Horrific Bullpen Work Costs A's In Extras, Gio a Win
by baseballgirl on Jun 21, 2010 10:35 PM PDT
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PrintI....I....I don't really know what to say about this game. It seemed so normal for the first nine innings.
Here are the low-lights: Tonight's game ended 6-4, with the Reds on the good side of the score. Believe it or not, the game was 1-1 going to the ninth, and it did go extras
The A's managed to hold the Reds to a single unearned run (Pennington error in the first) for nine innings of tonight's game, and if you were betting on the A's with that line, you'd be wrong. They did manged to tie the game in the fifth on a Jackson single (Daric Barton was thrown out on the play, oversliding third base), and the game went into the ninth tied at one.
Things went a little haywire from there. Andrew Bailey--brought into the tie game--made the fatal decision of issuing the two-out walk and an even worse decision ignoring the runner at first, who stole second base on a play that could almost be called defensive indifference. Of course, Jay Bruce off the bench hit an 0-2 pitch for a single, and the Reds took the 2-1 lead.
Kevin Kouzmanoff tried to send A's fans home happy with his blast to open the A's half of the ninth, but sadly, it only tied the game. And when the bullpen switched from Bailey to Wuertz in the tenth, all hell broke loose.
Ramon Hernandez took the lead back for the Reds with a homerun to open the inning. Phillips singled, Wuertz got his first out on a sac bunt, and was replaced by Bowers. Votto promptly homered to increase the lead to 5-2, and just for good measure, Rolen followed that with a homerun, as well. I won't even mention the almost-homerun that Rajai dropped at the fence. It's bad enough, already.
The A's pulled a patented teAse in their half of the tenth, loading the bases with two walks and a single with no one out, but Ryan "Worst .300 hitter in Baseball" Sweeney took a 3-1 swing that was about as good as Bailey's 0-2 pitch and grounded out. Kouzmanoff grounded out to get the second run of the inning home, and Cust struck out. Again. What else would he do?
Lost in the disaster was Gio Gonzalez's terrific start--7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K--which was absolutely wasted on the black hole of this offense. And unless he's a secret power-hitter and a great pitcher, I don't see things getting much better.
Current Series
Reds lead the series 1-0
| Mon 06/21 | WP: Francisco Cordero (3 - 3) SV: Jordan Smith LP: Michael Wuertz (2 - 1) |
4 - 6 loss |
|
Cincinnati Reds Tuesday, Jun 22, 2010, 7:05 PM PDT Bronson Arroyo vs Dallas Braden Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. |
||
| Wed 06/23 | 12:35 PM PDT | |
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Comments
That Ramon home run
Very Marco Scutaro ish.
@MAD_Marvin
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
I think it's fair to say Bowers can't get ML hitters out
Same about Michael Wuertz?
This bullpen is really horrible right now.
starter - zero earned runs, 7 innings?
BP – 3 innings, 5 earned runs.
It’s hard enough that Bailey has gone a bit soft, but Wurtz, Ziggy too? When we’re looking forward to Breslow, that’s as low as it goes.
by MobiusKlein on Jun 21, 2010 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions
Remember when...
the bullpen was going to be the strength of the team?
Of course, it didn’t help that the A’s offense was useless as usual until it was too late.
Of course the bullpen looks bad...
when you see the two worst pitchers in it.
by JonathanNathan on Jun 21, 2010 10:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Bowers struck out the side yesterday...
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Yeah, but rarely do 32-year-old lefty relievers with 15 career innings not actually suck
I’m a little bit stunned the team is even using him, much less in key roles.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jun 22, 2010 5:09 AM PDT up reply actions
What to do, what to do
Been painful. I was hoping things would get better at home.
Something to cheer for
Michael Ynoa made his American debut tonight for the A’s Rookie League team.
3 IP 1 H 1 HBP 4 K
The monster at the end of this blog.
Royce Consigli went 3/4 with a 2B, a 3B amd 2 RBIs
I have no idea who he is..but his name is awesome.
and does he have a cheap source for mattresses?
New mind-warping, stomach-churning Pilots songs are now online... follow the link if you dare (don't say you weren't warned!) NSFW!!!
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jun 22, 2010 7:19 AM PDT up reply actions
He does exist!
(They do exist!)
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jun 22, 2010 5:10 AM PDT up reply actions
what movie/commerical is that from? sounds familar.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
The M&Ms commercial with Santa Claus.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Scouting report anyone?
like how fast was his fastball, what off speed pitches he was throwing, etc.?
It was exciting for a bunch of the game
laser shot in the ninth to tie it.
Good Gio dealing.
by MobiusKlein on Jun 21, 2010 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Me Too
Woke up to read news of the disaster.
Can we at least fire Geren?
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 21, 2010 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't blame Geren for this one
I’m starting to think Wuertz’s overuse last year killed him. At some point the team is going to have to consider doing something about him.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jun 22, 2010 5:11 AM PDT up reply actions
Way to many words wasted on recapping this game.
But good job BBG! I think you should stick around here!
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Haha, I missed recapping SO much, I had to say something!
"Oh who am I kidding? The A's and Giants could stage a pillow fight, and I'd still care who wins." -67Marquez
by baseballgirl on Jun 21, 2010 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Also: ending the year with a different manager.
There is no "i" in Teamocil. At least not where you'd think.
by GreenNGoldSooner on Jun 21, 2010 10:56 PM PDT up reply actions
So tough...
You develop a rhythm with the language and then all of a sudden the back end changes and you get caught saying what you’re used to saying.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Yeah, but is it really any different...
when the Rangers don’t play anybody? Their schedule since June 6 is actually easier than not playing.
by JonathanNathan on Jun 21, 2010 11:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I left early in disgust.
Can’t recall the last time that happened. They keep finding new ways to lose. Ugh.
Losing this team would be a huge failure for this city and an affront to Oakland’s great sports legacy.
by skigurl on Jun 21, 2010 11:02 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Oh, we're not that bad to actually get can't miss superstars in draft
75 wins is probably the floor again.
"Rollins helps them with the small ball when he's not in the lineup." - Joe Morgan
People smirked at me when I rally-capped for the bottom of the ninth
And then high-fived me when Kouz hit the home run. But after the Wuertz and Bowers disaster, I didn’t try again. If we had managed to tie the game somehow, Geren would have found some other completely inappropriate pitcher to throw in there.
However, tomorrow is another day and there’s a Japanese camera crew coming to film in the left field bleachers, so everyone who’s weird enough for Japanese variety shows — and you know who you are — come join us!
It's the fans that make the game fun. -- Rickey Henderson, July 26, 2009.
Outside of Breslow & Bailey, all the A's relievers are inconsistent
Geren could’ve thrown Ziegler out there in the 10th. Or he could’ve thrown Tyson Ross out there. Or he could have started the inning with Bowers. Or he could’ve used Blevins.
But all of these guys are inconsistent right now. You can blame Geren for rolling the wrong dice, maybe…and in retrospect it’s likely Ziggy was a better choice than Wuertz. But right now, this very moment, once you get past Breslow and Bailey, you’re in trouble, maybe. Because it’s not like any of these guys are terrible all the time. They’re only terrible some of the time. If this part of the ship doesn’t fix itself, a .500 SEASON becomes difficult to attain.
The only good thing about the end of the game was that it was kind of a pisser. After the Wuertz home run, and the next two, we were just waiting to see what other homers might follow, and we got the Rajai Davis three-base error instead. And then the walk-walk-single comeback in the bottom of the 10th.
By the way, to everyone who is convinced that Jack Cust is a great, great hitter: The moment I saw Cust come up with a runner on second and two out, my only thought was: strike three swinging. Of the players in the line-up, the ones I’d most want coming to the plate are Suzuki and Kouzmanoff, then Ellis. Then, right now, Pennington because he’s hot. Then Rajai, and then Barton and Sweeney. At the tail end, Mr. Cust. I have no faith that he will get that key hit to drive in the run. He might walk, to be sure. But most likely because he needs to get the run in, he’s not going to take that third strike. He’s going to swing, and miss.
Ziegler is money against righties. Blevins is money against lefties.
Ross is consistently bad.
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Ross has been decent his last couple outings
I would have rather had him in case the game went longer. But, like Rich said, they’ve been inconsistently poor, so it was a crapshoot and Wuertz blew it.
"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 Jun 22, 2010 7:02 AM PDT up reply actions
With the exception of Pennington
our entire lineup has batting averages between .271-.333. team record 34-38.
With the exception of Fred Lewis
the toronto blue jays starting lineup has batting averages between .193-.274. team record 38-32.
I dont know why I posted this other than to show how pointless batting averages are, they really dont matter in terms of offense.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
Except....
Oakland team OBP: .324
Toronto team OBP: .309
Oakland team ERA: 4.05
Toronto team ERA: 4.22
But where you really want to look:
Oakland team SLG: .384
Toronto team SLG: .449
So bizarre
SLG is what wins games now?
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
It did tonight
Actually, my thought is that the game is going through a post-PED change in which the value of slugging percentage is growing in relation to the value of on base percentage. There’s an assumption, I think, that these values are fixed. I’m not so sure.
It helps a great deal.
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
Well, not exclusively
But a 60 point difference is a big damn deal.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Jun 22, 2010 5:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Good morning!
Looks like it was a good night for my cable modem to be down. At least I got a good night’s sleep instead of staying up late to listen to the game.
(props to my hermanito Gio for pitching a very good game)
by OaklandSi on Jun 22, 2010 2:13 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
I missed so, so much by clicking off after they took the 2-1 lead.
and you know what?, I am ok with that.
alaska A residing in northern Idaho.
I went to bed after the 4th inning.
Look like that was a good call.
Wisconsin's #1 A's fan!
http://athleticsforlife.net/
my mom, during the Yankee game we were watching in her hotel room
blurts out “3 HRs in one inning? Who’ve you GOT out there, AJ Burnett?”
I had to laugh, come on.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
Pennington's error in the first, and Jackson's "error that wasn't called"
set the tone. (That was a routine fly ball that he simply jumped too soon on) … 7-8 more innings of lazy, uninspired baseball – with one mini-rally thrown in. One that we tried to squash with stupid baserunning by Rajai and then managed to snuff out because we don’t know how to slide, either.
They’ve probably changed the Rajai error to a hit (10th), but that was laughable as well. Simply put, this team goes through the motions — they’ve already mailed it in — at least the position players and bullpen have. I’ll give the starting rotation a pass. But this team is hard to watch, and it’s only gonna get worse. Seattle will pass us soon.
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.
Who's apart of the future and who gets traded? (SP's)
Anderson
Cahill
Braden
Mazzaro
Gio Gonzalez
T. Ross
Outman
Inoa
Which 5 make our future rotation? The ones that you don’t pick , let’s trade for bats…
Every man for himself...
Cahill, Anderson, Gio
Inoa if he stays healthy. Ross will probably tried as a starter next year, and he has some flithy pitches when he’s on.
Trade the other guys. I’m becoming more convinced, and Townsend said it on the postgame the other night, that Cahill may be the best of the bunch.
"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 Jun 22, 2010 7:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I always thought Cahill
Had the best movement with his pitches
WTF GEREN?!?!?!
by robbo650 on Jun 22, 2010 8:54 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I think I'm about over my Cust love affair. When did he become a "Two True Outcomes" hitter?
A Ballade [for the Angels Fan], by Eustache Deschamps: "We are cowardly, ill-formed and weak / Aged, envious and evil-spoken. / I see only fools and sots / Truly the end is nigh / All goes ill."
Fox was traded for Wolf
And they’re both dogs.
Way too Pearls Before Swine for Me
Next week we’ll see Pig traded for Rat
Should've traded Wuertz last year
when there was an actual market for him. Tired of seeing that he blows it every game.
Geren's fault
He shouldn’t have left Bowers in the game after he was getting pounded. It’s dumb moves like this that cost us games.
We’d probably have at least 5+ more wins if it wasn’t because of Geren.
BTW, when Cust came up in the last atbat in the game did anyone think he’d do anything else but strike out. I knew he would strike out and he did.
Game was already lost by then, more or less
by MobiusKlein on Jun 22, 2010 12:49 PM PDT up reply actions
In other words, Geren didn’t think the A’s could come back and yet they did. I know that this could be viewed as monday morning quarterbacking, but after Bowers was getting rocked the first time Geren should have yanked him.
I’m just sick of seeing the A’s manager get outclassed all the time. Other teams have skillfuy tacticians we have Geren.
Here’s a little insight as to Geren’s thought process: “Well… I got my relievers that I put in when I am winning and I have my relievers I put in when I am losing.” END of analysis.
You can't count on that.
Yes, they did come back in the bottom of the 10th. What was that, a 1% shot? Half a percent? You can’t manage based on 1% shots.
She lives by the wall, and waits by the door.
She walks in the sun, to me.
I recall last night listening to the game wondering why Geren didn’t yank Bowers. (You’re just going to have to believe me that this is not hindsight bias.)
I suppose one could make an argument that Geren needed someone to eat up some innings. The game was already lost…thinking in percentages. I don’t think you are listening to what I’m saying. As a manager, you NEVER capitulate games unless it is a blowout. Remember the 10 run rule from little league. You can leave the guy in there in the majors because he has to eat up innings. That’s understandible, but when we are talking about 3-4 runs c’mon. As manager Geren should never sell the A’s short.
was anybody ready to pitch in the bullpen
while Bowers was in there? Who was left anyways, probably Blevins and Ross.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
He wasn't giving up
Bowers has actually been throwing better than Blevins lately. And if you want to make the counter-argument “but Blevins is actually a better pitcher,” then you have to be ok with Wuertz, who is the best of the 3 — except right now when he’s terrible.
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
Today, we've got Braden starting, who was instructed to throw only fastball/change last time out.
Bailey is unavailable. Breslow is unavailable. Bowers is likely unavailable. Wuertz is probably broken. We’ve got Blevins, Ross, and Ziegler. Is that enough to get through a game that’s being started by a possibly injured starter? If Geren had pulled Bowers in favor of one of those three available guys, we’d be completely screwed for today. And all that for the slimmest of shots?
She lives by the wall, and waits by the door.
She walks in the sun, to me.
If Braden is injured then why is he starting?
Doesn’t sound like a winning strategy. We have pitchers in the minor leagues that can come up and make spot starts (How about Clay Mortensen he’s even on the 40). Look, I respect Braden, but if he is hurt and cannot go he should be honest. He may have the tendency to say he’s able to play when he’s not in order to avoid the “knock” on him that he always gets hurt. That hurts the team.
Further, Ross has shown that he can go 4 innings plus as well. Is Bailey really unavailable? He’s thrown 2 innings in the last 4 days. I’d call it a arguable maybe and I wouldn’t pitch him more than an inning.
Do teams like the Yankees capitulate games? I doubt it. I know the A’s don’t have the same lineup, but how often have we seen them comeback late in games and then fall short in the end?
You know who does it more than any other team?
The Angels.
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
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