Hey, sometimes Kevin Correia just retires the first 14 in a row, tosses a one-hit shutout through 7 and combines on a two-hitter. It happens.
Too often, actually. Especially with Dallas Braden on the mound for the A's. Braden threw yet another gem, giving the A's a much needed 7 innings and a "good enough to win for most teams" 2 ER. Only an Edgar Gonzalez double in the 2nd, which followed a borderline pitch called ball four to Kyle Blanks, and an 0-2 mistake (solo HR) to Henry Blanco in the 5th, marred an otherwise superlative effort by the A's ace and warrior. Kevin Kouzmanoff's 8th inning 2-run HR off of Russ Springer (bad dog) would seal the deal.
For the A's offense, it was Orlando Cabrera's two out double in the 5th, the A's first baserunner, and Ryan Sweeney's RBI double in the 8th, also known as "the A's other hit," driving home Jack Cust, who had walked in his role as - yep, the A's "other baserunner." Somehow the A's were not able to parlay 3 baserunners into a win.
Braden has now gone at least 6 innings in seven consecutive starts. He has made 15 starts this season and he has allowed more than 3 ER in exactly one of them. He has been, in a word, everythingyoucouldask. He is also 5-6, which tells you how much W/L records mean. I hope Braden makes the All-Star team because he has been an All-Star in 2009 -- Pepe just needs to hire a hit man to join the A's lineup.
0 recs | 70 comments
Russ Springer makes me sick.
Rated-R Superstar - June 21, 2009
Ditto
Sorry, I know this is late but just getting around to reading the re-cap. I felt it as soon as he came in it was gonna be bad.
swishergirl510 - June 21, 2009
He makes it very difficult for me to want to watch my team. I'll watch the other guys out there, but really that's just to figure out which one will watch the ball fly over the wall.
Hate Russ Springer. :(
gigglingone - June 21, 2009
At least he leads the league in something
Sure it’s “HRs to first batters faced” (4) but it’s…something.
Nico - June 22, 2009
No f'ing way
four first batter hrs, and he’s a relief pitcher? Why did Geren take out Breslow, anyway.
MobiusKlein - June 22, 2009
Kouzmanoff generally hits LHP well and RHP very poorly
So I think the move made sense; Springer giving up lots of hits and lots of HRs makes less sense.
Nico - June 22, 2009
Well the recap made me laugh (out loud), so that's nice.
Pucking Insane - June 21, 2009
Woo hoo! Small victories.
Nico - June 21, 2009
What a boring game...
Braden is definitely the A’s All-Star… and not just because the A’s have to have one. He’s pitched like an All-Star.
brenarlo - June 21, 2009
the only excitement
was a fight/altercation around the RF bleachers (near where I was). The red shirts getting busy on a fan. Cops and all! You’d think this was a hockey game or something.
oh yeah, free gloves for the kids!
Kouzmanoff at it again… 3B for the ’s?
rollierollieOxenfree - June 21, 2009
Russ Springer is garbage
And yet… it didn’t even matter how he pitched, today. The A’s offense did super great at getting full counts, and super greats at squandering all of them.
So much frustration. Kevin Correia? Of the perpetual 5+ ERA as a starter on the Giants? Of the 1.467 career WHIP? Really? Lincecum, I can understand. Cain, sure. But to make Kevin Correia so utterly dominant is a farce.
My only consolation is that Braden, one of the only players I’m truly proud to root for right now, did not have to again watch a win turn into a ND while being interviewed live in-game by Fosse and Kuiper.
ORthey - June 21, 2009
PS - Fosse and Kuiper are the two worst TV guys in the bigs.
They are so f’n boring!!!
brenarlo - June 21, 2009
They are not nearly as bad as the Giants announcers. I don't mind Duane Kuiper, but Krukow---so damn annoying!!!!!!!!!!
Carter27 - June 21, 2009
Seperately they are both fine.
Together – FAR too many inside jokes and general stupid crap. Grab some pine Meat!!!
Eliminate Me!!
BleedGreen - June 21, 2009
Duane is a legit announcer with a great deep voice and an excellent sense of the flow of the game, whereas his brother Glen sucks. I like Fosse, but his ‘100% pro-everything always’ attitude gets wearisome. Krukow is obnoxious, but then the Giants have Jon Miller and Dave Fleming (both fantastic) and the A’s Ken Korach (above average) and Vince Cottroneo, IMO one of the worst in the biz.
But even with our situation, we are better off than many teams.
ORthey - June 21, 2009
I don'e have real issues with vince or Kuip
I can completely ignore them both.
All I can say is, at least they aren’t Greg Papa.
I’ll probably get shot down on this one by Nick as well.
BleedGreen - June 21, 2009
If you're annoyed by Fosse talking about Dibs, just remember how fixated Papa was on food
Flashfire - June 21, 2009
Not even f'in CLOSE dude
ever watch a White Sox game on WGN??
BleedGreen - June 21, 2009
All the time...
The A’s guys are way worse. I hate the Sox guys, but the A’s guys are way too boring.
brenarlo - June 21, 2009
Little to talk about.
OldhamA - June 21, 2009
Hawk Harrelson is not a baseball announcer
He is an avant-garde performance artist, deconstructing the very notions of “play-by-play” and “color commentary”. He shakes the drowsy baseball fan from our doldrums and provokes us. Stop using idiotic nicknames! Stop rooting for things to happen all the time! Stop drinking!
It is not his fault that his genius goes unappreciated by uncultured louts like you.
Nick - June 21, 2009
Avant Garde Performance Art
Sucks.
It’s often a smokescreen for ones lack of talent. A cultural Red Herring if you will.
I am a sophisticated pop-culture lout thank you very much.
BleedGreen - June 21, 2009
New sig line.
Leopold Bloom - June 21, 2009
they're ok...but too stupid on the whole "moneyball = obp" concept.
rollierollieOxenfree - June 21, 2009
Trust me, there are FAR worse than them
Flashfire - June 21, 2009
I prefer Fosse on radio as opposed to the television side.
Rated-R Superstar - June 21, 2009
First A's game I've seen in about a week.
I’m not entirely sure if it was worth the effort. Braden must be so frustrated right now – he’s turned himself into a legitimate ML pitcher, but he’s getting nothing from his offence.
OldhamA - June 21, 2009
OT
Is anyone watching the Angels/Dodgers game? Joe Morgan just spouted a fountain of nonsense regarding moneyball (shocking). And Steve Phillips and the other dude went right along with it. Ugh. I can’t stand ESPN.
travdog6 - June 21, 2009
Steve Phillips + Joe Morgan + book = like water and electricity
They just dont mix.
Blicks - June 21, 2009
That makes no
sense whatsoeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechtchttttzzzztztztztztzt
Nico - June 21, 2009
Just tuned in
The Dodgers are up 2-0, but if the Angels manage a comeback they’ll move .5 game ahead of the Rangers to overtake the top spot in the AL West. Oi…
SwisherThresher - June 21, 2009
Tipping the cap
At an important tournament way back in the 1920s, the great chess grandmaster Aron Nimzovich sat fuming as he stared at a chessboard in which he had what he could see was a losing position. Did he gracefully topple his king? No, he jumped up on a table and yelled, “Why must I lose to this idiot?”
There’s no mention in the story of him tipping his cap, either.
Faust - June 21, 2009
I thought the title of this thread was
Tipping My Cow
so I’m kinda disappointed in it. ;)
BleedGreen - June 21, 2009
Nimzovich was genius.
Arguably the greatest theorist of the century, as I’m sure you know, and a brilliantly witty writer as well. But he was nervous and paranoid almost to the point of being mentally unstable. That he played as well as he did is a testament to his extreme talent, because mentally he just wasn’t cut out for the pressures of tournament/match play.
He’s the exact opposite of Lasker. Lasker was a great player, but what pushed him to the top was his unflappable temperament and mastery of the psychological game.
iglew - June 21, 2009
Seriously?
How do you know this?? Lol … that’s awesome. Tell me about Fisher. How would he have matched up? Talk about psycho … chess players are weird.
Vacafan - June 21, 2009
Once upon a time I read up on chess players,
and I’m a big fan of Nimzovich.
I don’t know much about Bobby Fischer. He was certainly extremely eccentric.
I would dispute the implication that chess players as a class are weird. Some are, some aren’t — just as in any group. Fischer is not typical.
iglew - June 22, 2009
On the upside, Analheim lost
In these dark days, this is what I root for.
Joey C. - June 21, 2009
Dude,
I thought you’d died or something. Where the heck you been?
Leopold Bloom - June 21, 2009
I know, I know
I’ve been swamped lately. You know, the usual— sleeping until noon, rec league softball, XBox 360, and those Natty Light 30-packs won’t drink themselves.
I need to be back with my fam here, though. I miss the wit and the rally Salma.
Joey C. - June 21, 2009
so i did not follow all of the game or even that closely
did Springer give up the hr? if so, i want to spit.
ak_A - June 21, 2009
Spittoon, sir?
Nico - June 21, 2009
Braden is 5-6?!
I read that as 5’6"!
Nico, you must have him confused with Eckstein!?
streetfan - June 21, 2009
No, no, you still misunderstand
He’s either in Kindergarten or 1st grade, but I’m not sure which.
Nico - June 21, 2009
That's kinda tall for a kindergartener...
Leopold Bloom - June 21, 2009
But it's an awfully impressive won-lost record
Nico - June 21, 2009
for a four year-old?
It’s off the chart.
Leopold Bloom - June 21, 2009
Really?
“Prancing fairies” in the photo caption?
That seems like real poor taste.
Whoever writes those should think twice before hitting “post.”
timed exposure - June 21, 2009
Well, I'm not sure "ballplayers" would've worked in the caption, either.
GreenSocks - June 22, 2009
Thinking twice cost extra
These are the fairies of which I speak.
Nico - June 22, 2009
At the bottom of your garden?
Englishmajor - June 22, 2009
Why do you think I need the raccoons?
Nico - June 22, 2009
Except that...
you then used “Not that there’s anything wrong with that” – a line made famous by Seinfeld, in an episode specifically whether the main characters are gay. So it certainly read (to a frequent visitor/reader-infrequent poster) that it was a reference to the players being gay.
I think it was poor form.
timed exposure - June 22, 2009
Yeah, I figured you'd say that.
Nico - June 22, 2009
Thanks.
Glad to see community concerns are being taken seriously.
timed exposure - June 22, 2009
I don't even watch Seinfeld.
mikev - June 22, 2009
Now I find that far more offensive than anything.
Nico - June 22, 2009
Furthermore, I actually find that the show bugs the living shit out of me.
It boggles my mind that so many people LOVE it.
mikev - June 22, 2009
Can't stand it either
but, people love all sorts of things I don’t – Angles, BoSox, Bankees, etc.
MobiusKlein - June 22, 2009
Sheep
skin.
Nico - June 22, 2009
time to give Giambi a bit of a rest
and start Barton?
OaklandSi - June 22, 2009
Yes.
Barton makes up for Giambi with the glove.
Blicks - June 22, 2009
I agree
Time to install Giambi in the " ’Pat you on the ass" Mike Sweeney-esque Elder Statesman" role.
And can the A’s just cut ties with Garciaparra already? This guy is a wasted roster spot, along with the relievers that Geren has no faith in. The mismanagement of the 25 man roster always blows my mind. Beane always comes to defense of Geren by stating that Bob rarely gets to manage a healthy team. Using 2-3 spots of the 25 man roster for hurt and/or long under-performing players puts Geren in a precarious position when micro-managing a game. You can’t keep running Giambi, Cabrera, and Bailey out there. A viable bench PLUS the willingness to play these bench players is needed
franks a lot - June 22, 2009
I agree on both counts.
Although I think if AN had a vote, it’s likely that Ryan Sweeney would win the “pat on the ass” assignment. And not because he’s an elder statesman.
Also, they can’t get rid of Nomar. They need his wife for the company softball and soccer teams.
Nick - June 22, 2009
A's vs. Giants wives/girlfriend/flavors of the month softball game already occurred
Time to cut the guy.
franks a lot - June 22, 2009
No need to cut Nomar
Just disable him. They have to pay him either way, so why not keep him around for his elder statesmanhood and his Mia and the chance that he actually heals up enough to contribute on the field. No real cost to it that I can see.
And of course, it’s completely legitimate. He is disabled, and belongs on the DL. Being able to pinch hit here and there doesn’t constitute able-bodiedness. He was brought in to be a backup infielder and DH, and he can’t perform those duties.
Well, we’ll know more within a week. Something has to give among all the infielders when Ellis comes back.
Faust - June 22, 2009
Because by releasing him, the A's could
at least free up a blue zone in the parking lot.
Nico - June 22, 2009
True, that
The sad thing is he wouldn’t really be scamming to use one of those.
Faust - June 22, 2009
Definitely
Plus, at this point, Giambi’s season OPS is only one point higher than Barton’s ML career OPS (.721 vs. .720). Who’s bound to get better? Who’s bound to get worse?
juanmiguel - June 22, 2009
If we're talking about this year...
I think Giambi will probrably improve his OPS more than Barton. I’m not quite convinced Jason is done. I think he’s got at least half a season of .800 + OPS left in him.
McBain - June 22, 2009
I want my run support!!!
BLARGH
fruitattack - June 22, 2009
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