17, 2008
I'm still concerned...
...whenever I see him running. His footwork around third base and his reflexes look pretty good, though. Am I the only one who cringes when he tries to leg out a double or score from second on a single? He looks terrible.
Monday Fan - June 18, 2008
well said nico
Chavy has been clutch, great in the field, working counts, hitting safely. So glad he is back playing
TheGreenGoldCrush - June 18, 2008
Clutch? Working counts? Hitting safely?
Who is this?
muffinpryde - June 18, 2008
Now I've gotta share me sig line to that one!
Remember this Nico?
66th ave tailgatter - June 18, 2008
Think about it
Sum up the total dollars spent on MLBPA salaries, for all thirty teams combined.
Then compare that with the money spent on the computerized schedule. Probably .0002 percent of the total player salaries, and what do we get?
Games outdoors in April in snow country, versus “California teams”. Unused indoor stadiums in April.
Odd back-and-forth travel across country, long absences of certain teams, long road trips with exceptional travel, and over-scheduled week upon week as the “visiting team”. For all the teams!
Bring back humans!
One won lost won - June 17, 2008
+1
didn’t the mets go from la to ny to anaheim? the scedules since comuters took over have been stoopid
Future Ed - June 18, 2008
The humans control the computers. I'm blaming people.
thejd44 - June 18, 2008
good to see a fellow advocate of high-density urban planning
monkeyball - June 18, 2008
You mean urban planing
iglew - June 18, 2008
Ray Fosse-esque interview.
This is so awkward, it’s hard to watch.
BWH - June 17, 2008
Dammit, didn't take.
It’s here.
BWH - June 17, 2008
Chavvy's pregame BBQ gave everyone the boost to kill tonight
Hey Ziggy, tell the rest of the team to join in on the AN Day tailgate and you’ll whup the Angels 30 to nil.
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
No way.
Milton Bradley got hurt tonight.
BWH - June 17, 2008
In other news...
the sun rose in the east today.
IowaA'sFan - June 17, 2008
to melody of 80's song...
Milton Bradley got hurt tonight….everybody wang chung tonight.
ak_A - June 17, 2008
Everybody has fun tonight
when Milton Bradley gets hurt?
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
I would almost be shocked
but that would be the same as being shocked that lindsay lohan wound up back in rehab
kbtoyz - June 18, 2008
I'll be darned. Mr. Sulu is getting married.
ak_A - June 17, 2008
George Takei and his new husband were on CNN yesterday
and I got a chuckle, because the new hubby said something to the effect that they had already been together for a good 20 years, and that their marriage was going to Live Long and Prosper.
Sulu looked at him blankly.
As a true Star Trek fan, I laughed.
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
I was out of the loop. And when I saw headline
on Yahoo, I thought so what? or okay, whatever, good for George. Ahhh, then I read more closely….okay, kind of news given the court thing, I get it.
ak_A - June 17, 2008
CarGo
gets the Numero Uno Web Gem on BBtonight
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
I just watched it
Fearless catch.
Trainman - June 17, 2008
Amazed he didn't hurt himself
he got his spikes tangled up in the fence a bit
pam5981 - June 17, 2008
I'm glad he didn't get a Rowand tomato face
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Sweet!!!!
CarGon is the real deal, but you know who has impressed me the most?
3Eric Chavez has come straight off the DL and played Gold Glove D and swung a mighty bat to boot. I am very impressed by the way this guy approaches his job.
I was at Chavy’s 1st rehab start in Sac. He lead off and stung a grounder to shortstop. Ran it out and headed back to the dugout. I knew instantly by his demeanor that he was a professional…..ok, wait a minute…....maybe it was 45 seconds later when the next batter, T-Buck, whiffed on 3 pitches and walked back to the dugout laughing that I realized what an incredible professional Eric Chavez was.
Eric Chavez might just win a new trophy from Rawlings this year.
Force - June 17, 2008
Awesome
The game was awesome tonight… I had tickets about 30 rows back behind the A’s dugout. Duke looked unhittable, and the A’s actually underachieved a bit with their hitting. After Duke’s first at-bat where it looked like he almost injured himself, I think the A’s told him to not swing at a pitch.
Here are a few random pics… the iPhone doesn’t take great pictures at night:
Chavez up in the 8th with the A’s up 9-1:
And a few more:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dylans/sets/72157605678984637/
dylan - June 17, 2008
underachieved
And I say underachieved because of CarGone getting hitting by Suzuki’s line drive, Chavez’s early double play, and Duke’s 4 Ks at the plate where he didn’t take the bat off of his shoulder, killing at least one inning.
dylan - June 17, 2008
I think it's weird how the homerun line has that mesa in the centerfield wall
Baseball quirks…I LOVE IT!!
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
That is gorgeous!
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
wow
I just read the recap:
@oaklandSMASH: that mesa cost Ryan Sweeney a home run in the 8th
And the save in the bottom of the 8th on Stephen Drew’s line drive by Carlos Gonzalez was awesome… Duke had a look of relief after that great catch.
dylan - June 17, 2008
Sure hope that doesn't cause any problem for Duke in the long term
javaball - June 17, 2008
Dude, I'll take it
That mesa was there way before Sweeney came to bat at Chase Field.
No one ever blames the Green Monster for turning their homers into doubles.
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
The Green Monster turns a lot of fly outs into singles, doubles, and home runs, too.
thejd44 - June 18, 2008
which means we pounded the crap out of them
even with a genuine automatic out in the line-up for most of the game
ArakSOT - June 18, 2008
I like this quote:
“One of the starting pitchers at Chase Field on Tuesday night pitched like a Cy Young Award candidate.
It wasn’t Brandon Webb”
javaball - June 17, 2008
Who said it?
Webb?
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
Uck!
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
This was the first game this year
where, although I was sitting in front of a computer most of the time, I did not have time to launch the game thread, Ganeday, or turn on the TV or radio—I had to work late. When I got into my car at 10:30 and KFRC came on, the first voice I heard was Ken saying “Well, we go to the fifteenth inning…” and I thought “Holy crap, the game is still going on!” Then I realized it was the 40th anniversary highlight segment. Then Robert Buan came on and said “So, the final score tonight, the A’s were victorious, 15-1” and I thought, surely that can’t be right, he just has the number 15 stuck in his head from the highlight reel”. Damn, what a game to have missed!
Englishmajor - June 17, 2008
Sportscenter used the heading, "That's not a Webb Gem"
They are tiptoeing Nico’s wrath!!
oaklandSMASH - June 17, 2008
D'oh!
That’s scary.
lynnzgal - June 17, 2008
Gotta admit,
It’s pretty obvious.
Google for “Webb gem” turns up more than a thousand. Here’s one from 2003.
iglew - June 18, 2008
Yeah, local news used it too.
How about a more poetic
“Oh, what a tangled Webb we weave….when first we practice to leave (our pitches up in the zone)”
pam5981 - June 18, 2008
Duke pitched great
but Gonzalez deserves some mention for robbing Drew of a 2-run HR, dontcha think?
OaklandSi - June 18, 2008
Ja wohl OaklandSi
Es war Straßenräuberei !!
Brian in 317 - June 18, 2008
Duke , Davis and
...CARGON’s Catch! Whatta game. Let hope they can keep the bats rollin tonight.
TheGreenGoldCrush - June 18, 2008
TTO 9th
I liked how the top of the 9th was classic “three true outcome” A’s baseball: HR, K, BB, BB, K, HR, BB, HR, K.
And Cust wasn’t even in the lineup at that point.
andeux - June 18, 2008
True A's baseball would have included a GIDP.
OldhamA - June 18, 2008
Wow.
A whole inning of TTO, and batting around to boot.
I wonder if thats ever happened.
MobiusKlein - June 18, 2008
A couple things I noticed;
call me crazy but after watching all the highlights I’ve decided that I like the diamondback’s tv announcers. They did their job trying to talk about their team but they also gave the A’s their props when deserved. They are like the opposite of the White Sox announcers.
it looked like Crosby’s double in the 1st (or second?) was hit father than his HR. I would like to say that it would have been a HR in another stadium but the conditions would have been different so I won’t.
Either Ryan Sweeney is huge or Rajai Davis is tiny. Anyone else see them together after RD’s HR?
The Duke of Oakland pitched a great game but it looked better because of the great defense behind him. Although he said he was pounding the zone because of the lead. The A’s should have drenched his bat in pine tar to make it stick to his jersey a la Cust. Keep that bat on your shoulder mister!
last thing, I love Chavez! My g-nats loving bro-in-law was trying to slam on him Sunday, take that punk!
micdog2001 - June 18, 2008
Ryan Sweeney is huge, hence the feeling that his power numbers should improve.
OldhamA - June 18, 2008
oh yeah, that's right.
his pop was coming around right before he got hurt and speaking of hurt, wasn’t The Big Hurt trying to help Ryno with his power stroke? Just an added bonus to getting Frank on the cheap : -)
micdog2001 - June 18, 2008
A's site says
R Sweeney = 6’4”, 215 lbs
R Davis = 5’11”, 195 lbs
Take the official numbers with the usual grains of salt.
iglew - June 18, 2008
If the A's are following the script...
they’ll get shut out for Joe B. today.
Oaktownflav - June 18, 2008
Joe B. might need to have a little something to do with that.
pam5981 - June 18, 2008
He has a projectable frame for a power hitter.
mikeA - June 18, 2008
That fear is preying on Haren's mind
Per today’s Slusser notes:
FreeSeatUpgrade - June 18, 2008
I hope Joe B. goes to bat
with the bases loaded and hits a slam. Then he slowly walks back to the dugout and stares down the hitters. “That’s how you’re suppose to do it….you bastards”.
alox - June 18, 2008
Of course he will lose 5-4.
alox - June 18, 2008
with the lead coughed up by the BP,
after Geren pulls Joe B in the 7th w 1 out, bases loaded.
(had lead 4-2, but the three runs that score on a misplayed flyball are still charged to Joe.)
Is that negative enough?
MobiusKlein - June 18, 2008
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Athletics Nation to post a comment.