Final: A's 6 - Indians 1 - Athletics Nation

Final: A's 6 - Indians 1

by Taj Adib on Apr 5, 2008 4:26 PM PDT

Encouraging signs abound in the A's 6-1 victory this afternoon. First off, what a fantastic way for Dana Eveland to start his A's career as he gets the win today after putting up this line:

7 innings pitched, 1 run allowed on 6 hits, with 7 K's and 1 walk

Dana was really able to keep the Tribe off-balance all day, spot his off-speed pitches well and dial up his fastball up to 94 consistently. Even the hits he gave up were of the lucky variety: weakly hit and bloops that just evaded the grasp of the A's defense, which, not coincidentally, played a solid game to back the starter.

The offense exploded for 12 hits from up and down the order and some clutch hits to boot! As per my prediction, Emil Brown fared well against Sabathia by going 2-for-3 against the lefty, with an RBI single in the 1st that scored Barton who had TRIPLED to start off his 3-for-5 day. The offense took off from there, with key contributions from Cust (1-for-2 with a two-run double that he stretched into a 3-base hit in the 1st to go along with 2 walks) and Ellis who busted out of his 1-for-17 start to go 2-for-5 with a homerun and a two-run single in the 8th. Even Crosby and Denorfia got into the act, as Bobby had an infield single and several well-struck balls, while Denorfia was able to lay down a pretty good sacrifice bunt to set-up Ellis's single with the infield drawn-in.

All in all, the game was about as flawless as you could hope for with this young team, with one key exception...while both pursuing a lazy fly ball into left field in the 3rd inning, Jack Cust and Donnie Murphy had a brief, grazing collision. Cust would stay in the game, but Murphy would be replaced by HanRAhan in the bottom of the frame, as Donnie suffered what is likely a strained middle finger. For a team already dangerously thin on infielders, this is not the greatest news. Hopefully, Murph's finger injury is mild and he'll back on the field by the road trip next week. I'll be crossing my fingers, because I can...take that Murphy!

Tomorrow is Joe Blanton vs. Cliff Lee...same place, same time as today. Let's bring out those brooms!

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If the A's can win on Sunday

I think they'll be in a great frame of mind for the road trip.

Which, in turn, could lead to a winning trip. Not the most formindable of opponents, so they have a good chance.

"I never predict anything, and I never will." Paul Gascoigne, English footballer

by One won lost won on Apr 5, 2008 4:33 PM PDT 0 recs

Toronto and Cleveland seem pretty formidable to me.

Chicago...less so.

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 6, 2008 5:14 AM PDT up 0 recs

My Recent Memory...

Tells me we should win 2 of 3 in Toronto. Cleveland and Chicago are always tough places to play... especially early in the year. .500 Road Trip is a succesful one.

by Colorado Fan on Apr 6, 2008 11:19 AM PDT up 0 recs

Well, with the last 2.5 games against Cleveland

I'd say the A's go in with a nice feeling in Cleveland.
Toronto is not such a "hole" for visiting clubs, like Boston or NY. And, after sweeping the Red Sox, they won't be quite as "hungry".

Chicago looks like they could get you, real bad. Or, snore through the game. The White Sox=schizo team in MHO.

"I never predict anything, and I never will." Paul Gascoigne, English footballer

by One won lost won on Apr 6, 2008 2:03 PM PDT up 0 recs

A nice treat to come home to

after a day of opening ceremonies for the local little league. The A's tied the Angels in the opening tilt (mini minor) division. The pitching was atrocious while the base running was Emil Brown-esque. My son is barely old enough to play in this age bracket, and it shows. He's a small guy anyway....but he's on a team of alleged 2nd graders. Why does it always seem as though the other team is made up of giants? I looked over at them in their dugout and noticed a couple of them forgot to shave this morning. At least they drove up in nice cars....

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Apr 5, 2008 5:21 PM PDT 0 recs

I spent part of yesterday

applying the old shaving cream treatment to start breaking in my son's first baseball glove.

There is an A in Whimsy.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Apr 6, 2008 9:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

Next comes the "ball in glove"

with rubber bands wrapped around it! I remember doing these things when I was a kid.... never would have thought that it would be more fun doing it with my son. I was partial to the mink oil treatment verses shaving cream. Perhaps we need a diary to debate their relative merits!

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Apr 6, 2008 10:59 AM PDT up 0 recs

Flashback: I can smell Gloveoleum!

Word of advice if you don't already know: Instead of matching the "thumb" up to the "pinky finger" when you clamp the glove shut, go over - put the "thumb" past the "pinky finger". The glove always wants to recede, so you need to overshoot how you want it to actually line up.

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 Apr 6, 2008 11:13 AM PDT up 0 recs

I had a couple of gloves ruined by that oil + oven treatment

I usually didn't use oil or shaving cream, just broke it in by good old-fashioned catch. I never did the rubber band thing either, I thought it closed the pocket too much. I just twisted the tips of the mitt every once and a while to give it a slight curve on the edges. And I never, ever, pushed my hand on the back of the glove like so many kids do. You ruin the stiffness and you end up with a dried salmon for a glove.

Prince: This bores me. Is anyone up for a game of basketball?

by baseb3383 on Apr 6, 2008 11:16 AM PDT up 0 recs

In which case you might want to use cream cheese

instead of shaving cream.

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 Apr 6, 2008 11:31 AM PDT up 0 recs

whoever uses that mitt would be a lox for a Gold Glove

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 6, 2008 11:37 AM PDT up 0 recs

just got back from the game

note to Donnie Murphy: never flip Cust the bird (just kidding -- when it happened we weren't sure if both players were getting knocked out).

Eveland was impressive; by contrast, I don't remember Sabathia ever having a good outing here in Oakland, and today was no exception.

Crosby came close to hitting a grand slam in the eighth inning; the ball was caught basically against the wall in deepest centerfield.

on the first base side it was still kind of cold in the shade. Then again, maybe I was still cold from last night.

by OaklandSi on Apr 5, 2008 5:35 PM PDT 0 recs

It was really nice out in the "bleachers"

You have to be out in the sunshine for most of the April day games.

Even knowing C.C.'s history against the A's I had some trepidation walking into a Sabathia-Eveland matchup. Eveland was maybe a little over-amped in the 1st inning...I think I saw one fastball register 94 on the stadium gun, but after that he settled in very well, consistently ahead in the count, fastballs at 91.

Seeing Cust trying to catch fly balls always makes me cringe, but that was his ball all the way. Murphy needed to get his ~~ass~~ finger out of Cust's way.

by Soaker on Apr 5, 2008 5:50 PM PDT up 0 recs

Crosby

Huzzah for Crosby for having such excellent ABs today. I know he only ended up with the one hit, but he didn't chase anything and made solid contact in the zone. A great game for him, to be sure.

Eveland hit 94 a few times today, but I was most impressed with his last inning. His fastball was down to 89, but he was locating his offspeed pitches and got a bunch of ground balls on his slider, which was an excellent sign.

by MrIncognito on Apr 5, 2008 6:01 PM PDT 0 recs

Kudos to Geren for some smart lineup decisions -

Giving Buck the day off against such a tough lefty, sitting R. Sweeney for the same reason despite the 4/4, and getting Murphy's bat in there (for as long as he had 10 fingers), taking advantage of the career matchups with Emil Brown (whose name sounds like "Email" when Ken says it) and Mike Sweeney, putting Ellis in the leadoff spot (where he's well suited against LHP). Well done.

I love how C.C. walked 4 left-handed batters all year in 2007, but walked Cust twice and Hannahan once today.

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 Apr 5, 2008 6:29 PM PDT 0 recs

a-ha, E-Mail Brown

I've been calling him E-Mail Brown since that tater in Tokyo! I thought it sounded cool like Encyclopedia Brown or something.

"Not in your wildest alcoholic nightmare would you ever imagines such events unfolding!" Bill King

by Buck Turgidson on Apr 6, 2008 12:11 AM PDT up 0 recs

How about Wikipedia Gonzalez?

It's one of those freak things that seems to happen to me quite frequently. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 6, 2008 9:12 AM PDT up 0 recs

I went to the game today.

I met Poppy(and her sis) and told her that I was afraid today we'd lose...but tomorrow we'd win with Blanton. I was glad that I was wrong about today!
I bought the stomper puppet... . It is smaller than I thought. But I think it is cute.
I was very cold at the game. We sat in the shade in 107...and it was nippy! But when I was visiting with Poppy in her section in the sun I was so warm I had to take my coat off. That's Oakland for Ya.
The game was great. Watching the guys play so well ...really jazzed me up. Ellis delivered the bomb. ..and Crosby is looking like a different hitter at the plate.
I am going again tomorrow. Sititng in 119 MVP...that will be in the sun thank goodness.

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 5, 2008 6:35 PM PDT 0 recs

Hey, assuming I'm alive (I've been ill with the plague)

I'm going tomorrow and sitting in section 117 - maybe I can finally meet the famous IM4Oakgal? Look for a guy who weighs 300 pounds, has a hook for a left hand, and a tattoo of Estelle Getty on his forehead. For all you know, I could be sitting in front of him.

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 Apr 5, 2008 6:47 PM PDT up 0 recs

Well sure...

Is the goat coming too? Email me your seat number and I will come up and give you both a hug. :-)

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 5, 2008 6:51 PM PDT up 0 recs

PS I hope that the hug doesn't make me catch the plague.

Typhoid Nico?

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 5, 2008 6:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

117-13-12 and 117-13-13

Not sure which seat I'll be in but if you lean in for a hug and it smells like wool and syphilis, it's me.

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 Apr 5, 2008 7:01 PM PDT up 0 recs

I sat in 119 last night.

It's a great section to watch a game from because the angle of sight is perfect in order to call balls and strikes. That, and it's a short walk to the railing to get high-fives after the game (and a lineup card which I am now a proud owner of thanks to Bob Geren).

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin

by Helloooo 1st on Apr 5, 2008 7:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Getting the lineup card is so cool, you lucky one.

I love section 119. It's always fun. it was a a little sad that the seats were available . We purchased them today at the game. It's a weekend game... you would think that section would be sold-out...

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 5, 2008 7:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Yeah the tickets were a gift

So as if being there for the game wasn't enough of a treat I got a lineup card and a couple high-fives out of it as well. That and a surprisingly funny drunk guy sitting behind me...

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin

by Helloooo 1st on Apr 5, 2008 10:18 PM PDT up 0 recs

Bedard=scratched with hip injury

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Apr 5, 2008 7:51 PM PDT 0 recs

The folks over at LL...

will be crying themselves to sleep at night if Bedard goes on the DL.

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 5, 2008 7:54 PM PDT up 0 recs

to sleep...

No more, and by a sleep to say we end the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir too...

'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd.

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Apr 5, 2008 8:06 PM PDT up 0 recs

to sleep...

perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub. For in that sleep what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause; there's the respect that makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,

by MrIncognito on Apr 5, 2008 9:39 PM PDT up 0 recs

well ain't we edumacated

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Apr 5, 2008 10:17 PM PDT up 0 recs

OK whoever wrote that should get a D+

in Ms. Sheridan's English class. No seriously, my last essay only gets a C- and it is WAY easier to follow. Only Ms. "Bad-hair-idan" hates me and has to invent issues with my work to try to mark it down (did I mention she hates me?). We have to write about an animal that's special to us, but I don't have a pet 'cause dad ran over the last one by mistake when he was drunk and so the SCPA gets involved and says we can't have another one - anyway, so I look up "Shih-tzu" on Wiki and it's this really cool massage technique that really, really gets into your deep tissue and stuff and I'm not sure what that has to do with animals but I ~~copied~~ wrote a really good essay and she has the nerve to give it a C-??? Grrr....

Anyway, that paragraph above about the calamari of long life or whatever? D+, tops. Unless you're one of Ms. Sheridan's kissy-uppy little favorites (did somebody say Carri?) in which case I guess you just automatically get an A+++++++++.

Go Hotties!!! Good night everyone!!!! :}}}}}}

-Cindi

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 Apr 5, 2008 10:25 PM PDT up 0 recs

Injuries suck and they seem to be getting more and more common

Lack of steroids or Larry Davis clonings or whatever, it's so frustrating to look forward to one roster and then never get to see it through. Hope Bedard is ok - he's a great talent.

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 Apr 5, 2008 8:28 PM PDT up 0 recs

Stockton
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Anderson 6.0 3 0 0 1 6 0 0.00

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Apr 5, 2008 9:17 PM PDT 0 recs

Awesome! He's an exciting prospect

Though it's cool to think of how many pitchers I can say that about.

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 Apr 5, 2008 9:32 PM PDT up 0 recs

woo hoo

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Apr 5, 2008 10:34 PM PDT up 0 recs

Are you working for WaMu these days?

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 Apr 5, 2008 10:36 PM PDT up 0 recs

Then it would be "Whoo hoo!"

But that doesn't make any sense to me. I saw one of their billboards before seeing/hearing any commercials, and all I could think was, "what does who hoo have to do with banking."

(The thing is, they spelled woo like who, as in Who's on first?)

by RickeySteals on Apr 6, 2008 1:06 AM PDT up 0 recs

If I'm not mistaken

that's 3 out of 3 dominating performances by the A's prospects in Stockton so far.

Who's up next, Rodriguez?

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 5, 2008 10:42 PM PDT up 0 recs

so arnold leon

is not a starting pitcher for stockton?

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=524

A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones." -BB 07/27/05

by xbhaskarx on Apr 5, 2008 10:43 PM PDT up 0 recs

I don't like that either. Maybe they're trying to save his arm

so he doesn't get worn out in the Mexican League.

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 6, 2008 5:12 AM PDT up 0 recs

I suspect this is exactly what's going on

He pitched, what, 75 innings last season? If you stretch him out by 30 innings this year, that's still only 105 innings... and if he makes 12 starts for Stockton before heading to Mexico, that's already 60-70 innings prior to sending him south.

I don't think you take any chances with an arm like his.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 6, 2008 8:34 AM PDT up 0 recs

Whereas Duchscherer's arm...

Grrrr....

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 Apr 6, 2008 9:18 AM PDT up 0 recs

I blame Geren, Young and the trainers for that

You've got to exercise some discipline in that situation.

Hey, it could be worse.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 6, 2008 10:03 AM PDT up 0 recs

True - Duke hasn't been dubbed

"The Franchise"...Though he is my favorite pitcher, the one guy I'd "like to see signed to a multi-year deal even though I know it makes no sense."

I just can't believe the A's sent him back out there when it was so cold and they had jumped out to a 5-0 lead.

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 Apr 6, 2008 10:34 AM PDT up 0 recs

Duke

Has anyone said that Duke's "injury" could have just been a cramp? Duke sounded pretty promising yesterday in interviews.

by Colorado Fan on Apr 6, 2008 11:24 AM PDT up 0 recs

I wish, but I think he felt the pull on it

Hopefully not a tear kind of pull, but more than a cramp I fear. Personally I think they should hold Duke out of one start no matter what - give DiNardo a spot start and make sure Duke has a little extra time to heal whatever he felt. He felt something and it wasn't good.

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 Apr 6, 2008 11:32 AM PDT up 0 recs

the other way to interpret it ...

... is that Duke was extremely candid Friday, and then got spoken to by management to tamp down on the candor and amp up the optimism for the press.

And what did we do once we discovered a rift in the fourth dimension? We launched monkey into it. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Apr 6, 2008 11:38 AM PDT up 0 recs

Been a while since Los Kirk was mentioned...

apparently he dropped an "o" from his name.

Anyone know when Gio's slated to pitch? I'm trying to make it out to Sacto to watch him within the next 2-3 weeks.

"Looks like you brought two too many."

by BWH on Apr 5, 2008 10:42 PM PDT 0 recs

You may not need to go all the way to Sacramento

if the A's pitchers keep going down at their usual rate...

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Apr 6, 2008 8:35 AM PDT up 0 recs

Greatest win of the year!

Well at least that I've witnessed in person.
I really thought Crosby had a grand slam.
It was freezing in the stadium unless you were in direct sunlight.
Free calendar looks good. For some odd reason all players are with dogs then the last month Suzuki is holding a fish bowl with "Red, a Beta fish". Weird

by fansince1980 on Apr 5, 2008 11:22 PM PDT 0 recs

The fish may still have a few bugs

but it's feature complete.

"God doesn't pay attention to your cute little hypotheticals." -- Jeff from LL

by oblique on Apr 6, 2008 1:53 AM PDT up 0 recs

Interesting spelling in that article

Saarlos goes five strong as Cats get first win of the season
After dropping their season-opener last night 2-0 to the Tacoma Rainiers, the Rivercats got their first win of the season as they beat the Seattle Marniers’ Triple-A affiliate in the second game of a four-game series at Cheney Stadium.

Is the name pronounced marn-yay, mar-neer or mar-nee-yer? Clearly the name is French in origin, so probably the safest thing is to say marn-yay until corrected.

"Next year might be an all-out zoo." -- Barry Zito

by TomB on Apr 5, 2008 11:28 PM PDT 0 recs

Reminds me of my late mother

Who didn't drink much, but when she did was partial to a liqueur she referred to as Grand Mariner, and none of her children had the heart to correct her.

The candy and the baseball all night long: )

by Englishmajor on Apr 6, 2008 11:07 AM PDT up 0 recs