Bring out the (mini) brooms!
Well, it was awfully considerate of Vlad and Howie Kendrick to watch the game from Los Angeles, instead of being in the lineup. Even with our missing Milton Bradley, I think that still worked out to our advantage. From a throwaway line by one of our announcers, it seems as if Bradley could indeed play in Texas on Friday, and I imagine the eternal A’s question: ‘To DL or not to DL?’ will be answered right about then.
It must be said: I continue to be simply amazed at the A’s pitching. Haren was ridiculously good today, even against a ‘less-than’ Angels’ offense, racking up a pitching line of 7.0, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO, while lowering his ERA to 1.44. That’s ace stuff, right there. Duchscherer and Street closed the game out with no drama, which is just how we like wins; when they are never in question.
The Angels did help us out a bit, mostly by continuing to be terrible at base-running; this is nothing new. I don’t think I have ever seen a team (with the possible exception of an especially Ozzie-rific White Sox game) that is so consistently awful on the bases. The Angels get runners thrown out at second all the time, runners thrown out at third for the first and third out, and their-third-base-coach-with-the-best-name-in-baseball certainly helps the other team’s ‘outfield assists/throwing runners out at home’ category. Couple that with the Angels’ error column from last year, and they sure seem to give away a lot of outs. I’m all for our new approach to running, and stealing the occasional base, but I can do without patented ‘Angels Baseball’.
The pitching lines have really been the story lately; it wasn’t like our offense was anything special today, but they did rack up 8 hits, with Stewart and Chavez delivering three runs’ worth of RBIs in two different innings! I am a wee bit concerned about Swisher, though. Even against a good pitcher, he did not look good at the plate today, but then again, neither did Piazza or Crosby.
In other A’s news, Rich Harden is officially missing his start this weekend, and the soonest he will take the mound is Tuesday. His MRI came back negative, which is obviously good news; yet still a little concerning, since we really don’t know what is wrong. I hate to be pessimistic about Harden, but we’ve been trained well by this pattern in the past. First Harden misses one start due to what sounds like an innocuous injury, and that’s the last we see of him until September. Of course, without being preconditioned to the worst, the news sounds positive, although I’m sure that the A’s medical staff is probably just taking the ‘wait-and-see’ approach with this injury. The bad news is that Harden is already set to miss a start, and I don’t think I’ll feel much better until he actually is one the mound, pitching without pain.
The A’s have an off-day tomorrow as they head into Texas for a three-game series this weekend. Survey says: They should score some runs against Texas pitching.
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I still hope bradley can play friday
.. don't want to see him on the DL ...
by Randy Bell on Apr 18, 2007 2:59 PM PDT 0 recs
if the cold weather has been a factor...
in the anemic offense, then that factor should reverse in the texas. it's 70/80's there, so that excuse will be gone.
swisher told buan (last tuesday, not yesterday) that he's a little lost at the plate right now. not sure if he meant left handed or right handed, but he did look a little lost left handed today.
crosby - good to have the regular guy back.
by inbillywetrust on Apr 18, 2007 3:01 PM PDT 0 recs
I can get Sac Radio 1140 KDHK on
my commute to work in Palo Alto. Swisher was on the 'Rise Guys' show this morning and admitted to being a bit off. I'll take it if he's going to put up that OBP.
He also stated that '[he] really doesn't do the news." I love it.
by SwisherSweet33 on
Apr 18, 2007 4:02 PM PDT
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rangers might score some too
blanton
kennedy
gaudin
that's who's pitching right?
by J Rod on Apr 18, 2007 3:02 PM PDT 0 recs
Yep.
And...Yep.
by baseballgirl on
Apr 18, 2007 3:07 PM PDT
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May I request a standings update?
by mikeA on
Apr 18, 2007 3:09 PM PDT
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Sure
<hollers>
LOUIS!!!!!!
by baseballgirl on
Apr 18, 2007 3:10 PM PDT
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Ouch. My freakin' ears!
I've been in San Diego and unconnected all week. I read your request via Blackberry while standing in line after the latest trade show du jour. I got it, I got it. Wait for the M's game to be over, and we'll update.
by louismg on
Apr 18, 2007 9:18 PM PDT
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In the meantime
Seattle 5-4
Oakland 8-7
Texas 6-7
LA Angels 6-9
It still hard to believe Seattle's only played 9 games so far...(10th tonight vs. Minnesota).
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on
Apr 18, 2007 3:11 PM PDT
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The
Los Angeles Angels of Last Place.
by andeux on
Apr 18, 2007 3:15 PM PDT
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emendation
The Lose Angeles Angels of Last Place
by monkeyball on
Apr 18, 2007 5:34 PM PDT
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I like that
by Shippee33 on
Apr 18, 2007 6:56 PM PDT
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However....
Blanton vs McCarthy (7.07 ERA)
Kennedy vs Loe (5.40 ERA)
Gaudin vs Tejeda (3.32 ERA)
I like our chances, especially Fri and Sun.
Those coming to the game, I'll be in sec 3, row 7 on Fri nite and sec 50 row 2 on Sunday.
Go A's!!!!!!!!!!!
by kapers on
Apr 18, 2007 3:15 PM PDT
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The Weekend
I'll be in Section 44 row 8 seat 22- Fri
44 row 8 seat 16- Sat
44 row 1 seat 15- Sun
I'll wave in your general direction. :)
by Gromit1025 on
Apr 18, 2007 7:29 PM PDT
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Here's the AP writeup / recap
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap;_y...
by Randy Bell on Apr 18, 2007 3:09 PM PDT 0 recs
Yankees pitching is just what our offense needed.
Hopefully they can ride this hot streak for a little while.
by danmerqury on Apr 18, 2007 3:10 PM PDT 0 recs
First post of the new season
by Athletics Fan In London on Apr 18, 2007 3:15 PM PDT 0 recs
jolly good
by ak_A on
Apr 18, 2007 6:49 PM PDT
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The (rear)end result
pun intended. Damn my slow shutter speed!
by luvsthecurveball on
Apr 18, 2007 10:14 PM PDT
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This three game set in Texas
is where we need to see if our offense can hit mediocre/bad pitching or if we are going to struggle against all pitching.
McCarthy, Loe and Tejeda are not exactly world-beaters and we miss both of the Texas "aces" in Millwood and Padilla.
We really, really need to score some runs this series to get the offense some confidence and let AN find a new more positive topic of discussion (i.e. Wow, maybe our offense is not so bad after all!)
by AsFanInLA on Apr 18, 2007 3:16 PM PDT 0 recs
To paraphrase my good friend Count von Count:
Pitching is wonderful,
Pitching is marvelous,
Pitching's the best thing to do.
Pitching is happiness,
Pitching is ecstasy,
I love to pitch, don't you?
---
Still...crossing my fingers on Harden. But geesh, it's hard to be too optimistic.
by FormerHuntsvilleStar on Apr 18, 2007 3:18 PM PDT 0 recs
The Harden thing
has me holding my breath every time he throws a pitch. The Fragile Canadian.
It's nice to have Chavez hitting pretty well through the start of the year. Let's just hope he doesn't suddenly become fragile.
by Blez on
Apr 18, 2007 3:21 PM PDT
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I am a horrible fan.
This is the second time this season that I've come to AN in the late afternoon, after classes, only to find that the day's game has already happened. And what's with this whole 2-game series thing? Wacky schedule makers.
by whiteshoes40 on Apr 18, 2007 3:19 PM PDT 0 recs
Hey they won when you were gone today!
Hmmmmm... ;-)
by baseballgirl on
Apr 18, 2007 3:21 PM PDT
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I can take a hint.
[schedules meetings during all future A's games]
by whiteshoes40 on
Apr 18, 2007 3:26 PM PDT
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I'm sorry, but as melodic as Dino Ebel is
He doesn't even win the "best name for a 3rd base coach in the AL" award.
By unanimous acclimation, that prize goes to the White Sox' Razor Shines.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Apr 18, 2007 3:20 PM PDT 0 recs
Dino Ebel is SO great...
...you can call him SeeNoEvil and everything!
Razor Shines? Sounds like a porn star.
Hey....
by baseballgirl on
Apr 18, 2007 3:21 PM PDT
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You make a good point
Though I see "Razor Shines" more as the name of a blues harmonic virtuoso who learned his stuff while pulling an 8 year stretch in Joliet for slashing the face of his wife's lover.
But there is truly fertile ground in the Dino Ebel universe:
For the punsters, invoking Dino's brothers HearNo and SpeakNo.
Or when bizarro-world Halos Heaven (the erudite one) realizes this base running is killing them, and they cry out "Deliver us from Ebel!"
Or gnash teeth about "the Ebel that men do."
This gets kinda fun.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
Apr 18, 2007 5:44 PM PDT
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When he waves runners home
his arm spins on the axis of Ebel.
by andeux on
Apr 18, 2007 5:50 PM PDT
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Thus justifying an invasion of Anaheim
to overthrow the dictator and change his Ebel ways.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
Apr 18, 2007 7:06 PM PDT
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But if that happens there will be ..
.. Quick Success that brings a surge of popularity for Beane in Oaktown, followed by a precipitous fall in the polls when the NorCal citizens discover that Anaheim is an ungovernable wasteland driven by fundamentalist baseball terrorists and sectarian strife due to the violent zeal of the religious Monkey Reddite Sect who are reveling in their newfound liberation from their Ebel Oppressor ..
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 7:13 PM PDT
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on the other hand ...
... if the Angels sign Carl Everett, he'll run through every sign around third, because Carl doesn't believe in Dinos ...
by monkeyball on
Apr 18, 2007 6:26 PM PDT
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And those sons-of-a-monkey scientists
who say different are just plain Ebel.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on
Apr 18, 2007 6:47 PM PDT
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eBlondie
by iglew on
Apr 18, 2007 5:49 PM PDT
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What's up with Piazza ?
2 for his last 20, starting with the Yankees series.
by green star oakland on Apr 18, 2007 3:22 PM PDT 0 recs
He's a Stochastic Process who ...
.. will reach his equilibrium over time .. {g} ..
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 3:36 PM PDT
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Randy Bell
breakin' out the big brain...
Even after I Wiki'd "Stochastic Process", I still didn't understand it.
by fridaynightfan on
Apr 18, 2007 5:24 PM PDT
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Vibrational node problem...
by McFood on
Apr 18, 2007 5:29 PM PDT
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Aren't you supposed to say
"New AN can kiss my vibrational node."
by Nick on
Apr 18, 2007 7:09 PM PDT
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It was intended as humor - suggesting that ..
Hitting is a statistical process, which if observed over too small an interval will probably appear completely random - so you have to get a large sample size in order to make any sense out of it. Piazza is hitting in a new league, with a new role (DH), and still trying to find his stride or statistical equilibrium. Let's hope such an equilibrium will end up with, oh, 30+ dingers and 100+ RBIs - hehe - that might be too optimistic but we'll see. Hoping for a big year out of The StairMaster! :)
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 6:04 PM PDT
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Moderate win
I felt we held our own against Lackey as he usually shuts the A's down and the runs scored today were just enough. Hopefully Bradley returns soon and puts up some numbers, cheers.
by doublehustle22 on Apr 18, 2007 3:24 PM PDT 0 recs
I don't want to watch the Rangers Games...
I spend all game yelling at the TV, "Hey Wash! WTF are you doing? Get over by Third Base!"
=(
by 510inDenver on Apr 18, 2007 3:28 PM PDT 0 recs
Where's your faith blez? j/k
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 3:39 PM PDT
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Always a treat to go lurk in HaloHeaven...
...after a game/series like this. They started the day with "Let it Be".
They should end it with "Let it Bleed"--you know,
--All My Swings in Vain
--Gimme Shelter
--You Can't Always Hit What You Want
--title tune (We All Need, Someone, We Can Score-on)
but not
--Rally Monkey Man
by The Dogfather on Apr 18, 2007 3:45 PM PDT 0 recs
definitely some funny reading...
I almost spit water all over my keyboard when I read this rant...
http://www.halosheaven.com/comments/...
by spovich on
Apr 18, 2007 4:12 PM PDT
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man they are some bitter bitter people
they have an "I hate the F@@*^@ A's" diary. Good reading ... http://www.halosheaven.com/story/200...
by rolliedigits on
Apr 18, 2007 4:43 PM PDT
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Ha.
In that poll of most hated teams, the A's are currently fourth, behind the dreaded "Other."
by TurnTwo on
Apr 18, 2007 5:20 PM PDT
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Strange they seem to think that ..
.. Gaudin hit Howie Kendrick on purpose .. anyone watching Gaudin should know that his ball moves all over the place - it wasn't intentional .. I don't think Beckett was throwing at Vlad either - those things happen. ;-(
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 6:39 PM PDT
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That's good
I especially like:
"GA is dog shit and is turning into a liability (BTW he is my favorite player)"
and
"Willits is Murphy and vice versa"
by andeux on
Apr 18, 2007 4:47 PM PDT
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Am I the only one who hears the "Hallelujiah
Chorus" when I see pix and read comments like that on HH? Not just music to my ears, but glorious, joyful, thundering choirs of fallen angels writing in torment in one of the lower circles of HHell.
by LAXile on
Apr 18, 2007 4:58 PM PDT
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writing while writhing...
by LAXile on
Apr 18, 2007 5:01 PM PDT
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Awwww
they don't like the Rev's "Lose" pictures. Of course, none of them said "maybe he should actually write something at least once a month or so."
by mikeA on
Apr 18, 2007 4:58 PM PDT
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A guy I know who's a psychologist
has studied color therapy, and the effect of colors on human psychology.
He told me that red and black are strongly associated with anger and anti-social behavior. They've discovered that prisons with lots of red and black painted on the interiors have more incidents of violence among inmates. Psychologists have also found that patients with sociopathic disorders tend to pick designs with lots of red and black when given a choice.
I think of that whenever I follow one of those Halos Heaven links.
by Nick on
Apr 18, 2007 5:13 PM PDT
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Damn.....
Do ANers ever froth at the mouth like that? I would hope not since it seems this forum actually has developed some relationships with the organization and keeping the comments just this side of brutal would make good sense. Wow...
by kapers on
Apr 18, 2007 8:05 PM PDT
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A note on Haren
These are Dan Haren's career pitching splits by month (through 2006):
Dan Haren
APR 3.87
MAY 3.92
JUN 3.70
JUL 4.45
AUG 4.24
SEP 4.07
He is really strong until the weather starts warming up, but has tended to fade a bit in the summer. Maybe this is the year that he becomes a true A's Ace.
by Athletic Supporter on Apr 18, 2007 4:00 PM PDT 0 recs
Are you the same "athletic supporter" who calls
in to Buan all the time on 'Extra Innings?' I love that guy's calls.
by SwisherSweet33 on
Apr 18, 2007 4:05 PM PDT
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Not ME
You mean there's another 'Athletic Supporter' out there? Aw shucks!
by Athletic Supporter on
Apr 19, 2007 12:52 PM PDT
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Don't most pitchers weaken in the summer?
{i thought} generally, the pitchers start out ahead of the bats, but the bats catch up to the arms as the season progresses into the dog days of summer and the pitchers begin to tire during the long season. At least that is the way Marty Lurie describes the season - the latter being the part where the "Grinders", as the A's tend to be, kick in ..
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 4:10 PM PDT
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Not necessarily
I made a post on my fantasy sports blog Roto Journal listing many of the AL starting pitchers' monthly splits. Scroll down the main page a bit and you can find the post.
I believe May and September were the top months for pitchers doing well. I believe September is a good month for many pitchers because of the minor league callups diluting the hitting talent somewhat.
There were also some guys who performed better in July and August. Take a look...it's pretty interesting.
by Athletic Supporter on
Apr 19, 2007 12:56 PM PDT
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Harden, Haren et al.
I'm going to try something new for me, and be optimistic about this injury. How's this - he really isn't missing a start. Rather his start is just being pushed back to Tuesday.
On an even more positive note, apparently Haren's hip wasn't bothering him much today. And it's nice to see Stewart follow up last night's double with a couple more hits and a walk today.
O.K., I can't really overdo the positiveness in one post, so I feel the need to mention Swisher and Crosby. Swisher, IMO, hasn't looked very good at the plate for a while now. He seems to be back to trying to hit homers every time up, like he was doing last year when Blanton and Macha got on him. I was also hoping to see Crosby turn a page and have two good hitting games in a row. Obviously not.
However, any negatives are most definitely outweighed by sending Lackey home a loser. I hope he enjoys the flight home.
by IndianaAsfan on Apr 18, 2007 4:11 PM PDT 0 recs
That's the way I see it until proven otherwise ..
.. no need to jump to {pessimistic} conclusions ..
I'm going to try something new for me, and be optimistic about this injury. How's this - he really isn't missing a start. Rather his start is just being pushed back to Tuesday.
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 4:16 PM PDT
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As awesome
as moments like Marco's walk-off are, I am so down with the non-dramatic wins.
by day-to-day on Apr 18, 2007 4:11 PM PDT 0 recs
Vladdy As MVP
Man, more great pitching from the starters and Chavvy got a two out RISP hit! Rockin'
The game makes the further case that Vladdy has got to be the real A.L. MVP. Look at what happens to that already weak L.A. lineup when he's out of there...
by solotar on Apr 18, 2007 4:14 PM PDT 0 recs
{grin} MVP usually not awarded to last place team
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 4:18 PM PDT
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Vladdy as MVP
agree, and i wasn't suggesting that vladdy would actually get the nod. most of the east coast writers are asleep by the time he plays anyway. but when that guy is out of that line-up it's a totally different ball club. he's not a hole he's a cavern.
by solotar on
Apr 18, 2007 4:29 PM PDT
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Yeah - let's hope he doesn't have THAT good of ..
.. a year ... neither he nor the angels ...
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 5:23 PM PDT
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East Coast Fan
It sure feels great this afternoon, think how awesome it would be if we could function at the plate. Please help me out, I can't keep up with the
injuries at all, and I know information is scarce even on the home front. I am scared to death to view the lineup each day, and not know why people are sitting out. Is Ellis day to day, or on his death bed after being hit again?
by skeeter1 on Apr 18, 2007 4:15 PM PDT 0 recs
My Guess, without official word, would be ..
Ellis, still tender after getting hit in the back, sat out a day game after a night game - a la bonds. But I don't really know, yet that makes sense. :)
Is Ellis day to day, or on his death bed after being hit again?
by Randy Bell on
Apr 18, 2007 4:21 PM PDT
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Chavy is starting to get it going a little
He is taking some really nice AB's and playing superstar defense
by 3Chavy3 on Apr 18, 2007 4:16 PM PDT 0 recs
Swisher in CF
It's not unusual for a player to slump when he has to play a new position, especially one that's a lot more demanding than he's used to, or when he's moved around from position to position. I'd bet that playing CF has made it tougher on Swisher at the plate.
by Nick on Apr 18, 2007 4:34 PM PDT




