A'Waken! A's Find Their Sticks to Smoke M's as GG Shines Through 7 Strong, 8-4
by emperor nobody on May 17, 2010 9:57 PM PDT
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Well, that's more like it, eh?
Not pictured: Jeremy Giambi
Kevin Kooooooouzzzzzmanoff got the party started right tonight, in a game the A's kind of needed as they snapped a 5-game skid and washed the acrid taste of the 1-5 road trip out of their collective mouth. Kouz took a clueless Ryan Rowland-Smith out of the park in the bottom of the first, flipping the script on an early 1-0 M's lead, courtesy of some shakiness from Gio Gonzalez, who would take the offensive support and run with it, lasting a cool 7 full innings whilst scattering 4 hits and the 3 runs.
GG was a Gentle Giant this evening, Funny Ways and all..
The Athletics apparently had a hitter's-only meeting prior to this game, and it resulted in them posting more offense than they had on offer in the last 5 games total... 15 hits tonight, with only Jake Fox going without at the dish. The MLB box score isn't working so from memory I can tell you that Raj had 2 hits, Barton (who fell a HR short of the cycle) tripled (on a play where Ichiro turned spontaneously into Eric Patterson at the wall), and Rosales had a couple of hits including one of his groovy, 14-seconds-around the-bases sprints after a homer. Overall this was an Athletics Awakening considering what transpired during the last week of stifling somnolence with the bats.
I put "Mariners 2010" into Google Image Search and this came out... who knew?
The A's equaled their previous five-game total before 5 innings were through tonight, which we'd all agree is a step in the right direction.... as I said earlier the M's might have been better off going with Rated R Superstar tonight, cuz their own RR-S wasn't cutting it. Anyway, Texas edged the Slegs 4-3 at The Launchpad In Arlington tonight, so we stick 2 back and try to get after King Felix, who hasn't really looked all that regal thusfar this year, tomorrow night... Ben Sheets goes for our side, minus the tipping of his curveball if his last couple of starts are any indication. Can you believe that the A's are now 18-1 in games in which they make it to that magic 4 run mark? And here I was, growing up thinking that 3 was The Magic Number.
Cut the chatter, spin the platter.... the A's need to keep mashing on this homestand.
Join the merqurial DannyCakes tomorrow at 7pm and let's see if our guys can keep hitting the highs against these Mariners, OK? LET'S GO, OAK-LAND!!!
Current Series
Athletics lead the series 1-0
| Mon 05/17 | 8 - 4 win | |
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Seattle Mariners Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 7:05 PM PDT Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 60. |
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Seattle starter was good for what ails the A's
I’m on BART with a smile
by OaklandSi on May 17, 2010 10:00 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
so much for SSS
last time this guy just owned the A’s.
by rollierollieOxenfree on May 17, 2010 10:21 PM PDT up reply actions
In San Diego, Cue Joe Starkey
The Fan is on the FIELD, THE FAN IS ON THE FIELD!!!
@MAD_Marvin
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
They screwed up Heath Bell, but he got it done.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 17, 2010 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions
They didn't taze him
Disappointing
"Even the Swedes are getting mad."-Randy Hahn
"It's very cozy in the sin bin."-Randy Hahn
Did you see Damon Bruce’s tweet?
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 17, 2010 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions
The Chris Townsend thread is here, by the way.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 17, 2010 10:05 PM PDT reply actions
Here's something to smile about:
No worries on Bailey — his stuff looked a-ok.
Not sure what people were talking about re “bad bullpen management,” btw. The A’s top relievers hadn’t worked the entire LAA series. Usually fans are mad that the best relievers aren’t used; now it’s also bad when they are? Yes, they were used with the team pretty comfortably ahead, but only because they needed work anyway and to squelch the one legitimate threat the M’s made. And they were used properly, to gain the best L/R splits for them, with Bailey getting the 9th because he needed an inning anyway.
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
what happens if it's a close game tomorrow and he's not available?
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Why in the world would he not be available?
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
OK -- eats at Applebee's tonight.
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 fan.
I like Chilis more, if we’re talking about birthday song restaurants.
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I witnessed four birthday songs at Bubba Gumps last night.
Unique.
by LoneStranger on May 17, 2010 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
I'd rather go to a Hana Japan style place, honestly.
or just gorge on about 150 bucks worth of Sushi.
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yeah
I thought Geren managed the bullpen perfectly tonight. Blevins had nothing and came out immediately. Ziggy was fine, and Bailey looks like he’s back in gear. I guess twice a day a stopped clock is accurate.
Blevins did his job to Ichiro
Got unlucky with a check swing bloop, and with Patterson deciding not to catch it.
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, but....
…the other hit wasn’t a bloop, and I got the feeling that Blevins wasn’t in good form, just from what I saw.
The air was very weird at the Coliseum tonight. At one point it looked as if there was fog on the field. There was never enough rain to see drops coming off the middle deck, but it was pretty wet. I’m a little surprised things stayed as clean as they were for the A’s in the field. I mean, that ball that went through Lopez’s legs, Jack Cust’s “blind” catch in the outfield, Gio falling off the mound…
By the way, the Coliseum was really empty. It was like the old Charley Finley days…well, no, not that bad, never that bad. But with all the small crowds this year, this one seemed the smallest.
both hits looked pretty bloopy to me.
neither looked like a hard hit ball from section 225.
Zito: You ever think about the space time continuum?
Huddy: Uh... no.
I am on hold y'all
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 17, 2010 10:07 PM PDT reply actions
I believe this will be the first EN call I actually hear.
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You will enjoy it.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on May 17, 2010 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions
YOU TWO
need to listen in, cuz you might get a surprise tonight
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on May 17, 2010 10:09 PM PDT up reply actions
One other note: Tonight was the first time
that Rajai Davis looked like he was staying back on pitches — even on the last pitch, which was a curve he swung through. It’s the first time I’ve thought “Maybe he’s about to start hitting.” Let’s hope, because it would sure help a whole heck of 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
he still looked awful on that bunt attempt
by faninphilly on May 17, 2010 10:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh yeah.
Should never have been bunting anyway. You don’t make outs against a pitcher who can’t get them on his own.
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
Looked to me...
…like he was going to bunt for a base hit. At least from my angle.
Kinda. one of those "get it down, see if you can beat it out while you're at it"
Or actually, “pop it up, go from 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
My friend Daniel was screaming at Rajai....
Really loud. The next pitch, Rajai doubled.
It's too bad
… because if he could bunt, he’d actually probably have a higher average. i could easily see him getting on base more than 1 time in 4.
WOOHOOOOO!
Just got back from the game! We win!!! I caught a pop foul of Griffey Jr. My kids were a good luck charm and we hit everything tonight. I prefer this type of game over the type we played on the road. More please!
"The guy was tasting himself too long to apologize."~Dallas Braden
I give this game nine Raul Ibanezes out of ten,
and would like to see the Davis and Cust plays commemorated in animated gif format.
I went to high school with a kid who
had been hit by a lawn dart as a child. Still had the forehead scar to prove it.
We called him Jarthead once we found out. Name stuck for four years.
sock puppets have never successfully defended castles, except when working with squirrels, which would never happen because squirrels know better than to trust sock puppets. -nm
by Leopold Bloom on May 18, 2010 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
DARIC!!!
Listen I just had my girlfriend break up with me over the weekend because I got soooooo frustrated with injuries and everyone trying to hit 5 run homers. I took out all my frustration on her. This team drives me absoultly nuts. Good to see Daric in prime form tonight. Just please every one stay healthy for the rest of the year so I dont have an excuse to all of my slegna fans down here for why we are losing.
Dude, you're kidding me right?
You took out your frustration at the A’s on your girlfriend?!?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on May 17, 2010 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions
I think you're...lame.
Wuertz was scratched from a minor league game on Wednesday, but bounced back quickly on Thursday, throwing mostly fastballs and sliders, although he did mix in three sliders. -Rotoworld
by ElQuesoCapitan on May 17, 2010 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions
That's why I've managed to stay single all these years.
Keep in mind, of course, that "the best defense of Derek Jeter's life" ranks somewhere in between "the best fiscal responsibility of Mike Tyson's life" and "the best not-getting-assassinated-ness of James Garfield's life." -FJM
Good for you
girlfriends are a dime a dozen.
It’s not like you can go into the locker-room and let the team know how you feel … how the hell else are you gonna vent??
lenscrafters is worried you beat her or something – lol – (not laughing at physical abuse, just laughing at how easily people get worked up)
You can always get another girlfrend … the A’s are forever. And piss poor effort cannot be tolerated!!!! Amen.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
Unfortunately for me,
the fact that a piss-poor effort cannot be tolerated is exactly why I’m single.
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 know you're the 2010 Oakland Athletics when Eric Patterson is put in as a defensive upgrade.
Keep in mind, of course, that "the best defense of Derek Jeter's life" ranks somewhere in between "the best fiscal responsibility of Mike Tyson's life" and "the best not-getting-assassinated-ness of James Garfield's life." -FJM
Crafters....
I was born in Sonoma County lived up there for 14 years. Been down in south Orange County for 11 years. Every single one of my friends is a band wagon Slegna fan. We had a huge party to kick off the series on friday night. Needless to say things didnt go well. We were on the outs anyway.
Rowland Smith is a little better tweeter than Brett Anderson
@MAD_Marvin
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
you dont find
“pretty bored” insightful?
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
by winchester5 on May 17, 2010 11:44 PM PDT up reply actions
Just got home from the game!
Good times! Had a ton of fun in 209, despite going deaf in my right ear thanks to the ‘dueling whistlers.’
I feel spoiled by all the hits and runs! Go A’s!
"Sorry guys, I’m not going to try and hit (Douglas) Murray anymore. It doesn’t work." - Steve Ott, Dallas Stars.
by SwisherThresher on May 17, 2010 11:27 PM PDT reply actions
no, sadly
tight budget : /
"Sorry guys, I’m not going to try and hit (Douglas) Murray anymore. It doesn’t work." - Steve Ott, Dallas Stars.
by SwisherThresher on May 17, 2010 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions
Ha, that's actually what I said I would do before the playoffs started
At the time I was slightly sardonic but I would love nothing more than to be able to crack open my SCF sharkie bank. Make it happen SHARKS!
Oh, and at the start of today’s game someone in my section shouted ‘Go Blackhawks!.’ Whatthehell?! Booo…
"Sorry guys, I’m not going to try and hit (Douglas) Murray anymore. It doesn’t work." - Steve Ott, Dallas Stars.
by SwisherThresher on May 18, 2010 12:12 AM PDT up reply actions
attendance: 10,051 (28.7% full)
not bad turnout for the horrendous weather/shitty opponent.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
On the MLBN highlights
It looked more like 1,051. There appeared to be about 10 people in the LF bleachers near Rosales’ HR.
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
Athletics Nation - WE'RE ALL GONNA MRIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! - danmerqury
by cuppingmaster on May 18, 2010 6:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I was there too
The paid attendance was 10,051. Sitting in 115, the place looked pretty empty. Usually we do an attendance pool, but figured that with all the no-shows, any guess would be a stab in the dark. I’d put the actual attendance in the 4-5,00 range.
LMFAO
Where the hell were they then?
If there were even 4000 there, I’m a Yankees fan (and believe me, I’m not a Yankees fan).
by Brian in 317 on May 18, 2010 6:58 AM PDT up reply actions
Under the stands, huddled
Seriously - most of the field level patrons were under the overhangs.
I think they count sold tickets?
I know my 4 tickets went unused last night.
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
attendance includes all the season tickets
whether or not they actually show up.
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Paid Attendance
For many years, the National League showed paid attendance and the American League showed actual attendance. For the past couple of years, both leagues have been presenting paid attendance….tickets sold.
This year, attendance is not being posted during the game. This is a huge switch.
Speaking of not posting, what the hell was going on with the Seattle batting averages last night?
Nudge that number a little!
Make the visiting team pay for their tickets to get in the park :p
We could get away with that
100% Athletics, 100% Baseball. 2009 Athletics, 40% Baseball.
Sucky thing about the offense tonight
We are still a terribly impatient team, only letting the M’s throw 110 pitches total, and we had zero walks. The M’s uber-shitty offense made us throw 133 with 4 BB.
Kurt Suzuki had 4 AB and saw all of 6 pitches. This guy is worse than O-Cab at making pitchers work hard. Its a really important skill to have and he simply doesnt have it and needs to go to hitting school or something. Of course Cust led the team with 17 pitches seen, but his standards are a little high and thats a low number for him. Its cool if Zooks is seeing legit pitches and getting hits off the tiny amount of pitches he sees, but he went 1-4 so he’s not. Both he and Raj have the WORST approaches right now and need to seriously sit down with a hitting expert and correct their extremely flawed approaches at the plate.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
M's saw 133 pitches in 9 innings, the A's saw 110 in 8, which is a difference of about 1 pitch an inning
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Oh, and the A's killed the ball.
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 not whether you win or lose
It’s how good your peripheral stats are.
by richwol1 on May 18, 2010 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
To compare with good offenses
The Sox/Yanks were at 170+ each last night.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
You don't need to take pitches
..when the opposing pitcher is throwing batting practice.
In fact you need to NOT take pitches.
You need to hit 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
Yes but if you ground out
You arent doing your job right and need to take another angle. Last night’s game was fine, we killed the SP from the get-go. Its the game where Johan Santana has 60 pitches after 7 IP that I dont want to ever see. I think hitters should swing away the first time through and if they have success: great! If not, they might want to see whats going on or else the game will be over before they know it, and they will be 1-4 with 6 pitches taken total.
Think about this: if it wasnt for Griffey’s 11 pitch out, Gio might have had a CG. Its that easy.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Why not just always swing at good pitches to hit,
and always take bad pitches to hit, as much as possible?
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 that were true
Zooks would be hitting .350. He’s not, so his current approach of “YAY IM BATTING IN A BASEBALL GAME, IMA GUNNA SWING AT THIS!!!” then weakly grounding to the shortstop on the 1st pitch strike isnt working. I’m not sure of his strike zone splits, but there has to be a part of the plate that he murders, say, high in the strikezone, so why not take the strike and wait for the one kind of pitch he’s sure to murder instead?
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
Yeah, pretty much what I just said.
Don’t “swing at the first pitch” or “take a lot of pitches” — swing at the ones you can hit.
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
well the problem lies in that
he can hit these pitches, its just that he hits them directly at a fielder. Its a solvable problem, albeit a frustrating (for me at least) one.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
and they're also two of the most boring teams to watch and their games run like 6 hours each.
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Im not saying theyre interesting
they just know how to wear a good pitcher down. Fangraphs just posted an article about how pitching is WAY better this year and hitting is down, that must mean theres better pitchers out there, no? And if they rely on counts, its a good thing to get them the hell out of the game asap, no?
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
The Yankees and Red Sox have really good hitters and the A's do not.
They have hitters who have, for years, adopted and honed a particular approach.
You can’t expect a guy like Kouzmanoff to suddenly change his approach and take more pitches any more than you can expect Jack Cust to start cutting down on his swing to make more contact and avoid strickouts. They are who they are.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on May 18, 2010 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
well we did bring up Swisher
aka the pitch eater 2000, and he’s with the Yanks and seemingly loving their new tiny ballpark, but thats neither here nor there.
Kouzmanoff was actually a great minor league hitter however, his babip’s arent shown, so many his high BA’s were a fluke? Who knows. What I do know is that its not a rule of the the game that you have to swing at the first or second pitch, and many players actually make more outs when they swing at pitches that are actually IN the strike zone, the key is finding the area of the K zone that they hit the best in and wait for pitches there. Taking a strike never killed a hitter, yet it does help in getting a SP out of the game quicker.
-The president of the "Sign Elijah Dukes" fan club.
CG Shines?
His stat line looks a lot better than he actually pitched. I would say he was off tonight and got lucky that he was facing a pretty bad Seattle line-up.
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
I'm impressed that Gio lasted 7 Innings
it looked like he was going to get knocked out but he avoided the big inning. Still waiting for the Cust HR but Kouz picked up the slack.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
I not a Cust fan at all, but I must admit that his plate approach looks better to me than in the past.
"Life is tough .... It's even tougher if you're stupid." - John Wayne
Didn't Ray Fosse mention he seemed to be swinging more with 2 strikes
someone must have busted his balls about taking strike 3 looking too much.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
mic, where ya been?
Haven’t seen you around in awhile
"Do I talk to myself? No, I just remind myself of what I'm trying to do. You know, I never answer myself so how can I be talking to myself?" - Rickey
Athletics Nation - WE'RE ALL GONNA MRIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!! - danmerqury
by cuppingmaster on May 18, 2010 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I've been trying not to post while I'm at work and apparently I was doing most of AN reading/posting at work.
I was getting a lot of viruses on the work computer too (despite AVG and malwarebytes) and decided to cut out most non-work related web surfing.
My wife also gets annoyed sometimes when I’m on the laptop too much instead of spending time with her. I still log on frequently to get A’s news because AN always seems to have the news up first.
It is nice to know someone missed me though :-)
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
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