Open Game Thread - Game 74: A's vs. Marlins (cont.)

about 2 inches too low but close

You have a pitcher who only gets groundballs (Ziegler).

You’re facing a team that hits a bunch of home runs.

So you replace the groundball pitcher with a worse pitcher???

Street is up in Pen which considering last night and his groin trouble, may not be a good Idea

Hopefully just a mini-slump

Uggla owns Huston (and the A’s)

After yesterday’s abortion he should NOT been allowed to pitch tonight

Thank God he won’t be available tomorrow

....I love Beane, but he simply waited FAR too long to trade Blanton and Street.

If Street is so intelligent a player, why wasn’t he covering first on the ball to Ellis?

It’s not like our pitching isn’t strong. So why the holding onto two guys with name recognition who were overrated for quite some time?

Alternative Universe Zooks walkoff!

...for trade value was two offseasons ago when his W-L record was inflated. Then or mid last season would have worked for me. I understand why not, with all the youth and injury issues, but at first sign things were looking good pitching wise (or two offseasons ago) i would have moved Blanton.

As for Street. I don’t get the love. He’s always been pretty hittable. He gets hurt a lot and blows a lot of saves. And closers as a position are overrated.

One thing I like about Street blown saves though is he gets bailed out of the loss on his blown saves often…

...let’s go Oakland!!

Why did Houston come on in the 9th, tie game anyway?
Gaudin, Brown, others off?

Also the whole bit with starters warming up in the BP – I think the bullpen is some sort of trouble

I knew someone would call me on that.

Street does get into some nice grooves. His rookie year i loved him and thought his future was bright. And he got on a nice roll right after the last time i dissed him earlier this year. But his injuries combined with his lack of overpowering stuff and blown saves….along with a propensity to get into really bad spells like this one…along with the position itself being overrated….

My point is to take advantage of his name and how many teams overvalue closers…when we have a stable of good relievers, earlier in their clocks. My point is to trade him before that average against goes much higher and/or he gets hurt again.

I’ll admit, maybe i don’t respect the hittable looking junk he throws enough. Maybe it’s the timing of the hits he does give up. But since his rookie year i’ve never been that sure with him in there.

So, OK, you got me. With Blanton Beane needed to wait until he could see what he had…and now it’s too late to get max value back. With Street there’s always been enough there to hold onto him.

On a different subject: The A’s and Beane do clearly well for the money. And BB gets some diamonds in the rough and a lot of good players. But he never seems to get the REALLY good players like an Uggla or Ramirez. I know the A’s haven’t spent in the draft and have drafted safe picks and that’s worked…but all these years one or two of these clearly superior players…OK, now i’m being spoiled.

I hear you with Street. I guess we could do a lot worse.

He’s listed on Midland’s roster (on the website).

Also, Harden, as has been mentioned here, doesn’t have trade value on par with his talent, due to injury history. So, let’s just hold onto him and be the ones to reap his talents.

As for my earlier lack of finding great players, only lots of good ones comment…Harden was an exception in that, but of course he gets the injury bug….argg.

With Beane and co’s new focus on young, big upside draft picks and Dominican players, maybe we will soon blend a few of these illusive great players in with the consistent good players we always have with Beane.

And really, this is what’s so great about Beane: his honesty of his own faults and ability to make adjustments. And, again, with Harden at least he/we got really unlucky. Not to mention we kind of had to let a few go (and keeping Chavez instead of Tejada made sense with a Crosby and no Crosby like player at third.)