Braden Pitches Like A Warrior, A's Offense Looks Like The Warriors
by Nico on May 10, 2009 3:50 PM PDT
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PrintFinal Score: Blue Jays 5, A's 0
On a day when Dallas Braden was pretty hittable - literally - he showed that he is made of steel - apparently also literally. In the 1st inning, Braden was creamed by a Vernon Wells line drive that got Braden about 3" below the collarbone. Braden sagged to his knees and then sat hunched down on all fours for what seemed like an eternity, before getting up...and staying in...and gutting his way through 6 solid innings.
Braden left the bases loaded in the 1st, was touched for a solo HR by Alex Rios in the 3rd, and survived a bases loaded, none out crisis with just one run in the 5th before allowing one more in the 6th. Billy Beane's master plan this year was to add enough offense so that the young pitchers could go 6 IP, 3 ER and the A's could still win. Nice try.
Why is the A's offense so bad? Partly it's bad hitters, as the losses of Chavez, Garciaparra, and Ellis - hardly offensive juggernauts at this stage of each one's career, mind you - have forced the A's to overexpose even worse hitters like Hannahan, Crosby, Petit, and Kennedy. But it's far more than that.
Baseball is a game of adjustments and the A's approach a 0-0 count like it's 3-0 instead of looking to drive the ball (as Rod Barajas did for a sac fly off Braden in the 6th), while handling wide strike zones by leading the league in "head shakes and muttering." Three times today (Giambi twice, Cust once) a hitter played pepper right into the shift. That's how you go 0-3. It's the same weather for both teams, folks, the same umpire, the same fundamentals.
The Angels, with just as much adversity and more (Lackey, Santana, Escobar, Adenhart, Vlad) have endured it brilliantly and sit over .500. They have done exactly what the A's needed to do and that is do enough things right to win half the time. The A's are no longer in a pennant race. They are in a holding pattern to see if they can find a way to get to .500, and most importantly to see if they can find a way to play good baseball more often than not.
The best 3Bman the A's have on the horizon for now for, or for 2010, is Eric Chavez or maybe a 21-year old Adrian Cardenas. The best SS on the horizon for now, or for 2010, is an even older Orlando Cabrera. The only CFer the A's have on the horizon for now or for 2010, is Ryan Sweeney, who misread two more shallow fly balls today and once again looked helpless against LHP.
Billy Beane has done exactly what he cautions against - he has rebuilt halfway and now has a team missing Haren, Harden, Blanton, or Swisher, but also lacking many key pieces to compete now or even next season. And the rest of the league is taking advantage whenever they get to play Oakland.
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It seems like there is a consesus that Beane has collected a group of players that will not perform...
So whats the next step for this coming off season?
Is Beane’s future in Oakland limited now?
This team, at this time, NEEDS a cornerstone player on the left side of the infield
with a solid RH bat – and has needed this for years. Examples of possible solutions would be JJ Hardy (especially if you could extend him a year), Ryan Zimmerman, or on the prospect side Gamel, Moustakas, etc. Not cheap, but not impossible. The A’s could deal from their core of young pitching to address this need, and then move Bailey into the rotation. Chavez, if he has any future, is a 1Bman or DH.
In the off-season, I would go hard after Chone Figgins, who is not only an excellent lead-off hitter (.350 OBP, 75% SB career) but also can play 3B, 2B, and CF. He fills so many areas at once that are weaknesses. If the A’s had Figgins this year, leading off, how much better would they have been when Chavez and then Ellis went down?
The A’s need to realize that you can’t win with no leadoff hitter, and no punch against RHP. There’s just too much weakness to expose.
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 wish someone would ask Beane
why he has failed in this area.
It all falls on him.
blez softly interviews the man several times a year
fixed
who the hell puts a signature above their screen name???
by ANti-dentite on May 10, 2009 6:26 PM PDT up reply actions
Soft or not, at least he can get interviews with people like Beane and Wolff
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
you're both right...if blez ripped beane, then he wouldn't get the next interview...
look at what the soft interview strategy has done for larry king…
that being said, i’d rather blez have access than risk it all on a single question.
What about Corey Wimberly?
He’s a poor man’s chone figgins that will cheaper and could even possibly play shortstop as well. He just got hurt down in Double A (figures) but he was tearing up the texas league before going down and was ripe for a promotion. I say, give him a shot with the big league club if everything else goes to hell…
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
I love the guy, if only for the high socks and backflips,
but he has a long way to go to be anything like Chone Figgins. Figgins is, IMO, a highly underrated and outstanding player. Unlike Gathright et al, he actually gets on base a lot. Plus he can play so many key positions decently.
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
Also Weeks
who was rumored to be an option in CF from the moment we drafted him, and who’s best-case scenario would probably involve a Figgins-type player.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Yeah.
At this point, the best-case scenario might involve something like this:
- Weeks is converted into a centerfielder and can contribute by 2011.
- Cardenas continues hitting and can play 2nd in the majors by mid-way through 2010.
- A’s sign/draft/trade-for a power-hitting, young-ish, right-handed hitting 3rd baseman and/or shortstop.
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
Weeks in CF, Cardenas at 3B, sign JJ Hardy.
Yay
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
That could work....
when Hardy becomes a free agent AFTER next year…
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
Trade for him and sign him to an extension!
I still have a mancrush on Asdrubal Cabrera, hitting be damned.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I would like to get Hardy for next season.
I’m thinking of trade packages that might work. Sweeney, Gio and Casilla?
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
I think if the A's are serious about being good before 2011
they need to address the left side of the infield. I’d consider a trade like Sweeney, Gio and Casilla NOW because the A’s aren’t going to be any good until they address a problem that has gone unaddressed for years. And the package you suggest wouldn’t hurt the team that much now/2010 compared to how much it would improve the team now/2010.
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
Part of the reason I wanted the A's to take a closer look at Ben Copeland...
is because I think that he could have potentially been the best “major league ready” centerfield option currently (as of two days ago) on the 40-man roster. He might not have hit as well as Sweeney immediately, but he would have been a better defender and it would have made Sweeney somewhat expendable, given Cust’s “ability” to play the outfield and Buck being around and Doolittle and Corey Brown coming up quickly through the system as left-handed OF bats.
I think a team like Milwaukee (leans to the right in the lineup and without a young lefty-hitting outfielder or near-term CF option beyond Mike Cameron) could become interested in Sweeney pretty quickly…and with their bullpen problems of year’s past, they would probably welcome Casilla too. Toss in a pitching prospect (maybe Gio, maybe someone else) and viola! Could be a decent match for Hardy, provided they like Escobar enough in his place.
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
At least you're talking about a package
the Brewers would have to consider.
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 personally think the A's are too high on Sweeney
He has the defense and speed of a RFer and the bat of a CFer. To me, the team is still missing the right 3Bman, SS, and CFer going forward, and that’s a LOT.
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
Toss in a pitching prospect (maybe Gio, maybe someone else) and viola!
Well, first they’d have to sign him. What you you think Frank would want? ;)
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
you can't intentionally make a spelling error
to set yourself up for a cheap punchline, right?
That’s a CGV, isn’t it?
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:02 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't know how to frown,
but I can smile psychotically if that will help.
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd do it.
I think that means Denorfia or Cunningham in center field full time though, doesn’t it?
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Yes.
But since the A’s are already giving most of the starts to a faux-centerfielder, I wouldn’t be all that opposed to rolling with Davis in center most of the time or Cunningham (when he’s healthy) or Denorfia (when he’s healthy) provided we were able to plug-in Hardy immediately.
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
CF defense is an issue, but I feel it is right now anyway
Sweeney should not be a full-time CFer on a really good team.
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 agree.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
The question is, if the A's acquired Hardy
where does he play right now? 3B? SS with OCab to 2B? It would be a little strange.
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 dunno.
My gut says move Ocab to 2B, but it’s probably smarter to ask Hardy to play third for the rest of the season and then move him back to short
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Cabrera's only value right now is that he plays a good
short stop. Moving him to second with his bat would be crazy.
Why would our trash be their treasure?
You’re talking about a below-average centerfielder with no pop, a decent reliever, and a prospect with control issues and limited upside. There’s no way another team wouldn’t beat that offer.
If we really want someone like JJ Hardy, or Ryan Zimmerman, or anyone who is a kickass baseball player, either Cahill or Anderson are going to need to be on the table.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Cabrera is hitting like crazy this year.
He’s like Mark Ellis with a better bat.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Heh.
First you said cornerstone player, then you said Chone Figgins.
Doesn’t add up. Figgins wouldn’t be a bad pickup though, if I didn’t hate every fiber of his being.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I mean both - I see Figgins as a "super utility guy"
though he’s better than that in that he is a plus leadoff hitter wherever he plays. But the A’s also need a tried and true 3Bman or SS – the guy who will anchor the position for the next 2-6 years.
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
Which Warriors are you talking about? The Golden State Warriors?
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 10, 2009 4:03 PM PDT reply actions
winters warriors
?
[b]More Rajai Davis & less mount Davis[/b]
Does Rajai Davis know Al Davis?
by Athletics fan and runner on May 10, 2009 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes, GSW
The A’s offense is about as good as that team.
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
Oh, I thought you meant the Warriors’ offense and not both their offense and defense because the Warriors offense was actually second in the NBA this past season.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 10, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions
Pretty much hit the nail on the head there Nico
I think people that say we are in a bad division and think we have a shot are not looking at how bad the offense is. How fucked up the philosophy regarding our offense is and how gutless our manager is.
7 games under is pathetic. They make so many fundamental errors that it’s a joke. They have no enthusism. Holliday must now realize how easy he had it in Colorado.
Batting OCab leading off is a failure to date.
This team needs heating up and someone to go on a tirade at how embarrassing they are playing and with Geren leading the way it’s near impossible to claw back into a race with his low fucking key attitude.
I don’t think I have missed an A’s game in years and will continue to in the hopes they pull their heads out of their arses.
It is impossible to have positive thoughts on this team at the moment because they do not inspire. Maybe that will change but changes have to be made.
I agree with most of your post
but the division is still within reach no matter how poorly the A’s have performed to this point. I know that it becomes less and less likely (when there are fewer games to play each day) but the AL worst is still possible for any of the four crappy teams.
It’s crazy to believe that Chavez, Nomar, Ellis, etc. will stay healthy but it certainly won’t hurt if/when they do come back. The rest of the lineup is capable of achieving better results sans Suzuki/Cust and I expect they will.
These ain't your father's A's.
by ohtobe21likehuston on May 10, 2009 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
I agree that the A's could bounce back and start
winning more than 11/29 of their games. However, it will take 85+ wins to win even the AL West, and the Angels are actually ahead of where I would have expected, two games over .500 with a team that could easily be 4-5 games under given its current roster.
For the A’s just to win 85 games, they will need to go 74-59 the rest of the way, and another 30 games of it is without Ellis and likely a lot of it without Chavez or Nomar. The pitching has hope because Gallagher, Gio Gonzalez et al could start pitching well. But we know that Hannahan and Kennedy aren’t going to start hitting well, or for power. So the infield is not just a mess – there’s also no offensive help on the horizon. Unless the A’s make a trade for a real 2B-SS-3B “major league ready” prospect I don’t see how the team is going to get good enough to sustain success any time soon, other than to start winning a lot of games 2-1.
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 would love the A's to go 74-59
I see it as impossible with Geren running the team. He is afraid to say anything negative for fear at upsetting the players it seems. And he sucks period.
I think the team would improve a little bit if they never took a strike 3 called. If I am the manager I would tell them, “If it’s that close, swing”. If it’s within 6-8 inches of the plate to the naked eye, SWING AT IT. We have two or three every game. Even if one of those is converted into a hit, that helps. That pisses me off more than anything. Umps make bad calls but you have to protect the plate.
When there are runners on, look for the 1st decent pitch to drive. Do not look to back way on base. It does not work as last 5 years show us. Our OBP is .310 so far this year so it’s not working is it. Like Nico says, if a pitcher cannot throw strikes then make him earn it but if a pitcher is throwing strikes then hit the ball. If they are professional hitters then they should be able to hit a fastball right down the middle.
OCab should not be leading off. If you are going to have Kurt hitting second then you might as well lead him off and bat Cust second agaisnt RHP and if you must, OCab second against LHP.
Gio Gonzalez, I see had a bad outing in AAA. He has promise but walks way to many. Gallagher is better than he pitched yesterday but it was good to see him comment afterwards as to how disappointed he was in himself. He is taking responsibility. I think Trevor and Anderson are going to be just fine. Outman belongs in the pen. He is not a starter and while he had one good start, his fastball says hit me second and third time thru the order.
I want to A’s to win so bad but I get so angry at the ineptness of this team at times. They look like they don’t give a fuck half the time and if they keep playing that way, they won’t soon anyway.
Time for a major shakeup and that responsibility falls on Beane.
My basic philosophy of hitting is:
1. Generally “zone hit” until you have two strikes, i.e., look for a pitch where you want it and swing if you get the pitch and/or location you want. That means that on most counts you approach it like the count is 2-0.
2. Try to hit the ball hard where it’s pitched.
If you just start with those two principles, a lot of good things follow.
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
You think that this isn't what the A's are telling their players because?
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 May 10, 2009 9:03 PM PDT up reply actions
Because the batting coaches just don't care.
They need to get pissed off.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Because the results aren't commensurate with the talent level, for an extended period of time?
If that’s not management, what else is it?
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
I plan on expounding on this extensively in a Fan Post, but I'll just point out a few things now:
I can’t wait until after 2010. That’s how long Eric Chavez and Bob Geren are contractually obligated to be Oakland A’s and hopefully, hopefully, hopefully, Beane and company do not pick up the 2011 options on either guy.
It’s not that Chavez is a terrible baseball player, or Geren is a terrible manager, it’s just that the combination of those two in particular has created such an atmosphere of disappointment, listlessness and failure to meet expectations that it even poisons the bats of Hall of Fame-caliber talents like Matt Holliday.
It’s just not funny anymore, and I’ll try to be focused enough about it to lay my frustrations out in a fan post sometimes in the next 24 hours…
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
Put it on the front page, Taj - we miss you there!
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 rate my negative thoughts are boiling over right now...
It might contain wayyyyyy too much profanity for a front page post…
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
I like you more and more.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I'll lend you my anti-CGV force shield; it's worked well so far...
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
Taj,
Look forward to your post but are we to believe that those two are at the core of the issue? I see where you’re going, but Holliday is a big boy, and should be held accountable for his poisoned bat.
Aside from that, let ’er rip.
I'm here to talk about the past.
I don't blame Chavez for not being able to play
I tend to blame the A’s for keeping him at a position where he has to throw when they so desperately need his bat (which might have still been good had his shoulder not been compromised by throwing – that’s sure how it looked last year).
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
Yeah
I mean, from the standpoint of never fulfilling the expectations brought upon by his contract, I can understand where Taj is coming from (if that is indeed where Taj was coming from). But as you’ve mentioned, some of that negative aura could have been avoided had the situation been handled differently.
It’s a tough call. One day Beane has the Midas touch (at least from the eyes of the casual observer) and then the magic runs out and begins to snowball the other way. One can shrug and say that’s it goes sometimes. When you’ve built a rep for yourself…
I'm here to talk about the past.
Thanks for the Ron Washington arms-up "don't run!" warnings, Don.
As far as Holliday’s struggles, I agree with you. Chavez, Geren and Beane certainly aren’t to be blamed for him not producing. I’m thinking of it as more of a snow-ball effect with how the decisions/mentalities of those other three have kind of compounded Holliday’s struggles. I mean, with no Chavez and with only a crappy Giambi and a non-traditional hitter like Cust to “protect” him, Holliday is almost always in a “feast or famine” position at the plate, where he’s either the hero or the bum, and in a more dynamic lineup, he probably would have been able to slip down to the 6th or 7th spot to take some pressure off of him so that he could regain his stroke.
As for the direction of my upcoming rant…who knows where it will go…it’s only been an hour or so since this latest debacle, but it’s 36 hours until the next time any of these bums can prove me wrong!
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
In that sense
I do agree with you. I guess I was hoping that Holliday would have been the type of guy to rise above that. Someone to say to his teammates, “Ride on my back this week, boys.” In short, rather than take pressure off of him, I was hoping he would lead them. Perhaps a little unfair/too much to ask, all things considered. Not too many players thrive in a “hero or bum” situation.
And who is this “Don” guy? (ha)
I'm here to talk about the past.
I was referring to you in the Spanish nobility sort of way...
Like, “Muchas gracias por dejarme vivir, Don Marquez, el glorioso!”
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
Why? The A's are trying to preserve his value.
Chances are that he would be unlikely to be an average player at 1b. In 2005, his last healthy season, Chavez had a .342 wOBA. Average wOBA for a first baseman is .364. Converting to runs ((.342-.364)/1.15) x 650PA = 12.4 runs bellow the average 1b. While Chavez is a great defensive player there wasn’t any 1b that was that good on defense in the ENTIRE MLB. This also ignores that the A’s thought they had some pretty valuable assets at 1b since 2004. Dan Johnson was a top prospect and would have been a more than 2 win player in 2005 if he had more playing time. Expecting him to produce in 2006 wasn’t a stretch. Swisher played 90 games at 1b in 2006 and was above average there. You might have a point in 07 but Barton was expected to do very well last year. So putting Chavez at 1b when he was likely to be a below average player there doesn’t make much sense.
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 May 10, 2009 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Correction
He was a good defensive third baseman. He is no longer one, and is ready for the baseball equivalent of the glue factory. The sooner the A’s buy out his contract and make him some kind of “special adviser,” the better off they will be.
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chavy should have been serioulsy been moved to keep his bat in the line-up and now we lose both…
"Where's the beef?"
I know it's hindsight
But we are already wishing for Geren’s contract to run out when his best friend just extended him this offseason?
I am Ray Fosse's infatuations with Clay Wood and high-definition television.
by franks a lot on May 11, 2009 5:54 AM PDT up reply actions
Give BB some credit
The plan sounded pretty good. The A’s “offense” was so bad last year he went out and did something significant about it. At the start of the season I was super-excited about the prospects of a lineup that went something like Sweeney / OCab / Giambi / Holliday / Cust / Suzuki / Chavez / Ellis / Buck. With Nomar on the bench. Sounded pretty bloody good to me.
It could have worked out brilliantly. Unfortunately it didn’t. Or at least it hasn’t so far.
But a good sign is that at least BB realized that we need some top class hitting talent in this team (what we were supposed to get with Holliday). Maybe now BB will trade some of our talented young pitchers for some young or young-ish hitters and especially a 3rd baseman?
I totally support Holliday in as much as
Beane had every reason to expect he could hit very well and give the offense a significant lift. The 3B debacle was foreseeable, however, as was the fact that in trading C-Gonzalez the A’s would be left without a true CFer and that Sweeney would hit neither for power or hit LHP.
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 guys the a's trade do well, the guys the a's trade for stink...
there’s an environmental problem, a philosophy problem or a patience problem…not sure which or which combo
I don't blame Billy Beane for assembling and then hoping for the best with this year's collection of underachievers.
But I do blame him for failing for years to develop any semblance of consistent, homegrown offensive talent that thereby necessitated the collection of the aforementioned veteran re-treads.
I'm never gonna do it without the fez on!
It would have been fine had the A's moved Chavez to 1B
in acknowledgement of his actual physical state, and signed Nomar to backup and platoon with Chavez and the young right-handed 3Bman the A’s had drafted or traded for sometime in the past three years.
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
Not a new idea, BTW -
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
a good plan, except –
it depends too much on a healthy and productive Chavez. Had that been the case Nomar could really be a pinch hitter (like yesterday in the ninth inning?) and a spot starter. Giambi could DH more often, saving his legs.
Well, we didn’t expect Sweeney, Cabrera, Giambi and Holliday to be where they are right now.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 10, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
i get sweeney has been less than good...we've faced lots of left handers and he doesn't
handle them well.
giambi is getting older and is a slow starter.
why have holliday and o-cab started horribly? dunno. might have something to do with the bad mojo all around them.
Cabrera started out okay, but for the past few weeks
he looks like he is overanxious at the plate. I think the offensive woes of the team – and of course, all those injuries – are affecting him at the plate.
so far suzuki, is the only guy that we've moved to a more important spot in the line up that has produced...
everybody seems to suffer from being over anxious. it’s what sweeney says, it’s perhaps what’s going on with o-cab, holliday is playing for a contract, etc…
does anyone on this team have the ability to persevere.
Really?
Because nobody really projected Sweeney to be a world beater, everybody knew Cabrera was a subpar hitter who contributed wins because of his glove, a good many people were against signing Giambi, and Holliday is off to a slow start switching to the AL and moving from Coors Field.
Not that I’m saying Holliday isn’t hitting because he’s outside of Coors. This is the first time in Holliday’s MLB Career he hasn’t been a Colorado Rockies player. There’s probably some adjustment still going on.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
You know I have a funny feeling Holliday's problems
aren’t to do with being away from Coors or being in the AL. He’s been away from Coors half his career and the adjustment to the AL isn’t an automatic “two month slump.” His whole approach is way, way off. Something else is going on, IMO. I can’t put my finger on it, and I have shoot-from-the-hip theories that I wouldn’t share on AN because they would just be baseless speculation, but I don’t think it’s as simple as “new park” or “new league.”
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
Didn't he change his swing during the offseason with McGwire
and then change it back because it was uncomfortable?
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I keep wondering why he would change his batting stance
just before his walk year, since he seemed to be successful with the old approach.
Yeah, thanks Mac.
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
When a guy with 600 career homers has a couple pointers, you probably tend to listen.
But yeah, it’s still kinda puzzling.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Shoot-from-the-hip theory
Maybe he put his finger on the plunger too many times.
Sweeney, Cabrera, and Giambi
are all hitting, so far this season, right about what I expected.
Holliday I thought would be quite a bit better, though.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
right about what I expected.
1. No you didn’t expect “right about” this (G & C)
2. If you did (and you didn’t) that would have been a really dumb thing to expect.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
What's unreasonable about steep decline from old baseball players?
"PECOTA can pretty much kiss my ass."-Nico
Well, I guess I'm really dumb then.
But I don’t think I’m the only one. Since when did we expect Cabrera and Giambi were going to be great hitters?
I remember all the trade talk during the off-season, and no one here was talking about Orlando Cabrera. During all the will-we-or-won’t-we talk about Rafael Furcal, there were plenty of discussions of other shortstops we might sign, but O-Cab was near the bottom of everyone’s lists, somewhere below Edgar Renteria, whom most of us didn’t want either.
The first serious discussion of Cabrera here was in early January when Nico wrote this front page story suggesting the idea for discussion. Nico only just barely recommended the idea, without enthusiasm. You can follow the link and read it yourself but his “argument” basically went like: Yeah, I know he sucks, but at least he’s slightly better than Crosby; as long as he bats low in the order he won’t be a liability, and we can probably get him for really cheap." Then even being tested against these embarrassingly low expectations, most the commenters still didn’t want him.
A little better was expected from Jason Giambi. Acquiring him has been a popular topic on AN, going back even to the 2007 season. By my recollection, AN has been split about 50-50 between want and do-not-want. But everyone agrees that he’s past his prime.
Here’s a story by Taj Adib from November 2007 proposing the idea. Among the commenters is PaulThomas, who said:
The guy is over the hill. He’s going to be 38 in 2009, and without his pharmaceutical enhancements, I don’t see how he’s going to be effective.
I responded to that with a “+1” and, responding to Taj’s idea of a nostalgic return to a better era in A’s recent history, added:
If the only purpose of bringing him back is “flashback to better times”, I’d rather see Rickey. He’d be no less effective.
Now I love me some Rickey, and to this day if there were a proposal to sign him to the team I’d be all for it. But do I think Rickey is be the solution to our ailing offense? Of course not. The man is 50 years old. But that’s my comparable for what I expected if we sign Jason Giambi.
Later, toward the end of 2008 when discussion of Giambi began in earnest, everyone was asking where we’d play him. If he plays 1B then that blocks Daric Barton. But if we DH him, then that puts Cust in the outfield, taking playing time from Ryan Sweeney or Travis Buck. There was a lot of debate about whether that would be worth it. That is, people were questioning whether Giambi was much of an upgrade over Barton or Buck.
This is what the general attitude toward Orlando Cabrera and Jason Giambi was during the off-season. But come 2009, it’s a new year and everything is lost down the memory hole. The teams signs them both and starts churning out the press releases. Everyone drinks the A’s Kool-Aid and we’re all repeating the PR bullshit about how this year’s gonna be great with all the new bats. What new bats? A past-his-prime veteran who may or may not be better than Daric Barton, and everyone’s last choice of free agent shortstop whose only qualification is that he isn’t as bad a hitter as Bobby Crosby. Nobody was banging a drum to sign these guys. Some people were in favor, but only because both of them were signed for dirt cheap and they were better than nothing.
So where’s the surprise? The only way these guys are far below expectations is if you measure against the ludicrously optimistic expectations that bloomed briefly in the spring. Compare against the more sober expectations, and guess what? Giambi really is hitting about as well as Daric Barton, and Orlando Cabrera really does suck not quite as much as Bobby Crosby did last year.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I searched for my name and "giambi" on AN.
I had a few posts saying Giambi could very well post a 115 OPS+ which would be a significant drop from his 128 OPS+ last season.
Fuck, right now I’d kill for him to have a 115 OPS+
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
When I searched my name,
I found a “do not want” LOLcat for Giambi, and I called O-Cab an “icky poopy-head”.
My arguments are soooo sophisticated!
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Here is what I meant
Cabrera is doing much much much worse than the past few seasons. It is reasonable to expect him to be somewhat worse as he’s getting older and most people did, but not much much much worse.
His current performance extended to a full season would have last year made him the worst hitter in the majors by a LOT. You did not expect that. No one expected that. It would be a completely absurd thing to expect.
The only way these guys are far below expectations is if you measure against the ludicrously optimistic expectations that bloomed briefly in the spring. Compare against the more sober expectations, and guess what? Giambi really is hitting about as well as Daric Barton, and Orlando Cabrera really does suck not quite as much as Bobby Crosby did last year.
This is just wrong. Both of them (G & C) are doing MUCH worse than even their most pessimistic projections.
Cabrera is sucking way way way way more than Crosby ever has at the plate. Both of them are significantly underperforming their projections, which 1) are of course not fanboy optimism; and 2) projected fairly large declines for both players. It was entirely reasonable to expect declines, and what’s happened is not necessarily a huge surprise, but why would you expect either of them to suddenly crater? You wouldn’t and didn’t.
Giambi vs. Barton: A lot of people thought Giambi would be between a non-upgrade and a not very big upgrade. A lot of that was defense. A lot of it was Barton improving and Giambi getting worse. But why think that Giambi’s offense would suddenly fall off a cliff when it was very good last year? Again, it’s not really huge surprise at his age, but what reason was there to think that this would be the year that he would crater, as opposed to decline more gradually, or crater next year or the year after?
You probably thought something like “I expect Cabrera to hit poorly because he’s a bad hitter.” He’s never been a good hitter, and he’s getting older so it makes sense to think he would do somewhat worse than the past few seasons.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
Thanks for the clarification, Mike
I expected them to be bad, and they’ve been bad. I guess I didn’t realize they’ve been that much worse than just plain bad, so I stand corrected on that.
I still expect both Giambi and Cabrera to regress to my initial expectations of just plain bad. That is, I figure them to end the season with OPS+ of about 95 and 70 respectively.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
and all the cowbell in the world can't fix it
These ain't your father's A's.
by ohtobe21likehuston on May 10, 2009 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm behind the times...
I just saw that sketch for the first time tonight… I was so blown away that something from SNL could be so, well, actually funny!
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Someone used the word listless.
I am sick of watching this horror show. Oh, and field a winning team and fans will show. Doesn’t work the other way around.
Baja been here
What about Cecil?
Not seeing the game & only reading various comments, was Cecil hittable or did he do what he is supposed to do? This guy might be a damn good pitcher. The problem right now is, all opposing pitching looks good.
Paddle Faster! I hear banjo music.
He did what he was supposed to do
Which is be a LHP against the A’s.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
I think every team in the AL is trying to set up their rotation now....
“Let’s see, A’s series coming up….got any lefties we can throw for three straight days? Excellent….”
There's no crying in baseball!
I thought he pitched "fairly well" but not brilliantly
The way he threw I would have expected more like 6 IP, 2 ER at best.
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
that's how he looked to me
of course, I wasn’t batting against him (!), but I’ve seen plenty of pitchers, and he didn’t look that dominating.
From the RF bleachers
Cecil looked about as good as Braden. I remember seeing Erik Bedard at the Coliseum two years ago, and he was mowing people down and looked dominant. Cecil looked like he was throwing a decent number of strikes, and it mostly looked like the A’s offense (aside from Suzuki) just didn’t know how to hit.
by el generico on May 11, 2009 12:06 AM PDT up reply actions
Here and now
It’s too early for me at least to start thinking about 2010 or God forbid 2011. The goal of any professional sports team is to win and win now. We’ve sat through the last 2 years of “rebuilding” and that’s enough.
I’d like to see Giambi become the full time DH as the A’s need is bat to pick up and maybe if he’s just focuses on hitting that will help him. Since Jack Cust has proven to be adequate in the OF he doesn’t need the DH slot.
It looks like Barton is stinking it up in Sacramento so I guess the A’s should try Chavez at 1B and use Crosby at third until he stops hitting. I’d still love to see the A’s get a veteran starter who can be counted on for 6 innings but I guess that won’t happen.
My last thought would be that Geren gets until the All Star Break and if this team is still playing this poorly he’s gone as that would be 21/2 seasons in the big chair and that’s long enough to prove yourself.
just got back from the game
Beautiful day for baseball, so I used most of my season ticket credit to buy a ticket in 118.
I got to sit with Lynnsgirl for the last two innings…I needed someone to commiserate with.
I did notice that Bobby Crosby is standing closer to the plate when he’s at bat (couldn’t really tell from up in 225 where I normally sit).
There was a moment during a Cust at bat when the umpire called a pitch a strike that really looked like a ball. Cust stepped out of the batter’s box. I don’t know what he said, but the ump took off his mask and glared at Cust. It was a tense moment — I thought I was going to see Geren thrown out for the second straight game. Bust Cust dropped his head, and the moment passed.
When Braden dropped down after gettting nailed by Well’s hit I thought he was seriously injured…that was a terrible sight. I’m still pretty amazed that he stayed in the ballgame.
But no run support…the A’s are making rookies look like Cy Young, especially if they’re left handed.
Were the tote bags as nice as they looked in the preview?
by Englishmajor on May 10, 2009 6:56 PM PDT up reply actions
"The A's are no longer in a pennant race."
I missed the part of the season when they were. ;-)
I'm here to talk about the past.
fwiw
PA ends on 1st pitch:
AL: 10.9%
A’s: 11.4%
0-1 counts:
AL: 46.9%
A’s: 45.6%
K:
AL: 17%
A’s: 16%
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
See I'd argue that with the A's
the PA ends on the first pitch more like 90% of the time. Certainly anytime Hannahan stands in, Crosby stands in, Rajai Davis stands in…
Seriously though, the problem I have isn’t actually how often the A’s swing at the first pitch. It’s more that it’s “take the first pitch…take the first pitch…Wait, we have to swing at the first pitch more!!!111 swing at the first pitch…” rather than just consistently “zone hitting” on the first pitch as a general offensive philosophy.
Just curious, mikeA – with the players the A’s have, what would you do to get more out of the offense? It’s a tough question; your thoughts?
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 dunno
I don’t think it’s that helpful to think of it in terms of a team approach. There’s a reasonably wide range of different approaches among the guys who are struggling. Holliday is swinging at balls and looking at strikes. Maybe he try to change that a bit. Giambi and Cabrera need to stop being old and finished (which they might). The whole team is pretty much screwed against LHPs.
With stout hearts, and with enthusiasm for the contest, let us go forward to victory. ----Hero Defector Montgomery
I agree - to me the best "team approach" is just
to look at the situation and adapt. If a pitcher is wild, be more patient. If a pitcher is throwing a lot of first-pitch strikes, look for a pitch to drive early in the count. If there’s a man at third and one out, look for a pitch up and if you have two strikes focus on contact, and so on.
Rosterwise, I’m really surprised the A’s didn’t bring in or keep a RH hitting OFer like Kielty was or Murton was supposed to be. Sweeney is known to have trouble against LHP and apparently the A’s don’t think much of Buck’s ability to hit LHP despite the evidence to the contrary – so where is the OF counterpart to Nomar?
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
If Kielty were still on the Oakland team
He’d be having a career year right now, with all those LHPs.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
Trade Hannahan
to Japannahan
for Kielty-San!
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:14 AM PDT up reply actions
that would be a Cheap Trick
I want you, to trade me…..
alaska A residing in colorado. (soon in Idaho)
This is unhelpfull
mikeA showed some stats that suggest your points about our first pitch strategy are highly unlikely to be accurate. Then you point out the teams 3rd and 4th best hitting players according to OPS (3rd and 5th with wOBA) as examples of how their at bats end after the first pitch more than 90% of the time? How does this make sense?
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 May 10, 2009 9:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Suggestion: Take the chip off your shoulder and try reading it as a joke
and see what happens.
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 May 10, 2009 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
+1
I haven’t joined in on the commentary on the A’s taking too many pitches, because I think it’s exactly the sort of thing that’s fueled by selection bias. People are convinced that the A’s’ problem is taking hittable pitches early in the count, but that impression leads people to look for evidence to confirm it and ignore what contradicts it.
I didn’t listen to the end of yesterday’s game, and wasn’t on the game threads. I noticed in the accounts of the game that Powell popped out on the 1st pitch he saw. I wondered whether anyone on AN had praised him for swinging at the first pitch in that situation.
I just checked the game thread. No one said anything good about Powell swinging at the first pitch (a few people said, “Downs was wild, take a pitch!”) even though the consensus here is that being aggressive early in the count is exactly what the A’s need to do. (BTW, since I couldn’t see a Sat Foxed game, I don’t know whether the pitch he swung at was any good to hit). I read the recap and from what I remember no one said, “Well, at least Powell was aggressive that last AB.”
I think the A’s lineup, right now, has too many mediocre-to-bad hitters, and the most talented, peak-of-career hitter in the lineup is hitting, overall, really really badly. And I think it’s important to note amongf the guys who suck now — Cabrera, Holliday, Nomar before he got hurt — are hitters who (a) learned to hit outside the A’s organization, and (b) have never, ever been known for talking lots of walks or being particularly patient.
That is, even the guys who are known as hackers are stinking it up right now. I just think it’s much to easy to say, “The Angels are aggressive and the A’s aren’t so the Angels’ offense is better than the A’s.” Especially when the basis for that statement is so subject to our own biases.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I agree - and I don't think it's a matter of first pitch behavior
so much as a failure to adapt in general. You can take three called third strikes off the outside corner and complain three times, but it won’t do a whole lot of good. I don’t want to see the A’s swing at more first pitches, but I do want to see them swing at about every first pitch fastball down the middle. Because you don’t want to let the pitcher off the hook from having to throw to the corners and change speeds in order to get ahead.
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
Chavez to 1B
makes sense. Giambi full time DH with Cust in RF. What about trading for Troy Glaus? He is on the wrong side of 30 and coming off an injury, but it does not seem to be a chronic situation like the one Chavez is experiencing. He hit 28 homers with 99 RBI’s in 2008 and could be had cheap…
I fell asleep in the 8th
I don’t suppose we got more than 5 hits?
The best part of today’s game was the pink bats, as always :)
Well, and Braden did a good job getting out of the bases-loaded jam.
good news about Braden
Slusser reports that x-rays showed nothing broken. Turns out wells’ lined shot hit Braden in the neck and the back of the pitching hand, and there was an imprint of the seams on the back of his hand.
I thought he’d taken the shot on his chest and maybe his right wrist. I still find it amazing that he stayed in and pitched, when the hit caught his pitching hand! He’s wearing a splint and the hand is swollen, but he insists he won’t miss his next start.
The A's Make Average Pitchers Look Great
No offense (not the A’s hitting….this time), but Cecil isn’t exactly Roy Halliday. This guy made the A’s look like chumps today. With the exception (once again) of Suzuki, I didn’t see any adjustments being made by anyone.
Braden could have only given up one run and still lost. This is getting real old and sucks.
I have better hitters on the 6th grade baseball team I coach.
Note to Geren: Cabrera is not a lead off hitter. He looks totally uninspired and lost at the plate. Keep Suzuki there. He is the only guy hitting so having him bat lower in the order doesn’t matter.
The truly sad thing is that as much as we can all wish for things to get better, I don’t think they will. Too many bad hitters on this roster.
The weakest hitting infield in MLB today
Hannahan, OCab, Kennedy and Crosby. Two Angels retreads, one A’s retread, and one minor leaguer who somehow keeps showing up in our starting lineup. This is the product that’s being put on the field, and compare it to every other infield in the AL West and it’s laughable.
Not only if the offense pitiful, but with the pressure being put on the starting pitchers to keep their pitch count down they’re getting hammered with two strikes. They don’t dare throw a waste pitch in the dirt, so they try to hit the corners and fail, sending balls spraying all over the outfield. I’ve never seen such a terrible approach with two strikes and it’s happened consistently with all of the starters.
by coffee roaster on May 10, 2009 5:32 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
letting the days go by
same as it ever was
These ain't your father's A's.
by ohtobe21likehuston on May 10, 2009 5:49 PM PDT reply actions
You may ask yourself
How do I swing this?
You may ask yourself
Where is that excellent young staff?
You may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful new stadium!
You may tell yourself
This is not my expensive power-hitting veteran!
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 10, 2009 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
I had a draft beer in the morning...
As I headed out the door.
I had three more at the office
And I called my boss a "whore"
I had a draft beer on the park bench
As I cried into my crate
I was drinking another draft beer
When I crashed into the gate….
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 10, 2009 6:09 PM PDT reply actions
That is much better than the original
where “pool” is meant to rhyme with “cruise”.
by Englishmajor on May 10, 2009 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions
There are no actual rhymes in the entire song.
Pool-cruise is the worst, but guitar-yard, woods-good, and place-taste aren’t quite right either.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
and now, the one you've all been waiting for...
…the one I didn’t want to share because it’s so horribly foul…
…but it’s late and I’m drunk and my team has been sucking biscuits for a month…
this is what I sing when that g**dam**d comm****al comes on:
I drowned John Lackey in a bucket and I left him there to die
I dissected Torii Hunter and I baked him into pie
I chased Mike Scoscia on my scooter and ran him off the road
As for Gary Matthews, Jr, his car’s about to explode
I’m stalking Howie Kendrick and poisoning his cats
and when I finally whack him, I’ll feed him to the Angel Stadium rats!
It goes on and on (just like that f***ing co*******l does,) and just spirals further into violence, cannnibalism and blatant devil worship.
NOTE- If I end up getting banned for my song stylings, I would prefer it to be a 40 day ban like Jesus and not a 30 day ban like PaulThomas. Thank you for your support. Go A’s.
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions
(goes to basement)
huffs some more glue
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Not much else to say
The offense stinks, the pitching’s been good enough for us to be at least .500, and the bullpen’s still good with the exception of Blevins. He sucks.
Nothing we can do except wait for the team to turn it around or continue on the road to nothingness.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
I take it you don't watch the Warriors
That, or it’s a poorly worded title
who the hell puts a signature above their screen name???
Cunningham to CF maybe?
Could he be decent enough defensively to pull off CF?
"And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic..."
I like Cunningham as a hitter
People were thinking of him as a LF or RF when Gonzalez was the CF-of-the-future, but now that it’s Sweeney, i wonder if people would be willing to re-evaluate Cunningham’s position.
He’s still on the shelf, AFAIK, with that shoulder injury. Maybe they’ll bring him up after he’s had a chance to play 2 or 3 weeks in AAA, whenever that is.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
I think he came off the DL today
I’ve always believed in him – not sure if he can handle CF but I’d guess he can handle it about as well as Sweeney. I think he has more foot speed than Sweeney, which is important.
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 he's not nearly as hott
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
A's offense
It’s time for somebody to take control here. Bob GEREN OBVIOUSLY isn’t going to do it, will Billy Beane? The A’s offense is putrid. Change something, play different players, bring some minor leaguers up, shake it up. I just saw an interview with Crosby and Cust, and they weren’t upset, frustrated, or mad. Will some body set up a meeting and talk to these guys, a players only meeting, Giambi, Garciaparra, aren’t they the veterans on the team. Nobody in the A’s management ever says anything, they just stay status quo. Will they make some changes, the division is there for the taking, how long will they live with this?
I know it's considered "naive" to say it,
but I absolutely believe that the lack of fire on the A’s is a very real problem. Not that “Cust being fired up” will cause Jack Hannahan to hit .290, but you’d like to see the team lean with every pitch for one another and show some spark when they do something well or see a teammate do something well. It IS contagious and these recent A’s teams just look dead, like they’re waiting for the other team to take it to them.
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
Can we not find someone better than Hannahan to man 3rd base
You can field 100 percent but that does not put runs on the board and this team has no clue how to score a run at times and we know what happens if we don’t score.
You're right on once again Nico
" I may not know how to tango, but I sure as hell can man dance!" -Nate Robles
by DaSwinginA's on May 10, 2009 7:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think it's naive
It’s one of the reasons I was sorry to see Swisher go - the guy at least has a pulse, which is sorely lacking on the current A’s squad. And as he becomes a veteran I could see him being the one to light a fire under a few of the dead-asses that aren’t running hard to first base on a grounder (I’m looking at you, OCab).
by coffee roaster on May 10, 2009 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Swisher was also generally on pretty good teams.
Professional ballplayers or not, being on a losing team day in and day out fucking sucks, and guys who are talented enough (and competitive enough) to become MLB caliber players do NOT enjoy mediocrity.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
That falls on the manager
Bobble Head Bob Geren is a zero. Maybe he shows passion back in the locker room but the dude is morbidly vacant in the dugout.
Baja been here
They've made lots of changes
Change something, play different players, bring some minor leaguers up, shake it up.
Well, they have done all that. They made wholesale changes in the offseason. They’ve called up Hannahan and Petit and traded for Kennedy. They gave Davis a bunch of starts; he did badly, so they’ve been starting Buck a lot more lately. When Giambi got hurt, they put Powell at 1B even though he’d practically never played there as a pro (or even in college, IIRC). After not playing much at all in the first few weeks, Crosby is now an everyday player who plays 3B, 2B, and 1B.
I just saw an interview with Crosby and Cust, and they weren’t upset, frustrated, or mad.
Well, to be fair, Cust has been hitting really well this year (and stealing bases! and throwing runners out at the plate!) and Crosby has been healthy and getting on base better than virtually all of his teammates — they’re two guys whom I’d expect to feel pretty happy about their own performances, although I’m sure the losing pisses them off.
The team has made lots of changes. It’s just that very few of them have worked at all.
As far as a players’ meeting is concerned, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt. But talking in a clubhouse isn’t likely to make it a great lineup.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Reply FAIL
Supposed to be a reply to tdog1168 above. Sorry.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
We can't allow that kind of stuff on AN
{makes changes, holds meeting}
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's about time
you rip into this team, Nico.
The “We miss PT” mantra can only work for so long. At some point your posters are just going to have to step up to the keyboard, and produce. If it’s a worthy comment, then damn it, hit “Post”. Stop staring at it. I’m sick of the indecisiveness.
As for Nick, we all know he has produced for you in the past, but there is no excuse for a reply fail this late in the season. At least he held himself accountable. Most of these clowns here don’t.
I'm here to talk about the past.
I'm doin what I can, coach.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Well, you know, they say that hitting a "reply" button
is the hardest thing in blogging. Even the best succeed only 3 times out of 10.
I screwed up. I’ll wear it.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Damn, that post was clutch.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
If you can improve to 3.5 times out of every 10
hitting the reply button, you will go to the HOF.
The problem with reply button percentage
Is that it doesn’t take keyboard factor into consideration.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I looked up Nick's tRA and let me just say,
“Yowie.”
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
Great, now he'll sign a multi-year deal with Pinstripe Alley
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
So did I!
It stung for a few seconds, but then I shrugged it off and went back to work. They don’t hit that hard….
Sometimes life will strike you out on a curve ball and the only choice you have is to flip off the umpire and walk to first base anyway.
by Threepwood XX on May 10, 2009 7:29 PM PDT up reply actions
True polygraph interview
Examiner: Have you ever paid for sex?
Subject: Do you mean emotionally or financially?
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Micah Owings is a better hitter than 90 percent of the A's
The question is why is he pitching. He has 4.98 career ERA but a .316 Career BA but considering he hits once every 5 days or so to have that BA I would think he should quit pitching and just hit.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/stats?playerId=28660&context=batting
Where could you start turning things around?
Next time the A’s lead after 6, go to Bailey for a 9 out save, then start him 5 days later for 60-70 pitches, and 5 days later he’s part of the regular rotation. If Bailey can thrive as a starter – and I don’t see anything about his stuff or makeup that suggests he can’t – then you have Braden, Anderson, Cahill, and Bailey as a core and you can deal young pitching like Gio, Gallagher, Mazzaro, etc. (all of whom have some value, regardless of their recent performances) without worrying about coming up short on starting pitchers. Just a thought.
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 begs the question, though...
Do you think Bailey has become a good MLB pitcher, or a good MLB reliever?
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
and begs yet another question..
WTF happens to the bullpen? Bailey is the best reliever on the team right now. Ziggy’s still showing some effects of his swine flu IMO, Casilla is hurt, Weurtz is gonna be overworked if Bailey is pulled from the pen, Springer ain’t that great, and guys like Cameron, Giese, and Gray aren’t cornerstone bullpen guys.
I realize it sounds remarkably similar to the Joba Chamberlain argument, but the difference is Joba was a really good starter in the minors.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I think Bailey should close
period.
Ziigy should be setting up.
Setup/key bullpen groundball guy, yeah.
I wouldn’t keep him for just the 7th/8th innings. He needs to go in whenever a grounder is desperately needed.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
My feeling is that it's a lot easier to replace a good reliever
than it is to find a good starter, so to me the question really comes down to: Can Bailey be an effective major league starter? I see a guy with the aggressiveness and physical ability to throw strikes early and often, with a good 93MPH fastball, “swing and miss” 90 MPH cutter, and solid curve. What I don’t know is whether he would maintain his velocity for 6 innings, but if he could I don’t see why he couldn’t be a very good starter.
Bailey says he wasn’t aggressive enough as a starter in the minors, but I think the success he has had in the major leagues would allow him to transfer that mindset/confidence to the rotation.
Seems worth a shot – if he doesn’t succeed, move him straight into the closer’s role. Either way you 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
Yeah, I mean it can't hurt to try.
and I do agree that we’ve been pretty good at nabbing at least a good season or two out of scrap heap relievers.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
No doubt it would weaken the bullpen to lose Bailey -
I just don’t think that’s a reason to lose a good starter. I felt the same way about Duke when I was lobbying for him to be moved to the rotation.
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
True
Though, again, the difference was Duke’s history as a starter in the minors being better than Bailey.
However, if Bailey COULD convert back to the rotation, that would sure make it easier on Duke coming back… possibly to the pen
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
The bullpen wouldn't just be weakened, it would be crippled
I can’t argue against the logic of starters being more important than relievers, but I’m gonna give it a try. Without Bailey, there is no one that I’d have confidence in to keep the lead for 1-2 innings, be it Ziggy, Wuertz, or whoever you combine to get 6 outs. If we have the Devine (or Ziggy) of last year, maybe I would feel differently. But my gut feeling is that you lose more than you would gain by making the move. Sure, the rotation would probably get a bit better, but honestly, think about the A’s pen without Bailey. I tear up just thinking about it.
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
You still have Ziggy, Wuertz, Springer, and Casilla,
and Outman can become a hard-throwing lefty in the pen if you want with Bailey in the rotation (plus you hope Blevins gets it together – he was really solid in 2008). Most teams can’t do any better for 5-6 deep in their pen.
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
True, but with the game on the line
Bailey’s the only guy we can trust, right now. Ziggy and Springer have struggled mightily, and isn’t Casilla on the DL? Of course we all hope that Blevins returns to form, and that the others pick up the pace, but Bailey’s the only guy who’s been getting the job done. Without Bailey, who’s gonna preserve a lead for the last few innings? I just don’t think that the rotation is in such dire shambles that this is a good gamble to make. Just my opinion.
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
I won't be satisfied until we have a lousy
rotation, offense, defense, AND bullpen!
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
Susan Slusser reports that...
the A’s have traded Dallas Braden, Jack Cust, Kurt Suzuki, and Andrew Bailey to the Boston Red Sox for cash and 3 bags of really pretty marbles
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
Ziegler was just fine before his last two outings
Springer’s also been good a lot more than he’s bad. I wouldn’t say either of them have struggled mightily. That implies they’ve stunk most of the season.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
I'm not saying they're stunk most of the season
just that they’ve struggled mightily, which they have as of late. I’m not saying they suck; certainly they don’t. They just haven’t been anywhere close to Bailey in terms of effectiveness and preserving a lead
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
I still interpret "struggling mightily" to be more than just two or three outings
They’re also not the type of pitcher Bailey is, who is showing himself to be great at missing bats. Ziegler gets balls put in play and Springer’s an old vet.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
For the 2009 season,
Bailey-1.27 ERA, 7/24 K/BB, 0.61 WHIP, .169 BAA
Ziegler-4.05 ERA, 4/11 K/BB, 1.65 WHIP, .367 BAA
Springer-2.57 ERA, 6/16 K/BB, 1.57 WHIP, .338 BAA
I guess that rather than describe what Ziggy/Springer’s struggles may or may not have been, I should have emphasized that my personal feeling is that Bailey is not replaceable by any of our other relievers.
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
And Ziegler had a sub-2.00 ERA and much better numbers before his last two games
Geren also thinks Ziegler isn’t back to 100% yet.
Though I’d agree that at this point Bailey’s the best they have in the ‘pen. I don’t think there’s any debate about that.
Last of the Ninth - Photography Site / jamesvenes.com - Blog
O/T I just said to my roommate that TB would lose in the 8th inning
Brian Shouse is pitching and sure enough he gives up a leadoff double.
I am rooting for TB and I said to him, “watch this pitcher suck and give it up”
Now he has to get 3 outs without a runner scoring. Good luck doing that.
I AM CURRENTLY A CARLOS PENA FAN.
Please come through.
Please.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Fucking choker.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I AM CURRENTLY A BJ UPTON FAN
please come through.
please.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Fucking choker.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
It is pitch black.
You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 10, 2009 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions
sorry,
but I have already died of dysentery.
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:33 AM PDT up reply actions
I AM CURRENTLY A CARL CRAWFORD FAN.
Please come through.
Please.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Fucking choker.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Really Joe Morgan? Really?
You think that Papelbon should pitch to Longoria with the bases loaded instead of Crawford with a base open.
Okay.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
My head is still spinning from that statement.
I mean, it’s not like he just said it once. He kept REPEATING it, how he’d rather take his chances with Longoria because Crawford was 2-4.
Yes, Longoria, the guy who has driven in more runs than anybody else in baseball. That’s the guy Joe Morgan wants to have his closer up against.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Where a walk would tie it, no less
Insane.
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
STFU with your petty details.
If Joe Morgan says pitch to Longoria, you pitch to Longoria dammit.
ERASE THAT CRAWFORD STRICKOUT AND PUT HIM ON BASE. End this game the right way. The Morgan way.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I respect this reply because it's "old school"
You’ve got game, kid.
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
And your comment Nico...
…shows both “clutch” and “grit.”
Are you sure you never punted for the Nebraska Cornhuskers?
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 10, 2009 10:46 PM PDT up reply actions
This Recap Thread Has Too Much Bad Mojo
New recap thread (with different outcome) please!
by GreenNGoldSooner on May 10, 2009 8:40 PM PDT reply actions
I think Tampa forgot about the "R" on their jerseys.
That was A’s baseball right there.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
I can't begin to explain how impressed I am
with both the reference and the photo.
Very nice….Very nice, indeed.
lol
They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong
I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
Totally A's baseball there
I was watching and thought the same thing.
and so ends my baseball weekend
to be followed by my next baseball week
alaska A residing in colorado. (soon in Idaho)
Not sure if it was posted
but it appears that we will not be facing Ponson on Tuesday, and will be facing Hochevar, who has been killing it in Triple-A. I hate losing to the Royals, so it would be great if we could go ahead and beat them, but it got a lot tougher not being able to face Ponson.
Might as well Jump! - Van Halen
Well at least he's not a lefty
so maybe we get 6 or 7 hits
Your 2009 Oakland Athetics: This time, it's personal.
If I were Pena, if he were starting
I’d have Ponson throw left-handed against the A’s
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
you're right, I just checked the A's website
too bad…I was looking forward to seeing Ponson pitch on Tuesday
We have a big problem...
you see, this year, we are the Royals, and the Royals are us…
I pray for a split, but I’m not optimistic…
REVISED- The magical goblins that live in the Reverend Billy Lard's shower just told him that actually, Crosby's not gonna improve this year and he'll be released by June... Sorry, kids...
by Gaijin_Suketto on May 11, 2009 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions
Simmons won't be coming up any time soon
Stinking up AAA with another horrible performance
Sacramento
Player IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Simmons (L, 1-1) 3.2 10 6 6 3 1 0 6.67
Nico... Beane is too smart by half...
he gets rid of the right players, halfway before he should. And, signs the wrong players halfway before you realize they stink.
Clowns to the left of me... Jokers to the right...
Question for those who watch the numbers
more carefully than I do:
How much of Suzuki’s success at hitting so far this year is attributable to facing an unusually high proportion of left-handed pitchers?
And same question for Bobby Crosby.
"Go ahead and overachieve, you scrappy Brett-Favre-colored walk-takers." —Rev Halofan
I haven't watched the numbers that much
but I have watched the hitters in person.
Yesterday I was sitting right behind home plate. Besides noticing that Crosby indeed has moved closer to home plate in his at bats, he looked like he had some plan when he went up to face the Blue Jay’s rookie lefty. He appeared very ready for the pitch that he whacked into left for a base hit.
Suzuki has looked good against just about everyone.
Easy.
Just check his BBRef page and look at his splits this year.
He has a .927 OPS vs RHP and a .698 OPS vs LHP so far in 2009.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
Wha?
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
reverse splits that you posted
confused me. went back and noticed that thats how he has been in the past too. Just not as dramatic as this year.
I think the A's have far worse problemsthat you could complain about then Sweeney..
you guys have really gone a bit too negative this year…
Is that Embry warming up?....... NOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!
You shoulda seen..
the 16-32 start (2005). Wow, that was negative.
by Colorado Fan on May 11, 2009 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions
I just think we counted too much on Garciaparra, Chavez, Giambi, O-Cab
and especially Holliday…
When one went down, it seemed they all were dependent upon each other and the lack of production was tied together and Beane hopes when they are all back healthy (?) they will produce!
"Where's the beef?"
one of those guys is not like the others.
"I’m Joey Devine, I’m what Joba Chamberlain would be if he was good and nobody had ever heard of him."
consistency
Is Bob Geren’s enemy. God forbid he stick with the same players playing the same positions for one whole week. That would not give him an opportunity to showcase his managerial talent. Oh at least he consistently uses only 2 arms out of the bullpen and will wreck andrew bailey’s career.
FIRE GEREN.
by Billy Frijoles on May 11, 2009 12:08 PM PDT reply actions
Great write up Nico
Honestly one of the best pieces I have read on the site in awhile. I had so much hope going into this season and now I’m fairly certain we will be a mediocre team at best. I’m sure I’m not alone with those feelings and it’s too bad. On paper this team looked poised to compete in a weak division but atm I have a hard time seeing how we can keep from coming in last in the AL West. Well there us always the Raiders, hah! Bah Oakland sports ><
"-i never said half the things i said." --Yogi Berra
Correction
Bah Bay Area sports
I’m still grumbling over the Sharks posting the NHL’s best regular season record, only to get kicked out in the first round by 8th seeded ANAHEIM.
I'm a happy seal
by SwisherThresher on May 11, 2009 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Doh, well said man well said.
Thanks I needed that. Fear not, we always have the Warriors. Time to drive my car into a lake on the way home from work.
"-i never said half the things i said." --Yogi Berra
The A's suck
they are unwatchable, and becoming unfollowable.
I used to have a picture of Mitchell Page and “the F troop” on my wall in my bedroom. I’ve followed this team since the mid 70’s. They are so hard to care about now. It has felt this way for years and keeps getting worse.
The other day I met a guy in Sacramento who is looking for a team to follow. I recommended the Mariners.
Do you read this Lew Wolff. A lifelong A’s fan, born in Oakland, recommended to a potential referral that he follow another team. Wear it.
They're called RUNS for a reason.
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