Final Score: Mariners 1, A's 0
Je n'aime pas being shutout.
I think one of the reason Billy Beane brought in a lot of offense was so that his young pitchers wouldn't have throw 6.1 no-hit innings just to stay tied. louismg has a good recap of the game, so I'm here just to add some observations after attending the game.
Cahill's outing
The first 3 innings, Cahill actually looked similar to how he looked against the Angels in that he walked 3 and hit a batter, which won't cut it long-term. But once he settled into a groove, Cahill looked as good as the numbers suggest. He finally got the knuckle-curve to dip down and away as a strikeout pitch and he was a groundball machine who also showed a good high fastball to change the hitters' sightline. Innings 4-6, Cahill looked like the real deal and he should have some real confidence going into his next start.
Cabrera's 9th inning bunt
With the score 1-0 and Bedard still in, Cabrera sacrificed with Sweeney at first and nobody out. I didn't mind Ellis' bunt yesterday, because it attempted to move the tying run into scoring position with a pair of high average singles hitters (Sweeney, Cabrera) coming up, and took the bat out of Ellis' hands against a RHP.
I did not like having Cabrera sacrifice because it used up 1/3 of the outs the A's had left and took the bat out of Cabrera's hands against a LHP, in order to bring up a lower average hitter in Giambi. Compounding matters is that it opened up first base so that Wakamatsu could do exactly what he did: walk Holliday (none of the four pitches was close - it may as well have been intentional) and bring up another low average hitter in Cust. Cabrera should be swinging the bat there.
Cust's 9th inning AB
Jack Cust's at bat in the 9th was tremendous and suggests he has a chance to have a truly great season. Cust has been working with hitting coach Jim Skaaaalan on cutting down on his strikeouts without changing who he is entirely, focusing on two-strike contact by waiting longer and using the left side of the field. So far this season, Cust has gotten on base, gotten a couple extra base hits including a HR, and turned in ABs with RISP like this one. Very encouraging.
It is not difficult to construct a scenario where almost everything happens the same and the A's sweep the series. This weekend they were "just good enough to lose" and with Lester and Matsusaka up next, things are not about to get any easier.
0 recs | 194 comments
These close games make Geren’s batting order more important and more frustrating. That said, the way Bedard pitched, the games the A’s really had the opportunity to take were the first two in the series.
rebus - April 12, 2009
Re: Bunt
If you can’t count on your 3/4/5 to get the run in…then you’re us. Nothing wrong with the bunt there in my opinion.
Rebuilding Season - April 12, 2009
The question is, what are you counting on your 3-4-5 hitters to do?
Giambi and Cust get a lot of walks, a lot of HRs, and hit for a low batting average (.240-ish). So why do you want to give up an out to get a guy from first to second with those guys coming up?
Here’s another question: If Sweeney led off the first inning with a hit, would you want Cabrera to sacrifice if it cost you 9 outs? That’s 1/3 of the outs the team has left at the time. I know, totally irrelevant – but dramatic!
Nico - April 12, 2009
Here's another way to put it:
In 2008, Cust (59) and Giambi (61) had 120 singles combined. Orlando Cabrera had 144.
Nico - April 12, 2009
would you have rather seen Sweeney stealing?
To put himself in scoring position (and out of DP) for Cabrera?
alea iacta est - April 12, 2009
Not really.
I’d rather see Cabrera take a shot at the right side hole, and if he hits into a FC, or flies out, or strikes out, Sweeney is still in “scoring position” for a Giambi, Holliday, or Cust double or HR, and will still advance to second on a walk.
Basically, I think any managing was overmanaging. Let the next few guys hit and hope for the best.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Respectfully disagree
Normally, I’m with you on avoiding bunting in that situation. But Bedard had been destroying the lineup all day. I’d rather get Sweeney moved into scoring position instead of risking the double play. True, you’re essentially playing for only 1 run, but if the A’s get into extra innings and start digging into the Mariners’ bullpen, I think they come out winners more often than not. In this limited example, I like the bunt call.
Joey C. - April 12, 2009
Just to be clear, I have no problem with playing for one run there
However, I’d argue they had a better chance of scoring one run by letting Cabrera swing than by making the first out with the highest average hitter of the three (Holliday notwithstanding as he gets walked thanks to the bunt, wouldn’t have otherwise).
Nico - April 12, 2009
I think there's a perception that bunting
automatically increases your chance of scoring one run in the inning. It doesn’t.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I didn't want a bunt
Unlike Ellis the other night, Cabrera appears very adept and hitting to the right side over his career. I said it before they bunted that it was a wasted out.
If its a tied game with no outs then yes 100 percent
Trainman - April 12, 2009
Even with the game tied I wouldn't bunt
It takes the bat out of both Cabrera’s and Holliday’s hand.
Nico - April 12, 2009
True
I never thought of that.
Holliday is going to have a learning period. He’s in the real hitter league now and understandable that there are new pitchers he is facing the 1st time. I am sure deep down he would rather have gone to another NL team in his contract year that an AL team in a pitchers ballpark.
I think he will hit better on the road than at home this year.
Trainman - April 12, 2009
I think he'll have a slow April and then turn it on,
similar pattern to Frank Thomas in 2006. He’s a little tight, and he’s making adjustments daily with pitchers he hasn’t seen, ballparks he hasn’t hit in before, etc. I think he’ll be fine but not necessary in the next couple weeks.
Nico - April 12, 2009
The new hitting coach must have been born to be an A
Jim Skaaaalan!
UOSportsDude - April 12, 2009
look at all those A's!!
UOSportsDude - April 12, 2009
Cust's AB was impressive.
This series has sucked, but…it has shown a lot of promise. We’re notoriously slow starters. We’ll get there.
Leopold Bloom - April 12, 2009
I will give him his props
He had a great AB and seems to be showing more aggression early in the count along with cutting his K’s down. I think most of his K’s have been looking out of the handful he has. Shortening the swing helps.
I wonder why the hell the last hitting coach did not work with him on this.
Trainman - April 12, 2009
love the photo caption.
Darryl P - April 12, 2009
Thanks - I'm enjoying the new photo feature!
Nico - April 12, 2009
I've noticed that the last couple times.
It’s kind of a trip to see sarcastic/smarmy/sporkish captions beneath AP photos.
Leopold Bloom - April 12, 2009
This team has an incredibly wide range of possible outcomes this year
Almost everything about the roster is unpredictable. The “veteran” starters who are healthy now could be anywhere from pretty good to bad; Duke could be dominant to totally unavailable; Anderson and Cahill could be successful phenoms, or could be back in AAA when Duke and Gio are healthy. Gallagher could be an excellent young prospect, or the last guy on a 12-man staff that’s missing 3 pitchers already.
Offensively, I think we have a pretty good idea of what Cabrera is likely to do. Other than that, it wouldn’t be shocking for Sweeney or Buck to hit really well, or end up riding the pine. Giambi could be over the hill; or, he could be fully capable of .260/.350/.500. Garciaparra could be useless to quite effective. Chavez, same thing. Ellis was great two years ago, not so much last year (though, IIRC, his BABIP was unluckily low last year, right?). Zook is probably pretty predictable (though the prediction would be that he’ll be okay). Cust is the only really good hitter whose performance looks predictable at this point. Even Holliday is pretty unpredictable for an established star: changing leagues; leaving the best hitters’ park in baseball; going into a contract year.
And you can do the same “is this guy going to suck or dominate?” thing with practically the whole bullpen, too. Basically, it’s all up for grabs. Almost any outcome makes sense for this team, from losing 1-0 to winning 12-10.
Remember Beane saying (I think in Moneyball) that he spends the first 2 months of the season just figuring out what kind of team he has. That’s never been more true of one of his teams than it is for the 2009 A’s.
Nick - April 12, 2009
Great post.
jeepers - April 12, 2009
So true, Nick, except if we have a pretty good idea of what Cabrera will do,
why are “we” batting him second? Zing! He’s been great so far. The play he made in the hole on M. Sweeney early on was one I don’t think Crosby makes.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Yeah, I'm definitely on the bat-Cust-2nd bandwagon
(can we assume that Geren wouldn’t have had Cust bunt in the 9th if he’d been hitting 2nd today?), but I have to admit Cabrera’s been very good so far. I agree about the M. Sweeney play, and I think the same applies to the similar play he made on Guerrero in the 2nd game, I think, in Anaheim.
Nick - April 12, 2009
I have no complaints about Cabrera so far, definitely
and per an earlier post I can see batting him 2nd against a LHP. But against a RHP (if not always) I’d love to see Cust there.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Yep
I said that exact thing when watching. Crosby doesn’t make that play.
luvsthecurveball - April 12, 2009
Yeah but there are a lot of plays Crosby doesn't make.
mikev - April 12, 2009
True
Why single him out for that one? Sorry BoCro.
luvsthecurveball - April 12, 2009
Tim Kawakami agrees completely
From today’s Mercury:
Even the A’s aren’t sure what 2009 will bring
The article hits on many of Nick’s musings and brings up a further painful mutability. How will health affect the club? Crosby at 3rd last night was one answer.
He ends on a really sad note:
GoA's - April 12, 2009
That miserable plagiarizing bastard!!!!!
Oh, wait, he seems to have posted that piece yesterday.
Uhh…great minds think alike…?
Nick - April 12, 2009
Couldnt agree more
That is why this season is so friggin exciting.
ChadGod - April 12, 2009
Have to like what you saw with Cahill today.
2 hits in 7 innings is dominant stuff, even if it is the Mariners. I can’t believe we just got swept by the Mariners…
jeepers - April 12, 2009
Well, it wasn't quite the Mariners -
BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T EVEN HAVE ICHIRO.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Well, it appears you have salt
Do you have some lemon juice, too?
jeepers - April 12, 2009
No, but I have a slug
Nico - April 12, 2009
Does it talk?
oblique - April 13, 2009
Said the same thing
Being swept by the Mariners at home is completely unacceptable, unless you embrace mediocrity.
Helloooo 1st - April 12, 2009
Sorry, I just don't agree
It’s what makes baseball such a great game, IMO. The Nationals can go into Philly and sweep a series and it doesn’t mean Philly won’t win the World Series.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Right, but didn't we get swept by the M's to end last season, also?
Not that that is necessarily significant, just embarrassing.
UncleLeo - April 12, 2009
That's more what my point was
Not that it doesn’t happen, but that you’ve got to make damn sure that it doesn’t happen to you. At the end of the season and you lose your division by 1-2 games you can look back at series like this one and know why.
Helloooo 1st - April 12, 2009
But every team will have a series they look back at like this
So it’s not actually what determines a close race. 3-4 of these maybe.
Nico - April 12, 2009
A key to season-long success is to not have extended losing streaks
Every club will be swept once and again, but the good teams will find a way to put at least one W back on the board sooner rather than later. 8 game L streaks kill you.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
I supposed you're right
It’s just extremely frustrating to be swept at home by a team everyone’s picked to finish last in the division and close to the cellar in the league.
Helloooo 1st - April 13, 2009
To me the embarrassing part is that the M's
are shorthanded without Ichiro. Plus Ryan Rowland-Smith was truly terrible.
Nico - April 12, 2009
+1
PLUS we can go all psycho, over-react, over analyze, panic, point fingers, get swept by the 101 loss Mariners and turn around sweep the Red Sox – ideally.
DCinWC - April 13, 2009
:(
drmmerchk - April 12, 2009
I know they both got losses
but i am really exited about Cahill and Anderson pitched. I think by the start of next year Anderson will be an ace of the staff. If he can command 94 on the corners he is going to be great. And if Cahill can cut down on his walks he is also going to be great. It’s kind of wierd to have top prospects that can perform this year ( not Like the Gonzalez’s ).
BIGa's - April 12, 2009
Agree - except don't count on Anderson hitting 94MPH on the corners
More like 91MPH on the corners, which is jusssst fine!
Nico - April 12, 2009
more bad news...
Aaron Cunningham has apparently dislocated his shoulder and has been placed on the DL
athleticsBB4life - April 12, 2009
He's a true A.
UncleLeo - April 12, 2009
On a completely unrelated note guess who's injured, again.
Bradley that’s who. Can’t believe he still gets a look in for non-AL teams.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
What happened to him this time
Trainman - April 12, 2009
Running the bases. Pulled his groin.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Not all his groins, I hope.
Nico - April 12, 2009
True if he's just pulled some of his groins, the others can take up the slack.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
I so wanted to laugh when I saw that.
Oh, and what’s up with Jon Miller’s fugly yellow shirt? Is he trying to be a big Easter marshmallow peep?
UncleLeo - April 12, 2009
He looked just like he did against Detroit in the ALCS a couple of years ago!
Nick - April 12, 2009
Reed Johnson goes over the wall to bring back a grand slam
Nice.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I especially liked how he kickd into the wall so hard it ripped open
GoA's - April 12, 2009
And how Fielder tipped his cap.....and the Brewers pitcher plunked him next at bat.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
It was so intentional. You could see from how the ball left his hand
aimed right at Johnson’s numbers, and how he reacted after. The broadcasters all agreed it must not have been intentional – hogwash.
Nico - April 12, 2009
It really hurts to get swept by the M's
With our schedule in April we cant afford to lose games we should win. This sweep really hurt. I was really hoping we would get outta April .500.
Syphon - April 12, 2009
That is, you ARE really hoping...
I am too, and April’s not half done yet.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Another case
of the A’s playing down to the level of their opponents. They always seem to play well against good teams and then just fall of a cliff against the less than stellar ones.
Helloooo 1st - April 12, 2009
I see Jason Kendall is 0 for 14 for the season
I don’t remember him hitting that well for us.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I did a double-take when I saw JK was batting 8th...
…then I realized, “Oh, it’s the NL and the pitcher bats. Duh!”.
Still…
UncleLeo - April 12, 2009
I just had a quick look at Kendall's career stats - he was awesome until
2000/ What happened?
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Horrible injuries to his ankle and thumb
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
He tore up his ankle, for one thing
And he became unbelievably weak for reasons I don’t fully understand.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I'd say the thumb hurt his hitting more than the ankle
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Could be. I just don't see how it would sap his power so much so much later
Nico - April 12, 2009
Unless he ignored doctor's orders and tried to hitchhike too soon
Nico - April 12, 2009
Or he was juicing....
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Sort of. He played 2002 with the less than healed thumb, and only had surgery in
October of that year. He’s never had any power since. He first injured the thumb ligaments in 2001. The ankle was 1999. That mainly affected his speed.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Everyone else got on the roids. Good to know Jason is clean.
Although from ‘05 to ’07 he went from 0 to 1 to 3 home runs. Tripling your HR in a year? Maybe he started juicing with the A’s.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
You're worried about the HRs tripling in one year?
What about the year before when they infinitipled?
Nico - April 12, 2009
He had one triple in 05
That’s like three-fourths of a home run. So he went from .75 HR to 1 HR. A thirty-three percent increase follows a much more normal career path.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Hate losing to Seattle
Way to impress the fans right off the bat. Frustrated with Geren. Bring on the Sox.
sprtsnwyn - April 12, 2009
I basically like Geren and I've been a bit disappointed
I haven’t had issues with his handling of the pitchers, though.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Something to be pround of?
Bedard didn’t crack Baseball Tonight’s top three pitching gems today.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
It could signal that they factored in the hitting team.
:-(
More likely they aren’t aware that Seattle has a baseball team.
Nico - April 12, 2009
We were playing Seattle? I thought the Rays just had fugly uniforms this year
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Yes the Strength of Schedule had a negative impact on his RPI
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Unlike my spelling, which I'm very unpround of
GoA's - April 12, 2009
You should be ashamned.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I am a sham
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Wow
luvsthecurveball - April 12, 2009
This thread is absorbant
oaklandSMASH - April 12, 2009
and has an incredibly annoying voice.
Leopold Bloom - April 13, 2009
...but it only lasts for 20 minutes... can't do this all day, ya know
UncleLeo - April 13, 2009
As if
he has anywhere to go. No one wants you around, you annoying Chowd
Leopold Bloom - April 13, 2009
Some good signs out of the first week:
Starting Rotation:
— Cahill and Anderson look like they belong and they’re just going to get better as they get more comfortable. They’re the top of the rotation for me, even if Duke comes back
— Eveland looks like he’s going to be OK as a mid or back of the rotation guy. They still need something out of the other two.
Bullpen:
— Bailey looks like the future closer and Wuertz is the new Kiko. That means Ziggy can now become the new Tam or Bradford. That’s a pretty good front three.
— Outman could be a dominant lefty from the pen like Howell with the Rays
Defense:
— As long as Chavez, Cabrera and Ellis are healthy the IF defense is gonna really help out Anderson, Cahill and other groundballers
— I like the idea of Davis in CF and Sweeney in RF vs lefties. That’s a heckuva defensive OF. Suzuki and Powell are both good.
Offense:
— Cust and Holliday will one day make a good 3-4 tandem…as soon as Geren bats them 3-4.
— They still need Sweeney and I hope Buck to take over the top of the order vs righties. Giambi, Chavez and Nomar are OK in the 5-6 spots
— The bottom of the order isn’t terrible with Ellis, Cabrera and Suzuki
I see a bunch of positives to take out of this week. A good series vs the Red Sox would be a welcome morale booster.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Good analysis
I think the A’s will really miss Devine because Bailey won’t be closing anytime soon and the bullpen depth, while still good, is full of 7th inning guys, not 8th/9th inning guys.
But I think Braden is as likely as Eveland to be a solid mid/back rotation guy, and I love that the bottom of the order is actually decent. Cust looks great, Holliday will hit. I fear Chavy will not hold up forever, but as long as he’s out there it’s a potentially good team that should only get better each month.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Yes, the big worries for me are the health of Chavez, Ellis, Nomar, Giambi, Sweeney and Buck.
And I think the young starters could wear down. This team could be in shambles by August…or Beane could remake it in June and July and they could get better in the second half like 1999.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
They must have a plan for what they will do if come August
the team is highly competitive but Cahill and Anderson are on pace to throw 180-200 innings. I just wonder what that plan is.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I'm thinking either a 6-man rotation or spot starts for Mazzaro and Gio
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Hope to god that Gallagher and Gio have figured it out and Duke is healthy.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I'm already assuming Gallagher takes over for Outman as soon as this month.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
He got raked in AAA last start, right?
I wouldn’t bank on the guy just yet.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I think that was Simmons. Edgar lost today.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
I have always felt Outman was a reliever
He’s tough on lefties and I just don’t think he has the fastball movement to be a starter. Not with his control.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Ellis, Giambi and Sweeney don't worry me health wise.
I think Sweeney can tough it out, and Ellis’ shoulder should be ok. Giambi as far as I’m aware has no significant injury history. Buck though is made of glass and yeah Nomar is an injury waiting to happen. Chavez goes without saying, they should give him as much rest as possible.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I think already this season is better than last - we have an offence to watch.
There’s no real weakness in the lineup either – on their day everyone in there can hit (ok besides Davis, but he should be in AAA with Denorfia in his stead), though obviously we’re expecting much more from Holliday.
What I don’t like about the lineup though is Chavez hitting in important positions – he really should be down the order with the mentality that anything he provides at the plate is a bonus. He’s not a front line hitter anymore.
As for the starting pitching, well it’s holding up well so far. We’ll see how the season progresses – you’d imagine Cahill and Anderson will improve and then hit a wall, but I’m struggling to project Eveland and Braden – will the league figure them out or will they put up solid numbers for the year? If his last start is anything to go by Outman needs to be put in the pen as the long man – the second time through the lineup he was getting smoked.
The bullpen looks a strength, but I really worry for their arms; they’re going to get abused this year – and the way Geren manages his staff, Wuertz and Casilla are going down with arm injuries before the All-Star break!
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I think Cust will eventually hit third, bumping Giambi to #5, and Chavez to #6 or #7.
Geren just needs some early returns on their performance to make that decision for some reason.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Cust 3rd is ok if the A's have two solid OBP guys ahead of him
Sweeney against RHP and Cabrera against LHP might qualify, but that’s only one spot. Buck, in theory is another, but at the moment you can’t put him at the top of the order with any particular confidence. That’s why I’d sooner see Cust 2nd, Giambi 3rd – OBP guys ahead of Holliday.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Good sign
Cust has a .389 average through six games. I kept checking to see if the letters were actually OBP in front of that number, but every time it came up as AVG.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Right now Buck is terrible. I've no idea where the kid from 07 has gone.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Well he was also good in Sept '08. With Cunningham down they need him to step up
or they have to wait for Doolittle.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
He had a good spring too, right?
I think he needs an extended shot. The Cunningham injury is unfortunate, but again I’d only bring Aaron up if he was pencilled in to start most days, otherwise it stunts the development. That’s why Denorfia’s so valuable in my eyes – he can hit and field quite well and you don’t have to worry about his lack of playing time.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Well if Buck sucks they'll need a full time RF -- at least vs righties
That’s either Cunningham or Doolittle in the minors. Denorfia probably isn’t the answer.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
The A's are in a run of seeing a lot of LHP
That ends tomorrow after Lester, and then Buck should get everyday time and a chance to get into a rhythm.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Not that the A's have said Buck is platooning,
but that’s what my eyes keep telling me.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I think your eyes are telling you that Buck looks lost at the plate
again and it’s magnified against lefties (which I’ve never understood, the whole splits thing, I assume it’s cos you see the ball slightly earlier against an opposite handed pitcher).
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
The split thing is largely breaking pitches
Easier when they’re coming into the strike zone than when they’re breaking away from you.
Nico - April 12, 2009
You see the ball clearly out of the hand with both eyes R vs L or L vs R
whereas you only see it with one eye R vs R or L vs L. Messes up your depth perception.
Nick - April 12, 2009
Couldn't you affect that by opening up your stance?
Nico - April 12, 2009
In theory, but that would mess with your swing
making it harder to reach the outside corner — which makes the breaking ball even more effective against you.
I did notice the South Korean players turning their heads in a kind of exaggerated way at the plate in the WBC — maybe that’s to help them see the ball better.
Nick - April 12, 2009
What about doing a Brian Downing?
Wasn’t he the hitter who started with an exaggeratedly open stance and then closed it to normal as the pitch actually arrived?
Nico - April 12, 2009
Yeah, and Canseco used to do that, too
We’ve read a lot this offseason about Holliday and McGwire teaching being “quiet” as the best approach in the box — part of the problem with the Downing/early Jose approach is that you’re moving a lot before the swing, so it’s easy to ruin your swing before it even starts. Jose abandoned the foot-in-the-bucket stance after his rookie season (or maybe ’87).
It probably helps to crowd the plate a lot if you do that, so you don’t end up lunging for outside breaking pitches. And if you crowd the plate, it probably helps to have really, really strong wrists so you can get around on an inside fastball. We know how Jose got such strong wrists, and Downing was pretty much the first hitter to remake his game by lifting weights…
Nick - April 12, 2009
Nice knowledge.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Brian Downing “before”
Brian Downing “after”
Nick - April 12, 2009
I wouldn't promote Doolittle this year under any circumstances
(well unless he bats 1.000). I think you could swing a trade for a guy that could produce should we be in contention.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Then it's Cunningham.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
If he's healthy
That’s not an option for a while.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Then it's Buck or bust!
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
No pressure, Travis.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I'm OK with Giambi instead of Buck, but I'm not sure how much bat speed Jason has
at this point.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
that's exactly what I was thinking at the games
OaklandSi - April 12, 2009
Maybe 'The Book' hates Cust.
I’d drop Chavez as low as I possibly could. Honestly I’d bat him below Suzuki (who I think is a v. good hitter), something like:
Sweeney, Cabrera, Cust, Giambi, Holliday, Suzuki, Chavez, Ellis, Buck.
I’ve no idea where you put Cabrera though to be honest so I’ve stumped him in at no.2 – his biggest strength is getting the ball in play – so he’d be great at driving in runs.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
This sounds good, although I wouldn't have OC 2nd vs righties
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Ideally you'd like Sweeney and Buck leading off against righties, but
as we’ve discussed I’ve no idea where Buck is at the plate right now.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
You could just drop Cabrera and move everyone else up one
Sweeney, Cust, Holliday, Giambi, Suzuki, Chavez, Cabrera, Buck, Ellis
…if you want to break up the lefties
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
If Buck ever gets back to late '08 form
I’d like to see a game or two with:
Sweeney, Buck, Cust, Holliday, Giambi, Zook, Chavvy, Ellis, Cabrera
GoA's - April 12, 2009
I like that lineup, WC
A lot more than the ones we’ve actually seen. Against LHP, you can just bump Cabrera up to leadoff, bat Ellis 7th and Sweeney 9th.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I'm hoping they just wanted to give Cust a low pressure slot to try out
his new approach.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
I think it's because they see him as an RBI guy
and they want his HRs to be 3-run shots.
Nico - April 12, 2009
The HR is singular. Groins are plural.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
And "PIN number" is redundant
Nico - April 12, 2009
Did someone say ATM machine?
GoA's - April 12, 2009
LOL Peter Gammons said on BBTN
They were talking about A’s rotation and he said he’s not worried about Anderson and Cahill but is not sure the other 3 can get the job done throughout the season.
Probably not far off mark.
Trainman - April 12, 2009
The second time Cahill was reasonably impressive - clearly his sinker is a fantastic pitch.
Once he puts it all together at the major league level he’ll be something. He’s not going to hold up for the season though. Anderson just looks masterful, but again he’s not going to last the season through. I think Braden and Eveland can hold it together for the season and be relatively effective, but yeah they’re certainly not superstars. In a good rotation they’d be a strong 4/5.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
What I think will help, though, is the depth -
Between Eveland and Braden, probably one will be a solid middle of the rotation starter. And between Gio Gonzalez and Gallagher, the A’s will probably find another decent starter for the middle of the rotation by May. And hopefully, Duke…
Nico - April 12, 2009
I think Mazzaro will be a rotation factor by the end of the year.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
I do too. I omitted him because I don't know how soon he'll be up
He may need 1/2 a season or more to be ready. I’d put Gio and Gallagher, plus Duke, ahead of him on the current depth chart, i.e., I expect to see those three in the Oakland rotation before we see Mazzaro.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Plus we need somebody to not make it to the bigs this year
so we talk all offseason about whether they should be brought up in 2010.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Webb, Fautino, and Ross should be good for that.
I’ve already made Simmons a reliever in my mind.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
I saw him pitch for the first time this spring. His fastball really had
nothing to it and his breaking pitches aren’t anything to write home about.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Who? Simmons?
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Yeah. I know he's a location pitcher, but he really can't afford to
miss his spot with that fastball.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
I hope Simmons is healthy
He looked horrible in ST and got lit up in the 4th yesterday. Not sure why.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Surely you hope he's not healthy, given the results.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
No, I always hope my pitcher is healthy
Easier to fix location or mechanics than arm problems.
Nico - April 12, 2009
I'd prefer him to be injured, but with nothing significant (just enough to
throw him off his game) considering how poor his stuff looked.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
You think the Phillies wanted Cole Hamels to say
“I’m hurt” instead of what he has said (“I’m physically fine”)?
Nico - April 12, 2009
Well if he says "I'm hurt, my arm is falling off"
then no. If he says “I’m hurt because you pitched me into the ground last season and my arm is fatigued” then yes.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Edit; but it's a macho thing.
For everyone but Harden is seems, he was perfectly fine pulling himself from the lineup with the slightest twinge.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Yeah, but SMWF doesn't have the same ring as S-MAC
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Mazzaro note
went 5 innings of scoreless ball on thursday…5 k’s…57 pitches no hitter through 4 with 2 walks…Rivercats found a way to lose though
yawedout21 - April 12, 2009
Why'd they pull him?
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
They said it was to limit his work. No mention of injury.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Ya
Purely Pitch count is what they said
yawedout21 - April 12, 2009
I agree with that, although I'm pretty OK with Eveland as an average guy.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
Chavvy ...
Groan.
How many lousy ABs before he starts saying, gee, my shoulder hurts, especially when the bases are loaded and I’m up …
Other than that, this is a pretty fun club to watch, certainly compared to last year’s Is the Paint Dry yet crew. Lingering pet peave: do you think the Cubs would trade Harden for Gallagher and, uh, Murton?
solotar - April 12, 2009
Harden sure looked good last time out.
WaddellCanseco - April 12, 2009
This just in: Fukudome is a terrible CF.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Breaking News: Kevin Gregg is a joke for a closer
Nico - April 12, 2009
Is he the closer?
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
Currently
I imagine Marmol will be the closer before too long.
Nico - April 12, 2009
Wanna watch yesterday's A's game again?
Tune in to Sunday Night Baseball. Uber-hitter is walked to the open base. Big HR guy up with two on and two out.
GoA's - April 12, 2009
And once again, big HR guy fails
GoA's - April 12, 2009
Strickout, cut him now!
Guy still needs to lose some weight.
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
z
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
zz
louismg - April 12, 2009
It is late.:-P
OldhamA - April 12, 2009
rebuttle
zzzzzz!
oaklandSMASH - April 12, 2009
I would have liked to see Nomar hit for Giambi
NateHST - April 12, 2009
Against Aardsma?
Slightly better chance for the tie, worse chance for the win, worse chance for “first and second, one out and here’s Holliday.”
Nico - April 12, 2009
I would have liked to see pujols hit for Giambi
Future Ed - April 13, 2009
Cahill was awesome!
I watched the game on DVR when I returned home from Easter dinner. Fantastic performance by the man child, Raj Davis looked like he should have made a better play on M-Sweeney’s line drive to left center in the 7th, and Cust had a hell of a battle in his AB in the bottom of the 9th. Great game and I’m really bummed we lost but good things happened in this game as far as the pitching went and hopefully Geren is learning about how to construct a lineup that maximizes the A"s chances of winning on a regular basis.
Trevor Cahill…….welcome to the big leagues, boy! Nice work.
Go A’s!
mrod - April 12, 2009
Absolutely not worried....
I am so not worried about this first series, although I would have love to have seen some wins, I know they are coming. It is so nice to know that even if the other team scores, we still have a chance. The second half of last year was unwatchable baseball.
I do have a concern though…Attendance…..It was a picture perfect beautiful day here in the Bay Area today and we could only barely muster out 12,000 fans to the game..I’m sorry but that is ridiculous…Come on fans get out there and support our team…
Yeah and by the way how bout that Huston Street…LOL!!
wacchampions - April 12, 2009
How 'bout the vintage Matt Stairs
Do you think if Beane remains in baseball long enough every Major Leaguer will at some point have donned an A’s uni?
GoA's - April 13, 2009
Yes they will...LOL...
Still not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing…..Hmmmmm
wacchampions - April 13, 2009
One last thing about ATTENDANCE......
We barely outdrew the Rivercats on Sunday, they had over 8,000….This just doesnt work when the AAA team draws bigger or just about the same as the Big League team…
wacchampions - April 13, 2009
Remember, it was Easter yesterday
Lots of family get-togethers, dinners, etc. It’d be like having a game on Christmas or Thanksgiving (assuming it was baseball season, of course) … you’re not going to have a huge turnout by any means.
Vacafan - April 13, 2009
The games we lost this weekend...
are the type of games we need to win in order to compete for the division. We must win close ball games at home. PERIOD! Hopefully this offesne can become consistant because the Jekyl and Hyde act just wont cut it. They need to support these young pitchers.
LVElephant - April 13, 2009
That was a good game
The only one I saw due to AStounds lack of interest in CSN CA.
The only question I have is the scheulded days off for Chavez, Are they planned out for pitching matchups or is it just every three days. It wolud seem that a day off yesterday would have been good. Albeit I think that his play in the field makes up for his ABs.
Why isn’t cust hitting second? Has anyone asked this question? Does anyone know the reason?
Future Ed - April 13, 2009
This particular situation
It was a day game after a night game, and Chavy had played every game so far, so it made sense to give him the day off (against a LHP probably factored in a little as well). Going foward, I think it’s pretty much a “see how he feels”, with some pro-active “day game after night game” breaks if he’s played in 6-7 straight games.
And Cust batting 2nd has been in discussions (and game threads) pretty much daily. Plenty of speculation and FIRE GAREN NOW
but only Geren really knows why Cust isn’t batting 2nd.
Kaiser99 - April 13, 2009
I know the Cust to second thing has been beaten to death, but i it really fair to just blam Geren?
I seem to remember reading somewhere in the past that Beane plays a pretty big part in these decisions too.
Darryl P - April 13, 2009
I would have Cust hitting second against RHP
And leave Cabrera there for LHP
Trainman - April 13, 2009
Regarding Chavez, it seemed odd that
he started Friday against a LHP and Sunday against a LHP, while Nomar started Saturday against a RHP.
Shouldn’t they have planned to rest Chavez Friday and Sunday and start him Saturday, making Nomar available to start Sunday?
Nico - April 13, 2009
For the record
I’m not blaming Geren, and there really isn’t any direct blame for the batting order – I was just relaying what most discussions have been about this subject. Also, the whole FIRE GAREN NOW
thing has been done with every manager, and is done more in jest than actually demanding he be replaced because of the batting order or the use of the pen. At least until July. Kidding!
One would like to think, however, that the manager makes up the line up (I know with the A’s and Beane it’s a “special” relationship). Regardless of which, the only person who “knows” why the lineup is what it is on any given day, would be Geren (and possibly Beane).
I don’t pretend to “know” why anyone is batting in any position, or what constitues a “better” lineup, but I’d gather that the lineup the A’s have follows the old “tradition” of power hitters batting lower, and #2 is for a guy who can “move a runner over”.
Kaiser99 - April 13, 2009
sorry Kaiser99 wasn't trying to single you out.
And don’t worry, I fully appreciate the sarcasm involved with any phrase that begins with the word: FIRE…
I just find it interesting that Beane has seemingly escaped blame for the way the batting order has been constructed. I’ve noticed a lot of posters saying things to the effect of: What the hell is Geren doing?
The way the A’s organization works, however, I think we could just as easily be saying: What the hell is Beane doing?
Darryl P - April 13, 2009
I don't believe Beane has that much to do with day to day stuff
like batting order and bunting, stealing, etc. The A’s have done lots of small-bally stuff already this year that probably wouldn’t happen if Beane were micromanaging and felt as Moneyball suggested he feels (and I think that’s exaggerated – I think Beane’s philosophies depend a great deal on the personnel he has, not on some overriding philosophy).
Nico - April 13, 2009
J'aime le francais...
nice is see it used outside of my four-days-a-week college French class.
The offense is still pretty disappointing. Cahill was great. He deserved a W, or at least not a L.
Re: Cabrera’s bunt: not what I would have done.
chillicothe20 - April 13, 2009
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