Calling all SoCal ANers! Tickets are now being collected for the A’s series against the Dodgers and the Padres on June 16 and June 20. Please come to one of the games if you can; we need 30 tickets sold for LA and 25 for San Diego. I would like to purchase these tickets ASAP!
It’s a bad sign when the bottom of your lineup includes Rajai Davis, Bobby Crosby, and Jack Hannahan, but it’s even worse when Jack Cust is a late scratch and is replaced by Ryan Sweeney against a very good lefty in Eric Bedard.
Not surprisingly, the A’s only offense of the afternoon was a solo homerun in the second. Surprisingly, it was by Bobby Crosby. They managed to eek out four more hits along the way, but were stifled by Bedard for 6.2 innings, and the Seattle bullpen for the rest of the game.
Trevor Cahill had a pretty good outing as he was handed another loss; allowing one early run in the second, and a two-run homerun by Branyan following an error by Kennedy in the sixth. Cahill would finish at six innings pitched, six hits, 2 ER, and again, a great ratio: one walk to five strikeouts. This is a good sign for his future.
Cahill left with the score at 3-1, but the Mariners would score a run off Ziegler after a leadoff triple in the seventh, and after Breslow struck out the side in the eighth, Springer would continue his streak of allowing base hits; giving up four more and two runs in the ninth. Sweeney would throw out a runner at the plate to keep the score at 6-1. It wouldn’t matter; the A’s just could not get the bat on the ball.
In other news, Rajai Davis looks about as awful at the plate as it is possible to look.
So the A’s take two out of three from Seattle, and enjoy a travel day tomorrow before gearing up for a marathon series in Texas this weekend. If they play well, they do have a shot of getting back into the AL West mix.
Join us for a lot of baseball on Friday, as the A’s and Texas play two; first game starts at 2:00 PM PST.
0 recs | 74 comments
I'm not sure that having Cust in the lineup would've helped
Bedard is a very good lefty who is pitching well these days.
OaklandSi - May 27, 2009
Agreed. This is a game we shouldn't have won, even playing well.
I’m not overly concerned, and Cahill looked good.
baseballgirl - May 27, 2009
sounds like there was a good crowd at the Coli too
OaklandSi - May 27, 2009
See, I HATE that.
Why couldn’t they have seen a great A’s win, that makes them want to come back???
baseballgirl - May 27, 2009
I know...I was pissed the A's let me down when the joint was packed.
Cahill did look very god to me, though. He was moving his pitches around well and saw some more swings and misses than of recent.
Bedard looked pretty nasty out there so it would have taken a near miracle to beat him. Rajai Davis, though…..?/ Why the fuck is he still on this team? I mean, is Travis Buck rally that deep in Geren’s shitter that even Rajai Davis gets two starts in a row for doing basiclly nothing?
Jeebus……
mrod - May 28, 2009
$2.00 tickets and sunshine, a little heat
windy, but not blustery.
The A’s should have far more day games IMO if they wish to increase attendance.
One won lost won - May 27, 2009
Announced attendance was 30,000
And 20,000 of them were kids from the readers’ club. They were noisy and screamed for every pop-up, foul ball and lazy fly out. I’m sure they were having lots of fun, but personally I prefer a smaller crowd with more “baseball fans,” if you know what I mean.
Signed,
Scrooge (or something like that)
skigurl - May 27, 2009
Hear, hear!
And quite honestly, since we’re in a recession, can we repeal some of these child labor laws? It’s time we fire up the factories again and let’s get some of these eight year-olds in there! Talk about untapped resources: cheap, exploitable labor that’s doing NOTHING for three months. I mean, c’mon. I’d gladly hire two or three eight-to-ten year-olds in my shop, for a couple bucks an hour.
Leopold Bloom - May 28, 2009
And by the way. Tell the kids to GET OFF MY LAWN!
LoneStranger - May 28, 2009
Crosby is looking better at the plate these days
coffee roaster - May 27, 2009
true. Laying off sliders outside
I think he needs to strike out looking a couple of games, a couple of times. Just lay off that low and away stuff, and they’ll stop throwing it.
One won lost won - May 27, 2009
yeah its showing up in his
wonderful 225 avg and 324 slug
closetasfan - May 27, 2009
Boooooo A's
Hoorayyyy Beer
supermarc589 - May 27, 2009
Bright ray of minor league sunshine
Jemile Week to possibly play in Stockton tonight.
And apparently H-Rod will head to Sacramento’s bullpen, suggesting that he is on the fast track to the majors (or maybe trade bait?). With tomorrow’s off day, at least we have minor league baseball news to keep us interested.
Let’s take 3 out of 4 in Texas! Go A’s!
franks a lot - May 27, 2009
that's good news about both players
OaklandSi - May 27, 2009
Why?
I hope H-Rod spends the rest of the year in AAA. We have enough relievers. I’d much rather see Kevin Cameron and Jeff Gray actually get some innings before being discarded, as opposed to rushing a young H-Rod. I’d love him to be our great 7th inning guy next year – no need this year, unless we get back to .500…
SeanR - May 27, 2009
The A's have holes in the bullpen.
The A’s need relief help with the injury to Devine and Zeigler struggling. Rodriguez is going to be a reliever. Zeigler is a righty specialist in the majors only. Demel and Rodriguez could be on the A’s quickly.
Tbone 1 - May 27, 2009
and Springer struggling
OaklandSi - May 27, 2009
We need to DFA that piece o' **** immediately.
Vacafan - May 27, 2009
Here a comment from that POS in the Chronicle
Russ Springer gave up four hits to open the ninth, making it an Oakland-record eight hits in a row surrendered by the right-hander. Two men scored, and Springer has allowed at least one run in each of his past five outings and put up a 10.12 ERA in that span.
Manager Bob Geren thinks Springer has been up in the zone a little more than usual but noted that Springer’s velocity was good Wednesday.
“I’m not exactly getting beat around the ballpark,” said Springer, who has been ahead of the hitters – seven of the eight hits came with two strikes. “It’s just one of those things that happens. I don’t have a bunch of excuses like some guys.”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/27/SPLM17S27S.DTL
Get off this team, you are old and worthless
Trainman - May 27, 2009
Doghouse
Why doesn’t Geren relegate this guy to the doghouse, as a mop-up guy, until he gets his shit together? Springer had no business coming into the game today.
Relief pitchers sometimes lose it for a while, then get it back. That’s why they get punched to the back of the bullpen. Granted, the score was 4-1, but why not bring in Jeff Gray to see what he can do?
Geren sucks.
richwol1 - May 27, 2009
Let's trade for a bat!!
Remember that refrain all last season?
Well, our “bat” we traded for, Holliday, went 2-for-4 and htting .273 BA.
Still, the outcomes are not getting us to six wins out of ten games played.
One won lost won - May 27, 2009
Well, I still maintain that if Beane hadn't traded Harden and Gaudin and instead looked to add a hitter
1- We would have stayed in the race.
2- Would not have hurt our chances for 2009.
We could have probably made the same trade for Holliday in July of 2008.
Yellowhorse - May 28, 2009
There Has To Be Somebody...
In the A’s organization better that Davis. I have seen infants with the rattles possess more power and a faster swing. This guy blows.
KCa's - May 27, 2009
+1
It’s a miracle that this guy is still on the 25-Man Roster. Maybe his prayers are being answered???? Then again, is anyone in AAA knocking down the door?
Colorado Fan - May 27, 2009
The thing that pisses me off most about this game?
Not that we failed to hit … again. Not that we failed to win … again.
It’s the fact that Russ Springer was put into a game … again. If this guy continues to pitch, he will get hit hard. Every. Single. Time. I don’t know if he’s injured, I don’t know if he’s tired, I don’t know if he’s in a “slump.” All I know is this — every time Springer pitches, guys hit screaming line drives all over the yard. Geren is gonna get somebody seriously hurt out there.
I go back and forth with the whole “fire Geren” thing … but you know what? When you continue to use a guy that gets Charlie Browned every time he goes out there, you deserve to lose, and you deserve to get fired. I know the game was already over, but that’s just friggin’ stupid.
Vacafan - May 27, 2009
Not all joy in A'sville
Springer is injured and trying to push through it. Reminds me of Street last year to stubborn to go on DL and cost the A’s runs. Springer is injured put him on DL now.
Why is Davis still on the team? He can’t hit and is only a late inning replacement. No use for a sub .500 team.
Team needs a lefty killer PHer in Davis roster spot. Big Hurt anyone?
Arcman - May 27, 2009
No Big Hurt
But Ryan Sweeney for GG
supermarc589 - May 27, 2009
Cahill has improved in May.
Here is Cahill’s May numbers. In his 6 starts.
34.2 IP, 38 Hits, 9 BB, 17 SO’s, 15 ER, 3.95 E.RA. That is including his Detroit disaster. I just hope the A’s don’t let Cahill and Anderson pitch much over 150 innings this year.
Tbone 1 - May 27, 2009
as for Cust missing the game...
it’s not necessarily a bad thing….he’s been struggling too. OPS is at .779, that’s not exactly lighting the world on fire, and he’s not walking much at all lately – Ks are coming in bunches.
the numbers in May
7 walks – 23 Ks in 24 games
OBP – .300
.757 OPS
5 HR 17 RBI
Brian Heath - May 27, 2009
other negative note - Ziegler is starting to look like a one year wonder
Brian Heath - May 27, 2009
poor guy was just ill for a few weeks and lost 10 pounds...give him a chance to get well and back to full strength.
the part that makes me nervous is that he has a unique release point and the league may be catching up to his release point.
but let him get to full strength before rail too hard on him.
stm72 - May 27, 2009
This is the big leagues ... no sympathy for "poor guy"
You either play at “full strength” or get the hell out of there. Now I don’t blame Ziegler for pitching half-ass, I blame Geren for putting him out there when/if he isn’t 100%.
But we don’t have time for sympathy. We suck right now, so if he isn’t ready to pitch, DL him or send him down.
Vacafan - May 27, 2009
The flu does not make him elevate the ball and throw BP
to the LHB’s he pitches to.
This is why he should NEVER close and should NEVER pitch in the 8th when there are more than LHB coming up.
I think the league has figured him out for sure. You are right
Trainman - May 27, 2009
More than one LHB
I missed that out
Trainman - May 27, 2009
back from section 204
Wow, 30,012 today, you’d think we have a pro baseball team in town. Not much to say other than echoing BBG’s assessment that if there’s a more inept alleged ballplayer alive than Rajai Davis, in 40+ years of watching this game I haven’t seen him.
There are swings where he is literally so late that the catcher already has the ball when he cuts on it; personally I am mortally embarrassed that our squad employs people like that who have no observable business on a baseball field whatsoever.
Is Geren calling the pitches or is Zook? Because before Branyan hit his moonshot we were screaming “Change-up away!!! Change up away!!!!” but it looked like a flat cutter at 89, that’s what the board said anyway. Regardless, if Geren or anyone else is calling for any kind of middle-in fastball to a guy who is mashing at .308 and who can hit it 8 miles like that, he needs to just go into professional wedding services and get out of my dugout… he makes a great best man but not the best manager, maybe some of you’ve noticed this fact the last 3 years of capital suck.
So what else? That game was so depressing I had to stop by the pot club on the way home… shameful whether or not it’s a tough lefty or not. In fact, the total lack of capacity of this team to even show up against any left-handed pitcher under the age of 72 that can throw a first-pitch strike is utterly appalling, as is the giant poster, 3 stories high in the stadium, picturing a guy who will likely never play again, it’s just stupid. You go on the BART afterward and it’s all posters of Duchscherer, 100% Hasn’t Even Played Yet.
Sorry for the sadness and bummer words, but you watch this team and you think, man, who is in charge here? Radio station in and out like it’s Bumblefuck, Idaho’s A-ball affiliate, total lack of presence on the goddamned field against lefties, where is the passion? Where’s the fire? Where’s Oakland Athletics baseball, the kind that string together 4 wins against shitty teams?
Pardon me, I have an appointment with this bong now, talk with you all later ;)
.
emperor nobody - May 27, 2009
+1 to the bong hits
These A’s are making me want to “medicate” after every single loss just to make me feel better.
GreenSocks - May 27, 2009
pass it down
Its going to be a long year if Geren stays manager. I feel for you so pass the bong down.
Arcman - May 27, 2009
And they really should have known than to put Eric Ch vez
on all those “I know where the A’s are” billboards.
scromulus - May 27, 2009
I watched Bumblefuck, Idaho's A-ball affiliate
I knew Bumblefuck, Idaho’s A-ball affiliate.
These A’s, sir, are no Bumblefuck, Idaho A-ball affiliate.
Joey C. - May 27, 2009
Over/Under on Cahill losing more than 15.5 games:
Pucking Insane - May 27, 2009
QOTM
Sorry for the sadness and bummer words, but you watch this team and you think, man, who is in charge here? Radio station in and out like it’s Bumblefuck, Idaho’s A-ball affiliate, total lack of presence on the goddamned field against lefties, where is the passion? Where’s the fire? Where’s Oakland Athletics baseball, the kind that string together 4 wins against shitty teams?
That was friggin’ awesome.
Vacafan - May 27, 2009
please tell me that you didn't give yourself a QOTM?!?
stm72 - May 27, 2009
thanks for your kind words
I am just venting. What really bugs me the most is the signage, both in the stadium and outside on the BART and the billboards.
The billboards truly, truly bother me, I cannot overstate it. The idea that you’d run a campaign, in the midst of a battle over whether the team will leave the city, where “The A’s Are Missing. Where’d they go?” and you have names of players and so forth with the A’s missing from their names, omigod, I dunno what to say about that, I just don’t. It makes my stomach hurt and my toes itch.
Then you go on the BART and it’s the posters, 100% baseball… the Duchscherer one is so prevalent, they’re everywhere. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Duke and he is indeed a Maestro out there, he’s got a repertoire worthy of Pierre Boulez, a change-up on a par with Andre Previn, I get that. But he hasn’t thrown a pitch yet, likely he won’t for another month, who knows? So the advertisements that were supposed to be promoting your awesome product? Well, now they’re just reminding everyone in the Bay Area how you can’t keep players healthy on a daily basis. Maybe someone should have figured this out in March, when it became clear that he’d be out for a while, so the ads could be pulled and replaced with images of someone a patron to the Coliseum might actually see on the field? The Athletics surely must be the only team that can have bobblehead days for guys on the 60+ day DL… in a competent promotions dep’t the JD Bobblehead Day is pushed back, at least to a day later in the season where he’s actually around.
OK, caveat: I understand how this sounds, like I am nitpicking & griping negatively because I am upset with the team, the performance, the management, the impeding departure of the team to Lew Wolff’s personal fantasy country club in the Disposable Income Sector, whatever, and to an extent that’s true. But I gotta tell you all, what I have described above is NOT what a professional organization of ANY kind, in ANY field does when it’s head is truly in the game at the top level of management…. these kind of things are just not tolerated. The bit with the radio station, where we, the customers, had to TELL the team that we couldn’t hear it? That doesn’t happen in professional sports. That’s not a team on top of promoting its allegedly professional product, no I am sorry but it isn’t even if I am Mr. Asshole Disgruntled Loudmouth, nope. Someone gets their ass in a car and drives to every corner of the Bay Area lonnnnnng before any goddamned contract is signed, just to paste their ears to what this alleged outfit KTRB’s got on offer.
Then there’s the outdated and unintentionally parodic in-venue signage, where there’s gigando posters hanging to remind people of what a disaster the last few years have been. I hate to tell you non-native NY’ers among us, but that doesn’t happen in Yankee Stadium, friends, not even in Dodger Stadium, no no no no no. Someone at or near the top doesn’t let it get that far, the thing is replaced with something more suitable, that emphasizes what’s currently WORTH BUYING about your product, before those things get out of the bag. And caveat #2: now that I know what’s wrong with Chavez and his discs I no longer feel him to be the freeloading loafer I thought he’d become & actually feel a degree of sympathy for his situation, regardless of what I feel about where his 11 mil a year could have went. But that is NOT the point, the point is you don’t hang signs of him 3 stories tall in your venue because his story is a kind of tragedy, and possibly-crippling herniated discs just DO NOT tend to make good advertising, I mean come on.
Anyway, maybe I expect too much, but when you see the product on the field taken in totality with the way the team advertises itself (once a tremendous strength) and you see the strict adherence to the “philosophy” of “we won’t change until 1/3 of the season is over and we see what we have” and yet you also can see with your two eyes that the games during the “evaluation period” have approximately 56 people at them and you still refuse to be proactive (or at least exhibit a pulse), well then I say you’re not exactly self-sabotaging your own product intentionally to create the conditions to split town with the least stress, but you wouldn’t exactly be all that sad if that’s what turned out happening either.
Again, I apologize if this is overly or gratuitously negative, it’s just one man’s opinion.
emperor nobody - May 27, 2009
well stated emperor
SwisherThresher - May 27, 2009
emperor...
…if you’re not a professional writer or columnist, you need to change your profession. I love your stuff here, but you should be getting paid for your work and not giving it away for free. This is great stuff.
richwol1 - May 28, 2009
i apologize vacafan
stm72 - May 27, 2009
no prob - I'm slow and can't figure out how to "highlight" stuff in the little green box.
Vacafan - May 27, 2009
Easy peasy!
To block quote:
1. Copy and paste the text you want;
2. Highlight pasted text;
3. Click quotation mark icon in tool bar between headline and text;
4. Enjoy!
Leopold Bloom - May 28, 2009
Hey, thanks! Even I can manage that!
I’m the Russ Springer of computers.
Vacafan - May 28, 2009
We are not getting 100% Baseball
More like 40%
fruitattack - May 27, 2009
+ a million
QOTM
baseballgirl - May 27, 2009
or in emporor's words:
100% Green and Gold Gilded bullshit
dtownmbrown - May 28, 2009
Off Topic: Seattle in 2010
Is there any reason to believe that they should improve at all next season? Bedard is likely test the waters and they have no real replacement lined up. Their offense is pretty freaking lame, and after taking a quick glance at their prospects, there is not much hope from the minors. They do have money, which obviously helps. Maybe I’m missing something, however.
Pucking Insane - May 27, 2009
Davis has something on Geren and/or Beane
I mean there’s really no other explanation. He has pictures of Geren in compromising positions with a woman who’s not his wife. Right? I mean, there’s no other way he’d keep getting ABs, right? Right guys??
It’s really crazy that a professional organization would keep him on the roster, let alone take up incredibly valuable space in a lineup. I’m not even sure he’s a AAA player.
ORthey - May 27, 2009
Buck should have started
and he very well deserved to PH for Davis…
Davis is a pinch runner at most… even then…
fruitattack - May 27, 2009
and I’m stating the obvious but I’m angry!!!
RAWR
fruitattack - May 27, 2009
Good fruit gone bad.
alox - May 27, 2009
rawr, as caustic as it sounds,
is actually a term of endearment here.
Stemming from rawr meaning I love you in dinosaur.
but I share your frustration.
Leopold Bloom - May 28, 2009
RAWR
mikev - May 28, 2009
Radio
Dibs Fosse mentioned yesterday that Buck has been taking grounders at 1st and at 3rd, and that Geren has stated he was ready right now to play the infield.
DCinWC - May 28, 2009
I’m pumped for that doubleheader on Friday. After school, it’s on!
Rated-R Superstar - May 27, 2009
Did anyone happen to snap a picture of Brande Roderick in an A's jersey throwing out the first pitch?
It’s for, uh, research.
Joey C. - May 27, 2009
I prefer Miss Spain 2008.
Rated-R Superstar - May 27, 2009
WHY does Rajai keep ending up in the lineup?!?
Free Travis! Geez, a guy hits a home run and then is benched for 2 games. It makes TOTAL sense. Yeah.
Overheard in the RF bleachers this afternoon:
[20-something guys] “What’s Cahill’s first name? Jordan?” “I dunno…” [guy behind them, acting very knowledgeable] “It’s Andrew.” “Thanks, man. Andrew Cahill.” [me: wha?]
[group of 4th grade girls] “We’ll go get cotton candy at halftime.” [middle of the 3rd] “I think it’s halftime now. Why aren’t people getting up?” [bottom of the 3rd starts] “That was short!”
[The same group of girls couldn’t decide if Stomper was a rat or an elephant…]
In other news, it was nice for me that Ryan replaced Cust — at least something in this game was nice to look at.
whiteshoes40 - May 27, 2009
Cindi is in SO much trouble for playing hooky
Nico - May 27, 2009
I will be at the double-header in Texas on Friday
As my wife and I are probably the only A’s fans within 500 miles of Arlington (Fort Smith, AR), we will proudly represent the A’s fanbase. If you’re watching on tv you’ll know its us if you see a guy in an Athletics shirt ( who is most likely screaming obscenities at Geren) sitting next to an embarrased woman in an Athetics tank top.
bpat - May 27, 2009
Woo hoo! If you see a guy
screaming obscenities at Geren from his living room, sitting next to an embarrassed dog, that’s me.
Nico - May 27, 2009
why is Poochini embarassed?
Have you been drunk dialing again?
Leopold Bloom - May 28, 2009
Maybe.
Nico - May 29, 2009
Why is Davis still playing?
What happened to Denorfria? (SP?) Cunningham? ANYONE?!?! BUCK! TRAVIS FREAKING BUCK! Sometimes this team makes me sick. It just looks like Geren is mailing it in. Oh well. Off to Texas. I hope they ship off Davis and bring somebody up. Enough is enough.
A'sfansince1970 - May 28, 2009
It seems like
Bob thought it was a long shot win w/ the A-lineup, so he started the B-lineup. Whenever we tack on a few in a row, he decides to start resting players. I guess the other players should step up in those situations. The dark side to that is Bedard saw it and attacked it. I hope it pays off against the Rangers.
Porcupine - May 28, 2009
B-lineup?
I want the Buck lineup…
Even the Giants could complete their sweep- though we had to face Bedard…
Buck would have likely had his lasergun on
fruitattack - May 28, 2009
Hmm... trip
Rotowire
Porcupine - May 28, 2009
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