This one started out with a modicum of promise: the Big Hurt knocked a solo HR in the first, and Dan Meyer set the Tigers down in order in the bottom half of the frame.
Unfortunately, in the second inning, the Tigers matched the A's solo HR.
Then, in the third, they exceeded it.
And, in the fourth, they extended their solo HR lead.
The A's had briefly tied it in the top of the third on a Cust RBI single -- and that was it for the A's offense for the evening. They did accumulate 10 hits for the game, but they never clustered them.
And, boy, did the Tigers cluster them in the seventh and eighth.
And there's only so many innings that Brad Ziegler can throw. Embree and DiNardo, the tail end of the A's bullpen that's looking more frayed than Chavvy's right shoulder, surrendered 7 runs over the last two innings, and the game ended up a rout.
In the increasingly desperate and obligatory "little kernels of corn we can pick out of the pile of crap that was this game" segment of Your AN Game Wrap, we can observe that:
So, rise and shine early tomorrow morning, AN'ers. Reveille is at 10:05 a.m. PDT for the rubber match of the series and a merciful end to this Batless Death March of a road trip.
0 recs | 61 comments
Listen to Buan's show and boy howdy am I relieved
Robert told the caller (and us) to just wait for “The Plan” to pan out in 2010 and then we will find out. Until then…no worries, it’s all in the Plan.
ak_A - August 9, 2008
I'm starting to hate Buan as much as Physioc
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
Buan Sucks
What can you say about a sports announcer whose role model appears to be Red Buttons?
richwol1 - August 9, 2008
hmmmm, yeah. heh heh
ak_A - August 9, 2008
"But be sure to come out to the ballpark in the meantime!"
Flashfire - August 9, 2008
As long as it's not THIS PLAN
DCinWC - August 10, 2008
Solution to our power problems -- Trade Crosby for Andruw Jones
(Dodgers pay the difference in salary). Give Jones the Rajai treatment until he earns a job like a rookie. If he doesn’t, cut him, and we’re out just what we would have paid Crosby anyway. I doubt we’d offer Crosby arbitration, so there wouldn’t be any loss of draft pick.
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
But, Jones is terrible.
I mean, he’s worse than Crosby. By a lot.
mikev - August 9, 2008
You know, Elias has stats for everything -
Jones must be up there for biggest contrast between best and worst seasons. Which is to say, he’s fallen a tad short of 51 HRs and 128 RBI in 2008.
Nico - August 9, 2008
Does it matter that it's his walk year?
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
Seems like it's more his "strikeout" year
Nico - August 9, 2008
Other RH power candidates -- budget version -- DH
Frank Thomas
Moises Alou
Brent Clevlen
Richie Sexson
Nelson Cruz
Jose Guillen
Elijah Dukes
Milton Bradley
Mat Gamel
Steven Pearce
Scott Hairston
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
See...
We have money. We “could” spend some. Maybe look to acquire a real offensive player that could be with us through the ‘09 suck and lead us in our ‘10,’11,’12 charge then be gone by the time we need to start shelling out cash to the kids. Too bad such a bat probably doesn’t really exist.
DMOAS - August 9, 2008
Manny!
I’ll continue my Manny! campaign until he signs somewhere.
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
Thomas is probably the most likely of that group.
Maybe Clevlen.
mikev - August 9, 2008
Anyone else to consider?
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
From that group?
Alou, Sexson: Horrible
Bradley, Guillen: Not likely to be signed again by Oakland.
Dukes, Cruz, Gamel: I’d be surprised if any of them are dealt.
Hairson, Pearce: Underwhelming.
mikev - August 9, 2008
So it's Clevlen or Frank?
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
BTW you don't have to stick to this group
If you have a better idea…...
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
Troy Glaus has an 11.5mil player option for 2009
He can declare free agency.
Nico - August 10, 2008
Wow I totally missed him!
Would 5/$70M be enough? Would you do that? FWIW PECOTA thinks of him as a lot more risky than Manny, but he plays 3B.
WaddellCanseco - August 10, 2008
He's my "holy grail" - a true masher
from the right side who would improve the lineup immensely. He’s turning 32. I’d certainly go 4 years – don’t know about 5 – and look at him primarily as a DH, plus insurance for Chavez (or whomever might replace him). Glaus is not a good 3Bman and as he gets older his health will be more likely to sustain if he only DHs. I think he’d be worth a substantial investment even as a DH, because the A’s need power and adding Glaus would enable them to focus on getting a leadoff hitter, high average hitter, etc. in filling other positions.
But imagining Chavez coming back at 3B for a moment (since that’s still “Plan A”), look at this:
Sweeney/Cunningham – RF
Cust – LF
Chavez – 3B
Glaus – DH
Gonzalez – CF
Suzuki – C
Ellis – 2B
Barton – 1B
Crosby – SS
It already looks a lot closer to respectable. Now sign Furcal and…
Nico - August 10, 2008
I wouldn't consider a guy with a .422 SLG in the minors much of a power threat
Clevlen doesn’t excite me at all.
thejd44 - August 10, 2008
So that leaves Frank?
WaddellCanseco - August 10, 2008
Prediction
Lenny DiNardo is DFA’d this week.
richwol1 - August 9, 2008
In favor of who? Eveland?
I can’t think of anyone else at the moment.
Nico - August 9, 2008
Patterson?
WaddellCanseco - August 9, 2008
Oh that makes sense - we're short a bench player anyway
and it’s an infielder.
Nico - August 9, 2008
Kirk Saarloos
His AAA stats aren’t great, but I suspect he’s a darn sight better than DiNardo. And he’s got the major league experience.
richwol1 - August 9, 2008
I get the feeling he's more "AAA filler"
at this point than he is someone they’re considering for a callup. Could be wrong, though.
Nico - August 9, 2008
Or Petit
richwol1 - August 9, 2008
It's rather stunning how bad Tyler Walker is
Possibly worse than Embree and even DiNardo – and yet he’s still pretty much the Giants’ set-up man. He is really unbelievably bad.
Nico - August 9, 2008
And that's why they are the Giants.
Bad management to the max.
Blicks - August 9, 2008
and yet their future, from an objective POV, looks just as bright as the Athletics'
black beane - August 9, 2008
Not really
Their only real prospects are all low minors guys. The A’s have players ready now and will continue to have an influx of top tier prospects for the next 3-4 years. The Giants won’t have those guys coming in for at least that much time.
The A’s can compete in 2009. I don’t think the Giants are a .500 team before 2011 without some smart free agent spending.
thejd44 - August 10, 2008
I'll take the Giants dearth pitching prospects + their current young aces
over what the A’s have any day.
black beane - August 10, 2008
He's not worse than Embree or DiNardo
He’s definitely not worse than Embree, only in the sense that DiNardo doesn’t pitch real innings that matter. Embree, on the other hand, is used in important situations and he’s much much worse.
thejd44 - August 10, 2008
Walker
yeah, we have Embree for setup, we are good.
DCinWC - August 10, 2008
Woo hoo! (As I talk to myself, Cutthemullet style)
Tampa Bay puts up a 6-spot to take a 7-5 lead over Seattle. S-s-s-sssssmokin’!!!!!
Nico - August 9, 2008
beach volley ball or m's? neither switched to
Dead Sea Scrolls on discovery channel.
ak_A - August 9, 2008
From A's to seas
That’s gotta be rough on the ol’ GPA.
Meanwhile…Chris Carter hits his 33rd HR for Stockton tonight. Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! Cardenas went 2 for 4 for Midland…Pennington’s 3 for 3 for Sacramento and Murton’s 2 for 4 with 3 RBI. It’s all good.
Nico - August 9, 2008
is there such a thing as AAAA or just just guys that don't get enough
time in majors to try?
Cust was thought to be AAAA. but he’s a high value offensive player.
some guys never seem to get a chance at the majors (murton, patterson, etc…) and some guys are given too many chances (i’m looking at you crosby).
why not give some of these guys a larger sample size of chances?
stm72 - August 9, 2008
I definitely think some guys get stuck behind major leaguers
at the same position, e.g. Andy LaRoche, where their age/inexperience may not be reflective of their suitability for the big leagues. That happened to a large degree with Murton, once the Cubs acquired Soriano and then Fukodome. With someone like Patterson, it may be more the lack of plus defense at any position that robbed him of chances to prove his bat, especially being in the NL where DHing wasn’t even a possibility.
Nico - August 9, 2008
let's call them all up in September...
and make a push for the division.
FoolshGame22 - August 9, 2008
33 ...whoa
ak_A - August 9, 2008
note to self
If I find myself reading and posting on AN after the game, on Saturday night, after a loss, in a loosing season, whilst watching and surfing the cable tv channels at the same time…. might as well move back to Alaska.
ak_A - August 9, 2008
But..But when I heard you were moving to Colorado
I thought, “Oh joyful day! We’re practically next door neighbors now – we’ll have lunch once a week, just like old times!” Then I remembered we never had lunch once a week before, and thought, “Well that’s good – I don’t have time for lunch.”
Nico - August 9, 2008
Grrr...Boo, Seattle - tying up Tampa Bay with 2 in the 8th,
still batting 7-7…
Nico - August 9, 2008
"Just one pitch" says Geren of Embree (SF Chron)
Embree has allowed 21 runs over his past 26 innings, an ERA of 7.27 since May 13, and both he and Geren said afterward it seems to be just one pitch each time that gets him. Embree said he feels great physically and he’s throwing the ball better than he did last year.
Throwing batting practice better than ever.
Trainman - August 9, 2008
I'm beginning to doubt Geren
as a manager. That little bit with Sweeney at the end of the game really pissed me off. I have a gut feeling that Eddings was, “putting the rookie in his place” with those calls. That Geren would allow a third party to cuff one of his own around is a bit much to take.
alox - August 9, 2008
Geren seems to have an excuse for everything.
If you read his comments in a vacuum, you’d have no idea the A’s are playing 3-18 baseball.
jeepers - August 10, 2008
3-20. I count the last two Angels games.
WaddellCanseco - August 10, 2008
Hmm...
he gives up more than one run in several outings and they’re saying it’s only ONE pitch? Really? Um… REALLY? I don’t mind if he stays on the roster, but can we have him not pitch unless we’re already out of it? Wait, bad idea, that would have him starting games for us.
DMOAS - August 9, 2008
Maybe he's saying he only has one pitch
And it sucks.
thejd44 - August 10, 2008
I think you're misunderstanding.
“one pitch” == “fastball”
mikev - August 9, 2008
thats 105 easter n time. im there. aa
oakinboston - August 9, 2008
good
i’m happy with the loss, it’ll clear out all the bandwagon fans from yesterday.
Future Ed - August 10, 2008
I wonder how much Ellis' stock is affected by
Orlando Hudson breaking his wrist, out for the season and may need surgery. That makes him a riskier FA signing than he was two days ago.
Nico - August 10, 2008
I guess that comes down to
how many teams need a defensive 2nd baseman who won’t excel with a bat, but also won’t embarass himself either.
alox - August 10, 2008
Diamondbacks may want Ellis now, unless they're satisfied with Chris Burke and Augie Ojeda
WaddellCanseco - August 10, 2008
So might the Dodgers, Twins, Brewers...
Nico - August 10, 2008
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