Move Over Arlington, Welcome To Dallas
by Nico on Aug 28, 2010 7:55 PM PDT
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PrintThere are many reasons to wonder if Dallas Braden was really that good tonight. He topped out at his usual pedestrian 88 MPH. He struck out only one batter. He got a lot of fly ball outs.
Yes, he was that good.
Braden tossed a complete game shutout in which almost every batter made contact and almost no batter made good contact. Against one of the league's better offenses, in a hitter's park, Braden put on a clinic on changing speeds, jamming hitters, and using head and heart to overcome less than amazing stuff -- right down to his staring down of manager Bob Geren at the end of the 8th inning to let him know, "The 9th inning is mine." And it was, with Braden throwing a career high 120 pitches in all.
Kurt Suzuki, who went from a deep hitting slump to hitting line drives and having only bad luck, put it all together tonight with a 4 for 5 night (emperor nobody calls it a "4-fer"), and Daric Barton added a single, double, and HR, as the A's knocked Rich Harden out early for the second time since the All-Star Break.
Tonight was another of those games where you can so easily see how close the A's to being a very good team. Heck, Braden is now 20-2 career in games where the A's score 3 runs or more for him. Just get these guys a few runs -- it doesn't have to be 12, folks, just a few -- and the A's will be the team making playoff rotation plans instead of the team going "well...8.5 with another head-to-head tomorrow, and...well..."
This team is not that good, but it's also not that far away from being very good. They have a ton of good young pitchers, and they have a heck of a staff leader -- and a really good pitcher -- in Dallas Braden.
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that was spectacular
And that’s all I need to say.
I couldn’t hit his change-up if he threw it right-handed.
Rooting for the Yankees is like cheering the tanks at Tianamen Square.
switching between this game and the raider game
and even the Giants game for a little bit and I caught a glimpse of Dallas mowing down Rangers without much of hiccup. Great bounce back game for this team and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game hopefully clinching a series victory.
What did i tell you...didn't I say they would win? Yeah that's right I did didn't ? Wait.. what? They LOST?!?!?
I'm camped out in this re-cap thread.
awaiting comments to read.
alaska A currently residing in northern Idaho. --- theme for august = remain calm and try to truly enjoy a .500 team.
Nice win
Do the starters draw straws to see who gets run support? :)
100% Athletics, 100% Baseball. 2009 Athletics, 40% Baseball.
by fruitattack on Aug 28, 2010 8:45 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Nice safe A's victory in a place normally known for the Rangers scoring and scoring often
Nice to see Braden get some run support, go the distance, get outs somehow, and win.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
Cool that Braden (9 IP, 4 hits 0 runs)
and Cahill (8 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs) have totally shut down the Rangers’ offense in Arlington. That’s impressive, as well as good for the future.
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
UNSSUSTAINABLELE
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
But just imagine if it were possible....Rangers would never score off those 2
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 29, 2010 7:02 AM PDT up reply actions
"Braden is now 20-2 career in games where the A's score 3 runs or more for him"
I also miss Tim Hudson.
http://www.myspace.com/sixto80
Wow
He’d be the type of player I’d look to acquire on the cheap if I was a contender with an offence. It’s remarkable that he’s the same guy many wanted to DFA when he first came up
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
by OldhamA on Aug 29, 2010 2:17 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Please make him untouchable
I’ve loved Braden from day one and, IMO, he needs to be an Oakland mainstay
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Aug 29, 2010 11:16 AM PDT up reply actions
so does anyone know what happened to Rich Harden
he of the 100 mph heater, the nasty changeups, and the sporting good ERA while playing for the A’s? Why did he decline so?
by rollierollieOxenfree on Aug 28, 2010 9:38 PM PDT reply actions
yeah but for the longest time he was still dominant despite the inevitable injuries
pretty much the baseball version of the colts’ bob sanders.
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
I dunno, I haven't seen much of him aside from the few times he's pitched against us.
I’d have to assume that being hurt for so long took its toll on him.
Pam liked my old sig better.
pretty much the baseball version of the colts’ bob sanders.
NICE!
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Aug 28, 2010 11:28 PM PDT up reply actions
elsewhere in the al
nice catch
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
how come no one has commented on how it was "former a's starting pitcher day" around the league
hudson, zitlol, blanton, harden…
A's v Giants "is kind of like the difference between going to see the Ramones and going to see the Bee Gees. A's fans will go see the Ramones."
-BB 07/27/05
I mentioned in one of the game threads
3 of the 4 were watchable on local TV.
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
by Hit4TheCycle on Aug 28, 2010 10:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I've been hard on Braden in earlier comments...
… and I feel between bad and stupid. Bad, because he didn’t deserve it, even during his rough spell. Stupid, because it shows how I’m biased toward a certain kind of pitching skill (Gio’s, to tell you the truth), and thus ignorant of all the other effective ways of making guys miss the ball. I’ve got a lot to learn as a baseball fan. But I’m very happy.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge on Brett Anderson's Fastball: "At first it seemed a little speck, / And then it seemed a mist: / It moved and moved, and took at last / A certain shape, I wist. / A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! / And still it neared and neared: / As if it dodged a water-sprite, / It plunged and tacked and veered."
I find it interesting that Gio is your preferred pitching style
Since I think a lot of people find Gio maddening at times (not bad, necessarily).
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Aug 29, 2010 6:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Yes, but that's mostly because of control and temperament.
The hard fastball with movement, the viciously breaking curve. I guess you could call it power-pitching. Did you notice how I was drooling over Henry Rodriguez even before the 10-pitch inning?
Samuel Taylor Coleridge on Brett Anderson's Fastball: "At first it seemed a little speck, / And then it seemed a mist: / It moved and moved, and took at last / A certain shape, I wist. / A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! / And still it neared and neared: / As if it dodged a water-sprite, / It plunged and tacked and veered."
I feel the exact same as you.
Gio’s curveball is my favorite pitch to watch. It’s funny, cause I dislike Rajai cause he gives me a heart attack everytime he’s playing, but I love Gio for the same reason.
A's Fan in Sweden
So I really want to write an article, that every baseball fan of Braden will read
That shows that he’s a f*cking good pitcher. That he may be a mere blip on A-Rod’s radar, but he is for real.
And he’s still got 3 years of team control left before he hits FA.
This rotation for the next 3 years may quite possibly be one of the best we’ll ever see in the next 50 years.
Peeps better recognize
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
I really hope it isn't the best I see in the next 50 years, but I'd be happy to be alive in 50 years
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 29, 2010 7:05 AM PDT up reply actions
Not the best
But if they stay healthy and perform like this, or better, this rotation could be dangerous
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Aug 29, 2010 11:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Braden and Powell
Interesting to note how Braden has performed this year with each catcher
Suzuki – 72 ip, 3.39 era, 1.31 whip
Powell – 54 ip, 2.33 era, 0.76 whip
Fox – 17 ip, 5.82 era, 1.21 whip
Does that solidify a spot for Powell next year?
Absolutely
If Braden finishes the year out healthy and continues this trend with Powell, he absolutely deserves backup C/ Braden’s personal Catcher
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Aug 29, 2010 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions
+1
Plus One
Just wish he could hit at last year’s rate.
This, though, is a great way of keeping Kurt fresh.
Oakland Athletics * St. Bonaventure Bonnies * Green Bay Packers * Buffalo Sabres * New York Knicks
by RyanFromBonas on Aug 29, 2010 1:42 AM PDT up reply actions
One minor question about that, though
would be SSS WRT Braden’s sore elbow. If a couple of his Zook starts were when he couldn’t throw the slider at all, that would make it look like this was Zook’s fault when in fact it was that he was stuck catching a guy with only 2 pitches, fighting through an injury.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Dunno -- I've been impressed with Donaldson the couple times I've seen him.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Aug 29, 2010 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Then bye bye Suzuki
AN: Where you will be an A's fan or Dallas Braden will show you the repercussions of your actions.
by stranahanahan on Aug 29, 2010 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Dallas Braden now has a 2.85 ERA in his last 10 starts.
"You're all like big fat failure turtles." - Edge
by Rated-R Superstar on Aug 29, 2010 12:18 AM PDT reply actions
it also should be mentioned
that this was the only — yes, the only — time the mighty Texas sticks have been silenced in a shutout at the Launchpad In Arlington so far in 2010.
The way he teased their bats but never let them make solid contact was pornographic…. Dallas does Dallas.
Silence s'il vous plait!! Vous ne voyez pas que je suis en train de se masturber?!?
by emperor nobody on Aug 29, 2010 12:47 AM PDT reply actions
Oh man
I’ve missed back to back great pitching performances by the A’s and the Panthers 3rd pre season game. Woe is me!
"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend: Those with loaded guns and those who dig. You dig."
by OldhamA on Aug 29, 2010 2:22 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
Whoa, is that really right??
He pitched a complete game shutout but had only ONE strikeout?
What’s the record for the fewest strikeouts in a shutout?
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
This might be old
But quite a few pitchers have CG shut outs without any Ks.
m*****f***ing c***s***ing peanut butter and jelly!! f*** f*** f***!!!
For Shoes
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, except when their nipples have magical powers. -nm
"This posting has been deleted by its author."
Hmm.
by whiteshoes40 on Aug 29, 2010 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions
Chris Carter to the 15 day DL
He sprained his ankle (though that’s day to day) and sprained his wrist while diving for a ball.
by stm72 on Aug 29, 2010 7:26 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
I like your comment
“this team is not very good but also not too far from being very good”. I remember thinking the same thing on the last game of the year in 1986 after Dave Stewart won his 20th game and the A’s finished 81 and 81. Simple off season additions of Bob Welch, Dave Henderson, and Walt Weiss and you have yourself a dynasty. A couple big bats could do wonders for this current team.
by jdub69 on Aug 29, 2010 7:41 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
walt weiss wasn't an offseason addition
he was in their organization for years and played a few games in ‘87. the a’s traded alfredo that offseason and walt was their starting SS (and RotY) in ’88
by heartstopper on Aug 29, 2010 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions
Right.
Weiss was just “an addition”, as in they pulled him up from their triple a team to start the season in 88. Sheesh, so technical. Point is those three additional guys were a huge part of turning a literally average team into a dynasty.
by jdub69 on Aug 29, 2010 6:02 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
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