In a season of short-term hope, long-term frustration and the heartbreak of seeing some of our hometown favorites leave, the story of Brad Ziegler has been something to hold on to, something that had us looking forward to each new game to see if he could do something special. From day one, Ziegler has been "one of us" - an ego-free player who shared his thoughts on rising through the minor league ranks and reaching the Big Show here on AN. We were elated when he was called up to Oakland, and we shared his jitters during his first outing, and seeing him go inning after scoreless inning has been a shared feeling of pride, as he's part of the AN family.
Achieving 39 consecutive scoreless innings is tremendous, period. To do it as a rookie is amazing. To do it from your very first pitch - unprecedented in the history of baseball... of all friggin' time.
And though today, it came to an end, the AN family stops to applaud you, Brad. Congratulations on doing something nobody has ever done before, even if people who didn't bleed green and gold may never have before known your name.
(And for those watching, I blame the AP for jinxing him.)
* * * * * * * * * * *
Oh! And there was a ballgame! What a ballgame! 12 innings of thrills and spills. And while the A's ended up on the short end, once again, we had 4+ hours of entertainment.
We had the early pitching shakiness from Gallagher and Meyer, followed by surprisingly good pitching from Embree, we saw Ziegler finally give up a run, Street pitching impressively, and then... finally, the wheels came off with Casilla. But we also saw a two-run double by Daric "Staplehead" Barton, a two-run home run by Gonzalez, and ninth-inning heroics by Frank Thomas.
We even battled back in the 12th to make things interesting, before falling to the A's nemesis, the double play.
Did we win? No. Did we battle? Yes. And for the first time in weeks, literally, the A's scored more than 4 runs, so at least that barrier has gone bust. The next barrier has got to be winning a series, as the A's have lost their last nine. The White Sox come to town tomorrow. The question is, do the A's play the role of aggressor or that of victim? We find out tomorrow night.
0 recs | 107 comments
I mentioned this in the game thread ...
nobody thinks any of the A’s have flat-out given up … but the Crosby play in which he doesn’t go to second on the wild pitch is an example of why many think some of the A’s have mailed it in.
I’m sorry, but that’s just plain lack of effort right there. Absolutely no excuse for it, whatsoever. Call it what you wish, but what it wasn’t was maximum effort.
Vacafan - August 14, 2008
I am checking in to see if anyone could explain that...
I missed the bottom of the 12th, so I went to “play by play” and was confounded by E Brown going to third, and Crosby not advancing.
The A’s have given away a lot of games in the last 25 in just such a manner. Ugh.
I don’t think anyone who is a professional “gives up”. I mean, Ichiro basically said he “gave up” on the Mariners, but he’s still hitting above .300, it’s not like he gave up and is hitting .050…..050, which seems to be closer to the numbers put up by rookies “thrilled to be in the show”.
Oh, and screw the idea of “draft picks”. Plenty of “winter” to worry about that. That’s like seeing your house burn down, and seeing all the silver linings in not having to do the dishes…sorry, it is ridiculous to think about draft picks.
One won lost won - August 14, 2008
Right, but if he would have taken off and Emil *hadn't* gone for third, it would have been awful.
Then everybody would be bashing Crosby for running.
mikev - August 14, 2008
Croz was between a rock and a hard place there
because he had to gauge how far the pitch got away, and watch Brown, at the same time and had a split second to decide. I can’t really blame him there – yet it was so costly, as it turned out, that he didn’t advance.
More unacceptable to me was Pennington taking a called third strike when just making contact would have put a lot of pressure on the defense – see Jed Lowrie’s 12th inning chopper in Boston. To me, that’s really bad baseball when you’re fast and an infield hit will win the game, and you take a close pitch for strike three.
Nico - August 14, 2008
I'd have rather seen a weak, feeble swing and miss than take a pitch like that.
Even if you’re not looking for that pitch in that place, you’ve got to at least be able to try to make contact and foul it off if you can’t get around on it.
To just stand there and watch it…I know he was just called up but we’ve seen too many players take called strike threes in key spots.
Flashfire - August 14, 2008
About the best thing he could have done
was to hit the ball weakly. That’s the irony: It was a situation where if he hit the ball badly he had a great chance to win the game. Unlike a walk, which wouldn’t have anyway.
Nico - August 14, 2008
I was actually at this game, the first time I've been to the Coliseum in 11 years.
Anyone who thinks the A’s are mailing it in is either blind or insane. There was very little talent on the team they put on the field today, and the little talent there is are very young players. I can’t see any of these guys starting for the next good A’s team, other than maybe Carlos, Barton and maybe Suzuki and Cust. The rest of the lineup is just terrible.
The miracle is that they overachieved by so much in the first half and made it exciting for us. Before today I thought that they could compete next year. Now I think that’s highly unlikely barring the addition of at least three good infielders without giving up too much pitching, and Buck, Gonzalez and Cunningham healthy and playing well in the OF. Beane has his work cut out for him.
Crosby definitely screwed up on that play. Once you see Brown go the third you have to advance. If Brown fakes you out by stopping halfway to third, he’ll probably get tagged out and you should advance anyway.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
I agree, Pennington
trying to “not strike out” because he was down 0-2. He didn’t want to “chase”, but the problem was, IMO (I was not there, just speculating) he was afraid of a “bad result”…and the result?? A bad result.
Happens no matter who, just the mindset.
That’s why I hate seeing Crosby with the bases loaded. Until he hits a Grand Slam, he will always be miserable and under-achieving with the bases loaded.
Okay, I accept Nico’s explanation of Crosby not taking second. The game should have been won many many innings ago…like, after Barton doubled. They were stuck on 4 for way too long..that’s what bad teams do…fail to step on the neck.
One won lost won - August 14, 2008
No, I'd be inserting Brown's name
where I have Crosby’s.
The bottom line is Brown did the right thing, Crosby didn’t do anything.
Vacafan - August 14, 2008
One game closer...
to that number one draft pick.
Hey, you gotta find your silver linings somewhere. If you are going to be bad, be horrible.
mikedaviswhereareyou - August 14, 2008
Don't waste your time worrying about that
There isn’t the slightest possibility that the A’s will get the #1 pick; in fact, they’d have to basically play like the 1899 Cleveland Spiders to even finish in the top 5.
PaulThomas - August 14, 2008
Go Spiders!
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
like we have the money to sign the first pick of the draft
stm72 - August 15, 2008
why did zig pitch 2 innings as closer?
give us fans something to be happy about. why was zig pitching 2 innings as closer when the a’s aren’t even in the race. the only thing left was this personal record.
Grumpy50 - August 14, 2008
umm
not to be rude, but that’s absolutely preposterous to think that a major league baseball team would sacrifice their best chance to win (having their best pitcher pitching) just to keep a “personal record” alive. in the race or not be damned.
flipgatey3 - August 14, 2008
As noted before, Ziegler:
I was really hoping he could just pass that 41 inning mark. He came so close.
Any way you look at it, this is a remarkable streak for anyone at any time. Coming to start a career is even more amazing.
Congratulations, Brad Ziegler!
Flashfire - August 14, 2008
Absolutely! A bright spot in an otherwise horrible month.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
+1000
Congratulations, Ziggy!
#14fan - August 15, 2008
Nice wrap louismg, excellent
jdub69 - August 14, 2008
Thanks jdub. Appreciate it.
But there’s just so much material! 4 hours worth!
louismg - August 14, 2008
there I said it
Maybe what ails Jack Cust is he has not been using the juice. Lets put patterson in the lineup instead.
Arcman - August 14, 2008
there I said it
You’re crazy. Evidence that Cust ever juiced plz. Oh, right, there isn’t any.
nevermoor - August 14, 2008
not to mention, evidence plz that juicing assists one in making contact
monkeyball - August 14, 2008
Clearly if it does help in contact making he's never been on it.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
There IS evidence - didn't he not actually have a locker
next to someone who juiced? Guilty!
Nico - August 14, 2008
Original comment did not say he used to
just that using it might help him…
MobiusKlein - August 14, 2008
that pisses me off
don’t make flippant remarks about a topic you obviously know NOTHING about. if you knew anything about steroids, you wouldn’t have said that.
i hate how the media has turned steroids into this awful, terrible thing. i’m still waiting for the voice that commercial where it’s a greek statue breaking down to add “when used improperly and without post-cycle therapy and when you are too young to be fucking up your endocrine system and growth plates” to the end of “steroids don’t build athletes, they destroy them”. such a lie.
that’s the media for you.
flipgatey3 - August 14, 2008
I'm under the impression that pretty much any "performance enhancing" use of steroids
would fall under the category of “abuse.” I’m pretty sure that an athlete who uses the stuff for an advantage isn’t using it in the way that a doctor might prescribe it for legitimate medical reasons.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
you're definitely entitled to that opinion
the part that makes me mad though is that instead of just saying in the ads or in articles, etc. etc. that steroids are illegal for the use of how you said (i don’t feel it’s “abuse”, but that’s neither here nor there) and are tested for (which is absolutely true), the anti-drug companies use b.s. propaganda like “steroids will kill you” or “steroids will shrink your testicles and your member (if male) will fall off” etc. etc. instead of just giving the bottom line that you won’t be allowed to use them if you are competing and will be suspended, they spread lies and propaganda. that’s what bugs me. yes, your testicles will atrophy somewhat…and then when your cycle is complete, they come right back to original size. hmm. i bet that’s never been mentioned before.
sorry for the rant. it just gets old. i’ve studied steroids a lot and i feel like if people gain enough legitimate knowledge to use them properly, with liver/colon/joint/anti-estrogenic/etc. support, they should be able to. just a personal opinion.
go cust. go a’s.
flipgatey3 - August 15, 2008
So here's a story about how bad the stuff can be
A guy I know is a professional wrestler who was under contract with the WWE for a while (what they call a “Developmental” talent. He never appeared on WWE TV). He used, though he didn’t abuse (by your defintion). Anyway, through other wrestlers he had a hookup to one of those fraud doctors in Florida. It was just a few weeks before the doctor got busted actually, and when he took the tests it turned out his kidneys were in pretty bad shape. As a result, the doctor wouldn’t prescribe him anything. It saved his job (for a while, since he was eventually released), since some of the guys who were linked to the doctor were let go.
Anyway, the point of the story is that he’s not a huge, jacked up roid-freak wrestler. But he used moderately and it nearly destroyed his kidneys. You can’t tell me the stuff is harmless, or close to harmless. If the only way to counter all the effects of the stuff is to put more stuff in your body, that’s a terrible sign. Of course, I’m coming from a straight edge perspective and I won’t even take Ibuprofen.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
Like everything else, amount and duration of use are key
factors in determining risk. The ill effects of smoking a little pot are usually exaggerated, and the ill effects of smoking a fair amount of pot, over a fair amount of time, are usually understated. Same with cortisone shots, same with Valium, same with steroids.
Nico - August 15, 2008
all i am saying
is that steroids are not as terrible as they are made out to be. yes, your kidneys, liver and colon, among other things, will be under duress. and yes, you must have PCT (post-cycle therapy), a SERM (link), and keep getting consistent blood work. the blood work is key.
i understand your point of view totally about countering effects. totally valid. it’s all up to the person, i guess.
good post, i rec’d it.
flipgatey3 - August 15, 2008
Truth about steroids
5 years ago when the steroid thing came a issue a group of us in a strato league made a list of 20 players who we thought did steroids. 18 of those 20 players on my list are out of baseball and carrer declined fast once testing took place.
As for Cust he needs something to improve. He is showing that he is a AAAA hitter. He will not get someone home from second becaus he strikes out everytime. He is only a player good enough for a pinch hit homerun off the bench. The Rob Deer of baseball. You can’t have someone like that batting 3rd or 4th. Maybe a 9th hitter. I am tired of A’s announcers say how great he would be in a good lineup. Put in Patterson and give him a chance.
Arcman - August 15, 2008
Cust's value would be enhanced about 100%
if he could just become proficient at playing pepper with the SS spot – which is not that difficult a skill to cultivate because you don’t have to be all that precise. Case in point yesterday, when he bounced out into the shift with the winning run at second: Aybar was about 25 feet off the line at 3B and Bartlett was about 15 feet to the right of second base. That left about an 80 foot hole beween the 3Bman and SS.
Basically, if Cust had just been able to bounce – arguably even tap – the ball to the left of the mound, if he gets it past the pitcher the A’s win the game. Cust doesn’t need to bunt to beat the shift, he needs to develop a gentle “easy batting practice” swing that allows him to hit a routine grounder around where a SS usually plays.
Look at what he has accomplished as a LFer from April to August. One week of extra batting practice work and he could be good enough at this to discourage a shift, and that would be a step in the right direction – this game is about making adjustments and the A’s need to get better at it.
Nico - August 15, 2008
I am constantly befuddled by the fact that players don't just take that easy single
Not only would a 3.000 OPS vs. the shift be pretty good, people would stop doing the shift very quickly.
nevermoor - August 15, 2008
2.000 OPS, but yeah.
Granted, you can’t assume success every time – you might bounce back to the mound occasionally, or tap it to where the 3Bman can field it, and so on. But actually, given the extent of the shift, a .700 average is perfectly reasonable, and that’s a 1.400 OPS until they relent and move the SS back to the left side of second base – which, had it been the case yesterday, would have meant a game-winning single in Cust’s last AB (his “last stand”?).
Nico - August 15, 2008
err... right
but yeah, I’d like to see it happen (especially in high leverage situations where a single is a sufficient outcome)
nevermoor - August 15, 2008
Maybe it's not that easy to do.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
i like your post
i feel like guys like bonds, giambi or cust who don’t use that to their advantage are guys that don’t want to “give in” to the shift, and kinda turn it into a d***-waving contest, your five guys in a small area of space vs. my swing.
he could push a bunt down the third-base line, even, and get x amount of extra hits per season if the shift continues. i bet he works on going the other way this offseason a lot.
flipgatey3 - August 15, 2008
give me your list of players
a couple ex-teammates of mine have used. they have told me that when “on”, you feel like you can do anything in the world. ever think that, muscle gain aside, that being on steroids can give you that placebo effect? that it’s not the steroids at all that are making them hit, that it’s their talent and that extra confidence?
i’m under the impression that most players use for a couple reasons:
a) to gain muscle to get more…inertia i think would be the word…behind either their swing or their pitch
b) to heal aches and pains quickly from working out, or just playing the game in general
i feel like in a case such as an eric gagne, a guy who doesn’t appear to be in good shape at all, was using for the healing powers, and did the cycles incorrectly, thus the bloat and the nagging injuries afterward, resulting in his arm surgery. this is speculation, but i’m sure you can see where i’m coming from.
the point is, a player like that will have his career decline if done improperly, because yes, if steroids are done improperly, can break down joints.
i’m not sure how much of this actually addressed Arcman’s post, but it’s something to think about.
flipgatey3 - August 15, 2008
What you're describing - the "I can do anything"
feeling of confidence and euphoria – is more typical of cocaine or amphetamine use, but can also apply to steroids, as they all affect the chemical physiology that has pathways to brain and mood (in the case of cocaine and amphetamines, more directly by triggering a massive release of endorphins, such as dopamine and serotonin, that regulate mood).
Nico - August 15, 2008
yes
and all the teammates i’ve had over the years have all had some mention of this
flipgatey3 - August 15, 2008
Hey Kotsay hit for the cycle..good for him.
Can we just trade the whole organization into the NL?
maybe then we’ll speed up the re-building process a year or two.
buddahead9 - August 14, 2008
just get home and bbtonight is on
and right away the A’s game is featured. Did not know the outcome….gad, for crying out loud, but good effort, i guess.
ak_A - August 14, 2008
Rookie Bullpen
A hopeful sign for the future is that Devine and Ziggy combined have given up only 4 earned runs in 68 innings. Until about a week ago, Blevins had given up only one earned run. The prospect of those three anchoring an A’s bullpen for several years to come is one positive thing to come out of this season.
SA - August 14, 2008
I hope so, but bullpens turn over too much to expect that. Remember how great Casilla was
at the start of the season? And how he and Brown had scoreless innings streaks of their own.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
That is the spirit!
That is what I am talking about. Kudos for focusing on the positive! Losing is difficult, but it is easy to make the assumption that the future is indeed bright.
Hang Man - August 14, 2008
As someone who was there, behind the plate,
the standing ovation for a pitcher who had just given up the go-ahead run in the 9th inning, was really, really cool.
Scouting notes from behind the dish…
-Street looked very good. His fastball had some life – registered 92 MPH a couple times and looked it. Command is still come and go, but I expect him to bounce back strong.
- Gallagher’s fastball is for real – plenty of “giddyup” – but his curve is one of those pitches that often does hitters a favor by speeding up their bat. It’s slow enough that they can readjust and not be out in front when they swing. The pitch selection, to throw a slow curve to Nararro (when he hit the sac fly) was terrible IMO, and a great example of why the curve is not a good “second pitch” for Gallagher. Better he use the slider, which gives hitters less chance to react, and the changeup. He seems kind of in love with the curve, but I think it’s his fourth best pitch. The key, though, clearly, is “fastball command” – he needs it…and doesn’t yet have it.
- Devine looked terrific. I wish the A’s would put him in the closer’s role as an audition for 2009. He should be closing, Street setting up, and Ziggy/Blevins getting the other “high leverage” opportunities.
- Casilla is really not very good. Straight “high MPH” fastball and no command of either the fastball or slider.
Nico - August 14, 2008
Hey! I was in 120. Agree on the ovation.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
I was gonna ask if that happened
I’m really glad it did.
nevermoor - August 14, 2008
I wasn't there
but I disagree with your assessment of Casilla.
SwampyD - August 14, 2008
I dunno, Casilla's 3.19 ERA makes me think he's not half bad
Especially when he’s struck out 1 per inning and doesn’t walk a huge amount (3.44 BB/9). He’s only “not very good” relative to the rest of the awesomeness that is the A’s bullpen. He’s not perfect, but you can’t expect every reliever to have an ERA of 1 or less. There isn’t a team in baseball that wouldn’t be glad to slide him into the bullpen somewhere.
Today was just a bad day for him.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
His ERA is the result of a sensational 15 IP start to the season,
which is also the only stretch where he has been dominant instead of just erratic. His stats are misleading – over his major league career he has in fact been solid for only that 15 inning stretch. In fact, he does not command his fastball or his slider consistently, has too little movement on his fastball and relies on hitters chasing bad sliders to succeed. I’m not sold.
Nico - August 15, 2008
over his major league career he has in fact been solid for only that 15 inning stretch
First 25 IP last year were pretty good …
DismalNitch - August 15, 2008
I think he's good enough for lower leverage relief,
I just don’t think he’s good enough to be in the closer/set-up man “high leverage” group. And the thing about “decent middle relievers” is that they’re as replaceable as any component on a team. He’s not horrible but I think he’s consummately replaceable.
Nico - August 15, 2008
This is just plain wrong
March/April – 0.00 ERA
May – 3.00 ERA
June – 18.00 ERA (4 ER in 2 IP – he was hurt)
July – 3.86 ERA
August 4.50 ERA (but it was under 3 before his outing yesterday).
The truth is that he had 1 bad “month” of 3 appearances when he wasn’t healthy.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
Since coming off the DL he's been letting runners on base at an alarmingly high rate.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
It's not plain wrong - what's plain wrong
is looking at stat sheets and trying to draw conclusions based on a series of “small sample ERA” data. He has been highly erratic, allowing inherited runners to score, allowing tons of baserunners to reach and score period (an ERA ranging from 3.00 to 4.50 is not impressive for a reliever).
Bottom line: Through May 6th and 16 innings, he was fantastic, no question. Since May 6th:
19.1 IP, 29 hits, 13 ER, 11 BB, 15 K, an ERA of 6.05.
Throw out June and you are left with:
17.1 IP, 22 hits, 9 ER, 11 BB, 14 K, an ERA of 4.67, since May 6th.
In other words, throw out his ghastly three appearances when he came off the DL and you are still left with suck. And last year, in 50.2 IP, he posted a 4.44 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
He was sensational for a 16 inning stretch to start this season. The rest is a rather large sample of bleah.
Nico - August 15, 2008
Just to add to that
For the season he’s allowed 9 of 23 inherited runners to score (39%).
Since returning from the DL, it’s 3 of 5 (60%).
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
He had a great start to the season, evidenced by his scoreless April and 2 ER before the injury in May
But since coming back after a month on the DL he’s allowed 10 ER in 17 1/3 innings (5.19 ERA), plus 4 home runs. There have been 26 hits and 10 walks (2.08 WHIP) against 14 strikeouts, compared to 4 walks and 22 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings before the injury.
Something may still not be right yet, though he did have a stretch of 6 innings without a run charged to him from 7/19-8/3. Aside from that, he’s allowed runs in 8 of his 12 appearances since returning.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
watch where suzuki sets up and where casilla delivers the ball...
it’s seldom on target. he’s wild but effectively wild.
i agree that he’s should be a 5th, 6th or 7th inning pitcher.
stm72 - August 15, 2008
espn on and I thought
I heard them say either about the Yankees or Rays…“No team in baseball has (ever?) had injuries like this.”
ak_A - August 14, 2008
That's impressive - I mean that they know the Rays exist
Nico - August 14, 2008
they were talking
about the Yankees.
SwampyD - August 14, 2008
Ziggy's Streak Had To End (I guess)
It sucks, but I would rather have the Rays snap it instead of the White Sox. Could you imagine that tool Hawk Harrrelson crowing if the “Good Guys” snapped it?
Kudos to Zigler for going as long as he did. I have never met him, but from all that I have read and seen (on TV) the guy looks like a sincerely good guy.
KCa's - August 14, 2008
I've only had the chance to meet him once, briefly,
and from that encounter, along with every time I’ve heard him interviewed, my impression is strongly that he is a genuinely nice guy with a refreshing “down to earth” quality about him. Now if we can just get louismg there…
Nico - August 14, 2008
I've had a handful of brief meetings with him along with some e-mail contact...
…and he’s exactly as he appears.
Flashfire - August 14, 2008
I had to re-read these a couple of times.
I thought at first you guys were talking about what a nice guy Hawk is…
5Aces - August 15, 2008
I've known him since he was in kindergarten
and he is a great kid. He comes from a good family, and is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
Post379 - August 15, 2008
Boo, Bert -
He ALWAYS does this. :-(
-Cindi
Nico - August 14, 2008
Honestly, there was a part of me that felt
like it would last forever. :-(
It was the thing keeping me going on these games, and I gotta give an APPLAUSE OF AWESOME to the powers of the Ziggymeister. He gave us 39 1/3 innings of AWESOME and that is a hell of a thing with how this season is going. Congrats to the kid, let’s go for 40. >:)
Kyli - August 14, 2008
One minor league note of note:
Jared Lansford pitched two scoreless innings for Midland tonight, keeping his ERA at 0.00 over 14 AA innings. Tonight: 2 IP, 1 hit, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1K – 18 pitches, 14 strikes. Coming into tonight’s game, right-handed batters were 1 for 21 against him.
Nico - August 14, 2008
14 scoreless innings? Pssh, Ziggy eats 14 scoreless innings for breakfast
Or some other strange idiom that might be more appropriate here.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
Cahill is pitching right now
being discussed in the Olympics thread.
link-to-game:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/player.html?assetid=bs1h-bj-sd07-081508-112005&channelcode=sportbb
mikeA - August 14, 2008
Thanks for the link
Working link
nevermoor - August 14, 2008
Question to put out there -
Braden was throwing in the bullpen in the 12th as the A’s rallied, in case the game went to the 13th. We were trying to figure out how the A’s were going to handle tomorrow’s start (Braden’s) if he had to pitch, because:
- Meyer pitched today and he is currently the A’s only long reliever
- Eveland pitched last night for Sacramento
- Saarloos pitched tonight for Sacramento (they could have pulled him, I suppose)
- IIRC, DiNardo has not been down for 10 days so he can’t be recalled yet
What do y’all suppose “Plan B” was if Braden had to come into today’s game?
Nico - August 14, 2008
Greg Smith on three days' rest, probably.
jeepers - August 14, 2008
Zito cleared waivers...
he’ll start for the A’s tomorrow. Cust and Barton to the Giants.
FoolshGame22 - August 14, 2008
I feel like there are some people here who actually think that'd be a good trade for the A's
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
The double play is totally not our nemesis.
Avoiding double plays is one of the very few things the offense does competently. The A’s are fifth in the AL in fewest double plays, probably owing to their 1.08 GB/FB ratio (fourth lowest in the AL).
Why ground into a double play when you can strike out twice in a row?
jeepers - August 14, 2008
We're good at clutch DP though.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
the A's low OBP probably has more to do with it than GB:FB
monkeyball - August 15, 2008
Tell we why
Someone already mentioned that Kotsay hit for the cycle tonight. He was 5-5. But please someone tell me why he is hitting .300 when he was a .230 hitter last year (I know he was injured but there are too many cases where A’s players hit elsewhere but not when they play in Oakland (Kendall, Damon, Kotsay, Pena…)
sacto - August 14, 2008
He's healthier, he's in an easier league, in a better park for hitters.
Kendall still sucks, and Pena wasn’t good for five years after leaving Oakland.
WaddellCanseco - August 14, 2008
And it's not like he's been all that good offensively this year
He’s still a below average offensive player, and only marginally better with the bat (again, in the weaker league) than Gonzalez. I think we can all agree we’d rather have Gonzalez in center at this point.
Kotsay actually would have some really, really nice numbers if Bobby Cox stopped using him against left-handed pitching.
thejd44 - August 15, 2008
Yeah but then he'd throw a fit about being a platoon player.
mikev - August 15, 2008
Kotsay's success is great news for the A's anyway
It suggests the level of rebirth Chavy could enjoy in 2009.
Nico - August 15, 2008
when did Kotsay have two surgeries on his throwing shoulder?
… and one on his non-throwing shoulder
monkeyball - August 15, 2008
Actually, the best news is that
Chavy’s back has never been the biggest problem in the recovery process. That’s the one you might expect the biggest problems recovering from. Shoulders are key but back injuries and surgeries are more worrisome to me.
Nico - August 15, 2008
How did Cahill do yesterday?
Nico - August 15, 2008
Struggled, was fortunate to only give up 2 runs in the first.
Went 5, mixed in some hits and walks, hit a batter with the bases loaded in the first. Got out of a later bases loaded jam with a double play. Had a lot of trouble locating his pitches most of the way. Could be a byproduct of the slightly different baseball used in Olympic play (higher stitches). Could just be jitters.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
6 innings 2 runs
not bad against cuba.
Arcman - August 15, 2008
5 IP, 2 runs (6 hits, 3 BB, 4K)
Thanks for the info and link below. Sounds like one of those cases where the box score doesn’t quite reflect how much he actually struggled. Probably nerves – the guy’s all of 20 years old.
Nico - August 15, 2008
Nah, he struggled in the first, but not really after that, save a few walks
2 of the “hits” were routine grounders to SS that Jason Donald botched. A third “hit” was LaPorta making a Custian play on a flyball-it even went all the way into his glove before coming out. They really weren’t hitting him much. I would not say he struggled by any means.
mikeA - August 15, 2008
That's good to hear
Funny how Donald and LaPorta have been among the prospects pined for on AN at times, and not that I’d mind having either one but…defense matters.
Nico - August 15, 2008
If you can, I'd recommend checking out the game on the nbcolympics website.
You might need Silverlight for it but you could decide for yourself how Cahill pitched.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
I definitely would based on his control. A number of his pitches were up in the zone, wild, etc.
The high walk count in particular points to this, along with the bullpen being up multiple times when he got in jams. This game wasn’t just “Cahill’s defense failing him.”
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
Here's the box
Link – though it doesn’t have the US pitchers in order of appearance, but rather uniform number. Cummings pitched after Cahill, then Jepsen, then Stevens. USA was also the home team.
The runs in the 11th were part of the Olympic rules that handle extra innings once the 11th is reached.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
He was wild, but he looked good
The sinking fastball is a fantastic pitch; a lot of balls, including several of the hits, were hit straight into the ground. He didn’t throw many off-speed pitches, and they were pretty mediocre.
mikeA - August 15, 2008
i blame the end of the streak (and the loss) on
the awwwwwwwwwwwful black jerseys. do enough people buy them to make it financially worth it for the A’s to have the alternate jersey? they are terrible.
jlanning17 - August 15, 2008
I don't know, but I'm thinking they might as well just go all the way and use Raiders jerseys sometime.
Flashfire - August 15, 2008
I'll drink to that (and start a fight)
Nico - August 15, 2008
I don't mind them
I’m actually thinking about buying one of those black caps.
(runs away to avoid flying projectiles of hate)
muffinpryde - August 15, 2008
Standing O to Ziggy
What an amazing way to bring something special to this season. I really can’t put into words how fun it has been to watch! The national audience may stop watching you now, but A’s fans won’t!
PS Hey Ziggy, thanks for the $1.01 tickets!
batgirl - August 15, 2008
It brought chills down my neck, to see a home team's pitcher
given a standing ovation after letting in the go-ahead run in the 9th. It shows how much he has meant to the community of A’s fans – something I told him in a private email last night, and true to his reputation he was nice enough to reply. Great story, great guy.
Nico - August 15, 2008
+1
Poppy - August 15, 2008
Way to go, Zig
I like ours way better than the one from The Wire.
Joey C. - August 15, 2008
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