Last night, Michael Cuddyer was the victim of a game-ending call at the plate. Tonight his triple in the 10th inning put the Minnesota Twins on top before closer Joe Nathan worked a quick bottom half of the inning in a game that was, as expected, nothing at all like the one before it.
Dallas Braden had another one of those games where he's just good enough to skate by without giving up a bunch of runs but Anthony Swarzak was a bit better. Overall they both allowed a pair of runs in seven innings of work. The A's got theirs in the third courtesy of a ground out by Adam Kennedy, then Orlando Cabrera followed with a run-scoring single.
Braden's worst inning would follow right after as he failed to get the shutdown inning. With one out, he gave up a double, triple and sacrifice fly and things were evened up at 2-2. It looked like things would have been a little different if not for some trouble from Scott Hairston in center field as the triple bounced off the wall and skipped past him to go along with a couple weak throws.
Braden and Swarzak settled down after that before the bullpens took over. Matt Guerrier worked two scoreless innings for the visitors while Michael Wuertz and Andrew Bailey went an inning apiece for the A's. Bob Geren sent Bailey back out for the 10th and for his second outing in a row, he ran into trouble. Joe Mauer singled with one out and after Justin Morneau flied out Cuddyer came through with a shot to the right-center gap. Problem was, it sure looked like Ryan Sweeney should have made the catch, overrunning the ball as it came down. From there, Nathan finished it off.
The rubber game of the series is tomorrow, an afternoon start.
0 recs | 32 comments
I love Dallas Braden.
Great post game interview. Listening to him talk about the game is always fun.
winchester5 - July 21, 2009
And he tells it like it is.
You dont see that from Geren, so its nice to see Braden do it.
winchester5 - July 21, 2009
"No positives. We lost."
Flashfire - July 21, 2009
I agree with both of you.
67MARQUEZ - July 21, 2009
What 67M said.
walkoff baltimore chop - July 21, 2009
What he said
adragon - July 21, 2009
Same here.
67MARQUEZ - July 21, 2009
Sweeney probably should have caught that ball, but it seems like the post game show is blaming the entire loss on him....
It’s not like it was an easy play…I’m not making excuses for him, but I cant believe they are pinning the loss on him. He is the only one who hit today, and its not like if Cust was out there he would have caught it.
winchester5 - July 21, 2009
i'm not sure about this sweeney in right idea
he’s a good athlete clearly, but i guess he just needs more practice there. some of his routes on the weekend looked somewhat circuitous
cuppingmaster - July 21, 2009
Yeah he was looking a lot more comfortable in center than he has in right.
winchester5 - July 21, 2009
That is what we used to say about him in center
Great athlete but makes bad reads/takes bad routs
adragon - July 21, 2009
Yep
mikev - July 21, 2009
yes but that was getting a lot better as the year went on
winchester5 - July 21, 2009
the point is just give him time
same with Hairston
adragon - July 21, 2009
Agreed on all points
They were acting like he dropped a routine fly ball.
day-to-day - July 21, 2009
I agree -- it was a catchable ball but not an easy play
It was a bad pitch a heck of a lot more than the ball should have been caught.
Nico - July 22, 2009
Hairston's defense
In center is disappointing these first few weeks. Seems like there have been half a dozen plays not made the way one expects.
I didn’t see the triple tonight, but there were several plays in Tampa. Growing pains? Can he play right?
geogrman - July 21, 2009 via mobile
He just needs time to learn the AL CF's
This is his first time in the Al after years in the NL
Both Scott and Swoony need to adjust to there new postions/league
adragon - July 21, 2009
I don't understand how fielding is that different in the AL and NL.
I get that a change in positions takes time – to adjust to the reads, routes, typical and atypical plays. I also get that if you’ve been playing in certain parks it takes time to learn new ones. But I guess as a fan – I have some sort of expectation that they play at such a high level as professionals, that the adjustment would be fairly quick. Swooney has had limited playing time so I can see why he’s got a steep learning curve. Is it wrong of me to expect more out of Hairston?
BERRYJO - July 21, 2009
i think it's just that in each park
they know exactly how many seconds and steps it takes to get to anywhere on the field. with time, they will both learn. it’s just the thinking about it that makes them hesitate and maybe take a suboptimal route.
cuppingmaster - July 21, 2009
+This
adragon - July 21, 2009
On top of that each ballpark plays a little differently depending on how the ball travels
I mean, look at the jet stream in Texas and the new Yankee Stadium to right. That kind of carry doesn’t happen everywhere.
Flashfire - July 21, 2009
This is coming from a man who has seen alot of ballparks
and he knows of what he speaks
adragon - July 22, 2009
Myself, I preferred Sweeney in CF
He is perfectly capable in RF as well, but I think he was really making strides in CF this year. Hairston will be fine in CF, I’m sure, in time. I’’ll give him some time to adjust.
As far as the game result, this is two games in a row for Bailey being asked to pitch 2 innings in a tie game……and I have to say I don’t like it. Was Ziggy not available tonight? I don’t get it… Not sure what the stats say, but I really don’t feel good about AB having to pitch more than one inning in a game that he is not coming in to “close”. I had a bad feeling about this when the A’s failed to score in the bottom of the 9th and Geren had Bailey come back out to pitch the 10th.
I don’t blame Sweeney for the loss even though he probably could have caught the fly ball in the 10th. I don’t blame Bailey either. Someone had to break the ice and unfortunately for us A’s fans it was the Twins who came out on top. Nathan coming in fresh for a save opportunity in the 10th pretty much sealed the deal for me and hopefully tomorrow it does not come down to similar situation…..and Braden is a baller! Go A’s!
mrod - July 21, 2009
They had Ziegler warming up in the 10th after Bailey gave up the triple
Flashfire - July 21, 2009
Yeah.....a little too late Flash!
mrod - July 21, 2009
Hairston
We should be more concerned with Hairston’s hitting or lack of it. He looks lost up there.
I hope we don’t half to wait six weeks for his next HR.
Graybeard - July 21, 2009
Hannahan! Langerhans!
Not only did Hannahan hit two HRs for the M’s tonight — didn’t he do that for us once last August? — but Ryan Langerhans also hit a HR for the M’s in the same game!
M’s still lost.
iglew - July 21, 2009
I saw that. What a trip, eh?
mrod - July 21, 2009
If I remeber he hit 2 in a game when they were in Japan
adragon - July 22, 2009
I was thinking of
this game in Seattle.
Take a look at that lineup. Yeesh, that’s even worse than what we’re putting out this year. The box score only shows AVG, but average batting average of the nine starters is a whopping 2.125.
And Dan Meyer, too!
iglew - July 22, 2009
Is the 3rd straight nightmare season almost over?
LVElephant - July 22, 2009
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