Justin Credible

by Nico on May 6, 2008 9:48 PM PDT

Justin Duchscherer pitched seven solid innings and Santiago Casilla picked up his first save, as Emil Brown and Co. singled and productive outed the Orioles to Oakland's second straight win over Baltimore. Final Score: A's 4, O's 2.

Unless you're Billy Beane, you get to have one irrational wish, and mine is for the A's to sign Justin Duchscherer to a long-term deal. I don't think the A's probably should, given that Duke is 30, has a history of breaking down, and is flanked by a cavalcade of talented young pitching prospects in the rotation and the minors. Yet I still want the A's to keep him beyond 2008, I will be glad if they decide to keep him and I will mad if and when the A's let him walk - even though it's probably the wiser baseball decision not to tie up money in a player with a balky body (and not just in the 14th inning).

Yet Duke is everything I love about pitching, because despite his below average velocity, he does the most important thing: He gets hitters out. It really doesn't matter whether he is in a set-up role, closer's role, or starter's role, pitching one inning or seven innings (which he can do on 84 pitches), because each time a hitter comes up Duke is ready with the four C's: command, control, cutter, and curve. And he's awesome.

Meanwhile, a couple observations about Embree and Casilla. It was recently noted, on a Staturday, that Embree throws among the highest percentage of fastballs of any pitcher. His recent success of 11 scoreless appearances coincides, I believe, with more use of the slider. Hitters know Embree throws fastball after fastball, and the slider has been extremely effective during this run (actually, lack thereof) of success. And while Casilla put up zeros early in the year, I still didn't think he was ready to close games. In his last 4-5 appearances, though, he looks like he is "ready for prime time," throwing his fastball more aggressively and getting hitters out in the strike zone as well as out of the strike zone. For the first time, I think the A's could put Casilla in the closer's role and he would be ready. Nice to have options.

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driving all day

and I put a half ton of CO2 in the atmosphere….

but, as long as I see “cavalcade”...

all’s right with the world!!

Duke gem!! A’s on a longterm roll…

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

by One won lost won on May 6, 2008 9:55 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Excellent title for an excellent game

I’m heading to the game tomorrow with my new drum!

The candy and the baseball all night long :)

by Englishmajor on May 6, 2008 9:56 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

ahh, the benefits of being a "freelancer" ;)

pam5981: Patience is a virtue that I do not possess.
ohtobe21likehuston: But you're good at drinking and cussing. Two out of three ain't bad.

by pam5981 on May 6, 2008 9:57 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Is that what they're calling it these days?

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

by oblique on May 6, 2008 9:59 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Yea!

We need more drums. It’s way too quiet.

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Drums

To hear drums and the whistle guy at A’s games is great.
To not be sitting anywhere near them.
Priceless.

Enjoy the game

by DCinWC on May 7, 2008 9:44 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

The whistle is horrible. It needs to stop, ASAP.

by mikev on May 7, 2008 9:57 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Yet more irrelevance

The Rangers just had 11 syllables on base, and didn’t score. How is that possible? (Catalanotto and Saltalamacchia).

by As Fan in the Bronx on May 6, 2008 10:02 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

With proper Italian diction

“Saltalamacchia” has only five syllables.

formerly known as mdl

by iglew on May 6, 2008 10:12 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

would that be like "salt-a-la-ma-kya"?

"I'm going to take a camera crew and march into Billy Beane's office and demand to know why instituting his newfangled cost-saving measures means that the run manufacturing plant had to get shut down." FJM

by Elvez on May 6, 2008 10:18 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Yes

More precisely, “sal-ta-la-mak-kya”

formerly known as mdl

by iglew on May 6, 2008 10:30 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Watch it, or I'll wash your mouth out with Naphtha

Still, 10 syllables, 0 runs… how often does that happen?

I’ve always liked the word naphtha - it’s one of those few english words where the hebrew root is visible, and, when writing, it seems like an awful lot of effort for little results - sort of like ‘queue’

by As Fan in the Bronx on May 7, 2008 5:45 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Buck, Cust, and Brown

Until we get these guys all on to load the bases we won’t truly know the syllable to runs correlation.

by Sardog94 on May 7, 2008 8:36 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Maybe this is the secret...

...the boys at ESPN decided the A’s should win because the names are easier to pronounce.

ESPN does decide who wins and who doesn’t, don’t they?

Some read stats. Others actually watch the game.

by UncleLeo on May 7, 2008 9:02 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

no... that's Fox.

"You have to have a catcher or you'll have all passed balls."- Casey Stengel

by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2008 11:04 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

This is a good sign

This is what good teams do—clean, clinical, systematic, dare I say boring wins over bad teams. Put them in their place and then move on without fuss.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on May 6, 2008 10:07 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

I'll be buzz-kill #2

I was a little disappointed in the RISP hitting. Runs are runs, but infield hits are hard to count on.

by Elvez on May 6, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I love our bullpen

Especially the closer options.

There is an A in Whimsy.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 6, 2008 10:08 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

I prefer the farther ones m'self

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 May 6, 2008 10:12 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Slightly edited repost from the draft thread

The current A’s bullpen depth chart is composed of:

A high draft pick (Street)
A cheap free agent (Embree)
A REALLY cheap convalescent free agent (Foulke)
An org player who cleared waivers (Casilla)
A guy who has been traded 3 times and cleared waivers (A. Brown)
A high draft pick of another org who was picked up for a song as a change-of-scenery guy (Devine)
A very low draft pick (Braden)
A throw-in in a major trade (Calero)
A guy traded for Jason Kendall (Blevins)

and so on. It’s insane how effortlessly Beane assembled it.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on May 6, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Going back to the days of Koch and Izzy

Beane may well have excelled more in bullpen development, and the ability to leverage it for value, than in any other facet of roster development.

There is an A in Whimsy.

by FreeSeatUpgrade on May 7, 2008 7:58 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

This is why I hesitate to lockup Street for years

But something tells me they should anyways.

Jeremy was safe. He jumped over the tag.

by mrrickyg on May 7, 2008 8:13 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Kind of a pricey song...

...as the A’s are paying such a huge chunk of Kotsay’s salary. This year, of course, not beyond this year.

A high draft pick of another org who was picked up for a song as a change-of-scenery guy (Devine)

Some read stats. Others actually watch the game.

by UncleLeo on May 7, 2008 9:05 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

You do realize

that the A’s would have been paying that huge chunk of Kotsay’s salary if they HADN’T traded him as well, right?

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on May 7, 2008 9:08 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Ya think?

Some read stats. Others actually watch the game.

by UncleLeo on May 7, 2008 9:09 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

yeah, and we might even have had to play him once in a while...

ouch!

"You have to have a catcher or you'll have all passed balls."- Casey Stengel

by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2008 11:06 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

If the stats are an accurate indicator...

...he’s actually doing pretty well so far this season.

Some read stats. Others actually watch the game.

by UncleLeo on May 7, 2008 11:09 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

So how is it relevant to the discussion?

One way, the A’s pay Kotsay a lot of money. The other way, the A’s pay Kotsay a lot of money.

OK…

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on May 7, 2008 11:19 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Good game, who's going to sit?

Who’s going to sit for Harden’s spot?

by fansince1980 on May 6, 2008 10:12 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

buzzkill -1

"RIP: UserID: 517"

by Masaryk on May 6, 2008 10:17 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

The depth of this pitching staff

is bordering on “insane”. (Does everyone remember the list of mediocre to horrible dudes that were on the pitching staff the past few years?) I tell you what…....whoever gets the “demotion” to the pen should not be ashamed in any way. #’s games have a way of working themselves out but man what a luxury of talent to have on this staff 2008.

Out of our two lefty starters, I am a Greg Smith fan fo sho! Dana Eveland is piitching well, too, but “G-Unit” is just tearing it up.

I say he is the odd man out for now unless Joe Blanton gets ripped tomorrow. Even then, Big Joe almost “has” to stay in the rotation because you never know when Billy’s gonna pull the trigger on a trade with another club so you gotta keep Joe in the mix. One thing’s fo sure, Braden is packing his bags and Huston Street better not blow too many more sves because “Jairo” is finally looking like the badass many were predicting he would become a few years ago. I’m totally impressed with his maturation on the mound and his confidence in his pitches this year. He just is carrying himself differently this year and props to Dave Stewart and the A’s organization for keeping on him to push his talents. Go A’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!One more thing: Competition is good. It keeps everyone from becoming comfortable and complacent. It will keep the whole staff on their toes and is the integral fabric of sports, afterall. Damn, I love my A’s!

by mrod on May 7, 2008 9:51 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

6 man rotation anyone?

i think it makes sense given the history of the a’s….

"This is NOT rebuilding. Billy Beane reloaded." -rev

by ST on May 6, 2008 10:22 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Bobby G said straight out in post-game with Jayme

that it’s not gonna happen.

pam5981: Patience is a virtue that I do not possess.
ohtobe21likehuston: But you're good at drinking and cussing. Two out of three ain't bad.

by pam5981 on May 6, 2008 10:25 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

"How much do you hate the idea of a six-man rotation?"

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

by oblique on May 6, 2008 10:29 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

A's cannot have a 6 man rotation!

The A’s are already -1 relief pitcher on the roster because of the Cust/Thomas/Sweeney monster. There is no way the A’s will go -2 relief pitchers to add a 6th starting pitcher.

by drink409 on May 7, 2008 10:01 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Isn't it nice to have a problem ...

like having too many good starting pitchers? Instead of a bunch of injured ones? Another pleasing game tonight. It’s starting to feel very real.

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:22 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Yes, nice to have problems in areas where used to not have areas.

alaska A

by ak_A on May 6, 2008 10:37 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Amen to that.

This year has been a beautiful surprise so far…and it seems like it’s not a fluke. This team is going to get better…and that inspires so much hope. Really that was my fear…having a season when there was no hope.

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I've been pleasantly surprised...

....but I never thought that I’d be without hope this year.

I was expecting a just under .500 team that showed all kinds of hope for the future. While I didn’t expect the A’s to contend, I thought they’d be really fun to watch play and develop.

The surprise for me is how well they’re performing in the present!

Putting the "N" in "NRAF" from Leipzig, Germany!

by GreenNGoldSooner on May 7, 2008 4:21 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

pessimist

I was expecting a just over .500 team that might outperform their run differential in a crappy division !

Jeremy was safe. He jumped over the tag.

by mrrickyg on May 7, 2008 8:15 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Actually, I felt the same way

They’d end up just over .500, but would stay competitive and interesting into mid-September. And I’m not sure I thought the division was crappy, just overrated (mostly with all the Seattle love).

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on May 7, 2008 10:07 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

That's what I thought, too

Just over .500 and enough to stay interesting in a weak division. Actually, I still expect us to be just over .500.

(On the other hand, I expected the Mariners to be good this year, and so far it sure looks like I missed the boat on that one.)

formerly known as mdl

by iglew on May 7, 2008 10:44 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I felt an inexplicable, overwhelming sense of calm...

in the top of the 9th tonight. I wonder why that was?

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on May 6, 2008 10:23 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Were you experimenting with laudanum?

by Elvez on May 6, 2008 10:25 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Laudanum is so 60's...

1860’s, that is… I think it was more of a zen experience, not seeing Street coming in to pitch. I could be wrong… somebody might have slipped me some laudanum.

Foolsh, the most insane regular poster on AN since oaktoon left - salb

by FoolshGame22 on May 6, 2008 10:28 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Casilla does inspire that feeling.

I have been a big fan of his from the first.

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:25 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

First what?

First name? You mean the good ol’ days when we called him Jairo?

"RIP: UserID: 517"

by Masaryk on May 6, 2008 10:43 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

LOl yeah.

But I was arguing last year with Nico. Saying that he should not be traded for any reason that he was going to be fab and he is!

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:45 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I think we should absolutely trade Jairo Garcia now

He has no value whatsoever. But this Casilla guy, let’s hang onto him.

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on May 6, 2008 10:46 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Another satisfied...

believer. :-)

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:47 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

just got back from the game

how nice to see the A’s get runs in even on dinky hits that just fall in!...and not to be the team that commits the errors!...nice to see a real centerfielder take charge out there, get good jumps, basically play the position…nice to see Poppy, Mr. Poppy, and Brian from 317…and how nice to win!

by OaklandSi on May 6, 2008 10:25 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Nico, whatta mark.

I half-expected to see this post close with “Not just the coolest, not just the best, Justin Credible!”

On another note, I didn’t get to see tonight’s game, but, like, go A’s! Go Duke! Just because I’d prefer younger guys in the rotation (when it comes to it), I actually do really like Duke and wouldn’t mind if the A’s could keep him around at a reasonable cost.

I saw Big Frank went 2 for 3 with a walk. Were his singles solid? He seems to be looking a little better at the plate lately. I’m hoping he heats up like he seems to do every year (didn’t look up numbers, but Thomas always seemed like a bad-April guy)..

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on May 6, 2008 10:34 PM PDT reply reply 0 recs

Frank said it's just a matter of time...

until his bloops become blasts! I believe it!

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:39 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

The A's need to manufacture little "Pocket IM4Oakgals"

to boost their confidence.

pam5981: Patience is a virtue that I do not possess.
ohtobe21likehuston: But you're good at drinking and cussing. Two out of three ain't bad.

by pam5981 on May 6, 2008 10:49 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

Well...

It’s more fun to be positive than negative, right?

by IM4Oakgal on May 6, 2008 10:51 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

bingo, at least in this reality...

now, in other realities, where you can rip peoples’ souls right out of their chest cavities and eat them, and shoot fireballs out of your fingers that decimate whole vast swaths of land, then being negative might be just a little bit more fun!

"You have to have a catcher or you'll have all passed balls."- Casey Stengel

by Gaijin_Suketto on May 7, 2008 11:10 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

they were bloopy...but they were hits

and he scored twice—even better

by OaklandSi on May 6, 2008 10:41 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I can't back this up with data

Just nearly 20 years of watching Frank Thomas play. Those bloop hits are a great sign. Yeah, home runs would be fantastic. But Frank in his heyday batted .330 because of those little flare base hits. I actually can’t think of another hitter who is as big and powerful, who can hit the ball 450 feet, who walks more than anybody else of his era (except Barry), and who can also duck snort with the best of ‘em.

From the standpoint of simply enjoying watching somebody hit, watching Frank reach out and just bloop one over the infield is one of my favorite things to see in a baseball game. I’ve always felt like he just sorta meant to do it.

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on May 6, 2008 10:45 PM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

What I love about Frank

Don’t get me wrong—he should be dumped in early June unless he can start bringing in some power… BUT

I would give major parts of my anatomy for a Major League hit. I’ve loved baseball since Tige was a pup, and think it should be hellish fun.

Frank SMILES when he gets that hit. Smiles on the run from the plate to first. This is a man who seems to understand what joy is.

Still… if he doesn’t become a power threat by June, time to make him a hitting coach.

by As Fan in the Bronx on May 7, 2008 5:51 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs

I disagree with dumping anybody who has a .407 OBP

And that’s what Frank has done with the A’s so far this year (small sample size, blah blah, but if he’s doing it, let him continue doing it). Even if he isn’t hitting home runs, he’s very, very productive for a guy they’re paying around $375,000 for the season.

http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/

by thejd44 on May 7, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply reply 0 recs