Discusting From The Start
by Nico on Aug 17, 2007 10:51 PM PDT
in News
Email
PrintYou can’t help wonder what might have been, had Jack Cust caught the most routine of fly balls to begin Dan Meyer’s journey as an Oakland Athletic. Meyer wasn’t strong—he failed to record a single strikeout in 4 innings and his command hardly measured up to his counterpart, Brian Bannister—so perhaps Meyer was going to struggle in his debut no matter what. Yet watching Meyer cruise impressively through the 2nd inning, changing speeds and showing some life on his fastball, you wonder just how much he was rattled by the error which opened the game, the door, and the floodgates.
Cust’s gaffe was just the first of many bizarre moments in this game. Casilla letting Gathright’s dribbler roll up the first base line, and then picking it up right when it was going to roll foul if it ever was—and right after it was clearly too late to make a play on Gathright. Almost as stupid as trying to knock down a line drive with your bare hand, as Casilla did later in the inning, and almost as stupid as taking your time before throwing home late, as Casilla did on the same play—as Suzuki was pointing to first base instead of blocking the plate. Nearly as bizarre as Jay Marshall throwing a wild pitch trying to toss the first pitch of an intentional walk. Oy vey.
Talk about a game that wasn’t meant to be. So Buck is dead, Casilla may need to change his first name again to Mordecai, and the Tim Hudson still hasn’t quite panned out. MULLIGAN, PLEASE!
My thoughts on Meyer from my seats behind the plate…His fastball clocked 90-93 on the stadium gun, but honestly that seemed generous; his velocity was either a bit less (88-91?) or he didn’t have that “giddyup” you want to see on a fastball. At times it was good, but it never looked great to me. His changeup, on the other hand, was inconsistent but at times outstanding. Especially in the 2nd and 4th—you know, the innings where he didn’t throw 84 pitches—he pulled the string on some changeups and you could see why he struck out more than a batter an inning this year at Sacramento. His slider looked average. Overall, clearly Meyer was nervous/overamped, and the error just helped things snowball, so I give him a mental mulligan and let’s see what Meyer can do next time out. That will tell us more than tonight’s spookfest, in which nothing was meant to be, and nothing was.
Great job by Brian Bannister—he was dealing.
40 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi
That game was ugly. Don't forget to add the two run-scoring wild pitches the list, one of which also featured a runner going from first to third. I dragged my strep throat ridden body out to see Meyer's debut, and the highlight was the probable infection of the foul-mouthed louts in front of me, through pinpoint sunflower seed shell spitting. Just kidding...Nico was way more than just one row in front of me.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Aug 17, 2007 10:55 PM PDT reply actions
strep throat and sunflower seeds
if I had to summarize my little league career, I'd probably start there. You've got me craving some candy cigarettes and Big League Chew now.
by Cutthemullet on Aug 17, 2007 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Mmmmm.
Big League Chew. Strawberry. We used to go to the Candy Warehouse to get it.
will the dentures at an early age be worth it?
As of right now, I'm saying yeah
by Cutthemullet on Aug 17, 2007 11:09 PM PDT up reply actions
we're calling Meyer "the Tim Hudson" now?
Dude was probably nervous enough before this development.
As for the rest of the game, it sounds as though RoyalsReview's predictions were a little too accurate.
What prediction?
That the eyes of the world would be rivited to their teltvisions tuned into this game to watch two titans slug it out?
We lost today. We lost ugly today, but the Royalreview predictions come from the vantage point of fans at rockbottom with nothing to lose.
Meyer pitched badly, but tommorrow is another game and backing the elephant is way more comforting than wearing the busted crowns.
by oaklandSMASH on Aug 17, 2007 11:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Thanks Nico,
Didn't see the game, or hear the game,
from the Historic Car Races here in Monterey.
Nico, thanks for the summary, which sounds like it summarizes all the bad news . . .
Angels sweep dbl dip in Boston, so 12 1/2 back . . .
Ugh! . . .
But, as Lon Simmons would say,
" What a story this will be. . ."
by millbraeforAsfan on Aug 17, 2007 10:59 PM PDT reply actions
Great news, millbraeforAsfan:
MLB reviewed the first game of the Angels-Red Sox double-header, and the Red Sox' request that they be declared the winner because they scored twice as many runs as the Angels...was upheld!
East coast bias
works in A's favor!!
by oaklandSMASH on Aug 17, 2007 11:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Thanks, Nico, x2 . . .
Guess that's why small market sports (Monterey), are small market -- 'cause their scroller reverses scores some times.
My wife saw the same thing, so I know, at least this time it wasn't just me!
Still, per Lon." What a story this will be [when the A's come back to win the wild card]?"
by millbraeforAsfan on Aug 18, 2007 9:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Is Buck injured again?
Is it Davanon time? Davanon intervention? I still see him as an Angel. What a sucky game tonight. Oh well. Time for a new streak to start tomorrow night. C'mon Gaudin!
by A'sfansince1970 on Aug 17, 2007 11:00 PM PDT reply actions
Man.
I was going to be first, but I'm having interweb problems. Plus, I'm still slightly drunk. Forgive me.
Meyer's first start? Wholly unimpressive. All my cheering went to waste. Nico, I'm sure it was painful sitting behind hope plate for this one.
I was sitting on the right field line (surrounded by ROYRALS fans no less, WTF!) and yelled at Jack to use two hands on the first play, but did he listen to me, NOOOOOOO. And that set the tone for the whole game.
I HATE LOSING.
< off to sober up now >
From the left field bleachers
Meyer didn't look any better, but I'm willing to give him another shot. No one seemed to be particularly on their game today, and even the left field bleachers were less than the usual happy place due to the absence of drums and the presence of some rather obnoxious parties of drunk young people, including a bunch of doofuses (doofi?) who were wearing Giants clothing for reasons that eluded us all. I can only think there must have been some fraternity that had a trip to the bleachers as part of their freshman initiation.
Since the game was not going our way, we turned our collective attentions to Royals left fielder Emil Brown. He had something going on with one of the fingers on his right hand, and spent much of his time in the field either looking at his hand or putting his fingers up to his mouth. After suggesting a visit to one of Oakland's many excellent nail salons, we posited the theory that the Royals did not feed him well enough, forcing him to pick his nose and eat snot. Several of us also discussed the unusual circumference of his cranium and speculated as to the possible reasons thereto. Finally, the motion was made, seconded, and supported by a wide majority of those present that he was a big doodyhead. Brown was extremely interested in our suggestions, repeatedly turning around and attempting to carry on his end of the conversation as best he could while fulfilling his professional obligations. We concluded that he is a lonely fellow who does not get enough attention from the Royals fan base, so I'm sure everyone will join in making him feel appreciated over the next two days.
careful with that...
after the occurrences of game 1 of the series, I see no reason to doubt any of RoyalsReview's predictions. So when Emil inevitably goes to shoot Susan Slusser with his pellet gun, he just might see to it that the LF bleacher crew is in the line of fire.
by Cutthemullet on Aug 17, 2007 11:14 PM PDT up reply actions
Fastball speed...
It was a poor outing, but because of the good things we saw I'm not willing to write him off yet. I wonder when he'll get another shot, thought, with Loaiza likely to come off the DL for his next start.
From our usual 114 spots...
Dan Meyer didn't get a real chance. It's too bad that we know he will forever remember this game, and when asked how his first start in the big leagues went, he'll remember the dropped fly ball. But great pitchers work out of jams, and he never did. The sac bunt moved the runner to 3rd, and within minutes it was 2-0, and later 4-0.
Yes, that was me yelling for Larry Davis not to get near Buck. Buck is dead. I'm glad we saw DaVanon, but I was honestly rooting for him to get the start in the field, with Cust at DH. Piazza was a black hole, and seemingly is every time I see him. Frank Thomas he is not.
I hope the A's remain patient on Meyer and let him get his mulligan, rather than shipping him back to AAA. And we're enjoying the new faces, despite the issues. I like seeing Hannahan, Murphy, Suzuki, Cust, Buck and Davanon in the same game. I just hope we win next time!
And Nico... some of us at the game DO care if you're there. Had I known, I would have dropped by. We could have synchronized booing.
Meyer
I'm gonna sound like Ray Fosse here for a minute...
But when Meyer got up 0-2 to Butler in the 1st, and Suzuki called that damn inside change to a righty, I just knew it was going to be over the plate and crushed. Same thing with the ball Brown hit out. A pitcher has to hit his spots, but IMO you have to call that change up on the outside corner to righties. It is the absolute wrong pitch to bring inside. And for that I do blame Suzuki.
my wife
who is not a Baseball-mensa like all of us (ha ha), agrees with you. She has decided (from watching a couple of games) that Suzuki is a terrible fielder (she saw him miss an easy foul catch on TV last week), and that extends as well to his pitch calling.
Her comment was that it was "stupid for the A's to have a rookie catcher out there for his (Meyer's) first start." And, as uninformed as that comment is, I wonder if she's got a point. I'm not saying we would have won (with Bannister dealing and the offensive impotent), but last night I missed Kendall.
by Brian in 317 on Aug 18, 2007 7:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Meyer and Suzuki
Give them time, they'll learn.
by A'sfansince1970 on Aug 18, 2007 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions
i disagree...
remember that suzuki has caught meyer before in aaa. there was nobody better to catch meyer's first start. suzuki knows exactly what meyer is capable of. plus suzuki has been playing better lately, especially defensively. he's been good at throwing out batters and blocking balls in the dirt. even blanton pitched a good game against the chisox.
i think meyer's problem yesterday was that he hadn't pitched in a week. i suspect he was too strong and was missing his normal location/movement. he was too strong. i'm sure being amped before his first start had something to do with it also.
i have no problem with a front door change up. it's on the pitcher to know the movement of his pitch and compensate. the pitch is designed for the batter to give up on the pitch and use the natural movement to hit the corner. that the pitch caught the plate is meyer's fault not suzuki's.
lastly, i think the a's brain trust set up meyer to fail. meyer has been hitting his stride lately in aaa, but he hasn't pitched past 6 innings consistently. he throws too many pitches, as we saw tonight. he strikes out a fair number of batters but i suspect it's on called strikes rather than swings and misses.
Closser and Brown caught Meyer in AAA this year
Check the box scores.
by Huskerland A s Fan on Aug 18, 2007 9:01 AM PDT up reply actions
The inside changeup probably added
3-4 years to Tom Glavine's career. Meyer looked, last night, like Braden with a better fastball. So like Braden, Meyer needs to locate his fastball better in order to succeed.
Meyer overthrew a lot of pitches--I say give the kid a break, it was his debut and he was understandably nervous and trying too hard to succeed. If his next outing is 3 innings, 5 runs, 63 pitches, he's probably not ready for the big leagues. If his next outing is 6 innings, 2 runs, 85 pitches, his debut was probably the abberation.
makes you wonder why
Meyer wasn't assigned to do a strong bullpen session this past week, to help offset his not pitching for a week.
I think he did, on Tuesday, IIRC
When he wasn't needed in long-relief Monday, the A's decided for sure that he would start Friday and he did a bullpen session Tuesday. That's my recollection.
meyer
...may as well have been lobbing the ball underhand.
I have this terrible suspicion that Meyer's best days as a pitcher happened before John Sickels' singled him out as some sort of wonder-boy.
Of course it's way to early to tell. He might turn things around yet. I say give him another shot.
Mean, median, mode
Who has the mean, median, and mode of Loaiza's fastball pitches from last night?
Good question--more important
than the innings, hits, and runs. I think the A's should let Meyer get another start no matter what (for his confidence, as well as to get another look at him); not sure where that leaves Loaiza if he consistently hit 90 MPH on the gun.
Maybe he'll be traded before his next start
or Meyer doesn't get another chance.
by A'sfansince1970 on Aug 18, 2007 9:16 AM PDT reply actions
They could just insert Loaiza
right after Meyer, and give everyone else (Gaudin, DiNardo, Blanton, Haren) an extra day's rest for a turn. You don't have to go to a 6-man rotation to go to it one time.
I watched Meyer's first 2 innings on tape, from the center-field angle I'm used to. When we traded for him, his description reminded me a lot of Andy Pettitte, and watching him that's exactly who he reminds me even of in terms of his delivery, as well as his arsenal. The main difference is that Pettitte cuts his fastball with great movement and Meyer's fastball, while solid in velocity, doesn't have enough late movement. If Meyer can get that movement on his fastball (ideally to cut it in on the hands like DiNardo does, only with 90s velocity), I think he'll be fine. As is, Meyer can't make the kind of location mistakes he made last night. But really, when can you?
I would like to buy the idea that...
...the game might have been different if Cust had caught that ball, but his team scored only 2 runs - again. Not many pitchers are going to come out winners when their team scores only 2. BTW, someone should tell Cust he is to use 2 hands. There wasn't much of a chance before this game, but with Cust hurt, the season is over.
Cust wasn't hurt...
..as far as I know. Buck was and you could see it was a hamstring as he crossed 2nd base. These take some time to heal and there isn't enought time left. IMO, whatever chance the club had (and it was very small), it died with this injury. Also, there have been far too many injuries for management not to take a good hard look at the conditioning program. This is a club that doesn't run for the steal much. That doesn't mean they shouldn't be running - a lot - in practice.
by doubleplayer on Aug 18, 2007 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
With the number of fastballs
Meyer left over the plate when they were supposed to be in on the hands, he was going to get hit. Watching the first inning on tape, though, one pitch really stood out. The pitch Piazza grounded to SS to end the first inning, right after Swisher's HR and Cust's double, was a hanging slider belt high over the plate. That was a two-run HR waiting to happen, 4-3 game, don't know how Piazza missed it, he probably doesn't either. What could have been...
Impressive Talent
that you can actually watch on TV and be able to gauge his velocity like that and notice a difference of 2 MPH. I get what you're saying about it not having "giddyup" but I think that has more to do with a lack of movement on his fastball than anything else.
Or maybe I don't have radar-reading eyes. Time to call Sharper Image.
by black beane and rice on Aug 18, 2007 10:39 AM PDT reply actions
my apologies
Apparently I don't read carefully enough. Didn't realize you had seats behind the plate. You should have brought your own gun then!
by black beane and rice on Aug 18, 2007 10:40 AM PDT reply actions
I've decided at the last minute to
go see a game tonight. Gotta leave now, it's a two hour drive. Surely the Royals can't sweep despite the imperious pronouncement of RR. Scoot over a little bleacher creatures....I'm feeling cheap tonight. See ya at the park!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
