A's win on Suzuki's pinch-hit walk-off homer!

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:06 AM PDT Comment 35 comments

He's not the most popular guy on AN, but Bob Geren pushed a few buttons that worked out very well Friday night.

Emil Brown led off the ninth with a pinch-hit double, and Kurt Suzuki eventually followed with a two-run, pinch-hit, walk-off homer to left off D. J. Carrasco to give the A's a 6-4 win Friday night against the White Sox in the series opener.

Geren also trusted Huston Street to pitch in a high-leverage situation with the score tied at 4, and Street rewarded him with a scoreless top of the ninth to pick up his third win of the year.

Suzuki's bomb was just one of a shocking FOUR HOME RUN output by the A's Friday night. Jack Cust hit two home runs, upping his season total to 22 and his "slash" stats to .231/.377/.446 for '08 (an .823 OPS). Mark Ellis added his 11th homer as well, one of two the A's hit off Octavio Dotel in the 8th inning. Dotel has been absolutely awesome this year, with the only blemish on his statline being the six homers he'd allowed in relief entering tonight's game. Kudos to Ellis and Cust for exploiting Dotel's penchant for leaving the ball up (I guess some things haven't changed since '04).

In other offensive highlights, Big Hurt had two singles and scored a run, and left fielder Eric Patterson had a hit, a walk, and stole a base in the lead off slot.

Dallas Braden continues to prove that he's learned how to pitch, lasting seven innings against a good lineup despite lacking outstanding stuff. He allowed three runs in the first but settled down and held the White Sox scoreless the rest of the way, throwing 55 strikes in his 89 pitches. In his last three starts, he's only walked three hitters. He'll always be a guy who needs a great defense behind him to succeed, but I appreciate his ability to hit his spots, especially in contrast to the control struggles of Gallagher/Smith/Eveland at times this year.

But the hero was Suzuki, who only had to score pinch-runner Cliff Pennington from third but instead opted for something much more dramatic. The ChiSox outfield was almost comically drawn in to prevent Pennington from scoring, and when he hit it, left fielder Carlos Quentin barely even turned around as the ball soared over his head a good 130 feet behind him.

Zooks flipped his bat and knew it was gone the moment he hit it, and it was a wonderful moment for a team that has had far too few of those since the All-Star break.

Poll

If the season ended today, who would be your 2008 A's MVP?

Kurt Suzuki

158 votes

Justin Duchscherer

206 votes

Brad Ziegler

116 votes

Mark Ellis

10 votes

Jack Cust

17 votes

Jeff Fiorentino

33 votes

540 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 35 comments

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Comments

First (again)!

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

by FoolshGame22 on Aug 16, 2008 12:10 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Like I said.

It was because of me. I swear it. I called THE shot. RF Bleachers, it was a pleasure being crazy with you.

Stuck on Buck :)

by GreenNGoldGirl on Aug 16, 2008 12:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

my MVP?

i voted for kurt.

he’s played in 90% of the games, he’s done a GREAT job with the pitchers, and he’s hitting .291.

not bad for our rookie catcher!

""These guys are a different breed of ballclub." - Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on the A's

by gotgreen on Aug 16, 2008 12:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Same here. Ziggy would be my biased choice and he's definitely pitched in moments that have helped the team win...

…but overall Suzuki’s contributions have been more important to me.

Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog

by Flashfire on Aug 16, 2008 12:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I voted Kurt Plus

but you don’t catch dandruff…

’zactly…

Green Hulk Fists

by oaklandSMASH on Aug 16, 2008 12:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I can't believe Bobby Crosby wasn't in your poll...

especially, after Fosse’s pre-game interview today. I mean, the guy’s worked so hard to correct his previous imperfections at the plate and you just ignore that? C’mon…

But, I do take solace in the fact that, at least, 4 ANers recogonize that OPS is the ultimate stat and that Jeff should be knighted MVP. Even Greg Smith can’t compete, offensively.

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

by FoolshGame22 on Aug 16, 2008 1:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Dotel Owed Us!

He still owes us several hundred runs, but tonight he gave us two back, and that I all I asked for! Tehehehe…. It is really rather sweet!!

I voted for Ziggy, cause really, who knows how many games we would have lost if we were left to our shakey bull pen. He has slowly become a bit of a savior. Duke is a very close second, but I had to go with Ziggy!

"He's day-to-day," Geren said. "But aren't we all?" - 5/29/08

by BobbyCrosbysGirl on Aug 16, 2008 2:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Surprisingly enough, Suzuki has the most Win Shares

http://tinyurl.com/6odxrg

Thus my votes would go to Kurt (14), Duke (13), Ellis (12), and then Cust (11).

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 16, 2008 6:43 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Also

I know there are some that question new stats, but Win Shares seems to be exactly what you’d expect.

Offensive Leaders
Cust (by 3)
Sweeney
Suzuki
Ellis

Pitching Leaders
Duke (by 5.4)
_ (sad)
Smith
Zeigler

Defensive Leaders
Suzuki (by 1.9)
Ellis
Crosby
CarGon

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 16, 2008 10:21 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Win shares loves catchers; it had Kendall as team MVP in 2006...

but Suzuki is probably about right, at least relative to the other position players.

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Aug 16, 2008 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Catchers get a ton of defensive win shares, but it’s a pretty important position.

I don’t think there’s any question that Ellis is a better 2B than Suzuki is a C, but that’s not the measurement they’re trying to make.

"There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want" -Bill Watterson

by nevermoor on Aug 16, 2008 12:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I understand that, but I think they go a bit overboard

Also, aside from giving 3 WS or whatever it is for playing C, trying to quantify C defense it pretty fruitless. WS has him as the second best defensive C. Maybe he is, who knows… But the WS formula sure doesn’t know. But again, he should probably come out on top in this sort of ranking among the position players.

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Aug 16, 2008 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mike, did you give your MVP to Zooks or Duke?

I’m curious how much of a deduction should be given for an SP, if any. Does Duke’s performance outweigh that he pitches one every five days?

I think the voting looks about as I expected it would.

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Duke

Most teams would have a position player as most valuable, and probably the 10-15 best position players are more valuable than the top pitchers. The WS weights between pitchers and position players are about right (I think they divide it up 60-40) But Suzuki is pretty bad in the “best position player on a team” category…. He’s also been somewhat unclutch (lots of unclutch dps.) We need some hitters….

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Aug 16, 2008 12:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Has To Be Suzuki

He plays the hardest position and has done a fine job with the pitching staff. He is a pretty good hitter who isn’t afraid to come through in the clutch. He can also run which is always a huge bonus for a catcher.

by KCa's on Aug 16, 2008 7:31 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Some minor league notes of note...

Sacramento (5-4 win in 10 innings): Aaron Cunningham was 0 for 5, but Matt Murton stayed hot going 2 for 5 and Josh Outman pitched 3 shutout innings of relief (2 hits, 1 BB, 3K). Jeff Baisley was back in the lineup (1 for 4).

Midland (2-0 win): Midland won despite collecting only 4 hits. James Simmons tossed 7 shutout innings (7 hits, 3 BB, 5 K) and Andrew Carnigan struck out the side in the 9th for his 20th save. Cardenas went 1 for 2 with a walk.

Stockton (3-2 win): Craig Italiano struck out the side in one inning of relief (one hit) and Henry Rodriguez pitched a 1-2-3 9th (no Ks) for his 2nd save. Chris Carter sucks because he didn’t HR.

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 Aug 16, 2008 8:03 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

more minor league stuff

BA:

Since June, high Class A Stockton’s Chris Carter (Athletics) hitting line hasn’t gone anywhere but up. As of June 1 he was hitting .211/.324/.447. Now he’s climbed all the way to .272/.369/.592. Not to mention Carter, 21, hit .429/.520/1.048 this week while playing third base, right field and first base . . . Double-A Midland lost Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill to Team USA, and then and Vin Mazzaro and Josh Outman to Triple-A, leaving the RockHounds in a world of hurt. But the player they may miss most is CF Aaron Cunningham (Athletics), who has the made the transition to the Pacific Coast League look easy. In his first seven games for Triple-A Sacramento, the 22-year-old has batted .417/.531/.792 (10-for-24) with two homers, three doubles, 10 runs scored, seven walks and two steals in two attempts . . .

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 Aug 16, 2008 8:25 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't wait to see Cunningham in Sept.

I just have a really, really good feeling about 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 Aug 16, 2008 8:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i voted for kurt

this is his second CLUTCH!!!!, pinch hit homer this season and hes played more games than i think anyone and when he catching our pitcher have the best ERA

by robbo650 on Aug 16, 2008 8:28 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I also voted for Kurt...

…mainly because I take the work “valuable” somewhat literally when discussing an MVP. He has come through so many times this year that I really think he is the most valuable on the team so far.

I also appreciate the kudos given to Braden. I agree that it appears he is starting to learn how to pitch and we have been seeing subtle positive results of that of late. I doubt he’ll ever be a great pitcher, but I think he’ll develop into a good pitcher.

Reluctantly, I gotta give some credit to the Sox’ announcers, Harrelson and that other guy. They were reasonably fair at the end of the game. They did talk alot about how they lost it, but they also mentioned how the A’s were good enough to take advantage to win it. This was my first decent listening experience with them in quite a long time.

"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds

by UncleLeo on Aug 16, 2008 8:42 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Oh, and I LOVED Suzuki's bat-flip, too.

"If I've got baggage, he's got a whole set of Louis Vuitton." ~ Milton Bradley on Barry Bonds

by UncleLeo on Aug 16, 2008 8:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I just became a RAF again

I got home last night just in time to hear the ninth inning of the game…looking forward on Sunday to my first game at the Coliseum since late May…bringing friends with me…let’s go Oakland!!

Suzuki is my season MVP

by OaklandSi on Aug 16, 2008 9:48 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I voted Fiorentino.

Because I couldn’t decide between Kurt, Duke, and Ziggy.

Procrastinators unite....tomorrow

by muffinpryde on Aug 16, 2008 9:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

This picture scares me.

Photography page | Flickr

by Kimberly on Aug 16, 2008 10:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

delmon young is just off to the left

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 Aug 16, 2008 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

INVISIBLE RICHIE SEXSON

There were a lot of stupid, long confusing words that I’m sure normal people don’t use. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Aug 16, 2008 11:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

laughed very hard at that

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yours and xbh's, too

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I missed the game last night because of work

but after going through the gameday highlights, Kurt knew that he had got enough to win it and was very pleased with himself

by A'sfaninNC on Aug 16, 2008 12:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can I just say again how impressed I was with Geren's 9th inning last night?

It’s good that the moves worked, but even if they hadn’t, they were all the right ones to make. The only one I sort of question is Suzuki being used just because, had the A’s not scored, he’d have to get behind the plate and the guy deserves a day here and there where he doesn’t have to do that. But it’s not like that would’ve been a terrible decision or anything.

As for Dotel, he’s a guy who should be twice as good as he is. He has some of the filthiest stuff you’ll ever see, but I swear he forgets what he’s doing out there. Throwing a two-strike fastball to Cust in that situation is just a hair dumber than spitting into the wind.

And I voted for Cust, obviously.

by thejd44 on Aug 16, 2008 11:12 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

amen on everything

Yeah, that 0-2 third consecutive fastball was just dumb, dumb, dumb. Though AssJack (and, who knows, Ozzie) probably deserves a fair amount of blame as well.

Anything offspeed there anywhere close to the zone, and Cust is out.

There were a lot of stupid, long confusing words that I’m sure normal people don’t use. @('.')@

by monkeyball on Aug 16, 2008 11:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

agree on Dotel

I think when your stuff’s that filthy though, you get a little arrogant and think you can just blow it by anyone. Hence the ensuing bombs.

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

All that being said....

he still gets away with it more often than he fails. I’m glad the baseball lords decided he was on borrowed time last night. Besides which, he owes the A’s the occasional bomb.

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

by alox on Aug 16, 2008 12:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Fiorentino is holding strong

2.000 OPS is really speaking to people.

"Innings eater? Depends on whether you want delicious innings or burnt, moldy innings. Kirk Saarloos is the Hot Pockets of inning eaters." - Gallagher's Watermelons

by notsellingjeans on Aug 16, 2008 12:23 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs