Athletics Nation

lol

Have you seen the 2 teams records this year at least? They are trying to win with what they have…. but we losing with our pathetic offense.

Socalfan21 - April 19, 2009 reply

who cares how long

anybody has been a fan? is that some sort of measurement for calling out a bad team?
I happen to agree totally with the poster.
This club sucks, and has since 2006…and even then they weren’t that good.

tdwclark - April 20, 2009 reply

-1

Enough soul-sucking negativity

Go away if you don’t like this team. When they win a bunch of games, you’d better stick to your guns and say they suck.

JediLeroy - April 20, 2009 reply

But if they're winning a bunch of games, don't they NOT suck

By definition?

So you believe that front-runners are always right by definition?

gimme a break...

we’re all fans here, man. And we all have a right to express our opinions on how the team is fairing…its not “soul-sucking”, so get off the high-horse. Nothing is more lame than “staying positive” when its obvious there are troubles to deal with, in any situation. Just “staying positive” is tantamount to putting your head in the sand. Certain problems MUST be addressed…period.
My biggest beef with the A’s the past 5-6 years is their obvious refusal to keep their players healthy. No professional club of any kind can expect to garner respect, much less be successful, when they are constantly injured, and dont do anything to reverse the trend.
And as someone already pointed out, if the team is playing well, they wont suck, and there will be no guns to stick to….

tdwclark - April 20, 2009 reply

Sure, they've got problems

But 13 games into the season is hardly the time to give up on this group. If Geren would play the guys that should play, I’d bet they’d be a bit more competitive. They’ll win plenty of games.

JediLeroy - April 23, 2009 reply

Is it possible to do like we did in Elementary School and have Nomar bat with a pinch runner?

wacchampions - April 19, 2009 reply

Is it possible to do like we did in Special Olympics and have Nomar bat in a wheelchair?

Gaijin_Suketto - April 19, 2009 reply

Somehow I doubt you qualified for the Special Olympics

WaddellCanseco - April 19, 2009 reply

Agree on Davis

His value to the team would be defense (he’s already dropped one fly ball) and speed (like getting picked off 1B yesterday). With him in the lineup, it would probably be beneficial for the A’s to DH for Davis and let the pitchers hit. Since this won’t happen, Davis should be DFA’d and call up the Rally Pimpernel.

doctorK - April 19, 2009 reply

Plus, Denorfia has enough speed to be a good pinch runner, even if not a great one

He's probably not as fast as Davis, but he's probably nowhere near as stupid on base, either.

I think we need to have Nico

interview everyone. Damn, Braden has pitched well so far.

Tyler Bleszinski - April 19, 2009 reply

Don't let him intervew me.

None of it would be printable.

Can we have him sit down with the hitters?

That’d be nice as well.

louismg - April 19, 2009 reply

Yeah

We should put them all in a line.

Tyler Bleszinski - April 19, 2009 reply

Blez, you should stick to the interviewing around here...

Gaijin_Suketto - April 19, 2009 reply

A's offense will get better

Either the non-performers will improve, or Beane will dump them for someone else (think of 2002).

As for all the excessively-negative posters:

doctorK - April 19, 2009 reply

I appreciate this picture.

whiteshoes40 - April 19, 2009 reply

I'm sure there are lots of people saying the same thing on the Royals and Pirates boards too...

jwnewman - April 19, 2009 reply

Even worse than bad vibes

boredom.
Please, don’t post the obvious ‘fail’ post. I’ll take creative negativity.

MobiusKlein - April 19, 2009 reply

Royals and Pirates have gotten off to pretty good starts

Buan says tomorrow's game in doubt

Lets hope so and we can skip cantgetanOutman

I don't think he's pitching tomorrow

Eveland, maybe?

baseballgirl - April 19, 2009 reply

Outman is scheduled for Wednesday

In that ballpark he gives up 10 if they pitch him.

Routine fly balls are home runs to right.

Outman should be in pen or triple AAA

OH, got it

baseballgirl - April 19, 2009 reply

Donald Sutherland?

I didn’t know you were the backup catcher on the A’s!

gdub171 - April 19, 2009 reply

Frustrating

The A’s are on pace to lose 27 games 1-0 this season. Does anyone remember when our 1-5 hitters were all hitting above .300? Yeah, me neither. Cust finally fell below that mark today after his quick start. He also didn’t get on base today ending his long-going streak.

On another note, Buck better play in this series in NY. I made a vow to myself before the season that I would not get frustrated with small things that don’t really make too much difference (like lineups). But the sheer amount of little things the A’s are doing wrong is killing me. These A’s are being terribly coached. Terrible base running as you mentioned Nico, Cabrera is batting 2nd, Sweeney 1st against LHP, Buck being oddly platooned (and now benching him when he just started looking good), Gallagher and Blevins being forgotten about, Nomar playing far more than he should, Chavez playing against LHP, small-ball tactics overused with guys who aren’t good at it. All these small mistakes add together to a bunch of losses.

But it’s right not to worry. The 2005 A’s started out 17-32 (IIRC) and they led the division entering September. Giambi is a notorious slow starter. So is Chavez (if we can hope he’s healthy, which we shouldn’t). Holliday will hit. When the weather warms, so will the A’s bats. It’s a shame that a streaky hitter like Cust was hot and the A’s didn’t really take advantage of it. Let’s give the A’s some time before we crucify anyone. The A’s are guaranteed at least a tie for second after today and the favorite in the division is behind us. The A’s have had a chance to win pretty much every game all season and that’s with half the offense MIA. The breaks will eventually even out.

vignette17 - April 19, 2009 reply

Prediction: they won't lose 27 games 1-0 this season

Maybe 25.

Flashfire - April 19, 2009 reply

optimist

If the team were known to be good...

…like the ‘08 Red Sox or even the ’02 A’s, it would be easy to sit back and say the breaks will even out. But when it’s the rebuilding ‘07/’08 A’s this is just more of the same.

UncleLeo - April 19, 2009 reply

Except the biggest questions by far are the starting pitchers,

and if nothing else it appears as if Anderson is fully ready for the show and that Braden is up to the job of being a #2-#3 starter.

and arguably our best pitcher

is on the DL…so personally I like the way the team looks right now, sure the offense is off to a slow start but in baseball you go through dry spells and you go through hot spells. I am pretty sure the A’s are in a lil bit of a dry spell offensively so there should be quite a bit of optimism here, instead though nothing but gloomy outlooks. I honestly doubt the offense is going to play much worse then they have, and this series against the Blue Jays was really bad, but we still had a chance to win every game. If you ask me this is really impressive considering the lack of offense.

I may be the only one but I am actually happy with the outlook and the overall position of the A’s currently

yawedout21 - April 19, 2009 reply

I read that as...

…the SP is holding it’s own, at least reasonably and at least so far.

UncleLeo - April 19, 2009 reply

But it’s right not to worry. The 2005 A’s started out 17-32 (IIRC) and they led the division entering September.

because that team won games at an 80% pace for two months, something that is pretty much impossible in baseball.

xbhaskarx - April 19, 2009 reply

+1 to everything in the second paragraph, obviously

xbhaskarx - April 19, 2009 reply

Longer-form thoughts on the game

There’s not too much to say about a 1-0 game but I’ll give it a go.

— Braden is proving the optimists correct. Shoot, he even went deep into the game, saving the bullpen its usual abuse.

— I agree with Nico and the others. I have a soft spot for Rajai Davis, but he’s a luxury the team cannot afford right now. Denorfia is a better baseball player, and can hit lefties. Denorfia would have been a much better option than Chavez against Ryan.

— It sure seemed like the Blue Jays have nothing but left-handed pitchers. And now the A’s head to New York to see more of them.

— It’s a really, really bad sign that I was wishing to see Bobby Crosby at the plate in the ninth, but that’s how bad Chavez is against a tough lefty at the moment. I know he struggles early in general, and against lefties in general. And he’s been hurt. That said, Chavez can’t be treated like some untouchable star who is never lifted for a pinch-hitter.

— I’m less concerned about Giambi. He’s not going to be the steroid-fueled, in-his-prime hitter we remember. Hopefully, he will be the streaky slugger he was during most of his Yankee tenure. I agree that he will need days off, but Geren doesn’t have many options right now. And he should be highly motivated to play in New York.

— While the hitting is sure to improve, because it can’t get much worse, the bullpen can’t keep up its ridiculous pace. And two-fifths of the starting rotation is almost certain to run out of gas midway through the season, or sooner if the league starts figuring Anderson and Cahill out.

— The A’s always have crappy baserunning, at least in the Beane Era. It’s really stood out this season, but is hardly a new phenomenon.

— The Angels, with their starting rotation problems and Vlad out for a month, look as vulnerable as I can recall. But it may not matter, because mediocre teams rarely make the postseason. You always have to be a .500 team, and the A’s aren’t there.

bear88 - April 19, 2009 reply

And the Jays didn't even use Bill Murphy, yet another lefty in the pen

Ricky Romero legitimately pitched a great game, by the way. That doesn’t mean the A’s couldn’t have won 2-1, just to say he impressed me a lot.

Here's the problem

he’s a luxury the team cannot afford right now

This is true, but he has no options. So to have him later you have to keep him now.

I disagree about Giambi. He looks terrible up there. I’d rather watch Barton.

So you lose Davis

Big deal.

I don’t see losing Rajai Davis as being a big consideration. He’s a backup outfielder. He’s fast, but not a particularly good baserunner. He’s not a great defender (speedy but lacking a good arm).

If the A’s had an extra roster spot and didn’t have a crying need for a good right-handed hitter, I would be happy to keep him.

But they have a crying need for a right-handed hitter. Denorfia is a better hitter and a competent fielder and baserunner. He also might develop into a decent major leaguer. Davis will never be anything more than a pinch-runner/late-inning replacement.

As for Giambi, he hasn’t looked good at all during the last few games. It’s possible he may be done. What’s more likely is that he’s tired, old, and going through a slump while facing a bunch of lefties. I think mid-April is a bit too soon to start talking about Barton, whose track record as a major league hitter (excluding the month of September) is dismal.

bear88 - April 19, 2009 reply

It’s really stood out this season, but is hardly a new phenomenon.

it’s stood out because the a’s are giving up two outs per game.
crappy baserunning may not be a new phenomenon, but giving up two outs per game is certainly a new phenomenon.
i haven’t checked, but i assume most teams in the beane era had decent stolen base success rates.

xbhaskarx - April 19, 2009 reply

The A's and running

I haven’t looked either, but the A’s stolen base success rate would probably be decent because they never tried.

I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that the A’s can’t do little things (baserunning, bunting, situational hitting) well. They haven’t in a very long time.

bear88 - April 19, 2009 reply

They've been a model of inconsistency

2008: 81% (1st in AL)
2007: 72% (9th)
2006: 75% (3rd)
2005: 58% (14th)
2004: 68% (8th)
2003: 77% (1st)
2002: 70% (6th)
2001: 70% (7th)
2000: 73% (4th)

Actually, they've been at 2/3 or better 7 of 8 seasons,

and at 70+% each of the last three seasons. So far this year: 3/8 (37.5%), plus Ellis’ no tag-up gaffe, plus Sweeney’s no run on contact gaffe…Not good.

2/3 appears to make certain you're in the bottom third of the league.

In the last nine years, they’ve been good at it four times, average at it three times, and bad at it twice. I guess when you look at it that way, they’ve been a little better than average, but certainly not demonstrably better than everyone else.

But not terrible

This year they’re terrible so far. Were they just average right now, life would be a happy dance.

Yep.

the crappy baserunning charge doesnt hold up

the actual stats in recent years have the A’s among the best baserunning teams in the bigs, for the simple reason that they by and large do not run into outs. These first two weeks have deviated from that norm, so let’s see how the rest of the season plays out.

jasonthea - April 19, 2009 reply

didn't see the numbers posted above....

So I amend my claim— generally above average, and at time among the best in the AL

jasonthea - April 19, 2009 reply

The difference is in the past it has been more calculated than reckless

You’re going to be out sometimes and I don’t have a problem with that – especially if you’re struggling to score runs in general. So far this year, though, there’s just been a lot of “dumb” stuff.

Like the last thread..

WHERE IS OUR OFFENSE?!? OUR BASERUNNING MISTAKES ARE CERTAINLY PREVENTABLE AND SCUTARO HAS MORE HOMERS THAN OUR ENTIRE TEAM! WHAT?

DaSwinginA's - April 19, 2009 reply

Maybe you could teach them to capitalize on their offensive opportunities

JediLeroy - April 19, 2009 reply

+1

DaSwinginA's - April 19, 2009 reply

Gallego

There is no way Gallego should have sent Ellis. It actually wreaks of desparation, but you can’t really blame him too much. We’ve got another Brutal Offensive team right now.

- Holliday got two bloop singles, though. I wonder if his pending contract is getting to his big melon.

- Chavvy is 31 going on 50. Is it an unwritten (or written) rule that Chavez never get PH for? He should be batting 7th.

Colorado Fan - April 19, 2009 reply

I don't mind sending ellis

Aggressive is better than last year.

Granted it wouldn't have been the same situation, but

the VERY next hitter put a ball deep enough into the outfield to score the run anyway.

Sending Ellis was an impossibly stupid move, especially when you have the chance for 2nd/3rd with 1 out and the 2/3/4 hitters coming up to the plate.

It was a bad move simply because there wasn't a good chance for him to make it

You have to figure that Cabrera has at LEAST a 50/50 chance of getting Ellis home. Ellis did not have a 50/50 chance of beating the relay, and Gallego should have known that by where Ellis was when Wells threw the ball back in.

Obviously it turned out badly

No one is arguing that. I’m just saying I’d rather send runners when in doubt than not send them (like past years). That policy will lead to plays like this one, but it will also lead to runs like the one Giambi scored a few days ago.

You can argue Gallego should have known, and maybe you’d be right, but that’s just an argument to replace him. My point is that given he thought it was going to be close, I’m glad he sent Ellis.

Well FWIW, as soon as I saw the carom to Wells,

I said, “Don’t send him!” I never complain about a manager’s or coach’s move I didn’t disagree with in real time, because I don’t think that’s fair. I don’t mind being aggressive in that situation; what I mind is that the opportunity really wasn’t there. A so-so throw gets Ellis there, and in fact it did.

Then that's an argument for replacing Gallego

If there’s a better 3b coach out there I certainly would like to trade up.

Where's Rene Lachmann?

Actually, where is he?

Ellis not reading the Sweeney double was the killer

and yes, since OCab was at the plate, the runner should have stayed at 3rd.

The point being, would we have scored again.

Probably not

Hitting coach

for the AAA Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Ah, thanks

We need him.

1-0 losses are the worst :(

Cheezombie - April 19, 2009 reply

So true

baseballgirl - April 19, 2009 reply

a couple days after the yanks lost 22-6...i'll take 1-0

winchester5 - April 20, 2009 reply

i know what you mean

but 1-0 losses are just frustrating. 22-6 losses are like…well at least all these runs were only given up in one game.

Cheezombie - April 20, 2009 reply

Dear A's,

Please stop sucking.

K thnks bye,
Me

What's the clubhouse diet?

It needs some more protein worked into it, because the total lack of power to date is alarming. Matt Holliday leads the team with five extra-base hits…in 45 at-bats. Some other notables:

Sweeney, 3 in 52 AB
Cabrera, 2 in 47 AB
Suzuki, 2 in 45 AB
Giambi, 3 in 44 AB
Ellis, 1 in 42 AB
Garciaparra, 1 in 28 AB
Chavez, 1 in 24 AB
Buck, 0 in 19 AB

So that's over 100 ABs for Holliday without a HR,

including spring training.

I live in Colorado...

and he’s never impressed me. Balls off of Holliday’s bat would cruise 420 opposite field @ 5280. 550 AB’s @ -2 Altitude….less than 15-20 HR’s is a real outcome.

Where is Buck?

Colorado Fan - April 19, 2009 reply

According to Hit Tracker, Holliday's Average Standard Distance for his HRs was 408 ft

Average Standard Distance adjusts for altitude, wind and temperature.

Of the HRs hit with an Average Standard Distance of 420 ft or more, here are some of the leaders:

Adam Dunn — 15
Alex Rodriguez — 15
Ryan Howard — 13
Hanley Ramirez — 12
Prince Fielder — 12
Carlos Delgado — 11
Jim Thome — 10
Josh Hamilton — 10
Miguel Cabrera — 10
Manny Ramirez — 9
Matt Holliday — 9
Justin Upton — 9
Vladimir Guerrero — 9
David Ortiz — 8
Albert Pujols — 8
Lance Berkman — 8
Jack Cust — 6
Mark Reynolds — 6
Ryan Ludwick — 6
Milton Bradley — 5
Evan Longoria — 4
Jason Giambi — 4
David Wright — 4

Sure, he’s no Adam Dunn, but he’s got legitimate power.

You forgot to say... Oh SNAP!!! at the end of that :-P

I’d say it’s 50/50 Holliday hits > 20 HR’s this season. He’s a line drive hitter. Line drives to the gaps in Colorado keep going and going, especially to the opposite field. I’d be surprised if statheads have a good grasp of how much the altitude really helps players. Are they subtracting HR’s by 15%? What about line drives vs. flyballs?

Colorado Fan - April 21, 2009 reply

Like I said

Praying for a rainout tomorrow.

They need a day in the freezing cold to think about how bad they are (Hitters) curently.

3 home runs in 12 games makes them the laughing stock of baseball at the moment.

Oh sure, it will pick up purely for the reason that it cannot get any worse.

DO not take strikes especially if the pitcher is getting the 1st strike over, all this taking does not work. Time to try a new approach that some have been advocating for 7 or 8 years now.

Of course we have a very weak division

so we have time to get things together. It is just so fucking annoying watching futility. Add to that the rotation has Outman while Gallagher sits instead of being in AAA or even pitching as he could not be any worse. I am sure there are other options.

I'm really not unhappy with approach

At least of what I’ve seen. I’m just unhappy with the results. Hopefully, that’s just bad luck, but it’s not the only possibility. It could be that Giambi has this little left (ditto Nomar), Sweeney will never have any pop, Holliday will be above-average rather than elite outside of Coors, and Chavez and Ellis aren’t going to return to health. I hope not, but there’s no real way to tell unless the results suddenly improve.

I agree - the approach looks fine in general to me

It’s just a collective slump, probably a combination of chance plus a little pressing due to the collective slump.

Maybe hitter friendly Yankee Stadium can improve their fortunes?

I read somewhere that Yankee Stadium, the new one, has been giving up a lot of long home runs. Maybe that can help.

Tyler Bleszinski - April 19, 2009 reply

Angels fall to 4-8

Mariners lose, Rangers win. First team to 80 wins takes it!

ohtobe21likehuston - April 19, 2009 reply

That would be pathetic unless the A's are the ones who win the division

Then I’ll be fine with everything.

Ellis held up on Sweeney double (Su Slu Drumbeat)

Should have read it better. Blame goes to him I guess.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?&entry_id=38754

No, blame goes to Gallego for sending a runner who wasn't

far enough along to score. Maybe Ellis should have been and gets the blame for that part, but it doesn’t let the third base coach off the hook.

But what is up with Mark Ellis???

Yep

Ellis is also hitting pop ups and looking basically awful at the plate.

Just said to see the pitching give up 1 run and get screwed.

Ellis said he didn’t think the ball was carrying that far on Sweeney’s hit. Ellis has not been thinking very well of late as the others.

like the jay's announcers said, ol Rance Mulinex

that Ellis read the ball wrong, slow getting out of second.

Ellis appears to be very distracted so far this year

The two things that will most reliably cause that are pain and marital problems. So for Ellis’ sake, I hope his shoulder feels like crap.

You could be right....he does look "not there" in the HDtv

I am getting on mlbtv. Oh well, back to watching that You-Tube of Susan Boyle singing….I can so identify “living alone with a cat.”

I was just enjoying a YouTube video by some cat that was called

“living alone with ak_A.” Very poignant.

Hey, since moving to metro-land lower 48

I can indulge in more of a “social” life as compared to small town Alaska. So, a few ‘dates’ and most recent one the question was asked…“you don’t watch sports on tv a lot do you?” No. (mlbtv on the mac is not TV)

So you're coming to Chez Nico then?

I think the A's made a miscalculation coming out of spring training

in not keeping a right-handed OF who can hit LHP. Nomar provides some right-handed punch on the infield but is known to be available only some of the time, and the current OF is just not good enough against LHP, especially if you’re not going to start Buck every day.

Rajai Davis served more of a useful purpose when Cust had to play the OF a lot. Now, Denorfia would be far more valuable on a team that is being exposed as still highly vulnerable against LHP.

"especially if you’re not going to start Buck every day"

That’s the problem.

Of course, they couldn’t have started Buck today without sitting Giambi or Cust (which, for those keeping track at home, is yet another reason we probably shouldn’t have signed Giambi)

I had no problem with signing Giambi

You just don’t have to play him every day. Sitting him for Buck would have been fine with me. But really, when the A’s realized they were about to face 5 LHPs in a row and knew Nomar was hurting, they should have sent Rajai down and called up Denorfia. Losing Rajai is not an issue in my mind – guys who can run fast, or guys who can play defense but can’t do much else, are a dime a dozen.

mmhmm

There is a chance that if we DFA Rajai, no one claims him. I don’t get how we are so worried about losing this guy, when we got him off a waiver claim last year. It’s not as if he’s suddenly busted out since.

Sure, it would be great if this kid who is fast learned to play baseball. But it just isn’t worth waiting. Long term we’ve got Cunningham needing an OF spot up here and possibly Doolittle. We dont have space for Raj long term, so there is no need to hurt ourselves short term.

It's kind of a problem to have a starting 1b you can't play a lot of games

Especially when your backups are Crosby (ouch), Nomar (unreliable), and Landon Powell.

yes, first base is like wow, heck might as well have Loudon Wainwright the third.

Russell Branyan might have been a good pickup

at $1mil. PT called that one early, too.

PT?, oh the suspended attorney.

Hmm...and I'm often associated with the bar...

I guess one thing to say to defend the A's...

They have been playing pretty good teams these first couple weeks… I think they should turn it around but Im not even going to worry about it. I got way to excited this year and I probably shouldn’t have.

Socalfan21 - April 19, 2009 reply

I have plenty of optimism -

Can you name the roster of the AL West team that looks like a better bet to win the division right now? Honestly, at this point I don’t even know which team represents the biggest threat.

honestly

Three way race. I’m willing to leave Texas out.

So if you look at the three teams:

Right now the Angels rotation is Saunders, Weaver, Loux, Oliver, TBD, meaning that even when one of Lackey or Santana or Escobar returns, the rotation is going to be below average until another returns – and even then it will be “fine” but hardly great. Their bullpen looks solid but the early returns aren’t good. Fuentes will be ok, but not spectacular, Shields will be fine, Arredondo hard to tell. Without Vlad, the Angels lineup has Abreu and Hunter as its #3-#4 hitters – defintely a “bottom 1/3” hitting group. The defense, with Rivera in the OF, Kendrick, Morales and Figgins on the infield, is poor.

The Mariners have a great 1-2 punch in the rotation, but after that? Washburn, Silva…The bullpen is ok but not really any better at the front end than at the back end – just a bunch of “ok” pitchers. The lineup could be better than expected if Endy Chavez and Russell Branyan have really good seasons, but should still be below average overall.

Right now, in those two teams I don’t see more than 80 wins. Meanwhile, I could easily see Anderson, Braden, Cahill, and Eveland pitching like a solid #2-#5 respectively (if that seems overly optimistic on Anderson, consider that it’s pretty conservative on the other three). As bad as it looks right now, the offense will be better than either LAA’s or SEA’s in the end, and the bullpen is deep enough that it should continue to be a strength throughout the season.

To me, going forward the A’s are in as good a position as anyone in the AL West, if not better.

Fair enough

I don’t disagree with that. I don’t think Seattle is much, but I do wonder if we discount their excellent defense a little bit too quickly. We had some balls to the OF against them that I thought were hits and they robbed ’em.

On the Anaheim side, I don’t know about the health of their staff, but I do think that their offense is the best in the division, with Abreu showing he can still hit. Still, our bullpen is now equal to theirs, and our offense SHOULD BE just about as good as theirs.

Still, I think I’d pick the A’s if you put a gun to my head. Holliday will pick it up and hopefully one of Giambi-Nomar-Chavez does, too.

One thing I will say - I'd love to have Endy Chavez, personally

I don’t see the Angels offense being that strong, though. Abreu’s good, Hunter’s fine, but you’re talking “.360 OBP with 15 HRs” good and “.270/.330 with 20 HRs” fine at this stage of their careers. Until Vlad gets back, I don’t see the Angels scoring a whole lot of runs.

seattle isnt a pretty good team and we got swept

rktse - April 20, 2009 reply

In his first apperance after losing his job, Street comes in to pitch in a game the Rockies are losing 13-2.

8 pitches later….the game is 14-2.

In other news Holliday has like a gillian home runs for the A’s this year.

drink409 - April 19, 2009 reply

In other words, same number as Gillian Anderson?

2?

WaddellCanseco - April 19, 2009 reply

“They’re out there”

Holliday Home Runs are what I am referring to of course.

drink409 - April 19, 2009 reply

Street: 4.2IP, 10 hits

Ouch.

Am I right in saying this is what you get for

hiding injuries or pitching before fully over injury?

True

he could have handled last year much better. I am still rootin for him a little though.

DaSwinginA's - April 19, 2009 reply

I don't know

Street has been accused of pitching through injuries too much and of babying himself and not pitching through injuries enough. Seems like everyone has an opinion, but they can’t all be right.

Yup

You just can’t when when you get an injury. Pitch through it, make it worse, get blame. Don’t pitch through it…well then, when not much shows up on the MRI, you get called out as a baby.

I’ll blame guys for a lot of stuff, but their injury threshold is not one of them…

The loss of Ron Washington

contributes to more losses in my opinion than any player Oakland has lost in the recent past. Gallego’s gaff is just one example, but it seems that the infield has been considerably less sharp since his leaving.

Chilango - April 19, 2009 reply

I'm not actually sure that's true -

Barton progressed a lot more than expected, Hannahan was super-solid, Cabrera is obviously fine, and the rest pre-date Wash leaving. Ellis and Chavez may have benefited from Washington being here, but I doubt they have been negatively affected by Wash leaving.

It's just my impression.

It just seems that the insanely impressive small ball stuff, baserunning and infield details, for which Wash was so noted, is not happening as much.

Chilango - April 19, 2009 reply

Well, I don't think the

“insane” and “small ball” stuff have gone away. Just the “impressive” part.

pshaw...

You have a way with words, especially mine…

Chilango - April 19, 2009 reply

Update on Carlos Gonzalez at AAA is kind of interesting (just 10 games, 44 PA):

.270/.391/.459, 7 BB, 8 K. If he’s working on being more patient, so far so good. I like Carlos – I hope he does well, even though it won’t be for the A’s.

maybe this trade got to him

maybe those are his only walks of the year.

Future Ed - April 19, 2009 reply

Yeah I was looking his stats today.

If he learns how to walk were going to have gotten screwed in the Holliday trade, unless we can parlay Holliday into a Texiera to Atlanta type trade at the deadline.

I still dont understand the Holliday trade.

Beane better trade him fora Tex like package. I will not be happy with 2 draft picks.

Syphon - April 19, 2009 reply

Whats not to understand?

Beane obviously wanted a contending team this year. You have to give up something to get something. We gave up a bitter reliever in sharp decline (Street), a starting pitcher that at the time seemed superfluous and is now in AAA (Smith), and a blue chip prospect (Gonzalez).

That’s two pieces we really didn’t need at the time (with Smith looking useful now), and one piece that hurt (Gonzalez). Beane probably figured he could get a lot of his value back in the two draft pics we will get for Haliday alone.

Threepwood XX - April 19, 2009 reply

There is plenty to question.

First and for most why did Beane think an incomplete rebuilding team was one that should change directions and attempt to contend?

Second the idea that the two draft picks are worth that much is silly. Only one of them is for sure and that is after the first round. Secondly, turning a supplemental pick into something that resembles Carlos Gonzalez is pretty much the best case senario.

I'd expect the compensation pick to be a first rounder. It's highly unlikely a bottom 15

team will sign Holliday…but I guess anything’s possible. Still the #25 pick isn’t worth Carlos.

Unlikely, yes, highly unlikely? Im not so sure.

Last year the point of protection in the Draft was anything less than 84 wins. Granted it might not be that again this year but I could see the Angles winning less than that this year, cutting bait with Vlad and Abreu, and making a run at Holliday. The Giants could want a dangerous bat. Im just saying that there is a distinct and real possibility that it does happen. There always is a surprising team that just sucks that wasn’t suppose to because they spent money building a roster that might need an OF.

Ya it's a good point about the Angels. I guess Seattle could do that too.

Thanks

I ignored Seattle for a couple of reasons. First, Seattle already has a bloated budget. Second, I don’t think Dr. Z has the political capital to sign Holliday to the kind of deal he would command. Thrid, I think they really like their all D OF.

I'd say beane is looking like a genius

look at the Angels current roster.

Cheezombie - April 20, 2009 reply

Sunday Denver Post Sports section

The Rockies and MLB begins on page 14c. No mention of til then. The rest filled with Nuggets and Broncos.

Will the A's hit any home runs in the new bandbox

will they hit 3 homers all series? I imagine they gotta be last in MLB in hrs. Wonder if they could hit 3 in a game at the new Yankee stadium

closetasfan - April 19, 2009 reply

Thank God for the Royals

The A’s may be last in BA, last in OBP, last in SLG, and last in HRs, but they have 3 stolen bases while the Royals only have 2! Only second to last, baby!

If they A's don't hit at least half a dozen

they are not going to win the series.

Even they should be able to hit routine pop flies that are outs in the 29 other ballparks

It will also take a miracle to win if Outman pitches as he will give up four or five himself if he pitches the way he has so far.

Outman may not be hurt so much by the park,

in that he’ll turn Teixeira around to his less powerful side, and the Yankees don’t really have much right-handed power in the lineup right now. It’s not the worst matchup for Outman, given that the one thing he does pretty well is pitch to lefties – he can pitch the Yankees’ lefties away and neutralize their power.

Let's hope so

ohtobe21likehuston - April 19, 2009 reply

I'm still hoping for a rainout

Since the A's have an off-day Thursday,

I assume that if Monday’s game is rained out and not made up until later that Oakland WILL skip the #5 starter.

However, keep in mind that the Yankees are very vulnerable right now with A-Rod out and the bullpen utterly chewed up and if the game is replayed later it will likely be against a better Yankees team.

A Tuesday or Wednesday double-header would also be a possibility that I’d rather not see.

replayed later - and hopefully an improved A's team

With Duke starting!

I like it.

No skipping!

Even if Outman is terrible we should not skip him in the rotation. Giving Cahil and Anderson more starts is going to up their innings over and above the already ridiculous expectations that the A’s are placing on their arms. If Cahill and Anderson make 30 starts and average 6 innings theyre already pitching 180 innings which is too much. Thats not even counting the playoffs, which if we don’t qualify for it inherently makes the decision to bring them up in the first place dumb.

"not even counting the playoffs."

Loves it

Future Ed - April 19, 2009 reply

I think you mistake me as an optimist.

Im just suggesting that if the A’s get there we might want at least one of them to pitch in them at some point. The only way this team makes the playoffs is if the entire AL West implodes and we don’t, which appears to partially be happening.

For a while, we were a tonic to the NYY

They’d be slumping, we would come into town, and they’d start rocketing to first place. Never figured out why.

MobiusKlein - April 19, 2009 reply

I recall those days....04,05

ak_A - April 20, 2009 reply

BTW Nico

How is Poochini?

I am off to work out, will check out when I get back.

Awesome, thanks for asking

More annoying than ever, actually. He’s looking forward to Chez Nico: BYODA (Bring Your Own Dead Animal), and hoping that the guests are especially clumsy. I’ve assured him that they are.

Good to hear

My cat (Mulder) 6 1/3 years old brought in 5 giant leaves from the creek outside and put them at my nose while asleep and then meowed until i woke up and then wanted me to throw them so he could fetch. He does this often. In the morning he often gets in the bathroom sink and requests to be brushed. Opens the cupboard door to the food when hungry and also looks in bathroom mirror at himself and talks to himself it seems.

And look out if I pet the other cat (Zito……Go figure) he just stares and then when I put the other cat down, he goes after him, pounces on him and bites him in the neck. He then jumps up on my lap after having chased him away. Mulder is an indoor cat who wants attention all the time while the oher guy spend most of his time outside fighting with other cats who are always bigger than him. He comes out on the losing end more often than not.

Now I almost feel guilty.

Emphasis on “almost”. I finally cured two of my dogs of their excessive digging habits. I’ve been using a shovel so often over the last two months that I feel like I’m working for Cal-Trans….except that I’m not just leaning on the shovel. I put up a hot fence, and they both got a really good dose during their last escape attempt! I’m almost ashamed of the glee I felt when I heard their yelping….but not really. Not really at all.

alox - April 19, 2009 reply

If you got the digging done on time, then it was nothing like Cal-Trans

On time and on budget.

Not like Cal Trans at all I suppose. Has anyone ever wondered if the guy holding the “stop” and “go” sign is on display as the office screw up?

alox - April 19, 2009 reply

You mean Mike Gallego?

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?gid=2009_04_19_srcaaa_tacaaa_1&t=g_box&did=milb

I wonder if orange suits him?

alox - April 19, 2009 reply

i'd like to make 70K to hold up a sign

rktse - April 20, 2009 reply

Sacramento loses 2-1 to Tacoma

They got a whopping 2 hits

Blevins got the L after Mazzaro went 6 plus and gave up 1 run.

LOL - great minds post alike!

Exactly

I was just going to post the same thing

Exactly

I was just going to post the same thing.

Omigod!!!!111

Strong outing today for Mazzaro

6IP, 5 hits, 1 ER (solo HR in the 4th), 1BB, 4 K (99 pitches, 61 strikes). A few too many pitches, a few too many balls, but still solid.

Blevins got the loss, 2-1 final. :-(

On a brighter note

Mazarro and Gio looked great in their starts with the Cats. Deno is slowing down, but still is hitting better than Davis, and Doolittle is cooking. Let’s hope for kicking butt on the Yanks! GO A’S!

A'sfansince1970 - April 19, 2009 reply

Redundancy is necessary!

Woops! I didn’t see Nico’s post. Sorry!

A'sfansince1970 - April 19, 2009 reply

Just some general thoughts running through my twisted head...

Feel free to comment on any or all…

-I’m sure I will be ridiculed (and maybe kicked off this site) for the following comment, but I said it at the time, and I still believe it’s true. I think we may have been better served to not resign the unicorn. I love Ellis, but this is a business. He is a 30 something player coming off a major surgery, and it’s not like he was a wizard at the plate prior to this season. He wasn’t terrible at the plate, but not great. I can’t speak for other A’s fans, but I sure wouldn’t mind seeing Orlando Hudson playing for us. There were other options too, I know it’s easy to see what Hudson is doing and say we should have signed him instead, but there were other ways to go.

-Why isn’t T. Buck seing more playing time?? He needs AB’s to get in a groove. I think back to his rookie year, he started slowly but improved as he saw more AB’s. It’s not like the guys who playing in his spot are setting the world on fire at the plate.

-Barton is hitting well below the mendoza line in AAA, bust anyone??

-Doolittle is sweet swinging lefty that is actually being productive, Daric Barton who??

-Would anyone else be oppposed to trading Chris Carter if we were to land a top SS or 3B prospect in return?? I know we may to through some other pieces into a deal to land a top SS or 3B prospect, but I feel it would be worth it. Our system is completely void of any real prospects at those positions. And for some strange reason Carter feels like Bucky Jacobson to me. or he could be Frank Thomas….

bdemartin - April 19, 2009 reply

Ellis is a risk but he's cheap and Cardenas is there as soon as next year.

Buck is being platooned and I don’t really have a problem with that.

Barton will be fine, he always starts slow.

Doolittle is fine, but he’s got a lot to prove after his AA stint last year.

I have no problem trading Chris Carter for Tim Beckam or Alcides Escobar. Of course those guys aren’t available for Chris Carter. I wouldn’t trade him for Reid Brignac or anything like that though. More than anyone he reminds me of Cust.

WaddellCanseco - April 19, 2009 reply

1 No 2Agree 3 Yes 4 Yes 5 No

1 I could be snarky here but Hudson was 32 and coming off major surgery and a huge decline in defensive metrics opinions of his glove work. If you are going to sign on or the other you might as well have resigned Ellis. If you want to argue that one of the 3 Ps (Patterson, Petit, or Pennington) Hannahan or Crosby should be playing there instead you have that right but I wouldn’t advise it when trying to make the playoffs.

2 I really don’t see why sitting a Giambi that is begging for a day off for Buck would be a crime. Bob Garen disagrees and he is wrong.

3 I think Barton is going to have a hard time overcomming the bust label in Oakland. I have a feeling he will be traded at a significantly discounted rate and then will flourish a la Carlos Pena.

4 I would not want to trade Carter. Carter is important for both 1B DH and Corner Outfield depth and has light tower power. If you trade Carter and one of Buck, Barton, Doolittle, or Cunningham don’t progress, that leave a pretty big hole. Also I think Carter will turn into a beast, but even if he doesn’t you have 4 positions that need to be filled and only 5 guys right now to fill them. The odds that they all pan out are quite low, especially since you already believe that Barton is going to bust.

But...

But, Ellis is a great defensive/heady ball player. Haven’t you heard that Ellis is a +30 Defensive defender, and a -5 Offensive Player? That equals +25, aka, 5 wins per season… Anyways, Ellis is what he is. With another organization, he probably never makes the bigs. With the A’s, he looks like gold next to Crosby, Chavez, and Barton.

(read through the scarcasm)

Colorado Fan - April 20, 2009 reply

Looking at NYC weather forecast

I would say zero chance of game today… not much better tomorrow— which could mean a DH on Wednesday

jasonthea - April 20, 2009 reply

According to Slusser...

Travis Buck is so hard up for playing time that he is taking groundballs at third base.

SAVE TRAVIS BUCK!

franks a lot - April 20, 2009 reply

That's complete bullshit.

to clarify, I meant the hard up for playing time bit

Not the part about taking grounders at third.

Depending on his proficiency at 3B...

the part about him taking grounders at third may prove to be complete bullshit, too.

franks a lot - April 20, 2009 reply

Sure. I'd much, MUCH rather hear that he was practicing in center field.

If that is true

We’re in major trouble. Buck wouldn’t be any worse against LH hitters than what the performance has doled out so far this year. Geren really needs to pull his head out and quit relying so much on the lefty/righty matchups. The line-up should be as follows period unless the splits are completed favored one way or another:

Feel free to comment as to batting order as this post is merely who should be in the line-up.

1B – Giambi
2B – Ellis
SS – OCab
3rd – Chavez (if healthy), then Nomar, then Crosby
LF – Holliday
CF – Sweeney
RF – Buck
DH Cust
C – Suzuki

Sweeney and Buck lower in order vs. LH but should still be playing everyday

bababooey - April 20, 2009 reply

I can see Nomar over Chavez when Cahill and Anderson aren't pitching and

Nomar over Giambi when they are.

I can see Rajai over Buck for defense, since the platoon splits make Buck almost as bad as Rajai vs lefties.

Seriously

Rajai over Buck on defense can and should be used in small doses but throw the splits out the window for now. We need offense and Rajai (great spring) is brutal at the plate. Buck is healthy, throw him out there for an extended period of time and go with it. The argument should be for Denorfia to split time against LH and not Davis

bababooey - April 20, 2009 reply

Or both!

Might be the backup-backup at 3rd

Chavez, Nomar, Crosby all have what?
A notorious tendency to become injured. There should be at least one other person up to the task.

But Buck?

MobiusKlein - April 20, 2009 reply

didn't he use to be a SS in HS and as a Freshman at ASU?

Pretty sure he played 3rd for a while in college.

OldhamA - April 20, 2009 reply

Junior Year

He played there because Murphy had no one he trusted to play the postion. He filled in and played well there but at this level he is most certainly not an infielder

bababooey - April 20, 2009 reply

anyone...

going to any games vs the yanks?? I’ll be there Tuesday night.

captain flitzy - April 20, 2009 reply

i have a ticket for tonight (section 409)

but i am not too confident… which sucks because i have class tomorrow night and not a huge chance of taking a half day on wednesday. bollocks. if tonight is rained out i’m hoping they schedule the makeup for the july (?) series.

jlanning17 - April 20, 2009 reply

BB-Pro updated AL West Projected Standings

Athletics — 82-80
Angels — 79-83
Mariners — 78-84
Rangers — 69-93

We’re right on schedule!!

What a powerhouse division eh?

Who cares. As long as we win.

Trainman - April 20, 2009 reply

Scarily, that actually seems about right

Nico - April 20, 2009 reply

I sure hope tonight's game is rained out

so we can make adjustments to our rotation.

Trainman - April 20, 2009 reply

Unless they change the game to Thursday, in which case Outman will still pitch

Off topic. Photos

Hey, whoever is rewriting the captions for the photos attached to these recaps, great job! Must be someone at AN who is clevererer than the AP writers… Nico??

Thanks. They make me laugh when the game does not!

streetfan - April 20, 2009 reply

Thanks! Yes, they are rewrites. They're fun to do.

Nico - April 20, 2009 reply

That play was all on Mark Ellis

Yes, Gallego should have seen that Ellis slowed down and was not far enough on the basepaths to score easily, but it was still a bang-bang play after two strong, fairly well-aligned throws. There’s nothing wrong with coaches being aggressive on the basepaths. I’d much rather see that then the station-to-station crap we see every year. That said, Ellis needed to be past second base when the ball landed. It’s fine to slow up and make sure it will not be caught, but Wells would have had to channel Willie Mays to make that grab and double him up at first, even if Ellis was a few steps past second. Ellis is too smart of a player to run the bases like that, so I’m gonna treat it as an anomaly.

RichSpider - April 20, 2009 reply

That wasn't remotely close to a bang bang play.

The ball was thrown 10 feet up the line and STILL Ellis was 10 feet away from the catcher. He had zero chance of scoring unless the throw was airmailed or the catcher just flat out dropped the ball.