Athletics Nation: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
New Blog: Sounder At Heart for Seattle Sounders Fans!

Duke to Have Elbow Surgery.

"By now you may already know that Justin Duchscherer is having elbow surgery that will likely cause him to be out at least six weeks. Any reasonable A’s fan long ago stopped waiting for Justin Duchscherer."

"The interesting stuff today came from Dallas Braden, who is now almost certain to be the opening day starter. Braden pitched today in a minor-league game. Five days from now is next Wednesday and five days from that is opening day, April 6. The A’s haven’t announced Braden as the opening day starter, but today I said to him: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to count to five and then count to five again…”

From link below:

Link

0 recs  |  Comment 37 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

Not that I can say I saw this coming a few months ago...

…but for some reason I’m not surprised, either.

I could prove God statistically. Take the human body alone - the chances that all the functions of an individual would just happen is a statistical monstrosity.
~George Gallup

by UncleLeo on Mar 27, 2009 5:21 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Injury prone pitchers are kinda lame.

And because of this, the A’s gave Harden the boot. I like Duke and all, but injuries are nothing new for him. Makes one wonder what coulda been at last year’s deadline…

by Pucking Insane on Mar 27, 2009 5:28 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

actually thats good news

There is something wrong with this elbow and its better to shut him down, have surgery, rehab and figure out when he is ready, where he fits into this team. bullpen or starter? Anderson and Cahill – ready or not are going to be the 4th and 5th starter – the future is here now.

by ryanmoser on Mar 27, 2009 5:29 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

unfortunately they don't know what's wrong with his elbow

this is one of those “all else has failed, let’s open it up and hope we find something” sorts of surgeries. If we’re lucky, it’s just cleaning out scar tissue or something, but it could be very, very bad too.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Mar 27, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Future... Here we are

I agree, ready or not, here come Anderson and Cahill.
I know hindsight is 20/20 but with Duke’s history I still believe we should have all seen this coming.

" I may not know how to tango, but I sure as hell can man dance!" -Nate Robles

by DaSwinginA's on Mar 27, 2009 5:35 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Sure but there's nothing anyone could have done about it.

It's not the results, it's how you look going about those results -- Tim McCarver

by WaddellCanseco on Mar 27, 2009 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

+1 for both of you

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Mar 27, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Naw

I can’t agree with the “Nothing we could’ve done about it” perspective. Personally, I’m more than happy to give credit to the “We should’ve seen this coming” camp. Because, well, we should have. And we should have signed somebody in order to deal with that. That we couldn’t have done anything about it, is, in my opinion at least, entirely wrong.

RagingHarden: Yeah if you get 20 starts out of me I'll be shocked. Like, I'll wreck my drawers.

by walk off bunt on Mar 27, 2009 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

the sp free agent market was pretty meh this year

so there wasn’t a whole lot we could have done

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Mar 28, 2009 1:23 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

true, but another alternative

might have been to do an early trade for a good pitcher who’s close to free agency…basically a similar trade to the Holliday trade.

by OaklandSi on Mar 28, 2009 7:29 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sign Randy Johnson?

Hindsight blah blah blah, but still… offering him another 1 or 2 million more than SF offered him sure looks like it would have been a damn smart move right now.

"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."

by mikev on Mar 28, 2009 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

And at the time

I think he was pretty set on NL though

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

by nevermoor on Mar 28, 2009 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

He was considering both the A's and Giants.

"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."

by mikev on Mar 28, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

RJ wanted nothing to do with the AL

i would have liked offering him more money tho. i think it was more a matter of NL/AL than money

"True fact: In a global thermonuclear war, the only human who would survive would be David Eckstein" -PT

by travdog6 on Mar 28, 2009 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hey good luck in the tourny today.

I personally think Cornell is gonna take it, but NE is a great story, and again good luck.

by Pucking Insane on Mar 28, 2009 10:18 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Your options
  • Signing Johnson, but he wanted to be in the NL from what i remember.
  • Sign weak FA starter who would want more than one year, probably 3/4 years or more. We definitely don’t want to be on the hook for a weak starter when we have kids to come up.
  • Trade for a good pitcher close to free agency. Odds are we’d have to give up something of value that wouldn’t make it worth it.

The real problem is that on top of losing Duke: Outman sucked, Gio got hurt and well, while predictable, one would have hoped that at least one of our AAA depth guys (Egonz, etc.) would have shown up ready to actually seize their opportunity. At the beginning of the year, we had 3.5 pitchers in our rotation (Duke being the .5). That means we needed 1.5 starters to fill out the rotation, none of the 5 or so starters to fill that role showed up. My personal hope was that one or two of those guys would have given us a flash of brilliance long enough for Cahill & Anderson to prove themselves in AAA and take their place. Had that happened, Duke’s injury would be less of a blow. But now we’re stuck with 3 average guys and 2 unknowns without a safety net.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Mar 28, 2009 11:54 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

How has Outman sucked

He had 1 bad outing? I agree with the rest of this though.

Some of the most violent things I’ve ever seen were at Raiders games. And I’ve been to jail. - leopold bloom

by designatedforassignment on Mar 28, 2009 9:20 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

His first 8.2 IP (before his one really good outing)

he gave up (IIRC) 12 hits and 5 BBs. He just wasn’t getting a lot of people out. Then he had one great outing (4 scoreless innings), but just turned in the stinker to end all stinkers: 5 hits and 4 ER in the 1st followed by a grand slam in the 2nd.

I’d say he’s had a very bad Spring overall. More concerning to me is that he still doesn’t have a clear sense of his mechanics, which he keeps changing. His next appearance will be key, to say the least.

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 Mar 29, 2009 8:21 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think Nico pretty much describes it

Whether “sucked” is too hard a word or not might be a judgment call, but he hasn’t really done well. That being said, I’d much rather see what he does if given a true opportunity than rush one of the kids. Either way, the rotation doesn’t look particularly pretty.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Mar 29, 2009 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Probably a good thing ...

hopefully it gets him fixed and ready to go for a strong 2/3 of a season …

"It's for your own good. Big strong Devo knows whats best for Poppy" -- Mossback

by devo on Mar 27, 2009 5:41 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

they couldve prevented this and planned better

they knew duke had durability issues and kept hoping he’d lead their rotation, rather than sign a stop gap veteran sp they instead loaded up the bullpen and went with the inexperienced sp.

their 2 depth sp add consisted of jer williams and edg. gonzalez.
i’d love to be optimistic and say their depth is enough to overcome things. they have 11-12 guys that are mlb ready or ready by end of 09. 6

its crazy, but i wouldnt mind smith/blanton back right now even though they are back rotation inning eaters at best. who knows maybe beane gets desperate enough to sign mulder or trade for gaudin/bannister/gorzellany/kendrick who likely wont make their teams rotations and might be available

by Asfan4ever723 on Mar 27, 2009 5:54 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Never-ending injury, thy name is Athletics

On the upside, after so many years of this, I can’t muster surprise anymore.

I just remembered I love Eric Chavez.

by Joey C. on Mar 27, 2009 6:05 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

We need to find the owner

of the VooDoo doll……this is ridiculous!!

"RIP: UserID: 553"

by Masaryk on Mar 27, 2009 7:51 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Hmm...I had acupuncture this week...


Coincidence?

Well, obviously.

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 Mar 27, 2009 8:19 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Disagree.

Some injuries are, in fact, ridiculous. Justin Duchscherer’s should have been expected.

RagingHarden: Yeah if you get 20 starts out of me I'll be shocked. Like, I'll wreck my drawers.

by walk off bunt on Mar 27, 2009 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Meh

I hadn’t really factored Duke into any of my rotation scenarios anyway so I’m not too troubled by this. He should be thought of like Chavez; any contributions he makes is a bonus.

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

by Helloooo 1st on Mar 27, 2009 9:19 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

This.

“Meh
I hadn’t really factored Duke into any of my rotation scenarios anyway”

RagingHarden: Yeah if you get 20 starts out of me I'll be shocked. Like, I'll wreck my drawers.

by walk off bunt on Mar 27, 2009 10:39 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

yawn...

Unless 2 of Gallahger , Gio, Cahill, and Anderson step up and become legitimate 1 or 2-type pitchers this year, the A’s cannot compete with the Angels UNLESS Santana and Lackey miss significant amounts of time. In which case, the A’s, Rangers, and Angels would all be duking it out for the division, around 84 wins.

"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did." -Yogi Berra

by brenarlo on Mar 27, 2009 9:30 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

actually, rocket scientists don't count to five, and five again

they just count down from ten.

but it’s the same thing, really…

what have i got myself into this time... http://damiansthirtyyearchallenge.blogspot.com/

by alea iacta est on Mar 27, 2009 9:38 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Then they divide by 0

Chicago. Where the Dead can Vote. Where the Voters of Tomorrow are found in the Obituaries of Today.

by Zonis on Mar 27, 2009 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

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

by nevermoor on Mar 28, 2009 1:05 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Time to give Pedro a call.

"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico

by jeepers on Mar 28, 2009 5:39 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I don't think they'll know until after Tuesday,

because they don’t know yet what they’re looking for or what they’re going to find.

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 Mar 29, 2009 6:34 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Even then they may not know

It’s basically an exploratory surgery so on one side you really hope they find something that’s obvious that needs fixing. On the other, you really hope they don’t find anything, cause it could wind up putting him out for the season.

CuttheMullet, from "The Thread":
"Whenever I’m about to do something, I think "would an idiot do that?" and if they would, I do not do that thing."

by DMOAS on Mar 31, 2009 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about Oakland Athletics.

Community Guidelines ANcillary Terms
Start posting about the Athletics »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Ph3spec_small
Having fun with Pythagoras, or, who got lucky during 2009
Dsc00764_small
DLD - 11/07/2009 - How to Keep Yourself Occupied in the Off-Season
527918550406_0_bg_small
2010 Off-Season Blueprint
Depaulbluedemons_small
Community Prospect List #15
Super_grover_small
2010 Offseason Primer

Recent FanPosts

Bill_king_small
AFL Rising Stars Showcase Tonight on MLBN @ 5PM
Me_at_att_park_small
Greener Grass, Episode 4: The Biggest Off Season (Potential) Decision Doesn't Involve Free Agents
Oaklandathletics_small
Hardy to Minnesota. What's with the early offseason trades?
Tyler_at_maya_school_small
Happy 6th Birthday, AN!
Oaklandathletics_small
facebook Members: Keep the A's in OAKLAND
Bill_king_small
Organizational Statistics: Winter Leagues

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

SPONSORS


Managers

Tyler_at_maya_school_small Tyler Bleszinski

08-_the_author_small 67MARQUEZ

Baseball_small baseballgirl

Poochini-butt_in_box_2_small Nico

As_kings_cal_small louismg

Editors

Countdown_small Taj Adib

Ziegler160px_small Flashfire

527918550406_0_bg_small notsellingjeans