Eric & Jack Back To Back Attack! A's Win 3-2

by Nico on Apr 4, 2009 4:33 PM PDT Comment 65 comments

Final Score: A's 3, Giants 2 Boxscore

Perhaps Matt Cain had the right idea after all, walking the middle of the order (Giambi, Holliday, Chavez) in the first inning to force home Ryan Sweeney, who had led off with a single. Ramon Ortiz tried throwing strikes to Chavez and Cust leading off the bottom of the 6th, with the Giants leading 2-1, and watched it turn into "Bomb And Bomber," as Chavez crushed a HR and then Cust crush-plus-oned a HR, giving the A's a 3-2 lead that would stand up as the game's final score.

The story of the day, though, was 21-year old lefty Brett Anderson. From our second-deck seats overlooking the A's bullpen, we (the exhausted group of AN volunteers) did not have a good look at the pitchers. Yet from any seat and any angle, one thing you can always see is on what part of the bat guys are putting the ball. Against Anderson, there were many balls hit on the hands and several more spun off the end of the bat, leading to quite a few "funky" hit balls put into play - bloops to third base, handcuffed choppers to second - and very few hit solidly.

Anderson's line: 6.2 IP, 6 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K on just 86 pitches, 58 of them strikes. His only blip came in a two-run 5th inning, and even in that frame he was victimized more by well-placed hits than by well-hit balls, until Pablo Sandoval capped the rally with a solid RBI single to LF.

Meanwhile, the bullpen was excellent, shutting the Giants out for the final 2.1 innings. Andrew Bailey made his final case for the final relief spot, tossing 1.0 IP of scoreless ball to end Spring Training with an 0.66 ERA. Jerry Blevins got an out on the only pitch he threw and Russ Springer survived a pop-fly leadoff double in the 9th to record the save, thanks in large part to Travis Buck's diving catch of a soft line drive to RF.

All that's left now is for the A's to announce the cuts that will get their roster down to 25 guys, announce how they are adding Cahill and Anderson to the 40-man roster, work out at the Coliseum tomorrow in front of any fans who wish to watch for free, and then fly to Anaheim for Monday's 6:05pm game - the first of 162 that count.

Coming soon...A photo-philled recap of AN's Community Service work this morning for Newman Center and Rebuilding Together Oakland. Stay tuned!

UPDATE, 4:43pm: Susan Slusser reports that Andrew Bailey and Sean Gallagher have made the roster, with Gio Gonzalez and Daric Barton to AAA.

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Bailey, Gallagher on team, Gio/Barton to AAA

From Su Slu:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/athletics/detail?&entry_id=38028

"Their Triple-A rotation, led by Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson, could be better than some big-league rotations; Michael Ynoa is the best Latin American prospect of the decade; 2008 draftees Jemile Weeks and Rashun Dixon bring much-needed tools to an advanced group of hitters." - BaseballProspectus.com

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:38 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's play some real games!!!

I wasn’t a big fan of today’s lineup… but let’s get this season goin’!

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

by brenarlo on Apr 4, 2009 4:44 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Cabrera #2, Cust #6 = me no likey

Cust came up in the 1st with the bases loaded and one out, and struck out, and showed exactly why the end of the heart of the order is not the right place for him. He should, IMO, bat #2 and if not #2 then #3. As long as bats ahead of Holliday, Giambi, Chavez, I’m fine with it. And Cabrera should be batting 9th.

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 Apr 4, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

I think Geren put Cust 6th

cause he makes the least amount of contact. And OC #2 since he does make a lot of contact. Not saying I agree with it but I think thats his reasoning.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or maybe Cust doesn't feel as comfortable at #2.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 4:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Cust changes much no matter what

the situation or spot in the batting order – he’s not someone who is best served by adjusting, just best served by being used in a way that maximizes his skills and minimizes his weaknesses. #6 is better than #4 or #5, but I think #2 and #3 are the best spots for 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 Apr 4, 2009 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We don't know that he's impervious to these things. He could be a sensitive soul.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

As much as he was jerked around the first 6 years of his career

I kinda doubt the sensitive soul bit.

"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 Apr 5, 2009 1:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

1.) CF — R. Sweeney
2.) DH — J. Cust
3.) LF — M. Holliday
4.) 1B — J. Giambi
5.) 3B — E. Chavez
6.) SS — O. Cabrera
7.) C — K. Suzuki
8.) 2B — M. Ellis
9.) RF — T. Buck

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Apr 4, 2009 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Switch Buck and OC

Buck is just a better all around offensive player.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

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

by brenarlo on Apr 4, 2009 4:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I would, but that would mean that three straight hitters would be left-handed hitters and four of the first five are already left-handed hitters.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Apr 4, 2009 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well the lineup with be very different vs a lefty.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My lineup, if Cabrera HAS to bet #2 because

the A’s are just so convinced he should bat #2:

Sweeney – CF
Cabrera – SS
Cust – DH
Holliday – LF
Giambi – 1B
Chavez – 3B
Suzuki – C
Buck – RF
Ellis – 2B

Switch Ellis and Buck if it floats your boat.

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 Apr 4, 2009 5:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOOGYs

Our bench is Crosby, Davis, Powell, and Nomar. As long as Nomar is available to PH for one of those guys, we have some protection against a good bullpen.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2009 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You still have 3 straight lefties -- Buck, Sweeney and Cust with 4 of 5 lefties

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 5:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

True, I wasn’t looking at it with that angle.

The Ultimate Opportunist

by Rated-R Superstar on Apr 4, 2009 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Listening to the radio broadcast

they were talking about how “Cabrera may be the best #2 hitter in baseball.”

I was choking . . .

Do you know the way to San Jose?

by eastcoasta'sfan on Apr 4, 2009 6:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I rarely disagree with Ken, but

when he says, “Cabrera is the perfect #2 hitter” I want to scream (as I did today), “No, the perfect #2 hitter has a good OBP!!!”

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 Apr 4, 2009 6:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Who would you say is the best no.2 hitter in the league?

I’d have argued Jeter over his career, but I don’t have stats to back that up.

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pedroia or Youkilis is pretty solid

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 Apr 4, 2009 7:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

its pretty safe to say we'll see 100 different

lineups throughout the season so all of this really doesn’t matter…but no to cust at 2….do you see adam dunn batting 2nd? – no….O cab, ellis or suzuki and spread out the lineup with cust batting 6th or 7th

by ryanmoser on Apr 4, 2009 4:55 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Suzuki did well at the 2 spot last year.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

A lot of managers do a lot of "by the book" stuff that doesn't actually help a team win

Big-budget teams with stacked lineups can afford to make bad lineup decisions. The A’s will need to wring every ounce of productivity out of the team to compete. Cust is one of the A’s most productive hitters — he gets on base a lot and has excellent power. Batting him 7th instead of 2nd will cost him about 75 plate appearances, which will cost the A’s runs.

I wouldn’t bat him 2nd against a lefty, but no righthanded starter would rather face Cust than Cabrera.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2009 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Against a RHP, the OBP difference between Cust and Cabrera is huge,

as is the SLG. No way should Cabrera ever bat #2 vs. RHP.

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 Apr 4, 2009 5:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, that's what I was saying, but in a pretty confusing way

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2009 5:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We did see Brian Downing batting leadoff, and Jeremy Giambi

We also saw Mark McGwire batting 2nd and Carlton Fisk. It’s not unheard of to have a slow slugger in one of the top 2 spots.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 5:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anderson

Gave up zero extra base hits (and I think Sandoval’s hit was the only non-grounder) and didn’t walk anyone until Torres in the sixth (the last batter he faced). That was a remarkable and efficient performance. More like this, please.

Jack Cust hit that ball real hard.

The artist formerly known as HigherPie.

by vegAN ryAN on Apr 4, 2009 4:56 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wish I coulda seen that Cust HR.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I didn't really like the lineup today

And I would be surprised if today wasn’t the opening day lineup. But since lineups don’t make too much a difference except to player’s egos, Geren is letting veterans play where they’re used to. Cabrera could take offense to hitting 7th-9th and when it’s in a situation where it doesn’t make too much difference, better to keep everyone happy. Anyway, since I’m bored my ideal lineup (assuming no Nomar at SS):
Buck
Cust
Holliday
Giambi
Chavez
Kurt
Sweeney
Ellis/Cabrera
Ellis/Cabrera

Also, it seems like Devine is going to the 60-day DL.

"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton

by vignette17 on Apr 4, 2009 5:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And Duke and Copeland to the 15-day per Slusser.

I like your lineup.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 5:03 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"since lineups don’t make too much a difference except to player’s egos"

That’s a really good point. I love the idea of Cust as #2 as much as anyone, but for all our fascination with what the studies demonstrate about lineup positions, we tend to forget that the same studies also demonstrate that the difference is negligible. All the lineup analysis stories always make that caveat right there in front, but in our eagerness to debate lineups we prefer to ignore it.

If occupying a certain slot in the lineup makes a player happy, that’s probably more important than the tiny effect on run probability.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers."

by iglew on Apr 4, 2009 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure the difference between a given hitter batting #2 and #6 is negligible

The importance of the order may be overstated, but the difference just in # of plate appearances in a season isn’t.

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 Apr 4, 2009 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

From Sky Kalkman's

article about “The Book”, on BtB:

the difference between an optimized lineup and a typical, mildly foolish one you’ll see MLB teams use is only about one win over 162 games

Swapping the #2 and #6 is a subset of that, so it is some fraction of a win over the course of a season.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers."

by iglew on Apr 4, 2009 10:23 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To determine whether that statement is accurate, you have to go through the article, the referenced articles, the math, the logic, the assumptions, et cetera. Just because some young guy makes a claim doesn’t make it so.

I find it ironic that “lineup optimization” used to assume that hitting in different positions in the lineup were the same. Now that’s changing but nobody goes back to all the bold statements made, including the usual attacks on the intelligence of managers, and says gosh, maybe we were wrong.

by Lovejoy on Apr 5, 2009 8:51 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Nice AAA reserve

Gio and Mazzaro— and Simmons and Williams, right?

Barton-Hannahan-Denorfia-Pennington isn’t a bad quarter for when the inevitable injuries occur.

by jasonthea on Apr 4, 2009 5:18 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

And Edgar.

And I expect there to be no injuries.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 5:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Cunningham?

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers."

by iglew on Apr 4, 2009 6:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Doolittle?

I bet Sean Doolittle starts the year in AAA.

by DiegoAsFan on Apr 4, 2009 6:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought he hadn't mastered AA yet?

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He hasnt.

by Syphon on Apr 4, 2009 7:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm really looking forward to this guy.

Bobby Crosby = ground-out triple play...

by brian.only on Apr 5, 2009 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Me too.

In the AFL he played a good amount of RF too.

by Syphon on Apr 5, 2009 8:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Injuries

My thoughts, assuming everyone does OK in AAA…

Giambi injured: Barton comes up
Cabrera, Ellis, Crosby: Pennington
Chavez, Garciaparra: Hannahan
Powell, Suzuki: the new guy, what’s ’is name.
Davis, Sweeney, Buck, Holiday: Denorfia
Cust: Barton (because Giambi then moves to DH)

by richwol1 on Apr 4, 2009 5:30 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Best thing about today's in-stadium experience

In the middle of the third inning, the announcer (not Roy Steele, who I hope is resting his pipes for the home opener) said “Giants fans! We have a special edition of the Great Cap Caper just for you!” . Just like the usual Great Cap Caper except instead of three A’s caps, there was ….. one Giants cap. And, at the end, there was no ball, and the screen said “WRONG AGAIN!”. The Giants fans in front of us did not appreciate the implication.

by Englishmajor on Apr 4, 2009 5:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

hahaha

"It's like déjà vu all over again." -yogi berra

by Cheezombie on Apr 4, 2009 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good news that Gallagher made the roster and Hannahan didn't.

In slightly off topic news, why does the new Yankee Stadium look exactly like the old one? Why bother moving if you’re just going to build the same ugly stadium across the road?

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:00 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I think the complaints about Yankee Stadium

had to do with facilities (mainly bathrooms and concessions). I’ve heard stories about 3-inning lines at the bathroom, endless concession lines. And there wasn’t room to improve the facilities. I’d also bet that they created some obscenely expensive luxury suites.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2009 6:04 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also the old stadium prices were too low

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 4, 2009 6:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I figured that much,

it’s just you think they’d get like an architect with vision in or something – Yankee Stadium was horrid to look at and so is the new one. If you’re spending a $1bn on a stadium I’d want it to be stunning to look at as well as all singing all dancing in terms of amenities.

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's still the South Bronx

by richwol1 on Apr 4, 2009 6:40 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also completely random, cos I'm in one of those moods:

Hands up if you were playing football on a Premier League pitch this afternoon AND won the office sweepstakes in the Grand National. Oh yes it’s been a good day.

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

By weird coincidence,

I actually had my hand up when I read this post. (I was stretching.)

But no, I didn’t do either of those things.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers."

by iglew on Apr 4, 2009 6:45 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah it's a random comment, it's the insomnia.

Why can’t the A’s be playing at 7pm pst like they usually do, then I’d have something to do!

by OldhamA on Apr 4, 2009 6:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I was playing soccer on the Gilman fields this evening, does that count?

There's no crying in baseball!

by gigglingone on Apr 4, 2009 7:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did your team win?

You certainly have energy, after all the a.m. work.

by LibrariAN on Apr 4, 2009 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Special sale of game-used merch at the NotExactlyFanFest tomorrow

In the C Gate (?) store — the one near the south parking lot. They were also on sale today and I saw some of the items as I trudged up to Will Call. Jerseys from Mecir, Rincon, and Dotel…..not really sure why someone would want them, except perhaps as assurances that since the jerseys were in the stands, the former owners of them would not be coming out of the A’s bullpen ever again.

by Englishmajor on Apr 4, 2009 8:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Question

Why is/was so much of AN higher on Cahill than Anderson?

Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all

If Dustin Pedroia played in Seattle, not many people would be talking about him.

by baetown415 on Apr 4, 2009 9:35 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm higher on Anderson, m'self

I think Cahill will be very good, but with high BB numbers, while Anderson will be very, very good with a great BB/K ratio.

Basically, I think Cahill will be Miguel Batista (circa 2001-03) before he’s Brandon Webb (ceiling), while Anderson will be “Mark Buehrle with a slightly better fastball” before he’s “Mark Buehrle with a slightly better fastball.”

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 Apr 4, 2009 9:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My impression is that AN is much higher on Anderson than Cahill.

The Roto links, on the other hand, suggest that the front office is higher on Cahill, which always seemed odd to me, in contrast to AN, where Anderson is clearly preferred.

"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers."

by iglew on Apr 4, 2009 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Cahill was preferred going into ST

After all, he is home grown and performed better in the minors last season than did Anderson. I was more comfortable with Cahill at the time, but my tune has changed in that regard and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

I miss Chad God

by ChadGod on Apr 5, 2009 12:07 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm higher on Cahill, but Anderson's mighty good too.

Think Hudson vs Mulder.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 5, 2009 5:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought I saw Cahill voted higher than Anderson on AN's community prospect list

Was it Cahill’s 2 plus plus pitches compared to Anderson’s 3 plus pitches that won people over? Anderson’s lower K rate (except for AA)?

Aaron King is still my homeboy... iffy mechanics and all

If Dustin Pedroia played in Seattle, not many people would be talking about him.

by baetown415 on Apr 5, 2009 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

For me it was that Cahill had the great K-rate, and his pitches look like Brandon Webb's,

whereas Anderson had slightly worse numbers (although admittedly in part due to his horrible starts during his injury), and his pitches don’t look as nasty — more like Mark Mulder’s. And Webb is better than Mulder. OK it’s not a great reason, but I’m sticking to it.

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

by WaddellCanseco on Apr 5, 2009 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Except that Webb wasn't better than Mulder when

both were healthy and in their prime. It’s easy to forget now how great Mulder was when he was fully healthy.

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 Apr 5, 2009 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs