The Season in a Nutshell
by monkeyball on May 5, 2007 8:10 PM PDT
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PrintAll small-sample-size caveats aside, today's 3-2 12-inning loss to the Rays seems representative of the A's season thus far, especially regarding the secondary rate/frequency statistics.
Batting average? 10/42 on the day, for a .238 average. Not good, but a rate that can be overcome in the long run by ...
On-base percentage. With 8 walks and an HBP, the A's today had a .373 OBP. Respectable, especially for a full team. OK, so we got men on base -- what it takes to drive 'em in is ...
Slugging percentage. With 9 singles and 1 double, the A's SLG was a whopping .262. Yes, that's an ISO of .024. Eeyowch.
And that's the A's offense in a nutshell: bad AVG, respectable OBP, pathetic SLG.
Add in the usual sterling starting pitching, generally good defense, and decent-but erratic bullpen, you have a representative A's game: tight, low-scoring, and decided by whichever team gets the most extra-base hits.
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Offense cannot get into a groove yet
Don't know if all the injuries is the reason ..
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:08 PM PDT reply actions
but we should have been able to beat Tampa's pen
Did anyone notice the ERAs of their pen? :)
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:09 PM PDT up reply actions
Should have given the IBB
Why would Geren not intentionally walk Harris in that situation? I didn't have TV access tonight so I was getting the play by play from Game Center. As soon as I saw that Harris was hitting .529 (9-17)against LHP this year I thought they had to seriously consider it. I checked on Baldelli's numbers and he is hitting .174 against LHP. I don't get it.
Good Question Larry but even if we get them out..
.. our offense has to eventually score again for goodness sakes .. yikes .. :)
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Nico gave a great answer to this in the
Game Thread.
Baldelli is the better hitter. Harris looks good thanks to the small sample size. Kennedy had spent the day controlling Harris.
There's a reason Harris
I think a better question would be why Marshall was the choice instead of DiNardo, who could have been put in "indefinitely" for innings 12-16 until the A's scored (at which point Witasick would also be an option). Given the reality that all right-handed hitters were due up, I think that was a better option than to throw Marshall to the wolves.
But really, when you're quibbling between Marshall and DiNardo, you've pretty much lost the game.
if they were all righties ..
.. why not Witasick? Before anyone throws stones or roasts me, Jay has actually been doing better than expected. He is healthy now and at least he throws hard - he might be better choice to face a bunch of righties - although Carl Crawford their most dangerous threat, is lefty ..
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Witasick became
OK thanks, that makes sense
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Though as with so much about this game
...when Witasick becomes the "designated closer" you know you're in a fair bit of trouble.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Good comments Nico
I also was wondering why DiNardo wasn't chosen ahead of Marshall. Marshall started the season great but hasn't looked as good lately.
Here's what bugs me
The A's used to have a guy who was nails for multiple innings and you could stick him out there in the 10th and let him go for a while. That guy was Duke and when the A's made him the primary set-up man they lost all kinds of flexability. You shouldn't be burning up your short arms in a game like today. You should be sending your long man out instead of Calero. If DiNardo's not that guy THAN WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING ON THE ROSTER?!?!
I believe that the A's have a potential replacement for what Duke used to give the team down in AAA. Jason Windsor is as good as he's ever going to get and it doesn't look like that's going to be good enough to be a big league SP. He's pitched in the bullpen before. Convert him to the pen full time in Sac and bring him up at mid-season. His stuff will be a tick better in shorter (non-starting stints) which combined with his control will equal success.
Interesting
I kind of like the idea. The kid has the mental toughness needed in the pen, and could be real effective for 2-4 innings. What about doing the same with Komine?
by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 8:52 PM PDT up reply actions
Room for one or the other
Komine might have slightly better stuff but Duke didn't get it done with stuff, he got it done with control. So to me, Windsor is the more natural comparison.
After Duke, the guy who
And we all love...
...Halsey's attitude.
He's a real team guy!
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:30 AM PDT up reply actions
Good point
Honestly, I keep forgeting that DiNardo is even on the team...
Agreed:- this loss is all on the (anemic) offense
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions
i consciously avoided that "stat" ...
... as I think that, over the course of a season, it's not especially relevant. If you hit enough doubles and homeruns, your RISP (either AVG w/RISP, or raw Rs left ISP) isn't going to matter.
I also avoided mentioning any "small ball" approaches for the same reason.
Actually
You could make a case that the A's can't even manage a decent OBP, considering it's .313 for the season so far.
Not exactly a comforting thought.
On the plus side,
On the minus side, by my calculations Joe Blanton will not have Street, Duke, or Calero to back him tomorrow, so he might want to pitch a shutout or the A's bats may want to wake up for a day.
On the plus side, a win tomorrow and a good series in KC, and things could be looking a lot brighter come Thursday.
On the minus side, we still trot out Kendall and Crosby every day.
On the plus side, Croz will surely be injured soon.
this will probably be the year
he stays healthy.
that's a good point. or, um, many,
Kennedy (and, for that matter, Beane) deserves heaps of praise for making a 5 vs 1 matchup as competitive as it was.
pretty sad performance tonight
It's time to stop letting Kendall catch every game. Sit his dead ass tomorrow.
Chavez has played every game so far, and clearly needs a break. Throw Scutaro in there tomorrow. He can strike out/ground out/pop out just as well and perhaps Chavez can get rested for that a'skeery KC pitching staff.
Crosby needs to pull his head out of his butt.
Of course, none of this solves much with the other dead holes in the lineup, but with Kendall gone it's a start.
funny
no one ever mentions sitting Miggy and he plays every game.
I'm not in favor of sitting one of our 'best' players when so many others are out with injuries. It just doesn't make any sense to sit Chavy unless he really sucks.
by sf drift king on May 5, 2007 11:13 PM PDT up reply actions
The way I see it,
Chavez and Kendall absolutely killed us tonight. Neither did anything on offense besides Kendall getting hit. Then he gets doubled off on a line drive. Sit Chavez for a day to let him rest, and bench Kendall for the foreseeable future. Do we have the balls? No.
Hang on--we have the "balls".
And with off-days this past Monday and Thursday, and another one coming up Monday, exactly why does Chavez need a day off?
I wasn't saying they needed to be benched tonight
although their combined performances show that sitting them wouldn't have made a difference, i said that Chavez should sit tomorrow because even though we have off days coming up, 2 days off in a row isn't unheard of. As for Kendall I said bench him indefinitely because he hasn't shown any signs of coming out of this slump. I say let Melhuse catch half the games/week and Kendall the other half. Can't be any worse.
by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Chavez hits
bad pitching well. So he should play tonight.
Croz cant hit period...
by oak1 on May 6, 2007 6:57 AM PDT up reply actions
Can someone do me a favor
and explain why Kendall still plays in games? I'm not going to blame this or any particular loss on him. But when, out of all the qualifying major leaguers (not just AL) he has the lowest BA, OBP, SLG, and XBHs, does he truly deserve to play? Don't give me that BS about calling a good game either, because he can do that from the bench. Remove the pressure of actually pretending to try to hit and he can spend the half inning chatting with the pitcher.
Or just let Blanton hit
I'd rather watch Zito try
to hit than Kendall. At least Zito knows how to miss a 3rd strike badly and not make the mistake of connecting and a dribbling one right into the hands of a middle infield who turns one out into two.
Blanton
Geren is probably worried that Joe would clog the bases.
Better to have Blanton clogging the bases
than Kendall unclogging them. Kendall is a plunger when all we really need is a good flush.
I'd be worried about Swede clogging the bases
Dane Iorg used to clog the bases, too.
Whoa folks, a nutshell?
This morning, in traffic, a LIVE bird fell onto the hood of my car. After a couple minutes the bird awoke and flew off.
Also, after watching a couple interviews with Bob Geren, I'm convinced he is under some kind of mind control, persuasion, or a form of mind suggestion to make him eat more, increasing his weight, with every loss.
by azagtooth on May 5, 2007 8:33 PM PDT reply actions
Wow, so it isn't just
Here's my question
Let's say the A's were going to trade Dan Haren (their best trade chip) and they were going to be able to include a salary dump as part of the deal. Would it be better to tie Kotsay and his $8 million salary in 2008 to the package or should we send Crosby, who's signed through 2009 for $8.75 million?
Kotsay
Crosby has more upside, he's younger and will get better. Kotsay's aching back will never be 100%
by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 8:56 PM PDT up reply actions
The definition
of optimist - Crosby has upside and will get better.
He hasn't shown any improvement since his rookie year - why should he start now?
by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 9:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm only thinking upside because of his age
And he's so strong. If he could get his awkwardness figured out, he could be a caliber shortstop.
by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 9:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Really though
I remember arguing vehemently this last off-season that the A's should trade Crosby for whatever they could and move on to a new SS. A lot of people argued against such a move using the very defence you just put forth. They said the A's would be selling low. Crosby had a rep in the off-season for being fragile and a poor hitter but he was skilled with the glove. Now he's not even that good! He's shown some struggles with the glove and has, in my mind, found an even lower trade value than he had before.
Here's my question
Are you really advocating trading Haren? He's actually the single guy on the 40-man I'd refuse to trade (barring the economist-assuming-a-can-opener-on-a-desert-island "but what if we'd get Pujols!" return).
No, I'm not
But realistically, Haren is the only guy I see as being able to attach dead weight to and still get something good in return.
Maybe you could pull off a similiar deal with Swisher or Street but Haren's a sure thing.
We can't really get anyone
who's better than Haren though. If Harden makes 6 straight starts around the deadline, we could pull off a swindle.
No, we wouldn't
And you'd be getting LESS than what you could have if you had traded Haren alone. But in this scenario, the A's would be getting better via subtraction of either Crosby or Kotsay.
I think...
Croz could get a little something at the trade deadline...He could be a useful chip for a team that needed to bolster their bench heading into the playoffs. I really do think he has upside, even if he hasn't shown it, or stayed healthy this century. So, if we're gonna trade Croz, or Harden, or whomever, I think we'd really need to take the Marlin's approach and attempt to completely retool our entire lineup and staff. Lord knows - aside from their stadium issues - the Marlins look better for the next 5 years than we do!
OK, obviously
our offense sucks right now, and it might for quite some time, but I have a quibbling matter to talk about with the pitching strategy.
Why in the eff was Jay Marshall sent in to face a bunch of right handed hitters? Let DiNardo throw against them. At least he gets them out sometimes.
{guess} Witasick and DiNardo will pitch tomorrow?
Calero, Duke, Marshall, and Street have been used quite a bit lately ...
by Randy Bell on May 5, 2007 8:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Did anyone have any faith
in a Kennedy matchup with their number one guy? I'm glad we hung with him and held a lead. Nice. Last time he shut us out big time. And the Angels lost too. Tomorrow Melhuse will have the game of his life and Blanton will pitch a complete game shutout. Go A's! BTW was at Wrigley today watching the Cubbies win. What a great place! Everybody into it. So cool. Anybody ever go there? See you all tomorrow.
Everybody into it?
That would be a first. Cub games are social events where more than half the people there couldn't tell you what a baseball looks like.
Don't get me wrong, Wrigley is a great venue to watch a game, with some historical significance. But Cub fans are some of the worst around. Sure they're fired up now, but just wait three or four weeks for the June swoon to kick in, and they'll drop off the bandwagon faster than the fat kid grabs a doughnut.
by IndianaAsfan on May 5, 2007 9:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The Cubs haven't won a world series in 99 years!
And they sell out all the time! I don't see that as bandwagon. The fans I sat next to new all about the Cubs.
by A'sfansince1970 on May 5, 2007 9:13 PM PDT up reply actions
The people
paying attention are die-hards, but that only accounts for about 50% of the crowd. Cub games are social events. Last year I was sitting in the stands and the guys next to me were talking and one says "So when did we get this Derek Lee guy? He's pretty good." The other responds "we must have just called him up." Yeah, just called him up.
The Cubs sell out because of the social atmosphere of the game and the surrounding area. It is the "it" thing to do in the summer time. And it is precisely that reason that they haven't won a World Series in 99 years.
by IndianaAsfan on May 6, 2007 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions
You know
the nice thing about today's game was that it dramatically boosted Kennedy's trade value. If he keeps putting up performances like this he could bring back something nice in a couple months.
I was actually thinking about that
during the game. Even if he pitches at the expected ~5.00 ERA for awhile he's going to have appealing numbers for some pitching starved teams in July.
I was actually thinking
trade him right now. First come, first serve, best offer. I doubt you'd get a better deal. Let him go one or two more and he'll likely lower his own value. Why risk it.
Because the other GM will be thinking
along the same lines as you. They want to see if he can keep it up. Everyone relax, Kennedy had his first real good start of the year. The others were all 5-6 inning "adventures" to say the least.
by Helloooo 1st on May 5, 2007 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions
6 runs in 5 starts.
Er....at least ONE win?
Please?
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:35 AM PDT up reply actions
A bandwagon A's fan
Things could be worse, at least you guys don't have to watch "Tracyball" in Pittsburgh. I coined the term BUNTracy for him. I tried to boycott the Pirates for about 8 years, but I got sucked back in last year. At least In Billy I trust. Looks like Kendall may have finally hit the wall though.
by Travis @ Athletics Nation on May 5, 2007 9:07 PM PDT reply actions
That Dealin' Tampa Bay Pen ...
Man it's a pain in the butt to watch Chavvy hit these days. Can't they please, please bat him 8th?
or at least lower than third/fourth
when he's going good he's not bad in the fourth spot....but has he ever done well in the third spot?
This is the great dilemma of the A's lineup
Two-thirds of the friggin' team ought to be batting 8th!
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 6, 2007 7:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Come June First, we'll be getting some guys back
from injury (Harden, Kotsay, Bradley, Kielty)
and we will have a roster crunch. I say that then is the time to have a bit of a sale, and try to cast off (give away?) a few of our pieces, and pick up some replacement parts.
One guy out there that we should look at picking up is Salty in Hotlanta. I am not spelling his full name, it is even worse then Duchscherer.
Then again, since this is the Braves, and they do have a penchant for having prospects bust as soon as they are traded...
(Entering 2007, Career Minor League Stats)
Jarrod Saltalamacchia (age 22 in 07): .273/.370/.448/.818
- .230/.353/.380/.733
- .309/.404/.617/1.022
Kurt Suzuki (23 in 07): .283/.386/.430/.816
- .285/.392/.415/.807
- .305/.382/.389/.771
If you acquired Salty, and put him on the big club with Suzuki, thats one hell of a catching duo, especially if they alternate DH duties to keep both fresh and in the lineup.
And if we could acquire Reid Brignac from Tampa Bay somehow, and ditch Bobby Crosby, that would be very awesome.
Which could potentially give us a lineup of:
C1 Saltalamacchia
1B Barton
2B Ellis
3B Chavez
SS Brignac
LF Buck
RF Swisher
CF Kotsay
DH Suzuki (C1)
I could see Salty being traded
Because they already have a capable Brian McCann but I don't see Brignac being traded because Ben Zobrist is not the answer in TB. However, I'm sure other teams have offered better packages for Salty in the past than we could hope to conjure up and he hasn't been dealt yet. Suzuki's our catcher of the future and that's how it's gonna be, like it or not.
This is crap.
what's up with so many non televised games? Why are weekend games not on tv?
Because...
After this last week of only about half the games being shown (and no games last weekend) I've written a letter I'm about to send out. I strongly suggest anyone else fed up with this do the same and let the A's know they are loosing out on television advertising revenues because they refuse to put up the sweat and tears to get their games broadcast on a format that isn't over 100 years old. I'm sorry for you radio lovers out there but there is a reason my grandparents were more then willing to run out, buy a TV, and let their radio collect dust.
Here is the address for Athletics management I got off the web site:
Athletics Management
7000 Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA 94621
by Threepwood XX on May 6, 2007 1:10 AM PDT up reply actions
its not the A's management you need to call
its FSN and Action36. And from what I've gathered from Action36 in the past, they can't afford to do much more, while FSN just refused to do so.
I Have Wondered ..
.. do the Giants really have that bigger fan base than us? If so, we need to increase our fan base, -- but if a team that has had losing seasons for the past four years (more than once finishing well under .500), playing in the clearly inferior league (NL), continues to maintain a superior fan base to a team that, since 2000, is 2nd only to the Yankees in won/loss record - what can you do? The A's put out a winner on the field, the Giants do not, yet they dominate us in fan support, TV and media coverage. ;-(
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 7:33 AM PDT up reply actions
The answer is:
Barry Bonds. Like it or not, he is a huge draw for good reasons and bad. If you asked the average person to name one A's player I don't think they could, MAYBE Piazza now, but even that is doubtful. Ask to name a giant and I bet you get Bonds 9 times out of 10.
Was Thinking the Same Thing ..
.. right after I posted the question .. almost tempted to answer my own question but glad you did, dbuzi123 ..
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 7:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Eh, if win loss record
is all that matters, then support the Yankees.
This is not meant as a flame at you. Rather, my point is that there are multiple reasons why a fan supports a team.
Understood
I was thinking of teams in the same local area, yet the team with less success remains the dominant team in terms of tv and media coverage etc - another example would be the Cubs vs WhiteSox - Sox have had the much better team but remain 2nd-fiddle to the Cubs in the Chicago area ..
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 1:53 PM PDT up reply actions
Great job by Joe Ken...
Back under .500. But I'd like to see how the Rays would do with Wigginton and 8 other guys on the DL. Its amazing that the A's aren't buried with a .200 Win pct.
Real reason A's Lost
. . . 34 Runners left on base. 31!
by jarforcefatherofforce on May 6, 2007 1:54 AM PDT reply actions
Dan Haren, I hardly know you anymore
The lefty walked none for the third time this year while working a two-hitter into the sixth until Elijah Dukes tagged him for a home run to left field for a 2-1 Rays lead.
The lefty has suffered more from poor run support than anything, and was denied his fourth straight win after leaving a tie game.
The fact that both those sentences are on the A's Web site makes it even more annoying.
OT: just noticed Joel Zumaya -> DL
15-day DL as of May 5, 2007 (Strained right middle finger)
Details from Yesterday's DET/KC Game
Player Profile Page (Yahoo)
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 7:51 AM PDT reply actions
Rumor is it happened
Also Kevin Millwood -> DL
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 8:56 AM PDT up reply actions
and Marty Lurie just mentioned Re:Felix
May 15 at the earliest - for everyone mad at our china doll Harden, King Felix not doing much better .. heh ..
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 8:58 AM PDT up reply actions
and finally, Chris Carpenter -> Elbow Surgery
.. the pitchers dropping like flies ..
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_yl...
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
Not to mention
Snelling in CF, Putnam in RF, Melhuse C
.. hope Cupcakes keeps it close ..
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Don't forget the team is not healthy yet
Granted we will never have everyone healthy. But Kotsay, Bradley, Piazza, Kielty Loiaza, Harden, and a gimby Swisher; all at the time. Come July most of these people will be back. Of course 2 or 3 people will always have some problem but right now this team just isn't the team we will be making our stretch run with. Yes the offense is pathetic, but I still think it will improve. Sadly not by much but some improvement will help win games like yesterday.
As for other topics discussed on this thread. I have been to 10 stadiums, while I have not been to Fenway yet, but Wrigley is bay FAR the greatest stadium I have ever been to. Not only the stadium but for about a squre mile radius surrounding the stadium is Cub world. Simple amazing.
As for trading Haren. Maybe for Santana AND some prospects. And I see Scutaro leading the majors in homers before I see that trade happening. So no I would trade Haren for anything. Now as for Harden for the first time I think that is possible and I'm not against it. But Beane better remember the bag of rocks he got for Hudson and be REALLY careful.
by Mr C on May 6, 2007 9:54 AM PDT reply actions
Holy Shit!
This is today's lineup!
CF Snelling
DH Swisher
3B Chavez
1B Johnson
LF Cust
SS Crosby
2B Ellis
C2 Melhuse
RF Putnam
the AAAA Athletics, rock !!! :)
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions
Would like to Add: Go Sox !!
Buehrle vs Colon - Sox have some pride, snap out of yer slump and beat the Halos again! :) Time for "Bart" to get his first 'L' this year! :)
by Randy Bell on May 6, 2007 10:08 AM PDT reply actions
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