Fister of Fury: Flat A's Squander Ten Million Baserunners, Fall to M's 3-1
by emperor nobody on Aug 9, 2010 10:07 PM PDT
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Straight to the frowny bin: the new callups went 0-6 with 3 Ks.
Doug Fister hadn't won since May 14th... in other words, he's been waiting for the A's offense to visit.
an·ti·cli·max (n.)
3. A sudden descent in speaking or writing from the impressive or significant to the ludicrous or inconsequential, or an instance of it
In a game I think we all wish had turned out better, The A's sleepwalked through the opening game with Seattle, stranding too many baserunners to count and generally phoning in a lackluster effort with the last 12 Athletics being retired by M's pitchers. This is getting to be not-so-good: that's no hits with runners in scoring position for our boys in the last 4 games and not exactly a gourmet recipe for staying in contention these last 7 weeks of the season. The loss dropped the A's a full 8 games behind the Rangers, who were idle and hopefully ingesting all kinds of weird powdery substances at their manager's house before they welcome in the Yankees tomorrow night, because the A's are gonna need some help. Well, if they are playing in the snow I guess the Rangers are gonna need some help too, just another kind of help. But I digress.
And there is a K in Rookie.
The debut of Chris Carter was kind of forgettable, although I take solace in the idea that whatever he does, he isn't gonna be any worse than Matt Carson was. CC swung through some "welcome to The Show" nasty sliders from Doug "I Barely Know Her and Now You Want Me to" Fister and struck out twice, making solid contact in his third at-bat but hitting an atom ball (at-'em) directly at the third baseman for another out. Jeff Larish wasn't much better, K'ing once and not reaching anywhere near safely in either of his other two ABs. See the above definition for all the analysis you need of their performances after all the day's hype and excitement.
After a shaky first in which he threw a ton of pitches, Vin was in... he went 7 even though he didn't have much of his best stuff tonight.
It was a solid outing from Vin Mazzaro (7 IP, 2 ER), who settled down nicely after the first. But this one was on the situational hitting with RISP, where the A's went 0-9 and didn't even sniff a hit with guys on. In fact, the best chance they might have had was snuffed out when Mark Ellis hit into the first Mariners triple play since 1995, albeit assisted by a blown call from the 1B umpire, who resembled a middle school student that won't begin shaving until 2020. BOTTOM LINE: 0-35 with RISP is not going to amount to many meaningful games in September... as our own Optimist Prime (who I sometimes wish was really the A's GM... at least you know these guys would have healthier obliques sleeping on his superb mattresses) just said to Chris Townsend on the radio, you can't turn Doug Fister into Nolan Ryan and expect to win.
The A's will need to bring some of this tomorrow to get after King Felix and get back in this series, one which they simply cannot afford to lose.
All right, not much else to say other than let's do it all again tomorrow and get the desired result this time. Join Danny the Cakebot for all the action as Brett "Tweets" Anderson takes the ball for our side at 7:05 PM. See y'all there!
Current Series
Mariners lead the series 1-0
| Mon 08/09 | WP: Doug Fister (4 - 8) SV: David Aardsma LP: Vin Mazzaro (6 - 4) |
1 - 3 loss |
|
Oakland Athletics Tuesday, Aug 10, 2010, 7:10 PM PDT Brett Anderson vs Felix Hernandez Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. |
||
| Wed 08/11 | 12:40 PM PDT | |
66 comments
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The A's team just sent a tweet:
Best nap ever.
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
agree
typically AN: brilliant and memorable, 100% recyclable, humor factor always present.
Blez: Most folks seem to believe that the big flaw with the 2010 Oakland A's will be the lack of any power.
Beane: They believe it because it's true.
by One won lost won on Aug 10, 2010 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions
We try to go green here.
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 CT thread is here.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Aug 9, 2010 10:11 PM PDT reply actions
You just sent me here from there
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 9, 2010 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions
Aw, I am just directing traffic.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Aug 9, 2010 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions
This game sucks, and this team sucks.
But I love you all.
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
It's not easy to win with the Matts out.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 9, 2010 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
This game was in Wal-Mart
Rollbacks everywhere!
The FairWeather Channel - Sports Comics and Bandwagon Forecast
Mazzaro may have gone 7
but he needs to not put the team in a hole in the 1st. CT has it right to a certain degree that the offense failed to show but the fact that he puts a punchless, tired bunch in a hole does not help them. Had it been 0-0 after 1, they may have woken up but as soon as they are down, then they remain flat.
So then not like last week when they went down 2-0 to the Royals in the first and then came back to win 4-3
and not like yesterday when they went down 2-0 to the Rangers in the 6th and then came back to win 3-2.
not like that?
Pam liked my old sig better.
Yesterday they were playing the team ahead of them and seemed to be
much more motivated.
I think they went into Seattle, seeing them in disarray and took it for granted.
Yeah, but this can never happen
these are the games you ought to be really “motivated” about … the crappy teams you ought to beat in your sleep. No excuse to come out flat against the Mariners … ever.
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.
always more motivated at home field
true for so many teams, but much more with a young club, IMO.
Blez: Most folks seem to believe that the big flaw with the 2010 Oakland A's will be the lack of any power.
Beane: They believe it because it's true.
by One won lost won on Aug 10, 2010 2:33 PM PDT up reply actions
Carter looked overmatched
Like he’d never seen a slider before.
Quick thoughts
Chris Carter needs to play in the majors, simply because Beane needs to know what he’s got during the offseason, and for the experience of dealing with major league pitchers.
Carter did look overmatched against Fister tonight, which wasn’t what I was hoping to see. His Bobby Crosby imitation was uncanny. But I can’t say I was surprised. He was too eager to swing at anything close to the plate, so Fister avoided throwing any fastballs near the plate and Carter bit at the slider every time. Still, it was his first game.
Unfortunately, the A’s plan for offensive improvement depends a lot on Carter being a good hitter next season.
The good news is that there isn’t much pressure on him now. People can chat about the A’s possibly making a run at the division title this season, but that is not realistic. So I say trot him out every day, including tomorrow. Felix isn’t the only stud pitcher he’s going to have to face in the majors.
Guys who can throw a slider like Fister's
tend not to spend a whole lot of time in AAA. He’s clearly better against LH than RH, and every scouting report I’ve ever seen about him says that Carter can have problems with good breaking stuff from righties. But he’s has always taken some time to adjust to a new level, and that means he always has things he needs to adjust to. This is what he needs to adjust to.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Sliders are like mothers-in-law.
Even when you’ve seen them before, and you know they’re on the doorstep, it’s really hard not to swing a baseball bat at them.
Take your silver mod tubescreamer, your dr. z, your nocaster, put them in a pile and burn them. if god gave you a thousand years, you still couldn't touch this. you can't f***ing keep time to this.
by Elvez on Aug 9, 2010 10:33 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
who let crosby talk to carter?!?!
i’m glad carter is getting exposed to big league pitching, he’ll adjust knowing that pitchers are going to throw him outside offspeed stuff, once he lays those off, he’ll get his fastball
When we played softball, I’d steal second base, feel guilty and go back.
- Woody Allen
by rhymeswithelephant on Aug 9, 2010 10:36 PM PDT reply actions
Someone needs to remind Carter
that he is a bad mother.
He seemed like he was mr. eager beaver… Bouncy… Jumpy… Hack happy. I have seen him play and I have to believe he was pressing tonight, cause he seemed way less patient than I remember. Anyone else who saw him in Stockton and Sac agree with that?
Not to say he won’t swing and miss a lot, but he will look more competent doing it and occasionally he will launch one. Kind of Dave Kingmanesque feast or famine.
I've never seen him in person
but all the pictures and videos I have seen him in he always seems to have a goofy smile on his face. He is a big kid and admitted to being nervous last night.
You have to include smiley faces - Poppy
;- ) :- ) :-O : -> : -] : -}
I kept flipping between...
…this and the Cubs game, and I was amazed: They were in the sixth inning together, and the next thing I knew the A’s had lost, and that other game was still dragging on. Fortunately, we only dropped a half game with Texas out of action. But, damnit, these games are meaningful; can somebody please remind Geren of this?
On a related note, Gio’s new commercial is freaking hilarious. Easily the best one of the season.
"With Chance on first, and Evers on third,
Great things from the Cubs will soon be heard."
that commercial is insane
Gio is a natural in front of the camera, no doubt.
Hello, I'm Vince Cotroneo for the Marmaduke B. Mushmouth School of Public Speaking...
by emperor nobody on Aug 10, 2010 12:31 AM PDT up reply actions
My wife and I
caught that commercial last night and just started cracking up. He was so in character, it was fantastic.
by el generico on Aug 10, 2010 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions
What a letdown
With all the pregame excitement I didn’t think I’d be so bummed out after tonight’s game. I don’t mind the loss so much (yes I do) but the way it happened is so demoralizing.
Oh well, I’m sure the offense will get back on track against King Felix tomorrow.
"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin
No Bunt
Well we didn’t give up an out that’s for sure. The triple play took care of that. I am sure that Baseball Girl and the stat heads are ecstatic over that development at the key point in the game. Oh well, I am hoping for the best tonight.
“Lets’ go Oakland”.
I'm sorry, but bunting in that situation would have been moronic
The on deck hitters were Carter and Larish; you want to set up a situation for those two guys, where even to get one run (and still trail) you need to count on Carter making contact? Down two, on the road, 6th inning, Ellis up and two just-called-up rookies on deck, the first of whom struggles to make contact as part of his basic profile: Not a bunting situation.
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
Or whatever inning it was - 5th?
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
Ellis has only 3 GIDP this year
He was way more likely to pop out (leaving 2 runners on for our newest TTO guys) than to hit into a DP, much less a triple play.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Basically, if his ball is Rajai's double instead of a triple play,
there’s a whole lotta celebrating going on. And those two balls were virtual twinsies.
Speaking of Ellis, last night was a great example of him being such a good 2Bman while his peers remind you that not every 2Bman is as reliable as Dr. Unicorn. I don’t know what UZR made of the game, but while Figgins was somehow not getting to Cust’s single to RF (what was that, Chone?), on a sharp grounder past Mazzaro, Ellis ranges up the middle to make a hard play look easy, then later makes a great footwork stretch to catch Pennington’s errant backhand flip on the bag for a 6-4 force (great play on both ends).
Korach suggested last night that a gold glove should be a real possibility for Ellis this year, and with Polanco out of the league and O. Hudson not a factor (only 81 games so far this year), Korach could be right.
I really hope Ellis gets a GG sometime in his career, whether or not it seems like the “right year” (that ship has sailed) — he is a truly special defensive player, one of the best 2Bmen in his era, and he should be acknowledged for 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
by Nico on Aug 10, 2010 9:48 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm still voting for Rafael Palmeiro
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Jack Cust's at bat in the 6th inning...
is a perfect example of how inept this team’s offense is. All he had to do was make some sort of contact and a run scores. Instead it’s…one, two, three strikes you’re out, see ya later. If management is unwilling to upgrade from this type/caliber of player, next season will be no different – mediocrity.
Korach even said
“let’s see what Cust can do with a man on third and less than two outs”
I tried to listen to the game although it’s late here and I was sleepy, but by the top of the eighth I could no longer justify staying up so late.
Yep
Rajai did the same thing in the 3rd Inning, only he took a 3rd strike right down the middle.
by Colorado Fan on Aug 10, 2010 7:27 AM PDT up reply actions
I love Korach
I am a radio only guy. He is dead wrong about Cust everytime.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
look Cust had 2 hits on the day
he didn’t make contact during the 6th. that happens. It is not a reflection of the offense, its the way baseball is.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
It's absolutely a reflection...
of his approach at the plate, it’s called situational hitting, and it’s important.
by DontKnowItAll on Aug 10, 2010 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
Cust is hitting .333/.429/.556 this year with a runner on 3rd and less than 2 outs.
Just FYI.
Pam liked my old sig better.
Yes but the frustration of the called third strike trumps actual production.
You need to get your head out of your computer and watch the games on your I-Pad.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 11, 2010 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
I don't want to get into the whole "fire/lack of fire" discussion (well, maybe I do)
I understand this is something that can’t be measured, and unless we’re in the clubhouse, we have no real way of knowing whether the guys were ‘motivated’ or not.
But it sure seemed to me like they mailed the game in …. and after playing so well against the Rangers, this really disappoints me. It’s series/games like these when I think the manager can make more of a difference than usual. Geren needs to remind the team — in a meeting of some sort — how important beating Seattle was/is. If you’re fired up to play Texas, you better damn-well be fired up to play Seattle, because your chances of beating the Mariners and making some head-way in the standings are vastly superior to beating the Rangers. And yet, they came out there last night and looked like they really didn’t want to play much at all … and then got their ass kicked by a really, really sh***y team. Can’t happen.
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.
I think the big play of the game was
when Coco played the popup poorly just before the mariners 3rd run. Was it the 5th? He catches that ball the Mariners only score 2.
I am glad carter is up now to give him time to suck at this level like he has done everywhere else.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Coco's play was right after Kouz botched the sac bunt
Not a good inning for the green and gold.
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
yep
which reminds me, Sunday pennington got an error leading to no earned runs for cahill. I thought that was a tough play that should be a hit.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Totally agree.
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
Aren't you supposed to write
“this” or “this this and this”
/snark
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
That play was ugly, no doubt...
but it didn’t turn out to be very important because 2 runs still beats 1 run, now if Cust would’ve driven the run home in the 6th with less than 2 outs, THEN coco’s misplaying of the pop fly would have been important – in retrospect.
by DontKnowItAll on Aug 10, 2010 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Scoring Opportunities Wasted
I don’t think the A’s have enough firepower (hitting) to catch the Rangers. To many scoring opportunities missed. The A’s have at least one thing going for them is pitching. I think the A’s will have the pitching staff next bar none. They keep on getting better and better.
Simpl48
The Athletics would be ahead of the Rangers IMO
if (1) Coco had not been on the DL throughout April/May
if (2) Ellis had not been on the DL
if (3) Chavez had been on the DL starting in ST.
if (4) Sheets had been on the DL instead of Cahill.
…just a few minor tweaks. Just shows you that there is really less dilution in talent since MLB expanded from 16 to 30 teams. Teams are much much more competitive last place to first place, than in the “old days”.
IMO
Blez: Most folks seem to believe that the big flaw with the 2010 Oakland A's will be the lack of any power.
Beane: They believe it because it's true.
by One won lost won on Aug 10, 2010 2:41 PM PDT up reply actions
If we're wishing folks off the DL
can I get a 5th wish for Duke?
The Rangers have had their fair share of injuries, though. For instance, Cruz has been on the DL twice.
The Ultimate Opportunist
by Rated-R Superstar on Aug 10, 2010 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
The Athletics would be ahead of the Rangers IMO
if (1) They had Josh Hamilton instead of Ryan Goleski
if (2) They had Nelson Cruz instead of Keith Ginter
if (3) They had Tim Hudson instead of Dan Meyer, Juan Cruz and Charles Thomas
if (4) They had signed Adrian Beltre insead of Ben Sheets and Coco Crisp
…just a few major errors. Just shows you that there really are consequences to making stupid personnel decisions based on minimizing risk rather than seeking upside. Teams are much much more able to take advantage of your stupidity than in the “fantasy leagues”
IMO
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Aug 11, 2010 10:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Talk about hindsight.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Aug 11, 2010 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions
Not to get into this too far
but over the years I see the Mets seemed to be “seeking upside” with Santana, Beltran, Delgado, and other high-priced free agent acquisitions, yet they sit at 57-57 or so in 2010.
Blez: Most folks seem to believe that the big flaw with the 2010 Oakland A's will be the lack of any power.
Beane: They believe it because it's true.
by One won lost won on Aug 12, 2010 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions
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