Coined "The Spoiler Express" by our announcers tonight, the Oakland A's continue to frustrate the Texas Rangers with dazzling starting pitching and late offensive explosions.
Tonight, it was Cahill's turn on the mound, working within the parameters of an 80 pitch limit. Last start, his 73 pitches translated to three innings, but tonight his 94 pitches took him through the seventh. I'm not sure that he was as good as his ridiculous numbers looked, but I certainly saw quite a few frustrated Texas hitters after their at-bats.
To put it mildly, Cahill's numbers were awesome. After giving up a leadoff single in the second inning, followed by a walk to the next batter, Cahill didn't allow another batter to reach until he issued a two-out walk in the seventh inning.
Meanwhile, the A's ran all over the bases, got timely hits, and scored four runs to complete the road trip at 6-2. Seriously, who is this team???
You know it might be one of the best games the A's have played all year when the only highlight the Texas feed could come up with for the whole game was of Daric Barton being tagged out as he over-slid second base in the seventh. It was a quick, neat, tidy win and it gave the A's the sweep over the Rangers. They now hold a 9-6 season series lead with four left to play next week. They also may be the true spoiler for the Rangers this season.
The A's got on the board early in this contest as Rajai Davis was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second. He would score on Hairston's 2-out ground rule double, giving the A's the 1-0 lead. They would add three more in the sixth on a Kennedy single, a Davis RBI double (he took third on the throw), a Sweeney sac fly, and a Powell homerun. We could have lived without that extra run; it cost Bailey his 25th save.
Cahill breezed through his seven innings of work, looking like the pitcher we know he can be. Wuertz pitched the eighth, and Bailey pitched a 1, 2, 3 non-save ninth, bringing his WHIP to .92 and his ERA to 1.98. C'mon ROY voters; what more do you want!? (Niemann got lit his last time out and Texas is fading fast.)
The A's are 7-3 in their last 10 games; their closer is as good as anyone in the game right now, and their #2 hitter is playing like an MVP. Since July 1st, Rajai Davis leads all outfielders (just ahead of Holliday) with a .357 average. He has 38 R, 37 RBIs, and 28 stolen bases in that time-frame.
The Rangers got booed off the field as the A's flew home, and probably rightly so. Their playoff hopes grow slimmer by the day. Meanwhile the A's, rebuilding for 2010, play the Indians tomorrow at 7:05. Let's keep winning; this is fun!
0 recs | 101 comments
according to the radio broadcast he got lots of groundball outs
that sounds like the sinkerball artist he was billed to be (and that I saw little evidence of earlier this season)…if this is true it’s good news.
OaklandSi - September 16, 2009
He did...and didn't give up his patented homerun
baseballgirl - September 16, 2009
Next stop Texas and Los Angeles connecting through Oakland
adragon - September 16, 2009
Cleveland Indians next
Their season is so over now.
Hit4TheCycle - September 16, 2009
I think it's been over for a couple months now
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
on Bailey as AL ROTY
About a month ago, I would have said he didn’t have a chance. But the more he pitches, the better he does, and the only team fading (faded, I guess) faster than the Rangers is the Rays. That puts Niemann at a disadvantage. I like Andrus and I think he’ll be a Renteria-type player, so I think it’s a two horse race now between him and Bailey. Porcello doesn’t even look that good when you consider what Bailey has done and his relative inexperience as a closer.
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
I wouldn't count
Gordon Beckham out.
Nico - September 16, 2009
Forgot about him
But he’s only been up since June, right?
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
Correct -- that's the main thing working against him
Nico - September 16, 2009
and he hasn't been getting nearly as much playing time this month
The sox keep putting Nix at 3rd.
cityplANner - September 16, 2009
Wow -- that makes about as much sense
as Nelson Cruz bunting in the 2nd inning. (Like something that dumb would ever actually happen.)
Nico - September 16, 2009
Quiet you!
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
Beckham's really taken a nose dive over the last month or so
holding him out every now and then may be an attempt to keep his slash stats looking good through the end of the season.
cityplANner - September 16, 2009
Beckham
Beckham has been fighting a strained oblique. That is the reason for the decline in numbers and bench time (he sat against the A’s last Wednesday because of it.)
Either way, I think Bailey deserves the award. He has been amazing this year.
bl - September 17, 2009
Beckham
Or Niemann
hero66 - September 16, 2009
Him and Anderson have passed the test
They survived the first year and have experience under their belts. They are starting to have some respectable numbers to show for it too
telgheder - September 16, 2009
So says "telgheder"...
JediLeroy - September 16, 2009
LOL
grover - September 16, 2009
?
does this guy have a reputation or something? or the dreaded low post count?
jlanning17 - September 17, 2009
Well, what happened with Dave Telgheder?
Flashfire - September 17, 2009
Well look who decided to show up.
mikev - September 17, 2009
Are all Fuentes save attempts like this?
Hit4TheCycle - September 16, 2009
haha watching it now
Green is up though. Advantage slegnA.
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
SlegnA got screwed by poor umpiring
Not that I’m complaining, but the game should have been over twice
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
That was beautiful
They got screwed at least 3 times in the inning.
That is great.
That makes me so happy to see them get fucked every which way
Trainman - September 16, 2009
TWMPUS
(That’s What My Perverted Uncle Said)
Nico - September 16, 2009
that acronym even looks dirty
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
I like it too.
Nico - September 16, 2009
TWMPUSNASTICS!
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
even worse
but still good.
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
I'm stalking Mikey.
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
Hi.
mikev - September 16, 2009
I thought it was a reference to the old mainframe game
Hunt the Wumpus
Nick - September 16, 2009
this game doesn't make any sense
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
It made sense when I played it at LHS in 1978
You’re hunting the wumpus in a 3-dimensional cave-maze. You can hear it, but the only weapon you have to kill it is a bow and a quiver of warped arrows that won’t fly straight. You have to stalk the wumpus, locate it, and shoot at it indirectly, so that the arrow will curve towards it.
Nick - September 16, 2009
Is that a bay area LHS??
BERRYJO - September 16, 2009
Yup
Fond memories of the noise and smell of teletype machines and a room full of kids playing Wumpus, football, and Star Trek!
Nick - September 17, 2009
I went to LHS also.....east bay
BERRYJO - September 17, 2009
Why not hit it over the head with the bow and stab it with the arrow?
OldhamA - September 17, 2009
If you enter the same room as the Wumpus it kills you (and eats you, IIRC)
Nick - September 17, 2009
Jesus, that's the stuff of nightmares.
OldhamA - September 17, 2009
Livermore High School?!
mikev - September 17, 2009
No, this place
Lawrence Hall of Science
Nick - September 17, 2009
Oh, that.
mikev - September 17, 2009
You could see Scoscia say Bullshit
And it looked like Rivera stopped running about a second before it dropped. My only complaint is that Hudler isn’t announcing today for him to see the carnage
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
What happened?
Nico - September 16, 2009
Full Count Bases Loaded 2 out
Fuentes muscles a pitch low around the knees, called ball 4 game tied, Alex Gonzalez later breaks the tie.
Hit4TheCycle - September 16, 2009
A sure swing that was not called on appeal on 1-2 to Nick Green
A good-looking 3-2 pitch that was called low probably to him to tie. Then Gonzalez flared one along the line
cuppingmaster - September 16, 2009
They ripped Juan Rivera for his lack of attempting to catch the ball
that dropped in for the game winner.
Slowed down and didn’t even attempt a dive.
Trainman - September 16, 2009
MLB Network that is
Trainman - September 16, 2009
Rangers have 7 left with LAAA
0 with boston.
6 back in the west 6.5 in WC.
This is the best case for them.
Future Ed - September 16, 2009
That felt like a Raider game
Hit4TheCycle - September 16, 2009
Only right.
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
And I gave a rat's patootie about what happened
Nico - September 16, 2009
The fact that you mentioned a mammal's butt
belies your statement.
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!
A rat isn’t a mammal, silly! It’s a mouse!!!!
-Cindi
Nico - September 16, 2009
I'm sooooo getting her drunk!
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
and then????
mikev - September 16, 2009
Its the recap thread.
I’m not allowed to say.
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
DAMMIT.
mikev - September 16, 2009
I think you're totally misreading her.
When a girl like Cindi gets drunk, she gets sad and serious, expresses self-doubt, and wonders if it’s all worth it.
If you’re looking to have fun with her, the best bet is to let her get a little tipsy but not too much.
iglew - September 16, 2009
Thanks for the tips.
Tits. Tips.
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
Sounds like me.
OldhamA - September 17, 2009
Wow
I must have a certain knack for missing great games. A combined 1 hitter? Would of been nice to see, cursed work
Wiers103 - September 16, 2009
Brutal loss for Gianta...man
They had that game at the end.
baseballgirl - September 16, 2009
Not really, no. They were gifted 2 runs by Tulo's throwing error.
Besides, I’m glad they lost.
mikev - September 16, 2009
So am I
Lafayette Scotsman - September 16, 2009
Uh oh...
…if Cahill keeps pitching well and we keep winning games, what are all the naysayers and doomsdayers that have made AN really annoying lately going to do?
Give it up, we are going to rule pretty hard starting NOW. Fuck this 2011 bullshit, we are going to win 80+ games in 2010 pretty easily*.
*injuries permitting, as usual (ugh)
PL78 - September 16, 2009
Well,
NOW you’ve done it!
lynnzgal - September 16, 2009
I think you're confusing "naysayers and doomsdayers" with...
…people who just don’t agree with everything you say.
Flashfire - September 16, 2009
Soooo....
were just gonna ignore everythng he did this year? Including giving up arguably his best pitch?
travdog6 - September 17, 2009
I think it's a reasonable assumption
that young Mr. Cahill will be putting a great deal of effort towards improving on that pitch during the off season.
I have to believe that even though some of these guys may have been “rushed”, they’ve had very successful seasons, all things considered. I thinks it’s a significant shot in the arm for them to finish strong with a supporting offensive cast around them. 2010 may well be the banner season that we’ve been anticipating.
alox - September 17, 2009
Why wouldn't he be trying to improve it during the season
when he can do stuff like throw it to real MLB hitters or something?
mikev - September 17, 2009
The impression I get from some...
…is that Cahill’s season has been one of the absolute worst (for pitchers) in the majors this year, and that he might be better served to start next year at AAA. Yet, he has had several very good and very strong outings of late, so it seems that looking at a full season of stats could very well be misleading. It appears that he indeed IS learning something as he goes along.
UncleLeo - September 17, 2009
Um..
So if you ignore the times he’s sucked, and only look at his good starts, he’s been good this year?
Well, yeah.
The point is he’s had a lot more bad starts than good. A lot. The good starts are a rarity, and that’s not what you want.
mikev - September 17, 2009
Agreed.
But all in all, he’s managed to compete at a level far above what he was slated for at this point in his career. Not consistently mind you, but enough to know that he has what it takes to cut it at this level. No need to throw his curve until he regains confidence in it. Hitters up here will pounce on any weakness, and I’d much prefer Cahill refine his “weak” pitches during the off season. At this point, I want him to go with what works and build confidence. He’s going to need that later on far more than he’s going to need an effective curve for the A’s this season.
alox - September 17, 2009
People aren't saying "Cahill is a bad player"
He’d still be easily a top 25 prospect if he qualified.
What people are saying is that the A’s are mishandling him, which is a different matter.
It’s not slagging a prospect to say that, as of this point in his career, he should be in the minor leagues.
PaulThomas - September 17, 2009
Forget about all the stats for a sec
Does anyone really think he’d be best served in AAA next year? He may be rough around the edges, but the only way he’s going to learn how to pitch to MLB hitters is by facing them. Facing AAAA guys or career minor leaguers does him no good considering all the time he’s been up here now. I mean, if he really starts eating it for the first six weeks next year I guess send him down, I just don’t know what else he could learn in Sacramento.
cuppingmaster - September 17, 2009
I'm no expert, but the two things
I’ve heard mentioned that Cahill needs to work on are (1) better control over his curve ball, and (2) ability to throw from a consistent arm slot.
Both of those sound to me like things one could work on just as well at AAA. Neither requires facing big-league hitting.
iglew - September 17, 2009
Yep
Flashfire - September 17, 2009
Sure, but
Who would take his place? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to see Edgar Gonzalez in the rotation next year. Tomko I’m okay with, but only because Outman is shelved and he’s pitching well. Tomko could easily blow again next year and we’d have to bring up Cahill, which defeats the purpose of your plan. This is even assuming we HAVE Tomko next year
cuppingmaster - September 17, 2009
I'm not really worried about that
If the A’s decide Cahill needs to start 2010 in Triple-A they’ll find a temporary replacement. It may not be someone we all like, but they’ll find someone.
Flashfire - September 17, 2009
I realize that people aren't
pegging him as a bad pitcher. I guess the point I’m trying to make is that what is done is done. Cahill is not an entity that you can plug in anywhere in the system at a whim. He’s human, and while he’s been inconsistent, he’s learned.
Busting him down to the minors is going to have an effect on him, and it very well may not be positive. I’m of the mind that as he’s struggled this season, he’s also identified why he’s struggled and made the corresponding adjustments. I think it’s in his best interests, and the organizations, to let him play his way in the rotation next spring.
alox - September 17, 2009
But it's legitimate to look for evidence
that a pitcher has actually started pitching better in the 2nd half of the season. Especially with a 21-year-old, that could signal a new level he’s reached, and improved outcomes next year.
One quick example: over his last 7 starts, covering 42 IP, he’s allowed only 1 HR. Half of his homerless starts this season have come in that 7-game streak.
So it’s possible that he’s finally figured out what he was doing to give up all those HRs, and has started to correct it. By my quick calculation, his GB/FB ratio over that period is 73/58, for a 1.26 GB/FB rate, compared to .91 for the season overall.
NOTE: I hope I’m comparing apples to apples on those GB/FB numbers — some of the baseball-reference.com terminology is a bit confusing.
Nick - September 17, 2009
“The point is he’s had a lot more bad starts than good. A lot. The good starts are a rarity, and that’s not what you want.”
What in the shit are you talking about?
He’s had 21 starts out of 30 where he went over 5IP and gave up 3 runs or under. For a 21 year old rushed to the bigs who’d be starting at AA this year on most other teams, thats pretty fucking awesome. BA+TC need to take some slack. Other than an 8 start stint where he sucked (and it was expected something like that would happen, he’s so young and raw), he’s been consistently pretty good.
PL78 - September 17, 2009
That's not what I said.
And yes, he’s had more bad starts than good, but the good ones have been increasing in frequency, which should be a good sign.
UncleLeo - September 17, 2009
This is the problem with young players, especially pitchers, trying to work out problems in the Majors
Up here, the emphasis is on winning over everything else. Had he been in the Minors he could have been working on getting better control of that pitch again without the concern that it would cost the A’s victories.
On the other hand, that probably should have been happening up here anyway in a season where the team wasn’t contending for anything and it was clear early that they wouldn’t.
Flashfire - September 17, 2009
Hindsight: It's a bitch...
My money is on Cahill getting it together up in the bigs and in the off-season. 2010, he’s taking numbers!
mrod - September 18, 2009
Texas
It seems like I go through cycles of hating the other AL West teams simply because of my alliance to the A’s. Right now the Rangers top the list of my least favorite AL West teams. A lot of this is because the general consensus was the Rangers had the #1 farm system going into this season, the A’s #2/3.
I am happy we are raining on their parade. In 2-3 years we will be battling these guys in meaningful games. Let’s get in their heads now and prevent them from getting playoff experience and confidence down the stretch.
bl - September 17, 2009
Unfortunately, probably the last game I'll be able to see this year.
It was a good one to go out on, however. Also, Nelson Cruz made Jack Cust look like Willie Mays today. Good stuff.
travdog6 - September 17, 2009
maaan
Rajai is an awesome baserunner. The way he took third on a single to left field tonight…there was also that time last week when he took third when the pitcher had backed up home plate on a throw, and then just stopped paying attention…Rajai’s speed + attentiveness = awesome.
Philip Christy - September 17, 2009
He's turned into a good baserunner. He used to be terrible.
OldhamA - September 17, 2009
yeah really
what has happened to rajai? who gave him these baseball instincts? i definitely agree that consistent playing time helps a player, but shit i had no idea it could do this to somebody
jlanning17 - September 17, 2009
Actually, when he took 3B on the single to LF
it kind of was bad baserunning. Murphy fired the ball to second, but had he just run towards Rajai and made him commit, Davis was trapped. I loved the play, but I wouldn’t put it on Raj’s resumé for “great baserunning!”
Nico - September 17, 2009
Bingo.
mikev - September 17, 2009
agreed OldhamA
mrod - September 17, 2009
I'd say decent to average right now
His speed makes up for some mistakes.
Flashfire - September 17, 2009
We swept Texas???!!!!
What the hell is going here?
Brownie's Year - September 17, 2009
We have reentered "Mazzaro World"
To bad Vin could not join us
adragon - September 17, 2009
Cahill looked terrific and the young bucks (sorry Travis) continue to get it done
It’s nice to see everyone so relaxed these days as I believe rhe mentality is just to go out, play the game the way it’s supposed to be played, and have fun!
I take a little extra pleasure in the fact that we stuck it to Texas, in Texas no less, especially because their playoff hopes are dying quicker than the lifespan of a maggot…….we owe those bitches some serious payback over the last couple of years.
27 innings, 1 run allowed, and 3 sweet victories……nice!
mrod - September 17, 2009
Wash was quoted earlier this week that the A's
were playing “free…and that makes them dangerous”…
OaklandSi - September 17, 2009
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