From the very beginning of tonight's game, it had disaster written all over it. Javier Vasquez struck out the side in the first, and when Justin Duchscherer took the mound, the White Sox's Dewayne Wise led off the game with a home run. Us? Strike outs. Them? Home run. We were quickly down 2-0, and it appeared insurmountable, with Vasquez continuing to make the A's look ridiculous, with seven strikeouts through the first nine batters, and nobody reaching base.
But as quickly as he fell behind, Duke stopped the bleeding, and a few big hits by the A's turned the game around. After Suzuki was the first A's player to reach base, via the hit by pitch, Cust delivered a powerful blow, seeing his bat rise at a 45 degree angle, lifting the ball out of the ballpark, and tying things up. Donnie Murphy, a sub for the hamstrung Crosby, followed suit in the top of the fifth, giving the A's a one-run lead.
Given the "issues" over the last few games with the A's pen being about as reliable as Twitter's uptime of late (it's geeky, look it up), our collective great fear was what to do when Duchscherer finally had to the leave the game. Fresh off his post this morning, many of us thought the invincible Brad Ziegler would get the call, and were in a state of near shock with Old Man Embree took the mound. But he wasn't there long, for after getting the first batter to retire, he gave up a double, and found himself a warm spot in the A's dugout.
That left Huston "please don't put me out there for two innings" Street with the responsibility of getting the last five outs - something we've seen be a very scary proposition over the last few years. But he seemingly had it going tonight, striking out three, including our former pal Nick Swisher, and Alexei Ramírez, to end the game. The show was vintage Huston. Not the gnaw your nails and hide in a dark room Huston, but the pump your fist and yell at the TV (in a good way) type Huston.
Whether you believe the A's put out a sub-standard lineup or not tonight, you should tip your cap to Vasquez, who held the A's offense relatively quiet, and posted ten strikeouts in a complete game gem. But his two (or three) mistakes were enough to pin him with the loss, and we're not all that wistful about it. We'll take the win for sure.
0 recs | 114 comments
Fuck Yeah!
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
I believe
I owe the entire AN community an apology. A few weeks back, I played Chicken Little with Huston. It appears now that I was very wrong. Then, he may have been tired or still nursing his groin injury, but tonight seemed to demonstrate that all is well with our closer. So, Mr. Street, fellow ANers, I apologize.
Leopold Bloom - July 3, 2008
In the tried and true words of
Seal, don’t be so hard on yourself.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
If nothing else, we know the FoolishGame22 guy (or whatever the name is)...
...will still expect Street to blow the save 90% of the time or so.
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
I fully expected him to blow the save tonight...
I’m sure I was not alone in that expectation. We were all pleasantly surprised. He is better than Foulke and Embree, though.
I still want Devine back, ASAP.
FoolshGame22 - July 3, 2008
But you may not (immediately) get back the pitcher you lost
See Casilla, Santiago.
green star oakland - July 4, 2008
Don't worry
The real Huston will be back soon. You know, the one who is lights out for about 5 starts and then gets lit up like a doobie at a Stones concert
OptimistPrime - July 3, 2008
Wow
Justin Duchscherer is a top flight starter and would be number one on almost any team in the league. I love that man and I’m not afraid to admit it.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
I love Jack Cust.
And I’m not afraid to admit it. But you’re okay with your love. I respect you.
louismg - July 3, 2008
Are you getting any sleep?
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Absolutely.
I get the same amount I always did, but it just takes more hours. :-)
Things should get interesting when I return to work. Doom and Gloom!
louismg - July 3, 2008
I bet the biggest thing will just be missing seeing them 24/7
How long did you take off?
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
2 weeks, so far
Maybe I go back to work Monday, and maybe not.
louismg - July 4, 2008
Instead of trading Duchscherer, how about
extending his contract and running with Duchscherer, Smith, and Eveland, along with eventually the best of Gio, Cahill, B. Anderson, etc. to lead this team from 2009-2012?
Nico - July 3, 2008
I love Duke and would love it
But I also realize that Beane might think it’s the best time to sell high.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Hngh, hngh!
That’s me being a baby
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
Good starters are hard to find, and great ones even harder
And Duke is pitching like he did as a set-up man, only for 7-8 innings, which makes him a great starter. It’s not flukey – not sustainable at this level, but I can’t see why he can’t be an excellent starter for the next 3-4 years. And you win with those, you don’t deal them.
Nico - July 3, 2008
I guess that depends on how quickly Beane thinks this team
can contend for real and not just tease us all with it.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
"And you win with those, you don’t deal them."
I agree with this. I’d be very happy with an extension for Duke.
Some of the same things can be said about Harden – without his performance so far the A’s would be out of contention already. I can’t see any way to justify extending Harden, but I wouldn’t trade him, either (well, depending on the offers, of course…).
They’re both pitching at a star level, and their production is basically irreplaceable if the A’s intend to contend this year – and it’s not easy to see how that production could be replaced next year either, if the A’s intend to contend then (and you know that they do).
Extend Duchscherer. Keep Harden through 2009 (but don’t hang up the phone when teams call to make offers). Blanton, on the other hand, the A’s may well end up having to sell low – at some point, although probably not this season, they will have to make room for other starters that are simply better than he is, whether they can get much of anything for him or not.
Faust - July 4, 2008
Screw that.
I will send my cats to Billy’s house to destroy all his sandals if he even THINKS about removing the Duke of Awesome from the team.
Kyli - July 3, 2008
That's a pretty serious threat
You might want to delete this comment for fear of prosecution if it happens.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Cats rarely get convicted
Unless there are 7-8 dogs on the jury.
Nico - July 3, 2008
My two cats are named Mulder and Zito
They were named when those 2 were in their prime.
I was going to call Zito “The Smirk” after Harden but didn’t
Trainman - July 3, 2008
Change his name that is when the real Zito turned into a POS a number of years ago
Trainman - July 3, 2008
I think Eric Chavez's dog
will keep them away.
PaulThomas - July 3, 2008
Absolutely. He is a great pitcher
I think he might be hitting his peak when some of the young pitchers come around.
Yellowhorse - July 4, 2008
Street's velocity wasn't exceptional tonight,
but his fastball had excellent movement.
The first three innings, Vasquez was as dominant as any pitcher I’ve seen this year – absolutely untouchable. So to come back with this makeshift lineup and win says a lot for this team.
Nico - July 3, 2008
they never give up
javaball - July 3, 2008
They're like the team version of Jimmy Valvano
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
But I thought they let go of Milton Bradley?
(wait for it)
louismg - July 3, 2008
Heh
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
I loved the strikeout pitch to Swisher.
It was funny how in the post-game interview he said he didn’t place it like he wanted to. That’s OK—as long as Swish was more stunned at the pitch than you are, that’s all that matters. :)
Sorry, Swish…had to be done.
FormerHuntsvilleStar - July 4, 2008
You guys!
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
That's baseball
Same kind of voodoo that made us lose to the Gnats 1-0 last week, got the White Sox this time. They’re red hot, so they’re due for a reversal of fortune IMO.
One won lost won - July 3, 2008
the law of average, eh?
javaball - July 3, 2008
No, and I didn't even use the "lucky charm"
by posting “Street??!!” oh, you mean “Sir F**ks It UP!”
It’s not the law of averages, it is simply that long winning streaks end somewhere, sometime. They are notable, and the longer they get, the more likely they will break no matter who the opponent is, at least that is the story in MLB. College basketball, etc…those are different types of streaks.
One won lost won - July 3, 2008
the awe of leverage
OptimistPrime - July 3, 2008
Never
boring.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
twitter down can be nice
It kept our users from complaining when OUR site was down.
MobiusKlein - July 3, 2008
Haha!
Twitter was down?
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
And thats what I love
about my A’s!
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
The A's need Cust's HR power in this park to counter the Chi Sox
javaball - July 3, 2008
Given his performance tonight,
is someone available, please, to assault Street in the White Sox’ parking lot?
Nico - July 3, 2008
A couple of years ago,
it would’ve been a five mile drive.
Now it’s more like 1,500…
Leopold Bloom - July 3, 2008
Raises hand.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
LOL @ ESPN News
“What can you say about Duchscherer, who used to be a Red Sox farmhand?”
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
and grew up a Yankees fan
javaball - July 3, 2008
And yet,
He’s an Athletic.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
who beat the Red Sox and Yankees again and again
javaball - July 3, 2008
Which is what they won't
bring up, right?
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
So lame,
and so obvious.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
ESPN is honestly the worst thing to ever happen to sports
I used to think it was the best until I grew up and realized the network was all about East Coast love.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
And if anyone still wanted to fool themselves into thinking otherwise...
...the Duke thing should cement that for all time.
Someone who’s about to become an All-Star again, this time as a starter, shuts down the White Sox and some hack on ESPN feels the need to remind everyone that he was in the Red Sox system seven years ago?
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
truly
every…
single..
story..
...must have a “Rent Sox” angle, or a “Yawn-kees” angle.
I don’t watch ‘em. BBTN? boooooooooooooooo! turn it off!!
One won lost won - July 3, 2008
I've honestly stopped watching altogether
I’ve started watching Fox Soccer Channel during the day. That’s how ridiculously bad that whole property has become.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
It used to be good
ESPN used to be the best station on TV when it featured sports news, highlights and live sports. In its current state with talent-impaired wannabe comedians posing as sportscasters, it’s hard to beieve it’s the same station. Now it’s almost unwatchable.
Monday Fan - July 3, 2008
Heh, 'talent-impaired wannabe comedians' excellent.
ak_A - July 4, 2008
Just trying to tie it into their core audience
Nothing evil, just trying to keep the dumases interested.
MobiusKlein - July 3, 2008
I'm proud to be
from dumas, texas!
Hot Cup Joe - July 3, 2008
I won’t hold my breath waiting to hear them say, ”...Jonathan Papelbon, drafted by the Oakland Athletics in 2002.”
Monday Fan - July 3, 2008
No kidding
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
What are they implying?
That the RedSox screwed up big time by letting him go?
or
A RedSox minor league cast off can dominate the league?
asfansince1989 - July 3, 2008
Oh yeah. Duke got to AA Trenton in 2001. That was his last...
...connection with Boston.
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
embree/foulke
is anyone else sick of embree and foulke? neither have much anymore. neither learned to pitch, rather throw. both think that their fastball can get hitters out without so much as a corner or change of speeds. i’d rather see casilla, brown, or Z get the chance.
poorcharliebrown - July 3, 2008
Always have,
a back up plan.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
I seriously doubt
that Foulke is that confident in his fastball. He’s always been about command and that changeup and the problem now is that he doesn’t have that great command any more.
Helloooo 1st - July 3, 2008
And rarely throws the changeup
A command pitcher whose best pitcher is a changeup, who doesn’t throw the changeup and doesn’t have great command…Hmm…
Nico - July 3, 2008
Foulke can't rely on chin music...but his Foulke music is pretty obnoxious lately, too.
dtownmbrown - July 3, 2008
Booooooooourns
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
All hail the Duke
It continues to amaze me the amount of work Foulke & Embree routinely get as the final bridge to Street. I don’t mind the double, it’s Baseball and (no typo) “hits happen”, but there is no good reason Ziegler wasn’t out there for the 8th, unless Hardens arm condition is contagious (judging by his 2 innings against the Angels, he MAY have the opposite; ‘live arm syndrome’). He has clearly been our best bullpen arm as of late, & IMO, the best bullpen arm in ALL of baseball since his call up (thanks to his dominance / ground ball ratio).
Thankfully, as Nico pointed out, Streets fastball had tremendous movement & Street did a tremendous job tonight.
Vasquez was mowing us down… and than Cust provided one hell of a bomb. Wow was that thing crushed. For all the talk about how bad Cust is when he isn’t streaking, he’s so amazing to watch when he does get a hold of one. His 12.8 VORP is second only to Mark Ellis. By contrast, Emil Browns VORP is -5.1. (VORP = Value Over Replacement Player; the runs contributed beyond the same level a replacement player would given the same percentage of teams at bats – obviously not including defense, though).
This was a good win to get us back on track – this also marks 13 of 14 starts on the year giving up >2ER for Justin.
ALL HAIL THE DUKE!
BillMoresi - July 3, 2008
Duke, Duke, Duke, Duke of Curve, duke, duke, duke of Curve
I would’ve said cutter, but curve just seems to fit better.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
How about Ziggy and Gaudin
Instead of Foulke and Embree in the 7th and 8th?
OptimistPrime - July 3, 2008
Curtsying!
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
The pitching matchups in this series look good, in terms of ERAs
We have a good chance to win the series, or am I getting carried away here?
javaball - July 3, 2008
Well, they don't look so good in terms of
the hitters the pitchers will be pitching to, or really anything besides ERAs. And actually, they don’t even look good in terms of ERAs…. Harden is good, though…
mikeA - July 3, 2008
Not if he has dead arm
Let’s hope Harden is there.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Gone are the days
When we used to own the Chisox. I miss them.
lynnzgal - July 3, 2008
Those days are BACK!!!!
think positive!!
One won lost won - July 3, 2008
Wait, haven't the A's won like 4 or 5 in a row from CHA?
PaulThomas - July 3, 2008
Wait, no, they did get that one win earlier this year
Still, the series has leaned Oakland of late.
PaulThomas - July 3, 2008
Starters ERA comparison:
Duchscherer: 1.91 Vazquez: 4.49
Harden: 2.25 Danks: 2.50
Smith: 3.44 Floyd: 3.45
So at least 3 out 4 games, we have good pitching matchups. Though I can’t help thinking how many runs Blanton will give up tomorrow.
javaball - July 3, 2008
Problem is when you do the LINEUPS comparison
Nico - July 3, 2008
Problem is when you compare anything and forget to adjust for the parks
PaulThomas - July 3, 2008
damn it!
I bought tickets for the game tomorrow night!
dtownmbrown - July 3, 2008
Eerererererererererererererer!
Jennifer - July 3, 2008
Quality starts...
...are a ‘Scherer thing.
FormerHuntsvilleStar - July 4, 2008
Not bad
Flashfire - July 4, 2008
Oh The Noble Duke of Oak
He keeps away the pen
The Sox march up to the side of the plate
Duke marches them back again
eastcoasta'sfan - July 3, 2008
Be certain to check out the analysis of Duke
and his pitching on www.driveline mechanics:
http://drivelinemechanics.com/2008/06/08/pitcher-analysis-justin-duchscherer/
This analysis gives me tremendous confidence in the man.
One won lost won - July 3, 2008
That was beautiful.
pam5981 - July 3, 2008
As far as I'm concerned, Duke is our All-Star rep.
Not having him on the team would be a crime against pitching, punishable by a punch to Selig’s face.
In 2005, Duke was our All-Star rep. He didn’t get to pitch, he got a collective “Who?” from mainstream sports broadcasting. They couldn’t figure out how to pronounce his name on KNBR and proceeded to make fun of him (I sent them a nasty email explaining to them how to pronounce the name of a player who has, y’know, BEEN PITCHING IN THE DAMN AREA FOR SEVERAL YEARS).
Now, it’s his time to laugh. Now he should be going to the ASG to pitch, quite possibly as the starter with the lowest qualifying ERA in the game. Those reporters better practice, because ‘Justin Duchscherer’ is gonna be flyin’ from their fingers and their lips for days, or else guess what they’ll find? Yeah. Punch in the face. It works in so many situations. The A’s should send out a press release with a pronunciation guide and audio tape so that our sexy ACE of the skinny calves doesn’t have to go ninja on their typing fingers.
It’s time for the Duke to get his due. Hell, how many pitchers get to go to the ASG for both their career as a starter and reliever—with reliever being the reason for the first appearance?
Kyli - July 3, 2008
Do people still think he doesn't have the stuff
to go through the order a third time?
Buuuaaaa-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nico - July 3, 2008
This wasn't my exact comment before the season
But, like, wait… no… I’m waiting. But after the season, if Duke can keep this up at any kind of reasonable level, I will have a very enjoyable crow-eating fanpost to write.
thejd44 - July 3, 2008
I remember when Justin Duchscherer had promised to do a diary for AN a couple years back. Imagine that…we’d have the two best pitchers on the A’s writing diary updates here.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Oh and he was also supposed to give me his gamertag
so I could kick his ass at Halo. Ah well.
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
The All-AN Halo Team
Helloooo 1st - July 3, 2008
Given that he spends his days pitching
and his nights traveling through the city under the cover of darkness to save us (Keanu Reeves-style) from the evil villains of disorder and chaos as a supersecret superhero, I believe he should be excused from posting promises.
Kyli - July 3, 2008
Syphon and Zonis... You will love this post from the other board
http://boards.espn.go.com/boards/mb/mb?sType=mbread&tid=3051571&tsn=&st=1&sport=mlb&id=oak
Classic Stewieee
Trainman - July 3, 2008
Haha..
always good for some laughs.
Syphon - July 3, 2008
After that first inning...
I thought this game had 2 nothing written all over it. Glad to see the A’s come back. That is the 22nd time they have comeback to win a game which I believe is tops in the AL. Just wish they could score some runs early so that wouldn’t have to happen. Like maybe tmrw for Joe Blanton….
Is it me or does tmrw have 11- 1 sox written all over it ?
Oaktownflav - July 3, 2008
Duke has got to stick with the black unis!!!
Oaktownflav - July 3, 2008
Green worked just fine tonight.
Flashfire - July 3, 2008
Noooooooooo!
The black uniforms should be taken out and burned. They had the right idea but poor execution when they wore the half-assed 1968 replica uniforms earlier this year. If they had used the proper shade of green (kelly) and vest jerseys instead of regular jerseys without sleeves stitched on, it would have been beautiful.
Monday Fan - July 3, 2008
I think that he even realized...
...that the black tops with the road gray pants is not a good idea.
FormerHuntsvilleStar - July 4, 2008
Chavy to start rehab in two weeks all going well
An MRI exam on 3B Eric Chavez revealed inflammation in his right shoulder. He went on the 15-day disabled list on Wednesday and will start rehab work in two weeks, manager Bob Geren said.
Trainman - July 3, 2008
I heart the Duke
OaktownPower - July 3, 2008
Who doesn't? I mean, really?
Tyler Bleszinski - July 3, 2008
Custian Catch
Did anybody besides me notice that Jack made a great play in the field tonight? With superb range, he went into foul territory, left his feet and made an outstanding grab. No more The Thrill in LF.
Graybeard - July 3, 2008
Did you read the game thread? I don't think you were the only one that noticed.
ohtobe21likehuston - July 4, 2008
Was at the game tonight
And even though I had some meh upper deck seats, I do have a few thoughts.
Vazquez was looking sharp tonight. He’s one of the league leaders in strikeouts every year, so you’ve gotta give him some credit. I know there’s been a lot of discussion about the A’s and the strikeouts lately, but when a guy like Vazquez does it that’s sorta supposed to happen. It’s guys like Jon Garland who need to not get so many.
Dewayne Wise was playing, really, really shallow all night. There was only one ball, and I forget who hit it (Gonzalez?), but it was a line shot right over his head. He made a nice play on it. Would’ve been nice to see them get a few over his head.
My two favorite players in tonight’s lineup hit home runs, so that was good for me. And the A’s won, so that was good, too.
Cust made a nice sliding catch, but a good outfielder makes that play standing there under it while eating a sammich. He took a Byrnesian route, but to his credit, he made the play. Baby steps. And, speaking of Cust’s defense, Geren made a HUGE blunder that didn’t end up hurting the team. Cust was due up 1st in the 9th in a one-run game and he made the defensive replacement move. I don’t like it. If Davis was even a little bit competent as a hitter it’d be alright, but he’s a near automatic out up there. I think the defensive replacement should’ve been saved for the ninth.
Street worried me tonight. In 30 pitches, I’d say at least 2/3 were sliders. The stadium gun, which is never right (but relatively speaking, you can get an idea of what pitches are being thrown), had those sliders at 83-84. The hardest pitch that registered on that gun was 89. Anybody else notice anything on the broadcast? Any comments about his velocity?
Embree makes me sick to my stomach. It’s just not fun watching when he’s out there. And I don’t like 5 out saves for Street, even though he came through. I was hoping Ziggy would’ve come in for Quentin and Dye, but Geren clearly doesn’t trust him yet. Why? Who knows. Maybe Ziggy hasn’t found those scandalous pictures of Geren that Embree has.
Wish I had more to add, but the upper deck sucks and a pitcher’s duel doesn’t often leave much to say.
thejd44 - July 3, 2008
I think when you have a lead in the 8th,
you have to put your best defense out there. Geren knew full well that R. Davis would lead off the 9th instead of Cust – it was guaranteed. I still think it’s the right move.
Nico - July 4, 2008
Sorry to be off topic, but I looked at the upcoming schedule,
and was wondering if anybody else is worried about the month of August.
Two separate road games of the 10-game variety.
I know we are basically .500 on the road, and to stay in contention we’ll have to have another patented hot August, so I just hope the A’s can over-achieve in that dept. next month.
Then again, we may be 10 games out by then, or in the lead by then, but it seems like a valid concern to me.
I’m just enjoying this season a lot more than I thought I would have before spring training, and that is all I can ask.
Go (play good, or something) Athletics.
dtownmbrown - July 4, 2008
Just a great game last night...
...even if the A’s hadn’t won. It had drama, it had great pitching, it had a couple of bombs, it lasted under 2 1/2 hours. Just a joy to watch.
The bonuses, the A’s won (of course) and I wasn’t subjected to Hawk Harrelson.
FormerHuntsvilleStar - July 4, 2008
Yes and no -
if Swisher had parked the first pitch into the right field seats (and he could have) for a walk-off HR, I wouldn’t be describing it as a great game. Now it’s a great game!
Nico - July 4, 2008
You must Login with your SB Nation account and be a member of Athletics Nation to post a comment.