Down the Wrong Street
I put the blame for this loss squarely on the shoulders of Huston Street. Street had a remarkable rookie season and was heralded as the second coming of Mariano Rivera.
He hasn't been any such thing this year. He's blown three out of 11 save opportunities and he's almost blown as many saves this season as all of last year (4). But we'll come back to that.
The A's have lost a series at home to a team that had won only three games all season away from Kansas City. The truth is that this likely does make the A's the worst team in baseball right now. That doesn't mean that they're going to be the worst all season or even a week from now, but right now, this team is just pulling a May '05 routine.
On top of it all, Eric Chavez left the game with a bruised left hand, which we all know could mean anything from a bruised left hand to gout to hand, foot and mouth disease to a missing kidney. That would leave the A's offense with Nick Swisher and, uh, Nick Swisher.
All that positive energy surrounding the impending return of players like Bradley, Harden and possibly Duchscherer is now tempered with the reality that the only other consistent offensive performer this year could be down. Now there's no reason to overreact, except that this is the way the A's season has been going.
It would be foolhardy to call the season over at this juncture, but every single sign seems to be pointing to the water rolling around in the sink. Whether it makes it to the drain is another question. The fact remains that this team is just bad right now.
The offense can't score and when they do, the starting pitching or bullpen isn't there. When the starting pitching pitches well, the offense can't score. When the starting pitching struggles, the offense might score, but then the bullpen implodes.
Which brings me back to my original point...Street is suddenly hittable (nearly .300 batting average against this year - .194 batting average against last year). The A's absolutely needed this win tonight to just stop this miserable slide, and Huston couldn't step up. That doesn't mean that he won't turn things around. It's just par for the course in the life of an Oakland A's fan right now.
On the sliver of a positive side, Crosby seemed to suddenly find his stroke tonight and Gaudin was impressive in relief. He should get more opportunities now. It isn't like the other bullpen guys have earned much trust.
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Comments
Nobody f^&ks with DeJesus
by Blez on May 30, 2006 11:14 PM PDT 0 recs
Dude.
by JediLeroy on
May 31, 2006 6:37 AM PDT
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What on earth is wrong with Street?
by IM4Oakgal on May 30, 2006 11:14 PM PDT 0 recs
It's his change up
Huddy: Uh... no.
by mendelbob on
May 31, 2006 1:02 AM PDT
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Street said it was a fastball
by OaklandSi on
May 31, 2006 9:13 AM PDT
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we're both right (sort of)
"First-pitch changeup, I definitely didn't think he'd hit a homer," Street said. "I was just trying to get ahead, 0-1. He was coming off the bench, and I figured he'd be sitting on a fastball the first pitch. Credit him for whacking it."
http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20060522&content_id=14665 23&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak
and i'm pretty sure the one last night was a change also.
Huddy: Uh... no.
by mendelbob on
May 31, 2006 10:23 AM PDT
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he's relying too much on the slider
by Brian in 317 on
May 31, 2006 6:53 AM PDT
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Fear not if Chavez is out...
by franks a lot on May 30, 2006 11:14 PM PDT 0 recs
Ginter...
by What Would Rickey Do on
May 31, 2006 5:45 AM PDT
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based on his experience playing first?
by OaklandSi on
May 31, 2006 9:14 AM PDT
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not optimistic re: Harden
hey it's not 17-32 like last season
but then again I don't think the A's are gonna go 49-16 in the next 65, one of the best stretches in baseball history.
by Lloyd Bonafide on May 30, 2006 11:14 PM PDT 0 recs
Just how is Roney better than Casilla?
Meanwhile, unless Bradley hits a HR every at bat, it's difficult to see how he's going to make such a dramatic impact. Crosby's return last year was NOT the same situation, because that coincided with Chavez heating up and good offense from Kendall, Kotsay, and Ellis. Any combination of Scoot/Perez/DJ/Kielty/Payton/Melhuse on any given day is just terrible.
HOW can the front office think this team can just HANG IN THERE? Obviously, we don't know what they're doing, but it would be really effing nice to see them do something rather than shuffle pieces on the sinking ship.
by nycfan on May 30, 2006 11:16 PM PDT 0 recs
Hold your breath for news on Chavy's injury
by Blez on
May 30, 2006 11:19 PM PDT
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I didn't notice the severity
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:21 PM PDT
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I don't think they'd take him out
by Blez on
May 30, 2006 11:23 PM PDT
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I don't have FSN Bay Area
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:28 PM PDT
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I said this in my diary
I felt this way then and I feel this way now. Just pile it on, boys. The lower we sink, the greater the chance for rebound, for shakeup in the ranks. A win against another bad team would have done little for us. Yet another demoralizing loss, on the other hand, may prove beneficial in the long run, if you catch my drift.
by Crosbino on May 30, 2006 11:16 PM PDT 0 recs
The only way I agree with you
Other than that runs like last year don't grow on trees. They happen when you have opponents who are really weak ...and I don't think we can get easy wins from the Texans like last year do you ? So I don't think we will go on some winning rampage.
by IM4Oakgal on
May 30, 2006 11:21 PM PDT
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I agree
The bottom line is injuries. If Chavez is hurt, we might just be screwed. We don't have the pitching to win a bunch of 2-1 games.
by Crosbino on
May 30, 2006 11:22 PM PDT
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This is the most dysfunctional relationship
I keep telling myself that they can change, that they won't hurt me, that the good times certainly outweigh the bad and I end up emotionally drained after each horrible loss. I think the A's and I need a break - Ross and Rachel style. And yet, I know that I will be spending tomorrow afternoon with my ear next to the radio.
Surely it can't get worse from here.
by TurnTwo on May 30, 2006 11:17 PM PDT 0 recs
Ginter is only a Vegas plane flight away
by groversson on May 30, 2006 11:17 PM PDT 0 recs
Don't disagree with you
by Crosbino on
May 30, 2006 11:19 PM PDT
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Come on
Don't even get me started about the offense. I'll refrain for tonight because at least they put some runs on the board and didn't pack it in after one of the aforementioned mop-up guys gave up 4 in the 1st.
by bigthree17 on May 30, 2006 11:17 PM PDT 0 recs
Gaudin and Halsey are NOT
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:20 PM PDT
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Actually...
Neither Halsey nor Saarloos can get through a lineup a third time with any effectiveness. Thus, they can't be effective starters.
by bigthree17 on
May 30, 2006 11:23 PM PDT
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After the performances of some of the
Then again, that's expectations.
by Blez on
May 30, 2006 11:22 PM PDT
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agreed
BAH
by Lloyd Bonafide on
May 30, 2006 11:23 PM PDT
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Graph.

Sorry, it's big. I need to start homework.
This took a while, between the long KC names, and the fact that this game had 100 plays in it.
by Jjjsixsix on May 30, 2006 11:19 PM PDT 0 recs
Certaintly
by doublehustle22 on May 30, 2006 11:20 PM PDT 0 recs
Crosby
by Crosbino on May 30, 2006 11:21 PM PDT 0 recs
Why doesn't it EVER happen at once?
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:23 PM PDT
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It DOES happen all at once
by Crosbino on
May 30, 2006 11:24 PM PDT
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I'm actually hoping for a full SEASON
Also, it's unfair to compare this team to teams we've had since 2001. We had superior offense on those teams and during certain stretches much better pitching. Those were just better teams. Last season we just died out and fell apart in the last month.
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:26 PM PDT
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but
by robsf on
May 30, 2006 11:33 PM PDT
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robsf...
by IM4Oakgal on
May 30, 2006 11:35 PM PDT
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Amnesia?
by GreenNGoldSooner on
May 31, 2006 12:07 AM PDT
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wow
This is a game that was about as frustrating as they come, but it had some positive elements:
- The A's came back
- Crosby looked comfortable at the plate
- Gaudin was very impressive. The Royals were going to try to steal on him, and with two throws over he totally had the guy on a leash. I thought after Halsey, Gaudin looked like a pro.
- Calero looked terrific. I think automatically going to your closer is not always the smartest move (unless he's been lights out). I know it goes against normal baseball logic, but I would have left Kiko out there for the ninth.
by Brian in 317 on
May 31, 2006 6:49 AM PDT
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Should have added a /snark tag...
by GreenNGoldSooner on
May 31, 2006 2:48 PM PDT
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Crosby
I am totally mystified by the offensive suckness of everyone not name Chavez or Swisher.
by Bearcat on May 30, 2006 11:23 PM PDT 0 recs
Tomorrow's bright spots
Perez raises his batting average to .037
by Lloyd Bonafide on May 30, 2006 11:27 PM PDT 0 recs
as I said earlier and it bears repeating
And I believe not for a Canadian Minute that Harden won't land himself right back into the Dugout Sunflower Seed Olympics on the DL after a couple of starts, I'll believe that guy can stay healthy for even 15 minutes 47 seconds when I see him do it. Clearly he doesn't listen to them when they tell him to lay off the goddamned weights, so they need to hire somebody that will scream it in his face until he wipes the post-adolescent smirk off his face and does what they tell him, period. Either that or he can pitch in the Vancouver League, if there is such a thing.
Speaking of oblique muscles last seen attached to 98 year old men, where's Bradley already? Do we need to manufacture some milk cartons with his face on there? Back in the day when this beautiful, sacred game was played by working class guys and not pathetic bourgeouis billionaires, dudes would play until their limbs fell off. Mickey Mantle couldn't WALK after like 1960 and he played and played and played until they carried him off on 12 separate stretchers. Now they stub their toe and you don't see them again until 3 months later.
I've just had it with this crap, just done with it. They should refund the people's money that paid to see this sh*t these last 2 nights... I won't go to $2 Wednesday tomorrow because this team should have to pay ME $2 to sit through mortifying displays like these.
by emperor nobody on May 30, 2006 11:27 PM PDT 0 recs
It seems mildly ridiculous
Let's not forget, Larry Davis has been around for a while. If the A's haven't had this kind of injury problems before, it's safe to say it isn't his fault that we have relatively fragile players - Bradley, Duke, Kotsay (back), and Harden.
Shameless excuse for a sports franchise? That just doesn't even warrant a response.
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:31 PM PDT
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Larry Davis
In Harden's case in particular, it's as obvious as blueberry pie with whipped cream that he is off the reservation when it comes to conditioning, particularly in the offseason, and he's the one domino in the whole enchilada that guarantees us an extended stay in the toilet when (not if) he goes down for some interminable period of time. If these coaches can't impress upon a 23 year old kid the reality that he is the cornerstone of this franchise and needs to start acting accordingly, then a team that continues to employ such people in the critical position of mentoring to someone that has the potential for Nolan Ryan-caliber greatness and keeping him on the rails is itself squandering their future and that qualifies as pathetic, whether it's May, August, or December on Neptune.
What I wanna see is people in positions of critical import in glitzy shows like pro sports held to the same standard of performance that working people who get canned for taking the day off to go to an immigration protest get held to.
Clown time, and the laughable excuses that accompany it, needs to be OVER.
by emperor nobody on
May 30, 2006 11:43 PM PDT
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While I don't think that he
by southofcruiseamerica on
May 30, 2006 11:54 PM PDT
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Simile when you say that, podner
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
May 30, 2006 11:59 PM PDT
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Come on...
by Aaron C on
May 30, 2006 11:34 PM PDT
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so if you wanna get and stay in shape
by emperor nobody on
May 30, 2006 11:44 PM PDT
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and how soon you forget that
by emperor nobody on
May 30, 2006 11:46 PM PDT
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Ugh
by Aaron C on
May 30, 2006 11:54 PM PDT
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Very dynamic argument
by franks a lot on
May 30, 2006 11:36 PM PDT
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exactly
All part of the way quantitative judgement has wiped out qualitative judgement, apparently forever.
by emperor nobody on
May 30, 2006 11:50 PM PDT
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best post Ive seen in awhile...
by tdwclark on
May 31, 2006 5:00 AM PDT
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In the meantime...
by IM4Oakgal on May 30, 2006 11:27 PM PDT 0 recs
I'm feeling great
5 games under .500 at the end of May with our AAA team, with our big league club slowly coming off the DL. It's a hideous streak, losing 10 out of 11, but it's more painful because we should have won 5 of them and screwed them up in gawd-awful ways.
I don't know what people were expecting, but you can't throw a AAA team out there and expect to win. We're doing better than I expected, and only bad luck and bad Street is keeping this from being a hanging-in-there stretch. And you know what, it's going to get worse before it gets better. The Twins always give us trouble, then we visit the excellent Indians and Yankees, then host the revitalized Mariners. We have to just hope to not lose too much ground during that stretch. But then... we get the NL West this year for interleague and maybe they haven't scouted us as well as the AL has. The end of June will make or break this season.
Luckily, I remember how to survive May from last May's experience. Lower your expectations. Hang in the race. Check the DL every day. And when our guns are finally reloaded... make our big run with no apologies.
See you in the DLD.
by Apricot on May 30, 2006 11:28 PM PDT 0 recs
is there any hope for tommorows
by doublehustle22 on May 30, 2006 11:30 PM PDT 0 recs
NO
Blanton
by Lloyd Bonafide on
May 30, 2006 11:31 PM PDT
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at least
by Lloyd Bonafide on May 30, 2006 11:31 PM PDT 0 recs
Who cares ?
by IM4Oakgal on
May 30, 2006 11:33 PM PDT
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no way
I'd rather the A's go 0-162 with the lowest payroll than lose in the playoffs with the highest
by Lloyd Bonafide on
May 30, 2006 11:35 PM PDT
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well ...
by IM4Oakgal on
May 30, 2006 11:41 PM PDT
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so true
MY big beef is the lack of small ball fundamentals. To remember what that looks like, watch a St Louis game. Leadoff gets on, steals second and eventually scores. At the Giants game last week, they scored on a walk, steal, and two ground outs. That's coaching at its best.
by robsf on
May 30, 2006 11:47 PM PDT
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Good points Rob.
by IM4Oakgal on
May 30, 2006 11:50 PM PDT
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Yeah, but with a lineup
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:52 PM PDT
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even the Royals
If the Royals can do it the A's should be able to do it.
by OaklandSi on
May 31, 2006 9:25 AM PDT
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That's not a shitty team
FREE KEITH GINTER! <dies>
by nycfan on
May 30, 2006 11:33 PM PDT
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their prospects
McPherson, Kochman, buncha stiffs
lol they signed Jeff Weaver
he makes Loazia look like Cy Young!
by Lloyd Bonafide on
May 30, 2006 11:36 PM PDT
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Vent thread up.
by Jjjsixsix on May 30, 2006 11:32 PM PDT 0 recs
When things go awry
Street was almost ridiculously good last year. He saved everything; shoot, his "blown saves" ended up as victories. This year, he gives up two dunks and then Matt Stairs... well, I didn't like the sight of him in the 9th inning. Street is struggling, as young players often do, but you can't place too much blame on him for tonight's loss. It takes a village to lose to the Royals twice. That 10th inning first-pitch swinging was really, really annoying - the sign of a bad team pressing against a team that wants to beat itself. The A's didn't give them the chance.
The depressing part about the season is that it may turn out to be hopelessly dreary. The A's were built, to a large extent, to win this year. But they're not winning, and even if they can hang around in the crummy AL West, are simply no match for the better teams in the league.
Shoot, the Angels actually have more of an angle. They may suck too, but they're playing their promising farmhands and finding out what they have. The A's don't have much in the minors, and what they do have isn't ready for The Show.
There's no reason to just assume that the sight of "June" on their calendars is going to transform the A's into a good team. If Harden comes back healthy and able to pitch effectively for more than a few innings, that will certainly help.
Some of the injury problems aren't so easily fixed. Duchscherer has arm trouble. He could be out all season, or ineffective when he tries to come back. Who knows about Kennedy? Loaiza may never find his fastball. Milton Bradley is injury-prone, and Frank Thomas - finally hitting - is due to go down sometime.
Some of the underperforming players - Johnson, Blanton, Crosby - may continue to struggle.
Meanwhile, the players Beane traded - in Rheinecker's case, for essentially nothing - are performing well for their new teams. He may have outsmarted himself with a few of these deals. We'll see.
I don't want to go overboard with the negativity, because we've seen the A's turn things around before. And the only team ahead of Oakland is Texas, which has vulnerabilities of its own. But it's hard to get excited about this season anymore. The realistic best case scenerio looks to be a first round exit.
Meanwhile, the Zito trade chatter will start. Oh, goody.
by bear88 on May 30, 2006 11:34 PM PDT 0 recs
Great post
Thomas, assuming he remains healthy, might be able to carry our offense for a while. He certainly has the talent.
Swisher is still awesome, showing no signs of slowing down.
Crosby has been really good of late.
Zito and Haren have been very good.
And ... that's all I got. But it's something!
by Crosbino on
May 30, 2006 11:38 PM PDT
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Counterpoint
Swisher: agreed.  


