Open Thread: Game 31 - A's at New York (cont.)

Negativity isn't contemptable, by the way--it's just a little sad, a lot easy to do, and very ignorant.

This too shall pass.

Hopefully :)

harden is pitching well...
mlb radio is blacking out the commercials...

.....that's about all i got right now....

I'm starting to think that deal will be coming sooner than later. The offense gets chance after chance after chance after...well, you know. That sample size isn't so small anymore...

-Can't drive in runners in RISP.  Or can't hit with RISP either.

-Leave the bases loaded without scoring.

-Win in a fluky error-filled fashion.

-Outhit the oppostion, yet still loses.

-Can't hit anything but singles.

-Strike out in the most inopportune moments.

-Make mediocre pitchers look awesome.

-16 scoreless innings and counting.

Did I missing anything.

This is getting really old.

Scary.

If we rally to win in the 9th, you'll see how a Friday game can affect a Sunday's game.

And if we're shut out, maybe Beane will be inspired (forced) to make a move earlier than he probably wants to.

bright spot of the day:  we've only left 7 men on base!!  that's a pretty small number for us this year!

and at least chavez and byrnes have, uh, oh nevermind...

THAT'S how an offense score runs.

 * Only our A's can break the Yankees out of all of their slumps simultaneously
 * Only our A's can trade for and/or retain "proven" players (Calero, Rincon, Chavez, Kendall, etc) and somehow cause them to stink it up Royally
 * Only our A's can regularly enter situation where even a crappy performance (GIDP, for example) would score a run, and STILL not score a run!

Wow.

But the lows are more frustrating since I became a real-time follower day to day with mlbtv and ANation.

You can't just sit there when 20% of the games have been shutouts...and and ANOTHER 40% or so have been 1 or 2 runs.  You can't waste pitching like we've had, and not be above .500!!

Do something Billy......NOW!

Their pitching must really suck WHEN they face major league hitting!!

That's the part that frustrates me most. But I had this team 41-40 at the halfway point (51-30 after), and they're right on pace, especially if you factor in the (unforseen) damage of losing Crosby and Swisher for extended periods.

And remember: it is always darkest before the dawn.

The 2005 A's as currently consituted may not be very good, that's all. At least their offense isn't very good.

I hate to say it. I prefer to criticize Byrnes' defense, Chavez' approach at the plate, etc. (and they just got shut out again). But those two innings when they failed to score with bases loaded off a struggling Kevin Brown made me feel that they are simply overmatched, not against Brown, but in general.

The A's are still my team, of course. As soon as I'm back on the Bay area I'll be rooting for them in person. But it may be time to face some unpleasant realities.

The A's should waive Mabeus and fire Geren.

1. Without Crosby or Swisher in an already imperfect lineup, there is no adequate lineup Macha can make out--stop blaming him for that.
2. For reasons beyond me, when we bunt for a hit to start rallies, steal and hit-and-run a bit, tag up from first on fly balls, zone-hit 3-0, etc. we suddenly begin scoring more reliably--and then we don't keep doing it (or we don't discover this idea until August). Blame Macha and the A's front office for not understanding that it takes A COMBINATION OF MONEYBALL AND LITTLE BALL to maximize your offense.
3. Byrnes, bless his heart, does not play the game properly. He is not reliable fundamentally, in the field or at the plate, which is why he fails so consistently with "runner at 3rd less than 2 out" ABs and misses cutoff men like they're going out of style. Putting him in suggests you don't hold your players to major league standards. He'd never start for Torre.
4. You're never as good as when you're going well, and you're never as bad as when you're going badly. The glass isn't ever half empty or half full--1/2 the cup's capacity always has liquid. It's how you feel about it that keeps changing.
5. I'm being so rational and analytical in this time of frustration that someone really oughta slap me.

 Tejada's RBI: 34

Kendall, Durazo, and Chavez together: 35

Tejada with RISP: 41 PA, 15-for-38, 32 TB, 3 SO, 28 RBI

Chavez with RISP: 43 PA, 6-for-38, 8 TB, 12 SO, 7 RBI

things will go up and down, but hatteberg and byrnes must go.

If this is a development year, lets develop dan johnson and some rivercats.