A's lose 3-1
by notsellingjeans on Jun 6, 2008 9:31 PM PDT
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PrintEerily similar to what I was forced to write after last Friday's 3-1 loss .
I feel a little bit bad for Gaudin. The guy is too good to be coming in to dominate for just an inning or two in games where we're already down. I'd love to see him get his rightful opportunity to start again soon - but that's almost like wishing for an injury to one of the current five, who are all excellent.
Clearly Gaudin will step right back in if a starter gets hurt or traded.
Cust hit his 10th bomb in the seventh off Lackey, but other than that the A's bats were silent.
Carlos "all I do is hit doubles" Gonzales went 0-3, and has yet to draw a walk in his brief time with the team. He's shown terrific potential...but when Swooney is eligible to come off the DL, I think Car-Gon will be manning CF in Sacto again. One telling piece of evidence: The Rivercats only have 3 OFs, and 10 position players total, on the roster right now. There literally is no backup at 3b, 2b, SS, or OF (not counting Sweeney, who's there re-habbing). They may be playing thin in Sacto because the plan is for Petit and Gonzalez will return to them shortly when some of the seven A's on the DL return to health.
Hard Luck Joe Blanton gets slapped with another loss, despite pitching well enough to win.
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Tough One
A little more run support, and they’ll be back at it tomorrow.
All Games and Comments are Subject to Blackout
Never use that image here again. Thank you.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
jamesvenes.com - Blog
Let's see how good my Math is...
(very very poort) – (t) = very very poor
And t stands for “time,” right? What’s the velocity of “ery” again?
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
Dude, WTF?
Why would you even post that here?
Are you an A’s fan?
by oaktownmario on Jun 6, 2008 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions
oaktownmario and I actually agree on something for a change
seriously …
1) We never post a ‘Lose’ graphic on AN
and
2) Even if we did, there are definitely 2 players on a short list forbidden to be used. That damn cripple is one of them. (Apologies for the insult to all legitimate cripples)
I'm also a huge Rickey fan . . .
that’s how I became an A’s fan as a kid!
So we agree on 2 things :)
by oaktownmario on Jun 6, 2008 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions
yikes - what are you thinking?
Definitely not the image to share here. Plus the “LOSE” graphic looks like what they do at Halos Hwatever, which is the LAST thing the community at AN wants (pretty sure I can speak for the majority on this one).
Post that damn graphic again and I'll cut your head off.
Sorry, it might be the Raider fan in me talking, but that ain’t appreciated here.
Green Hulk Fists
Tough luck for Blanton
I really wish he could get some run support.
I generally bemoan the profusion of Mr Sabermetric Sporks in the Scrabble ranks who don't know the meaning or usage of 50% of the words they use. -monkeyball
No kidding - best 3-8 pitcher in baseball
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
at the risk of starting it all up again
I would not call this a “hard luck” outing. He faced a fairly poor hitting team on a night conducive to pitching in a ballpark that is a pitcher’s park. And gave up 3 runs in 7 innings. Roughly where an average starter will end up against the Angels in these conditions. A decent enough outing, but nowhere near necessary to beat the likes of Lackey. Yes, one of the runs was unearned, but the fact is he had two outs with a runner on first after the error, so that run is at least as much on Blanton as it is on crosby. And allowing a leadoff hitter with no power to homer against you to begin the game and give the other team’s ace the lead is not conducive to winning either.
Don’t get me wrong—it was obviously not a bad start, and in a different context, a pretty good one. But on this night.. against this team.. against that pitcher—it wasn’t good enough. So the A’s lost because of poor offense but I don’t think you can ascribe it to hard luck for Blanton.
You still haven't learned the difference between average and mediocre, have you?
http://bocropleasestopswingingatbadpitches.blogspot.com/
by thejd44 on Jun 6, 2008 11:57 PM PDT up reply actions
lol
keep it to this game—OK?? He’s still having a mediocre year—tonight was an average performance given the context of park and opponent.
An average game amid a mediocre year?
So Joe exceeded his mean, then, eh?
Don't blame me, I voted for oaktoon.
by FreeSeatUpgrade on Jun 7, 2008 8:46 AM PDT up reply actions
This is why I feel there is irrational distaste
towards Blanton and his performance. The unearned run was caused by not one but two fielding lapses, without either one of which Blanton is out of the inning having faced the minimum. That run is squarely on the defense. Blanton threw seven innings of two-run ball – he went deep into the game and was stingy with allowing runs. I’ll take that every day.
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
He *is right about tonight being an 'average' performance given context
Home ERA
Duke – 1.69 ERA, 26.66 IP, 4 starts
Harden – 1.76 ERA, 30.66 IP, 5 starts
Gaudin – 1.80 ERA, 20 IP, 4 starts
Smith – 2.27 ERA, 31.66 IP, 5 starts
Eveland – 3.13, 37.33 IP, 6 starts
Blanton 3.84, 65.66 IP, 10 starts
Relative to the rest of the rotation, his average IP/start isn’t overly steller, either. However, it’s gotta be noted that our rotation is amazing at home.
Duke's 1.69 ERA at home does not make
Blanton’s 7 IP, 2 ER performance any better or worse. Neither does John Lackey’s performance, the fact that Lackey was the opponent, where the game was pitched, or how Blanton’s “slot” in the rotation is described.
Every time a starting pitcher goes 7 innings and allows 2 runs, he has done a great job and done his part to give his team a very good chance to win.
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
The hard-luck
was being pitted against Lackey instead of Garland. Not the right match-up tonight for success.
I agree there
But to beat the likes of Lackey one has to really elevate their game. Listen, I’m not ragging on him tonight, because he pitched OK. Only Harden at his tip top best is going to win that game for us.
haha
As much as I don’t like mongoose’s usual logical fallacies, let’s trade Joe Blanton and some middle of the road prospect for some offensive help. Get Chad Gaudin in there for victory’s sake.
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
fine by me
And if he starts allowing 2-3 runs in every start—in every context—I’ll be the first to say I’ve been wrong
High standards much?
There’s not that many #1 pitchers that satisfy that standard this season (I’ve browsed through the top 20 in ERA to date) ...
Call it 2-4 runs and an occasional 0-1 run outting (which he hasn’t done so far) and that’d be a little more fair.
If he's allowing 2-3 runs in every start then he's probably pitching into...
...the 8th a lot and would likely have an ERA around 3.
That would be a lot better than just average.
Just sayin’.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
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OK-- can I make this clear??
He was average last night—given park and opponent. if he throws games like that against better opponents and on the road in better hitting parks, yes, it is better than average and that’s when I’ll change my tune. But if his numbers drift back up and the ERA holds arouind 4 or higher, then my feelings about his averageness and mediocrity won’t change. OK??
Honestly, that's ridiculous
Pitching 7 innings and allowing 2 ER is outstanding against any team and in any park. You’re talking about a projected 225 innings with an ERA of 2.57. You win the Cy Young award with those numbers.
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
but
you know Joe Blanton is never going to win a Cy Young award…..I know I know we’re speaking in the context of last night….and since we are speaking in the context of last night Cy Young awards don’t come into play. Although it’s kind of difficult to avoid doing that when attempting to argue the logic Mr. Mongoose resorts to….......
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
No, not buying it
Over an entire season, good pitchers will have good games against good teams, bad games against bad teams and all manner of results in between. You don’t get to cherry pick and say “Oh, he gave up 2 ER in 7 innings against a team with a poor offense with Lackey on the mound, so that’s just average because he needed to be better. If he did it against someone else, maybe it’d mean more.”
A good game is a good game, regardless of who it’s against and what ballpark it’s in. Same thing with a bad game.
I’m trying to quit you, but you make it very hard to do that because your qualifications on what makes a game a good one are pretty crazy.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
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I still want a game
from Blanton where he just steps up and shuts this up.
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
All I know is Blanton pitched a solid game last night
Made a couple mistakes, wasn’t helped by his infield defense for one of the runs, but he kept the A’s in the game.
He can’t do anything about who he faces or what the offense does against his opponent, and everyone already knows the A’s are in for a rough night when Lackey faces them.
Acting like Blanton only had an average start because of who he faced, where it was and who he was up against is just silly. If Harden had similar numbers, I guarantee nobody’s calling it just “average.”
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Harden
probably would have been able to get K’s and miss a bat or two and the errors may not have even happened. That’s where Harden elevates his game and becomes a true #1
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
First of all,
no one has ever portrayed Blanton as a ”#1” – just as the Opening Day starter. Which made sense, as from 2005-07 Blanton won 42 games, Harden 15.
Second of all, first Blanton got a routine 6-3 out that was thrown away, and then followed it up with a 6-4-3 DP ball. It took both misplays to allow the inning to continue.
If you have to resort to criticizing Blanton for throwing DP balls instead of getting strikeouts, well…OK.
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
I understand
That the defense let Blanton down. I wouldn’t call it “resorting” to criticizing Blanton, because I’m not criticizing him. I’m saying Harden is a better pitcher, which you know he is. So is saying one pitcher is better criticizing the other?
Harden is just better at missing bats and takes the defense out of the equation a lot of the times.
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
But Harden being a better pitcher
(when he’s actually out there) has nothing to do with whether Blanton was average, good, very good, or outstanding last night.
Is there anyone claiming that when Harden is in the rotation, Blanton, or anyone else, is the A’s best pitcher?
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
I just have a slight disagreement about the quality of last night
When a team—partic. your biggest rival—comes into your park—which is one of the best pitching parks in the majors—and they have barely been averaging 4 runs a game and lately, less than that—3 runs total, even with one of them unearned—in 7 innings, is almost precisely an average performance. Forget Lackey—the Angels should not be scoring more than 3 runs in 7 IP against all but the worst 20-25% starters in the league—and especially in oakland in a night game.
So my view is that it was an OK start, but not a very good one. Now if he had those exact same numbers in Yankee Stadium, partic. the way that team is now hitting, I would definitely call that a lot better than most.
Did you check the score last night?
last I checked, the Angels didn’t score more than 3.
Contextually, relative to the other guys on the A’s rotation this year at home, Blanton had an ‘average’ game, only because the A’s rotation average at home is flippin’ great.
Short of hunting down what opposing rotations are putting up in the Coliseum this year, I dare say 2 ER in 7IP is an above average outting, even given the context.
Night games @ Coliseum - opposing rotations
46 ER, 125 IP, 3.31 ERA
“Average” outing by opposing starter Coliseum night =
2.3 ER, 6.25 IP
1 er, 6.2 ip Dice-K
3 er, 4.1 ip Byrd
1 er, 9 ip ‘King’ Felix
1 er, 7 ip Silva
5 er, 5 ip, Bannister
4 er, 6 ip, Livan
2 er, 6 ip, Boof
1 er, 5.2 ip, padilla
2 er, 5.1 ip, a.j. murray
1 er, 6.1 ip, garrett olson
3 er, 5.1 ip, burres
5 er, 7.2 ip, shields
1 er, 7 ip, kazmir
8 er, 5 ip wakefield
2 er, 7 ip beckett
2 er, 5.2 ip, burnett
1 er, 8 ip, halladay
2 er, 7 ip, rogers
0 er, 4 ip, willis
1 er, 7 ip, lackey
3 outtings went longer than 7IP, 9 outtings had fewer than 2 ER. Blanton’s outting was slightly above average, especially if you consider that he didn’t have the benefit of pitching against the A’s lineup.
Don't bother
At this point, I’m convinced madmongoose is going to look for anything he can to avoid giving Blanton any credit for anything, contrary to anything he says about being willing to change his tune and all that.
He’s proving there will always be an exception he can call up to make it sound like Blanton just didn’t pitch well enough for whatever reason he comes up with.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site
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I never realized just how short Blanton was until now
Why does such a wonderful man like such terrible things? @('.')@
Just got back
Lackey was incredibly impressive – he’s just too tricky for young hitters. May have been an L, but by god it was over fast!
So frustrating . . .
it’s like no one ever tries a different approach, what the 20th time around . . .
by oaktownmario on Jun 6, 2008 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
Problem is, there isn't really an approach
against a guy who can spot his fastball and two kinds of breaking pitches, and has no pattern of when he throws what.
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
Cust tried a different approach and homered on the first pitch
That is the only way to get to Lackey
Not that we will ever know but I am betting that we would have scored more than one run had they all gone up there trying to hit early in the count.
He throws strikes and you have to force him to change the way he attacks you by being aggressive.
He didn’t walk anyone and that is why good pitchers can beat us because they get ahead while we try to walk our way on base. Some pitchers you have to go after and he is one of them IMO
agree somewhat ...
... but the problem with Lackey (what I saw the first 4 innings, anyway) wasn’t just that he was throwing strikes, but that he was hitting his catcher’s spots very precisely, and with a lot of movement. Most of his pitches, even in the zone, just weren’t hittable.
It’s not so much an issue of swinging at the first pitch as it is swinging at the first mistake—and Lackey didn’t (and usually doesn’t) make many of ‘em.
Why does such a wonderful man like such terrible things? @('.')@
Just got back from the game
Some random thoughts ..
harkening back to the ‘Blanton is mediocre vs. Blanton is above avg’ fanpost after his last start …
Blanton, as typical, not steller in his first 30 pitches, career 5+ ERA
Blanton, not surprisingly 2 ER in 7IP, which falls withing the typical 2-4 ER in 6-7 IP that he has 80+% of the time
Blanton, as typical, playing with fire after pitch 90. Tonight, BAA after pitch 90 .333. And the insurance run given up.
I said to a fellow bleacher fan next to me after 5 innings (when the score was 2-0)- This is the type of game that’s gonna end up 3-1. I don’t see us scoring 3 off the Angels tonight. There was also the unvoiced gut feeling after the Suzuki double that we’d strand him. It was that kind of night.
That said, Blanton pitched well enough that we should’ve won vs many non-Lackey pitchers. 2 ER is commendable in general. We know what we’re going to get most of the time outta Cupcakes, it’s just a matter of whether we can score some runs (4-5 will usually do).
Just back with some random notes
It was a pretty dull game, really. One good thing, there were hardly any Anaheim fans in the left field bleachers. and the ones in the rest of the stadium were fairly quiet.
CarGon looks very sharp in center field. Chavvy looks different somehow, stockier—I was trying to figure out if he had lost weight, gained it, redistributed it, or just had a badly sized jersey.
I got in line about 4:15…so I got a bobblehead with no problems. I was at one of the BART plaza entrances and by the time the doors opened, the line was all the way down to the field level, all the way back up, and almost all the way down again. The doors didn’t open until after 5:35, which is just silly when you have half the fans already in line.
The bobblehead is not as bad a likeness as some, but if you didn’t know Kurt was Asian American, you probably still wouldn’t. The catcher’s mask is attached with a piece of elastic and it doesn’t quite work – it rides up too high.
But I’m very happy to have it next to Mark and Bill.
It’s too bad that Kurt drew the Momentary Injury to Tender Parts Bobblehead Mojo card instead of the Late Inning Home Run Bobblehead Mojo we all hoped for. We couldn’t tell what was going on, but we could figure out that it was probably not serious. So the front row people decided to ask the nearest expert who might be able to shed some light on the matter, that being of course Jack Cust.
Woman in front row: Jack! Jack! JACK!
Cust: (turns around, looks slightly confused since he has already waved to the bleachers seventeen times tonight, waves again)
Woman in front row: No, what happened to Kurt?
Cust: (looks puzzled, makes gesture at ear indicating he couldn’t hear)
Woman in front row: Kurt! KURT! (pointing at plate) Is he okay?
Cust: (glances at plate, looks back at bleachers, shrugs his shoulders)
Woman in front row: Okay! Thanks!
Cust: (makes little wave to indicate no problem, always here to serve your needs)
Oh, and K-Rod is a classless boor. We knew that already.
Don't blame me, I voted for Ice Cream
Just curious
What’s “adorable”?
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
Larry Davis is advising him to do some kegels exercises
Why does such a wonderful man like such terrible things? @('.')@
terrific anecdote.
I love when people share stuff from having been at the game. We wouldn’t get a story like that anywhere else.
"Let’s just hope he’s not a complete turd out there." -thejd44, describing Crosby's best scenario.
by notsellingjeans on Jun 7, 2008 8:27 AM PDT up reply actions
I was there...
Joe did a very good job …but Lackey was better as we expected.
There weren’t all that many Angel fans there tonight. It made the game a lot more enjoyable. I usually love pitcher duels but this one felt kinda flat.
I got my bobblehead..and standing in line was made much easier because IMASEASONTICKETHOLDER was there to keep us company.
Enjoyed meeting Mr. Poppy too…he seems almost as nice as Poppy. :-)
No way. I'm MUCH nicer than he is.
It was fun to see you again, and to meet the IM4Oakguy… :)
AN 3.0's Search Function is *hawt*!
Frustrating!
Boy, I really dislike Lackey, although he did say nice things about Blanton. Poor luck Joe, that is. I hate the Angels so much. Let’s go Smitty tomorrow!
by A'sfansince1970 on Jun 7, 2008 12:04 AM PDT reply actions
position players?
While we’re banishing that image of Kirk Gibson, can we also please stop using “position players” to describe non-pitchers? If those who use this label would bother to check, they’d find that pitcher is position #1. Thus, pitchers are position players.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
"Position player"
I think it’s a pretty widely accepted part of the nomenclature, though. Isn’t it?
"Let’s just hope he’s not a complete turd out there." -thejd44, describing Crosby's best scenario.
by notsellingjeans on Jun 7, 2008 8:31 AM PDT up reply actions
Perhaps
It does seem to get tossed about a lot these days but it needs to be crushed before it spreads beyond the ESPN-heads . Along with “went yard” and “the show.” Curse that Bull Durham movie for springing the latter one on us.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
DON'T EVER curse Bull Durham
"The two of them deserve each other. One's a born liar, the other's convicted."
Can we please NOT do this?
Everyone knows what the term means.
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
I won’t speak for everyone but there are plenty of people who are confused by this term. But if asking to have more precise terminology used is so distressing, I will indeed go with the flow.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
KISS MAH GRITS!
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
I didn't realize so many fans
got into the giveaways … whenever I get handed something at the gate, I immediately turn and hand it to the nearest kid I see. I don’t know, something about my bobblehead collection right next to my black-light poster, shot-glass case, and “little elephant” trinket box, never seems to impress the company.
Do they ever give out those cool yellow helmets, or little green bats from the early 70’s anymore? Now that I would keep! :-)
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
I’ve been to games in Modesto and Stockon where people went to pick up their bobblehead (or other promotional give-away) and didn’t even stick around to watch the game. They turned around and left the park as soon as they got the goods in hand. The last time I witnessed this was a few weeks ago on fishing pole night in Stockton.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
Zuke and A's got robbed in the 8th
I got home and watched my ancient VHS replay of the Suzuki out in the eighth. An umpire should not miss this call, but the weak ones do, all too often, and sometimes with unconscious bias as it is bang-bang. They are human and the brain constructs based on feelings as well as objective perception. The visotors dugout is close to first base, many other factors inclding history with teams.
The runner almost always knows this play because it is all in front of him. Yes there are players who confabulate reality – they are the those in every pro sport who ALWAYS complain, but in this case the umpire screwed-the-pooch and stopped the A’s rally cold.
These are huge games with colossal consequences.
The good news was the solid contact we were making last night. Things are coming around for the hitters.
Pretty clearly cost at least one run.
After the WP and H2’s blooper. I know there’d only have been one out with Zooks on 2d, but it was obvious that the blooper would fall.
And that missed call was obvious, as well. I thought he might have missed some other ones, as well, in both teams’ directions, but holy hell that call on Zooks was terrible.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Jun 7, 2008 8:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Tough to say how this game would've turned out
Maybe 3-2 in that case. Maybe our offense’s approach with a 1 run deficit (Rocky Mountains) vs. a 2 run deficit (Himalayas)
That said, we were pretty stunned, even way out in the left field bleachers – Bounced throw, stretch way towards RF for the dig and the fielder gets the call? I am, however, glad that Geren came out in Suzuki’s defense.
That’s one area where Geren is much better than Macha. It doesn’t matter if Geren agrees with the call or not—if one of his players has a beef with the umpire, he needs to come out in support. Macha almost never came out in support of his players unless he thought they were about to get tossed out of the game. I think that may be one of the reasons a lot of the veteran players were glad to see him go. A player likes to think his manager has his back.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
Let's face it - we were in the game for one batter
We were going to lose to Lackey 1-0 or 2-1 or 3-1 or 3-2. Just as we’re going to win Saturday and Sunday and feel a whole lot better come Sunday night.
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
I think it’s a pretty big reach to assume every play that occurred after the blown call would work out the same way. With the conditions changed, we don’t know the same pitches would have been selected or that the defensive positioning would be the same. You can assume the A’s would have been batting with another runner on first base and one less out but you can’t really assume the other events would have followed.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
Are you an umpire? ;-)
I understand your point, but that series of events happened in such quick succession that it is tough to take, and easy to reach for as an outside slider to Bobby C. I would like to be of the school that sez the umps don’t matter. It’s becoming progressively harder not to drop out of it, however.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Jun 7, 2008 12:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I think that reliever was also throwing nothing but mid-90s gas. Not much to choose from.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Jun 7, 2008 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions
I certainly didn’t mean to imply that the umpires don’t matter. I just don’t go along with the notion that the wild pitch and bloop single would have necessarily followed if the umpire hadn’t blown the call. I agree that blown calls are difficutl to take.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
Beers all around!
I wonder, generally, if the calls are getting worse, or whether the auditing technology is getting better, or if it’s just me. “Eleven-walk Tuesday” just about did me in.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Jun 7, 2008 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions
"Hard Luck Joe Blanton"
I think it’s fair to call him that. Check this statistics page out.
I’ve pre-sorted it by losses, and he is tied for the second-most in the AL, behind Verlander. But the guys surrounding him all have ERAs and WHIPs that are much higher.
It also feels like he’s matched up against an opponent’s ace. If Harden and Blanton were flip-flopped – and I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens at the All-Star Break – Blanton would probably have a better W-L.
"Let’s just hope he’s not a complete turd out there." -thejd44, describing Crosby's best scenario.
It's a logical strategy
Punt on the games where the opponent’s ace is throwing with a guy who can give the bullpen a night off, then try to win most of the rest of the games.
Although it is weird that Blanton is still consistently drawing the aces this late in the season. Normally off days, injuries, and what have you have distorted rotations enough that they aren’t in strict order anymore.
Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.
I am intrigued by the strategy of
throwing your #4 starter in game 1 of an ALDS and then having the matchups in your favor for three games.
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
It may work
but psychologically you are telling your team that you don’t think your pitchers can match the other team’s rotation straight up. Depend on the mental make up of the team, it may work, like Nellie’s small ball.
by asfansince1989 on Jun 7, 2008 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I looked it up. It ws the 1929 World Series when Mack started over-the-hill Howard Ehmke in game 1 over Lefty Grove and George Earnshaw. Ehmke pitched only 55 innings and won only 7 games during the regular season so he seemed an odd choice to start the first game of the World Series. As Mack hoped, Ehmke outpitched Charlie Root to win the first game and the A’s beat the Cubs in five games. I guess it’s great strategy when it works.
Root for the Giants? Not even if they're playing al-Qaeda!
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