A's Chooed Up And Spit Out, Fugly Style

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 7:16 PM PDT Comment 55 comments

Ha ha! Shin-Soo Choo is so bad he can't even hit a triple!

Perhaps the best motto for tonight's game would be: "If at first you don't fail, try try again." Because back when the game was close, the A's needed to choke like the Doublemint twins on an oversized piece of gum in order for the game to get out of hand.

The A's actually led 2-0 once upon a time, and had a 2-1 edge in the 3rd when Bobby Crosby betrayed Trevor Cahill throwing away a routine ground ball to start the inning. Yet the A's still held the lead 2-1, with the bases loaded and two out, when Cahill coaxed a weak bouncer to third from Jhonny Peralta. Crosby threw that one away too, the Indians scored twice, tallied another in the inning, and took a 4-2 lead.

Even when a 4-spot in the 4th chased Cahill and made it 8-3 Indians, the A's had a shot. Cleveland saw to it. Peralta threw away Crosby's grounder to start the inning and so Adam Kennedy, dutiful Athletic, made his best attempt to bounce into a DP. Luis Valbueno (low shovel to second) and Asdrubal Cabrera (oops, me no catchy) managed not to get any outs and the A's had two on, nobody out, and ~~the heart of the order~~ some other hitters coming up. That's when the other Doublemint twin, Orlando Cabrera, vowed to hit into that DP, damn it, and showing impressive efficiency did it on the first pitch with a tailor-made two-hopper to SS.

Meanwhile, Cahill, Casilla, Breslow, and Springer combined to allow RFer Shin-Soo Choo to post the old 5 4 4 7 line in the box score. That's the result of an RBI single, a 3-run HR, a 2-run double, and a solo HR. Had Choo decided not to touch home plate after the solo HR, he would have had the cycle, but unlike Eric Byrnes he found home plate and unlike Miguel Tejada he chose to go there. No cycle for you!

One final complaint: Trevor Cahill was squeezed many times in his 3.2 IP and I just want to inform all the umpires that it's the same strike zone for rookies and veterans. Obviously, in a 15-3 game this wasn't "the difference" between winning and losing, but Cahill deserved better tonight, both from his defense and from the home plate umpire.

Other than all that, though, I thought tonight's game was just ducky.

0 recs | Comment 55 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

guess I didn't miss much after I went and did something else

once Cleveland went up 10-3.

So nice to let Buck in right at the end…

by OaklandSi on Jul 3, 2009 7:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

as in, why does geren have buck on the bench

really.
And why is Nomah still around.
really.

by MobiusKlein on Jul 3, 2009 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This.

Can we f’n release Crosby and Hamm already.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jul 3, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, the funny part for me was that Geren actually did a couple things

I would’ve liked to see him do late in the game- he put Powell in for Suzuki, and he put Buck in for Holliday.

However, he also did so as defensive replacements, after both Suzuki and Holliday had just had an at-bat, instead of pinch-hitting Powell and Suzuki for them. What the heck is the point in that?! Let them have an at-bat each as well, to try and stay sharp, if you’re going to make those switches in the bottom of the inning anyway! Suzuki and Holliday do not need more at-bats right now to stay sharp, but Powell and Buck surely do… it was only a mini-rally of sorts in the 9th that allowed Buck to come to the plate at all, and for Powell? Nada.

by still bills kingdom on Jul 4, 2009 11:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In my dreams, we can trade Jack Hannahan, Bobby Crosby, Matt Holliday, Orlando Cabrera, Jason Giambi, Adam Kennedy and maybe a few others for Shin-Soo Choo.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 3, 2009 7:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

The little Choo that could

All Games and Comments are Subject to Blackout

by Hit4TheCycle on Jul 3, 2009 7:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This team is done! Lets make some trades

I love our A’s and I will continue to watch and follow but this was just sooooooo hard to watch today. We Suck!
O Cab – sucks trade him
Holliday – has tuned “out” – move him if we get the package Billy want or keep him for the picks
Springer – retire
Casilla – say hello to the washington nationals buddy – cut him
Geren – Can someone inject him with some steroids so he can blow up like Ed Hockuley and mlb with test him.
Crosby – words can’t describe how bad you suck
Nomar – nothing bad to say about you – deserve better then this

by ryanmoser on Jul 3, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with all of this.

Nomar – nothing bad to say about you – deserve better then this

He sucks? He’s broken down? The roids are done.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jul 3, 2009 7:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In fairness, "this" also deserves better than Nomar.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Look...my point is we suck, have no heart, no fire, nothing....Its not the A's.

There is not chemistry, no laughter, no nothing and yes I know winning cures all but thats probably not going to happen.
O Cab is a cancer – I said it before we signed him, he is horrible – get rid of him and bring up Cliff Pennington
Holliday has no doubt – checked out
Giambi’s bat speed appears to be way down
Crosby – horrible, but he will have a job next year on some team and he has the A’s to thank for that with is multiple positions he plays (not that he plays good at any of them, but whatever)
Nomar – Yes he is old, broken down, no roids but my guess is he gets moved to a contender for cash considerations

by ryanmoser on Jul 3, 2009 8:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The All Star Break

With the break coming I sure hope Billy Beane uses this time to make some changes. I don’t even care what they are at this point because something even if it’s superficial needs to be done.

This team has no heart and shows little in the way of professionalism and needs a swift kick in the ass. This season is basically lost and that makes three lost years in a row. How much longer before us baseball nuts here on AN are the last A’s fans left?

by sirbed on Jul 3, 2009 7:34 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

It's already more crowded on AN than it is at the ballpark.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 7:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

awwww

by cityplANner on Jul 3, 2009 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But you HRed in the first inning!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's because there's more action here.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Jul 3, 2009 7:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I liked the red caps. I don’t think anyone else did.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 3, 2009 7:46 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

heh, giants game is blow out for them....

i was ready to watch a more competitive game

alaska A residing in northern Idaho.

by ak_A on Jul 3, 2009 8:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think tonight is proving that yes, good hitting can indeed be contagious

Just as much as bad hitting is for the A’s. Of course, a lot has to do with the pitching but pretty much EVERYONE in the Giants lineup tonight is killing it.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 3, 2009 8:19 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Tonight may also prove that herpes is contagious

Tests still pending.

Something else I meant to mention in the recap: Beane brought in “more offense” to try to support the young pitchers. How about supporting them with better infield defense?

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He signed OrCab and Ellis

At least he tried?

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Jul 4, 2009 1:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The A's also have Hannahan and Barton,

but play Crosby and Nomar and Giambi instead.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 4, 2009 7:04 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Speaking of the Giants, Barry Zito has a 4.82 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Yet, Mike Krukow still think he’s “throwing the ball well.”

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Jul 3, 2009 8:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He is. His pitching just sucks.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Aaargh! Has Nico converted you, too?

Take it to the Giants thread.

No one cares about your ~~fantasy~~ [wrong-side-of-the-Bay] team.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jul 3, 2009 9:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LAWL

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Jul 3, 2009 9:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Giants suck my balls

WordUpThome: THE HEY-DAY OF RONALD REAGAN-O-NOMICS IS A FINE TIME FOR BIRTH, NUMA NUMA DANCE STAR JOBA CHAMBERLAIN WAS ALSO BORN IN 1985

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Jul 3, 2009 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

The A's play like my shoulder and ribs feel

Totally 100 percent fucked.

8 motrins don’t do a dammed thing. And wait until tomorrow when it really sets in.

Maybe I should hurt myself more often because I laughed when I saw them go down and I was hoping they would give up 20 or 30 runs. The more the better because as pathetic as they look, they could do it better and be more pathetic

by Trainman on Jul 3, 2009 8:26 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This brings up an interesting question about which would be more productive:

8 motrins or 9 Hattebergs?

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are tilting the balance with the extra Hatteberg

There were only 8 motrins because there was no DH

by Trainman on Jul 3, 2009 8:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Designated Hallucinogen?

That’s a shame.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So unfair to do this to the young hurlers

I signed up a week or so ago on AN for the sole purpose of complaining that the A’s should be putting their best fielding players out there every night, regardless of BA, OBP, OPS, or whatever you want. No pitcher can gain the confidence they need if any pop fly to short right is a new special free-hit zone, and if third base is a vacuum. I don’t see the games, listen to what I can on the radio, but it seems like the only player to ever take a hit away from the opposing team is Sweeney. Some of the rest do their job (Kennedy, Cabrera, Hannahan), and I can live with that. But without Crosby, there’s no telling what the real final score of this game could have been.

by paris7 on Jul 3, 2009 8:33 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

With Hannahan at 3B and Barton at 1B,

the 3rd inning is scoreless. And let’s face it — Hannahan could hit Huff (who doesn’t throw very hard) as well as Crosby could, and Barton should be playing every day at 1B anyway. Since no combo is going to hit much, at least put a good defensive team out there and give the young pitchers a fighting chance to get some outs.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's really getting absurd

I know we’ve complained about it for weeks but it just seems like the decision makers are asleep at the wheel. It’s gone past the point of any understandability for me how much these young players are being hindered in their development. I feel like Beane set certain guidelines early in the season with respect to playing time for certain players and now he’s not even paying attention to the result. I lose more and more respect for beane each day this goes on because no one on the team is benefitting from this, least of all the youngsters.

by chipper1001 on Jul 3, 2009 8:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I keep waiting for this team to be blown up like so many before it

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Jul 3, 2009 10:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I do think that the A's need to definitely re-shift priorities

and get Barton out there every day. See if he’s really the prospect they thought he was or if it was all a mirage.

by Tyler Bleszinski on Jul 4, 2009 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ah, Dana Eveland

Tonight for Sacramento: 5 IP, 5 hits, 5 BB, and a HBP. Only one run, though — he’s awesome!!!

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 3, 2009 8:54 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh No

Just the thought of him ever pitching for us makes my head pound.

Typical 18 baerunners per inning

by Trainman on Jul 3, 2009 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Eveland's pitch count is always over 100 and were only in the 1st inning...

"Where's the beef?"

by MMunoz33 on Jul 4, 2009 7:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trade him to a contender who values him as a #4-5 starter.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jul 4, 2009 8:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I am always ready to return to optimism, but

this is getting ridiculous. I feel really bad for the guys like Suzuki who really try hard every day and deserve a better opportunity. The depression is palpable.Too bad they couldn’t build on their two wins over Detroit.

by Technotofu on Jul 3, 2009 10:31 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Follow Sarah Palin's lead

Maybe the A’s could follow Sarah Palin’s lead. Resign from MLB to get ready for 2012.

I keep having this nightmare that my team is playing pitiful ball game after game, making ridiculous errors and making every pitcher they face look like Steve Carlton. Wait a minute…it isn’t a nightmare at all. It’s reality!

by rovingralph on Jul 3, 2009 10:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This game just made me sigh.

The only bright spot for me is that Choo is on my fantasy team. I wish he was on my the A’s instead.

by IM4Oakgal on Jul 3, 2009 11:17 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Mine too

Big League Choo

WordUpThome: THE HEY-DAY OF RONALD REAGAN-O-NOMICS IS A FINE TIME FOR BIRTH, NUMA NUMA DANCE STAR JOBA CHAMBERLAIN WAS ALSO BORN IN 1985

by Gallagher's Watermelons on Jul 4, 2009 12:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Trevor was squeezed many times!!!!

Stop your whinning your fucking pathetic.

by granja on Jul 4, 2009 5:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

He really was squeezed many times when the game was close

And the contraction for “you are” is “you’re,” which is easier to get right than pitching is.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 4, 2009 7:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

these days, I'm afraid that contraction is spelled "UR"

by skutch on Jul 4, 2009 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

{dies quietly}

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 4, 2009 7:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In Italian it's "6"

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan

by iglew on Jul 4, 2009 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can't we trade for Matt Kemp?

We will give them Nomar…

"Where's the beef?"

by MMunoz33 on Jul 4, 2009 7:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

OK. Can we please send Cahill to AAA?

I understand he was squeezed, but he could use some refinement (and some winning) in AAA, and also the service time argument stands. Delaying FA of at least one of Anderson or Cahill will be huge.

"You end up with a name like ‘Outman,’" he said last week. "What else are you going to do? You’re going to get people out, man." ~ Dallas Braden

by Blicks on Jul 4, 2009 8:16 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

Great comments above. It’s time to “vent.” I too would prefer to see Pennington at ss, rather then Cabrera. I know he had quite a long audition at the end of last season and didn’t exactly tear the cover off the ball, but he did show “heart” and good defense. I am getting tired of seeing soft liners over 1B where Giambi leaps 4 inches off the ground and misses them. Any other 1b could get those balls and make the plays. Sheesh, I think Ryan Howard could sit on the ground and catch those, and he isn’t exactly a gazelle fielding his position. How in the world can Crosby be playing practically everyday? He has no cranial capacity to make adjustments at the plate. “Duh…let’s swing at everything thrown up there, and maybe the bat will hit the ball once a week.” I’m sorry, but I don’t think Cust should be in the lineup. I get furious after he strikes out , drops his head with a smirk on his face and makes his way back to the bench slower than 90-year-old semen. Oh, and let’s not leave out Rajai. Bob Geren: "It’s the 7th inning. Let’s put in our defensive speacialist RAJAI and move Sweeney over to rf. " Korach: “Here’s a liner out to centerfield…Rajai breaks in, oh…now he goes back, he turns to the left, but it’s on the right! The ball is over his head! Three runs score!!!” Ring ‘em up! Ok, and why is Travis Buck sitting? Just once could they please put a defensive team out there. I’d like to see an infield of Barton at 1st, Ellis at 2nd, Pennington at short, and Hannahan at 3rd, Granted, the lineup won’t score any runs, but wouldn’t it be more fun to lose to Cleveland 1-0 than 15-3? Ok, I’m finished venting. Play ball!

by Flamethrower on Jul 4, 2009 8:38 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs