FanPost

This is not panic time! Here's why.

The A's offense has been struggling, their inconsistency nothing short of frustrating i will admit. But i've been an optimist the whole year and i'm not changing. I have faith in my A's.

I've lost some faith in Chavez and i'm one of his biggest supporters, but i believe that this is just one of those years where he really isn't the same. Most players have off years, except for the truly great ones. Chavez has the potential unlike most, but i'm not gonna talk about his potential. I agree with most who think that he just isn't the number one guy because he just isn't. He puts too much pressure at himself and has him swinging at everything. I'll take him as a number 2 (who may even have better numbers than a number 1) any day. I just look for him to calm down and do what he did last year. He may start doing that starting next year, BUT, it's no coincidence his production has coincided with Crosby in the lineup or not (and recently with Crosby's regressing performance). But i just think it's pathetic that the old Chavez-Tejada thing is starting to peek out from behind the curtains again.

Peopel here are fed up, claiming that it's now time where you can't use injuries as excuses. By what mother frikking logic? YOu have evidence before your eyes! The a's literally were one of the worst in baseball without Crosby, Harden and an ailing Kotsay. They were one of the best with them, and now without them they are spinning again. How can you claim that their injuries no longer affect the team!

  1. Harden had the ability to shut you out for 7+ innings and just dominate you so that the team would keep on going and get that 1 run they  needed. Joe kennedy (no matter how solidly he has pitched) does not give you that feeling.
  2. Mark Kotsay is a leader on and off the field. His hitting (which was great once that back thing went away and before it came back) was missed, but his otherworldy defense in the outfield and leadership and presence there was missed even more.
  3. Bobby Crosby. This is just a no brainer. Look at the records. He has a profound effect on the lineup and made everyone else feel comfortable, as well as great defense. The righty in the third whole solidified everything.
So those pessimists who have crept back out of their cages and into the open have been saying "well they should jsut step it up!". This is a team of basically rookies, with a veteran on an off year, another grizzled (DH) veteran coming back into his normal performance, and an mid-season addition who has brought nothing but good. Swisher ran into a wall again, Dan Johnson is running into his first wall, and Kielty sucks against righties but was forced to play anyways. Couple that with a Scutaro who is just not that good, an Ellis who was playing over his head, a catcher that is just in decline, no doubt about it.

Wait a sec, that situation sounds familiar! Oh, it's may again isn't it! In a way it is. But patience is what got us to this point, and patience is what Billy preached, so patience it will be. We all thought (well most of you guys did) that it was the end of the world in may. But the A's kept grinding and they became playoff contenders. Now Swisher is slumping, the A's are injured as a team, DJ is slumping (expected), Ellis (another young player) has been solid for a while, but Kendall (an underrested in decline catcher) just isn't as good at hitting anymore, Scutaro is mediocre, Chavez can't seem to trust his instincts and the A's are in a little slide, a week after going on a tear! The A's went from on fire to nothin, and you can't' just assume they can't go back to on fire, even though they have already gone from nothing to on fire once this year.

You guys question their resilience when they fought back from 15 under to the division lead! It's obvious that when the A's are missing 3-5 most important players that they aren't as good! Yet some of you don't understand that! There are maybe 2 teams in the majors that can withstand that, only because they have money to have 6-7 or even 8 important players instead of 5. Couple that fact with the rookies slumping ( can you blame them) and you have an offense that basically isn't good.

So no, don't be mad at Chavez not stepping it up when there are 8 other guys that the pitcher would rather pitch too and knows Chavez will try to do everything himself and taking advantage of that. And' don't be mad at DJ and Swisher (2 primary reason the A's are fighting for a playoff spot) for slumping. Don't be mad at Kendall who plays every day even though it's clear that 140 games a year of catching is taking it's toll on him yet he trots out there 95 percent of the time. Be mad at the terrible luck the A's have had, yet have faith that somethings will change because with our pitching we don't have to grind out more than a few runs a game. The A's did it once, i see no reasno they can't do it again. Oh yeah, and remember, you weren't even supposed to be feeling these emotions at this time of year anyways. Be happy that you are even in this position.

Just as things got better before, they will get better now.

P.S. Kendall will have a multi hit game today after resting.