The Big Three are Back!

by Bambi on Jul 5, 2007 10:03 PM PDT

You may laugh, but look at the stats. We're almost at the All Star break, and the A's starters have 3 of the top 6 ERAs in the American League! We're all used to thinking of Blanton as an above average innings eater, but he's once again shown sparks of the same brilliance he did the 2nd half of his rookie season, when he was one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Unfortunately the tail end of our rotation is downright scary. I hoped Kennedy would keep up his great beginning all year round, so that he could earn us some draft picks. Even an average starting lefty is quite valuable in today's market, and Kennedy was on his way to earning a very big pay day. Now we may have to move him to the bullpen, so that he can focus on fewer pitches and regain his form.

I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, but when Harden comes back I want him limited to 4 inning starts for a whole month. Let Kennedy/Braden/Anyone Else finish up his starts for him, even if it costs us some games. (I wonder if slow tossing lefties are harder to hit after dealing with hard throwing righties.) It's worth losing some games if we can improve the odds of keeping Harden for the rest of the season. Build him up very slowly, and no matter what never let him go above 90 pitches / 6 innings until the end of the season. For once I want to err on the side of underusing him as opposed to overusing him.

Does anyone here know why Casilla was only given one out. Why have someone warm up for the game and not use him once he's there? It's wasted wear and tear on the pitchers arm. It's not like Embree is a better closer. Aside from Marshall facing a lone lefty, I would let every pitcher go for at least an inning. I wonder if Duke would have been better if he always went for two innings every outing but then had a guaranteed day or two of rest. Has anyone here seen stats on letting the bullpen go for longer outings so that they get put into fewer games and have more rest between games? (IMHO Calero especially should never pitch 2 days in a row.) I can see it helping for an injury prone team like ours.

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Bambi!

I thought for sure you'd been shot or something.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Jul 5, 2007 10:35 PM PDT reply actions

Big brother was shot

So momma named me after him

by Bambi on Jul 6, 2007 6:05 AM PDT up reply actions

I was confused about Embree for Casilla, too.

And if Scoot hadn't snared that Ichiro line drive...

Don't worry, it's only a safety problem.

by Poppy on Jul 5, 2007 11:07 PM PDT reply actions

Harden

If Rich Harden can stay healthy you suddenly have the "Big 4" talked about when Harden first came up.

It creates a problem, with Harden's injury history, if he stays healthy do you:

1)keep him and attempt to ride the starting pitching to the playoffs

2)Trade him for another "blue chip" pitching prospect to cut costs and build to the future.

by Threepwood XX on Jul 5, 2007 11:20 PM PDT reply actions

Keep him...

and ride the starting to the playoffs this year and for the next 5 years. Gotta win that crapshoot, eventually, right?

These friggin' unclutch losers will never, ever win another game! Ever!

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 5, 2007 11:55 PM PDT up reply actions

*starting pitching, even

These friggin' unclutch losers will never, ever win another game! Ever!

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 5, 2007 11:56 PM PDT up reply actions

But

Then what happens in two years when Harden's contract is up, the A's refuse to give 10 million a year to an oft injured pitcher, and Harden leaves the A's with nothing but a "sandwich pick?"

Isn't it better to trade for a youth who you can ride to the play-offs for the next 5 years?

by Threepwood XX on Jul 6, 2007 12:21 AM PDT up reply actions

eh... good point...

maybe, you trade him two years from now, after we've won a couple WS, and he's an established stud. After all, it's not as if Billy can't pick good starters outta his a$$, at will. We don't need Harden to compete, but his upside is so high and he's relatively cheap. So, I say roll the dice... At worst, he's a Prior or Wood (oh well, we really don't need him, anyway). At best, he wins us 12 games this year and 22 next year.

These friggin' unclutch losers will never, ever win another game! Ever!

by FoolshGame22 on Jul 6, 2007 12:37 AM PDT up reply actions

You have the Big 3.5

Have Harden pitch no more than half a game until the end of the season. Maybe next year he can make it the Big 3.7 or 3.8, but we need to keep him on short outings.

by Bambi on Jul 6, 2007 6:08 AM PDT up reply actions

Keep Him (For Now)

You've got to hold onto him, pitching prospects are anything but a sure thing. And when Harden is healthy enough to take the mound he is a sure thing.

And who know maybe he gets healthy and stays healthy for 2 years at that point you could try to resign him or his trade value would be infinately higher than it is now.

by methodrampage on Jul 6, 2007 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Gaudin's WHIP

Gaudin's WHIP (Walks & Hits per Innings Pitched) is at 1.37, the highest WHIP for the top 20 ERA leaders in the AL. At first glance, it appears that he's been getting a bit lucky, but the fact that he's been so stingy with giving up home runs (only 5 in 109.1 innings) means he's been able to get away with more base runners without feeling the damage.

That being said, I do feel that Gaudin's been getting a bit lucky considering his WHIP. His K/BB ratio at 1.42 and his BB/9 at 3.95 is the worst out of the top 20 ERA leaders. He makes up for this by his stellar GO/AO ratio at 1.82 which is second only to Chien-Ming Wang who's GO/AO is 2.84!

This brings up another thought: using opponent OPS for pitchers more regularly since we already understand those numbers for hitters. For example, looking at the numbers for Haren, Gaudin, and Blanton below really gives you an appreciation for how well each pitcher is doing in limiting the opposition's offense:

opposing avg/obp/ops
Haren .202/.255/.573
Gaudin .246/.328/.669
Blanton .229/.266/.603

by bringbackgallego on Jul 6, 2007 9:12 AM PDT reply actions

Keep in mind...

That for a guy who won 16 games last year, Blanton's peripherals were pretty ugly too (including a 1.54 WHIP.)

This is his first full shot as a starter in the bigs. There's a chance that (like Blanton) he will more fully find his footing in seasons to come.

I wouldn't expect these numbers to continue, but even if he regresses a bit - to pull a quality #3 or #4 starter off Toronto's scrap heap for a minor leaguer who may never see the show is one hell of a steal indeed.

`I firmly believe that in every game, at least one team should be required to wear a legitimate, major league uniform.' - Ken Korach - 8/4/06

by nodaclu on Jul 6, 2007 3:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Good Point About Casilla

I love the fact he's doing so well, but somehow I think Billy will trade him in a heartbeat if he can improve the club. He is better equipped to close thatn journeyman Embree. The major problem I see is that so many of our players seem entrenched in their positions for a multitude of different reasons, that I ultimately believe Billy will pull a "Stoneham" in us and do nothing interms of major trades from here on out to the end of the season.

"I've been accused of using too many words...I suppose that's like accusing Mozart of using too many notes." Bill King

by Gerard on Jul 6, 2007 10:23 AM PDT reply actions