Boston Beats Oakland in the Battle of the Bulldogs, 5-3
by jeffro on Sep 12, 2010 4:34 PM PDT
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PrintFor the second Sunday in a row, the Oakland A's failed to complete a three game sweep. This time, it was a come from ahead defeat, my favorite kind. Just like many games recently, the A's had several opportunities to deal significant damage but failed to come through.
On the plus side, the A's had already won the season series with the Red Sox before the game began. Additionally, they just wrapped up a home stand in which they won every series, going 6-3 against the Angels, Mariners and Red Sox. Most importantly, from my perspective, the A's have a realistic shot at completing their first .500 or better campaign since 2006. I mean, they have now been at .500 273,000 times this season.
I billed this game "The Battle of Bulldogs" in the initial game thread. While that meme eventually lost it's relevance, the first three innings had me thinking, "What exactly is the definition of a bulldog?"
Dallas Braden and Josh Beckett are two pitchers I really admire. Other than the fact that I admire them, they have little in common. Braden is a soft tossing lefty who relies on changing speeds. Beckett is hard throwing righty who relies on blowing it by hitters. But I think of both of them as "Bulldogs."
To me, a bulldog is a guy who stands on the mound and knows he owns it. I am not talking about yelling at A-Rod, though I imagine at some point Beckett has too. What I mean is, they have what they have and they take it right at the hitter, regardless of the name on the back of his jersey. Or as Tom Petty once put it:
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - I Won't Back Down (via TomPettyHrtbrkrsVEVO)
Braden and Beckett made the game a Base on Balls bonanza for the first three innings. Neither seemed to have any command, but they didn't back down and wiggled their way out of self inflicted jam after self inflicted jam. To me, this is the key hallmark of a "Bulldog." It is a pitcher, who even when he is struggling, finds a way to get out of jam after jam. My favorite Bulldog of all time is Tim Hudson, and at times today I saw a bit of Huddy in both guys on the hill.
Three other thigns I took from today's game:
- Rajai needs to be non tendered, traded or otherwise off the A's 40 man roster this off season. The guy is what he is and it ain't pretty. He is only valuable as a fifth outfielder, and I think the A's have better candidates. This really isn't based on today alone, but it was obvious today. I'm with Coco, and maybe Sweeney as the back up in CF.
- Steve Tolleson will slide into the supersub role nicely next year. I imagine that Rosales may be Ellis' heir apparent. If that is so, and I am not advocating for the unicorn to leave (though I think it is probably what will happen), Rosales will do fine as the everyday 2nd basemen. And if he doesn't, Cardenas will probably be ready around June.
- Someone else needs to run the game threads on Sunday. I am bad luck.
What did you guys get out fo today's game?
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Yeah the first 2 points arent very solid.
1. Davis isnt that bad, subtract his april and his overall numbers are passable, not a star but he’s worth having as a 4th OF. His baserunning is really awesome and he’s a solid defender at all 3 OF spots.
2. Tolleson really sucks.
Davis is brutal
Especially when you say “forget his extremely horrible at bats and he becomes passable.” You can say that about the entire league, you know."
Tolleson will be a fine utility infielder.
You're both half-right.
Davis is not as bad as AN thinks he is, although I’m slowly beginning to maybe consider the idea that he’ll never be quite patient enough at the plate, or good enough defensively.
Tolleson is already a fine utility infielder.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 12, 2010 6:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Rajai is actually strangely consistent
When the dust clears, he’ll have a line of about .270/.320 with a ton of steals and too many bonehead plays. How useful that is may be a matter of opinion, but despite the extreme mood swings — “I have a good approach at the plate this month … now it’s absurdly awful!” — the end result, when averaged out, is pretty predictable.
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've got his walk rate at a couple percent higher than it actually is
and that’s about the easiest thing to predict of all.
I have yet to see any evidence whatsoever of him ever (even periodically) having a good approach at the plate. He’s one of the dumbest major league hitters I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying a lot in a league which has featured Jeff Francoeur and Alex Sanchez. As far as I can tell his past “hot” streaks have pretty much just been the times when a few extra of his dozens of lazy cans of corn to the short outfield have managed to drop in.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Occasionally he relaxes and lets the ball get deep,
and has a perfectly good approach for a while — which he then promptly forgets like it never happened and goes on another long streak of hacking. He’s also a heck of a lot better unworse against LHPs.
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'm convinced you're imagining this
I’ve seen so many game recaps which were like “And Rajai continued his hot streak” when the “continuation” was actually him going two for three with a 3-hop bleeder through the 5.5 hole and a bloop single to short right field.
You’re right about LHP, though. He’s cover-your-eyes horrible against righthanders but averagey against lefthanders, which at least makes him a decent weak side for a platoon.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
I don't think I'm imagining it,
but I do think the good streaks I’m referring to are too short and the lame ones too long.
One thing I will heartily agree with is that Rajai is very unteachable. When someone says he can learn patience, or improve his approach, etc., I don’t agree. For whatever reason, he has very little capacity to change his weaknesses — he is a compulsively impulsive player — so I believe what you see is what you’re always going to get.
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 think he's just not very bright, frankly, at least not as regards baseball
There’s a hilarious quote from a Civil War memoir where the writer describes Union general Alexander McCook as having “a grin that gives the impression that he is either still very green or deficient in the upper story.”
Well, Rajai Davis’s at-bats give me the same impression.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
I've always described him as an "ADHD player"
Not that he’s necessarily that way in life or the classroom, but on the field he has no impulse control mechanism whatsoever.
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 as you've noted, he does have streaks of patience at the plate.
He knows how to be patient. He just doesn’t keep that in mind often enough. If the potential is there, I think teaching can reveal it.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 13, 2010 1:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think he can
The mechanism that “forgets, in the moment” is stronger than the one that knows, at some level, how to do it right.
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
Over the last three years,
there has literally never— not once— been a two-game stretch in which Davis walked 3 or more times. There is no four-game stretch in which he walked 4 or more times. Last year everyone was kowtowing to him over a second-half stretch in which he walked 19 times in 66 starts.
In August 2009, he swung at 32% of pitches outside the zone. In September/October, 31.3%. His career figure is 30.9%, and so is his seasonal figure from 2009.
There is no way to describe this notion other than that it is utter fantasy. He is not a patient hitter, ever. He is always the same brain-dead hacker. Occasionally he goes on a lucky streak, like a bad gambler, and he looks good for a few days. That’s all.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
I'd rather the A's not pay money to a 4th outfielder (somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 million) when they have a slew of 4th outfielder candidates.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 7:58 PM PDT up reply actions
He's better than Hermida, Jackson or Larish
Probably still better than Carter and Taylor at this point. Sweeney is better if healthy, but I’m pretty sure a platoon of those two is better than either one alone.
Who’s left? Corey Brown? (Not ready either.) A Matt? (Surely you jest.) I agree that the fact that he looks like a reasonable candidate is as much about the horribleness of the other options as anything else, but facts is facts.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
If none of those players have a chance to provide 4th outfielder value, then they should be non tendered.
I’m not quite sure I believe that yet.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:14 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not a Conor Jackson fan,
but as a 4th OFer I’d say he’s great. I just don’t want to:
1. pencil him in for a full season, or
2. not get someone better to play COF because he’s there
But if the A’s have 3 good OFers, I’m happy for Jackson also to be in the mix.
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
Why?
I’m not attempting to be snarky. I seriously don’t get why anyone would think he was a competent baseball player. At this point in his career he’s Jack Hannahan without the glove.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
But with the year-long illness and the hamstring issue and the fungus growing on his lungs.
Pam liked my old sig better.
People keep saying this as though those were good things
They’re really not good things.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
He's a decent hitter pre-illness
I don’t believe he can necessarily stay healthy in terms of soft tissue stuff, but I think it’s reasonable to think he can recover to hit around .280/.350/.450 again for the time he’s not on the DL. He’s certainly not old.
Again, I’m not a fan but I like him better than I like Hermida, Matt, or Matt.
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 recall a lot of people saying very similar things about Travis Buck a year ago
Except, it turned out he was still constantly injured and sucking even when he wasn’t on the DL because he was basically never 100%.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Yeah, but Jackson had a longer good track record than Buck did.
Don’t get me wrong — my nightmare is that the A’s don’t get a really good COF because they have Jackson. I’ll be fine with it if the A’s non-tender him; I’ll just also be fine with it if they have Jackson spot start / platoon as an upgrade to Gabe Gross.
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
Billy Beane should be sent to the loony bin if he actually TENDERS Jackson
A Jack Cust-style nontender-then-resign is at least marginally more sane, though I still would not understand wasting a roster spot on him when it could go to a prospect who would otherwise be exposed to Rule 5.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
The A's need a plan B if/when Crisp gets dinged up
If not Davis… who?
The monster at the end of this blog.
No, just no
Not mobile enough for CF after the knee probs – was only marginally so before.
Paul seems to believe that none of the current dregs in the outfield can even be 4th outfielders.
If so, then the A’s should explore cheap FA options. Gabe Gross, quintessential 4th outfielder (and who can play CF), was available for 800K last offseason. I would rather pay someone like that 800K than Rajai 2 million.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:16 PM PDT up reply actions
Davis is NOT going to get $2M in arbitration.
No way. Matt Diaz got $1.2M in his first arbitration year and he had a better traditional statline than Davis did.
He’ll be lucky to get seven figures.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Isn't this year his second year of arbitration?
Cots says he’s making 1.35 million this year.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:21 PM PDT up reply actions
Oh, you're right
I forgot he was Super Two this year.
Well, Matt Diaz also got only a tiny raise in his second year of arbitration, so… $1.5M maybe? Still be surprised if he got 2.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
But Diaz was horrific his second year of arbitration.
He had like…a .560 OPS. I’m surprised he wasn’t nontendered.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:28 PM PDT up reply actions
Far be it from me to read PT's mind but...
In my view, none of the current 4th OF options are even remotely viable in CF.
Gross’ bat has evaporated and his defense is questionable.
The monster at the end of this blog.
But at the time of the signing he was a perfectly good defensive outfielder who was a career +3 in CF.
And like I said, he was available for 800K…
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:26 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm not saying no...
I’m saying I’d like to hear the alternative.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Hm.
Actually, after looking at the cots FAs for outfielders after this year, there doesn’t seem to be any potential Grosses who can also play CF. Although, I’m holding out hope that the A’s trade for Rasmus/Kemp or sign a guy like Werth who can all play CF in a pinch if/when Crisp goes down. Or maybe Crawford can be hypnotized into not only signing here, but also relinquishing his “no CF for me” rule.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 8:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Considering the Giants got Cody Ross for little,
one could probably hope for someone of about Ross’ pedigree — which is a lot better than Gabe Gross.
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... hm.
Seen the same list and was hoping you had a brilliant insight.
The monster at the end of this blog.
It requires a brilliant insight to acquire a 4th outfielder on the cheap?
Jeez, I hope not cause it would make our brand of armchair GMing even more irrelevant, futile, and pointless, especially when it comes to discussing complex, big trades.
Acquiring a player who can supply between 0 and 1 WAR is not difficult, whether it be from waiver wire, trade, or free agency (though I guess free agency isn’t an option in this situation). Maybe if this topic still interests me in the morning, I’ll research some candidates.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 12, 2010 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions
I think Corey Brown could handle the defensive side
but I’d fear a 2009-Greg-Halmanesque performance at the plate to go along with it.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
You can't just ignore a month of data, though.
I think Rajai’s current line is his true line.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
I need to see this club continue to battle to finish above .500 and show improvement
over the last three pathetic years, that will be fine with me.
Then, an active winter that shows principled and honest effort to improve offensively to the degree that’s required to dominate the AL West in 2011 with the excellent young arms dealing and the sticks supplying enough runs for them so the pitchers don’t feel they’ve got no margin for error. Then they can relax and do what they do even better than they did it this year.
Then in the Spring I wanna see the management make a real effort to market their (now excellent) product like any other corporation does, which means more than zero billboards and signage in the East Bay and a radio outlet that isn’t powered at night by squirrels running on a treadmill.
Silence s'il vous plait!! Vous ne voyez pas que je suis en train de se masturber?!?
I couldn't agree more.
...being a role model I probably wouldn't recommend eating dirt. But at the same time, I'm not trying to be a role model. I'm just trying to eat some dirt.
I'd be satisfied with competing in the AL West. I'm not sure how they'd dominate it short of a
complete collapse by Texas and no improvement from Anaheim. The rest of the suggestions are great and they could have implemented them 10 years ago.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 12, 2010 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions
If they can't get a real radio station
maybe then can feed the squirrels better and buy a cat to stand behind their little treadmill and scare them into running faster.
"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s
Good idea, especially since apparently they can't afford diesel.
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
Set up the stationary bike.
Bloom needs a job.
by LoneStranger on Sep 13, 2010 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
or buy a 75k Watt power station in Mexico
I recall the US had some law limiting power of stations to 50k watts, for public safety. so all of the big stations set up towers in Canada and Mexico set at 75k watts, and these could reach over half the US. California is certainly accessible to a 75k watt tower located in Tijuana (here in San Diego one of the major sports stations is imported from Mexico on one such tower). A history of one such station is located at:
http://www.xxsportsradio.com/pages/historyof1090
So why won’t the A’s setup some 75k watt (or higher) channel across the border and open up the lines to all of CA, seeing as to alot of their fanbase comes from the San Jaquin valley?
by rollierollieOxenfree on Sep 12, 2010 8:46 PM PDT up reply actions
I seem to remember someone saying "sell high on Rajai Davis, he's really NOT a good player" last offseason
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Yeah but if we had he'd probably be the MVP on another team
"Never overlook an orchid while searching for a rose" - Buck Showalter
by Philip Christy on Sep 12, 2010 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions
... no, he'd be Rajai Davis
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
This was more about poking fun at the Ethiers and Cargon’s and Cruz’s and Pena’s out there who have had great seasons after the A’s had parted ways with them. I don’t actually think Davis would be any better than he’s been with another team.
"Never overlook an orchid while searching for a rose" - Buck Showalter
by Philip Christy on Sep 12, 2010 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions
Beane basically said that no one was willing to buy high on him. They did acquire Coco.
It’s not like they really wanted him that badly.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 12, 2010 5:56 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't remember Beane mentioning Rajai
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 6:59 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Hmmmmm
The Chronicle has learned that the #Athletics will announce the signing of Akinori Iwamura tomorrow. He will join the team in Kansas City.
http://twitter.com/susanslusser/status/24327957594
Last of the Ninth - Photography
More
Assistant general manager David Forst confirms the Iwamura signing to The Chronicle.
Iwamura is added because the #Athletics aren’t sure when Kouzmanoff will be ready to play third again, although he continues to improve.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
We're replacing Kouz with an even weaker hitter?
I thought Tolleson had that covered.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Meaning Kouz is done for the season?
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 5:46 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Same difference
No one is going on the 15 day DL now…
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 5:58 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Why would anyone bring in a guy who got dumped by the Pirates...
…and hits below the Mendoza line?
It’s like the A’s have a thing for Wolfs and Pattersons. Tolleson and Larish may not be good fielders, but at least they’re not dead spots in the line-up either.
Just this year.
He’s put together decent batting lines (for a middle infielder) in three straight years before this one.
I wonder if it's more an opportunity signing
of a guy who was, recently, a good 2Bman. The A’s seem determined to stockpile “really mediocre players who were once pretty decent” at positions where they need “one player who is actually good, now.”
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, let's be fair
There are no “actually good” players available right now…
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
This is true.
It seems really unfair how teams keep only releasing their bad players.
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's ironic is that Larish is actually hitting WORSE this season,
albeit in a small sample, than Iwamura was.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
You're not the only one thinking that
Susan Slusser just posted this comment on SFGate:
“This move (signing Iwamura) doesn’t necessarily bode well for Jeff Larish’s future at third for the A’s; he’s actually looked better at first and in the outfield. He’s also 1 for his past 25.”
I was assuming they were auditioning him for 2011....sort of like Conor Jackson.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 12, 2010 6:01 PM PDT up reply actions
Iwamua, Hermida, Jackson...
the A’s are having one hell of a 2007 offseason!
by PL78 on Sep 12, 2010 6:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
bob ostro the maestro of delecateson land.
alaska A currently residing in northern Idaho. --- theme for august = remain calm and try to truly enjoy a .500 team.
This could get a little fine
A’s upset with today’s strike zone. Braden: “Today was bad, period. We’re held to a standard and (umpires) should be as well.”
http://twitter.com/joestiglich/status/24328322619
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Huh.
Was the strike zone that inconsistent? It didn’t seem like it.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Yes. It absolutely was.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 12, 2010 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions
I was at the game
Hate to say it but it looked like the ump was consistently calling the “outside” strike to both teams. Beckett also looked upset.
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 5:48 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Of course I was only complaining
When it negatively affected the A’s
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 5:59 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
I didn't have a good view of inside/outside in 122
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
Would you look at that.
Gee, that’s funny…sure are a lot of red Boston-thrown called strike triangles out of the zone. Wonder where the Oakland-thrown out of the zone red squares are.
by danmerqury on Sep 12, 2010 5:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I see one for the A's on the right side!!!
Still, I don’t see how anyone can complain that the zone was inconsistent. Looks like it was very consistent… pro-Boston.
The monster at the end of this blog.
Love that human element!
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 12, 2010 5:58 PM PDT up reply actions
By my count,
Boston had 16 clear balls called strikes and 4 clear strikes called balls. Oakland had one of each. I didn’t count the pitches at the extreme high and low ends of the zone because those aren’t constant.
What’s the expected run value for blowing a ball/strike call? It’s about 0.15 runs, right? Virtually the entire difference in this game was bad umpiring.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Really? It's that much?
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
I was just sort of assuming a strike was a third of an out and a ball was a fourth of a walk.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
That's not very PT of you
You assume it’s linear? The values of “out #1,” “out #2,” and “out #3” aren’t simply “1/3 of an inning” in terms of run expectancy, is 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
That should come out in the wash
I mean, it’s obviously possible for a single ball/strike call to be worth a lot more or less than that in run expectancy (blowing strike one with the bases empty and two outs is a lot less important than blowing strike three with the bases loaded and two out) but you’d expect it to even out over time.
Then again, if the errors are not random (which, thinking about it, they probably aren’t— umpires are notorious for expanding strike zones at 3-0 and shrinking them at 0-2) then that might not work correctly. And if the umpire is actually biased rather than just incompetent, then it definitely won’t work correctly.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
But is the difference between
1-0 and 2-0, and the difference between 2-0 and 3-0, the same? Or 1-1 and 1-2 vs. 3-0 and 3-1? Seems like it wouldn’t be that linear.
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
No, clearly not
The further into an at-bat you get, the more significant the pitch becomes. Obviously here the umpire’s brain-dead strike zone hurt the A’s more than usual because at least 3 of those were fairly high-leverage strike threes.
But I’m just looking for an averaged-out result. If an umpire blows 10 calls, how much will that cost a team on average?
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Maybe a better formula is to
just look at the opponent and if it’s Boston or New York, you’re f***ed.
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
Ah. Word problems. Make more sense to me than equations.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
So let's say two trains are
leaving the same train station in opposite directions, one traveling at 45 MPH and the other at 55 MPH. If the first train makes one 40-minute stop and the second train makes one 15-minute stop, how many more ball-strike calls will be intentionally given to favor an East Coast team?
{The answer is 23.}
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
Did you peek at the answer?
Cuz if not, you’re good!
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 sure about the run value of an individual ball/strike. Never seen a study that established that.
But
I didn’t count the pitches at the extreme high and low ends of the zone because those aren’t constant.
This map is normalized, meaning that it adjusts the location of each dot on the graph for that batter’s strikezone, height-wise.
That would reduce the margin to 10 pitches in Boston's favor instead of 12
Still kind of outrageous, though.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Don't all good pitchers do this? Are there any nibbling good pitchers?
they have what they have and they take it right at the hitter, regardless of the name on the back of his jersey
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
Glavine?
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Really?
He supposedly changed his approach allowing more BB with RISP but not normally.
I hate Bob Geren and his peanut brain so much -- lenscrafters
by WaddellCanseco on Sep 12, 2010 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions
What I learned
was the A’s can’t hit and they play in a lousy ballpark. The lack of hitting has been true for a few years now. The crap of a ballpark has been true ever since they erected Mt. Davis. I guess I’m a slow learner.
OK, enough negative stuff. This really is the best team the A’s have had in a few years. And if they actually spend some M-O-N-E-Y on a couple of corner outfielders this winter to replace the crap they have this year, they could be a playoff bound team.
I don't think you can blame the coliseum for the A's play
They certainly don’t hit or pitch or play defense better on the road.
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 7:23 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Finally someone with a brain gets it right
I know some guys weren’t very happy about it, but you have to make adjustments," Oakland catcher Kurt Suzuki said of the strike zone. “There’s no mystery to it: If he’s going to call it, you have to swing.”
Thank you Kurt!!! Swing the fucking bats instead of bitching about it
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300912111&teams=boston-red-sox-vs-oakland-athletics
I will correct what I just said
Swing the bats and still complain about it. Don’t sit there batter after batter and watch. The first time maybe but after that, you have to swing
Seriously?
Is it even possible to hit most of those? (I’d say not, if you’re a righthander. A lefthander might, I guess, be able to reach out and slap one foul.) I’d rather risk taking a strike than hit a popup or some broken-bat grounder to the third baseman.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Did anyone besides Barton
expect that pitch to:
1. be anything but a fastball outside corner at the knees
2. not to be called a strike if it was borderline
He must have been the only person in the ballpark who was surprised.
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
With borderline pitches, it is often correct to take a pitch even knowing that it might be strike three
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
I think in context, in that spot, given how it was being called all inning,
if you’re Barton you look fastball away and if it’s borderline you slap it foul over the A’s dugout and check out the next pitch. 3rd inning, leading off, no pattern of that exact ptich being called a strike over and over, sure. That spot? No.
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
Meh
The reason why Barton doesn’t do that is the exact same reason why he hits .280 and walks 15% of the time. It’s because he has a great internalized picture of the strike zone. It makes him vulnerable to umpire stupidity.
It’s like losing to a suck-out in poker. It’s precisely the fact that you’re a good player that causes those sorts of losses to happen more often than they typically do.
As far as I’m concerned, if Daric Barton thinks that it’s a bad idea to swing at a pitch, then it’s a bad idea to swing at that pitch. End of story.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Unfortunately you don't get extra points
For knowing the strike zone better than the umpire.
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 8:01 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Open the book up again
Barton may know the strike zone better than the umpire.
And if he knows that the ump is consistently calling a pitch 2-3 inches off the plate a strike then he better defend the plate when he has 2 strikes. Papelbon knew he was getting the call. Martinez knew he was getting the call. That’s why he called for that pitch. Maybe Barton doesn’t foul off the pitch, maybe he pops up or hits a weak grounder or even swing through the pitch.
But at least he would have had a chance.
All players must adapt. Even if that means adapting to a shitty strike zone.
The monster at the end of this blog.
If the long-run cost of him "adapting" is higher than the benefit,
then he should not adapt.
I have no idea what the actual equation there is, but I do know that Barton is a million times better at this stuff than I am or you are. He is a good hitter. I am not going to second-guess the way he handles at-bats. If the price of his approach is the occasional strikeout-looking on a bad call, then so be it.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
You're making an assumption that may not be so
Lots of good hitters have shown an ability to fight off tough pitches without losing command of the strike zone in subsequent at bats.
The monster at the end of this blog.
The only assumption I am making is that Daric Barton is better at judging how he can be a good hitter
than a couple of couch potatoes are.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
You watch baseball while fighting wildland fires?
I’m not sure whether to be impressed or terrified for society at large.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
His favorite player is Hose A.
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
Shouldn't his favorite team be the White Sox?
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Nobody's favorite team should be the White Sox.
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 if you live in Illinois where your only other option are the Cubs?
"You're all like big, fat failure turtles." - Edge
by Rated-R Superstar on Sep 12, 2010 11:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Bingo
My wife went to grad school on the South Side, and I lived in Central Illinois for a while, and if you wanted a local team, it was the White Sox or the Cubs. Eff the Cubs, the White Sox are basically the midwestern A’s, but with more money to spend. I can’t hate on the White Sox.
am I your wife?
Peter Gammons ran over his puppy. But that wasn’t the worst part. He then proceeded to back over it too. Then rolled forward again (#3), rolled down the window and said, "What are you going to do about it, kid? I’m Peter F**king Gammons, b**ch." Then drove away. -d to the moas
by Leopold Bloom on Sep 13, 2010 8:07 AM PDT up reply actions
Not that I know of
but yes, I did seem to remember that you were a Maroon at some point. She just finished a PhD there this year, and my memory is you were there a while back?
more fitting to be the Braves
just saying…
by rollierollieOxenfree on Sep 12, 2010 8:54 PM PDT up reply actions
Of course not...
I have a 2nd TV handy so I can do P90-X while I watch the game.
The monster at the end of this blog.
"Hang on a damn minute, ma'am --
I’ll get your kids out of there, but right now the bases are loaded…"
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'd add that if if strike two pitch looks outside but close
You could try fouling it off.
by OaklandSi on Sep 12, 2010 7:25 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Especially if the last two hitters were each called out on the exact same pitch.
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
Yay airport wifi
Looks like Sacramento’s going to lose tonight and be done. Wonder who I might wind up seeing in Kansas City and Minnesota, now. Hopefully Carter gets brought back up.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I found that SFO offered free wifi, but Newark asked you to pay for it. That's just wrong.
"Nah, you look like Elijah Wood." - danmerqury
Way to go, Tommy Everidge!
Takes a throw at 1B for the SECOND out, thinks it’s the 3rd out, tosses the ball into the stands, and the runner at 2B is awarded home: now 2-1 Tacoma in the 6th, in the deciding game up at Safeco.
The Rivercats’ only run comes courtesy of a Chris Carter HR.
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 still think the guy is going to be a beast
Assuming, of course, that he ever gets a major league 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
It's nice that he hit a couple of big-league home runs last year
I have this sense that his career total will not be changing in the near future.
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Rajai is for me a good example of why you shouldn't trust
your own experience. I’ve only watched or listened to maybe about 25% of the games this year, but in virtually ever game I pay attention to, Rajai has a good game. Seems to me like he’s constantly getting on base. I read AN, so I know that everyone else thinks he sucks, but it seems like every time I’m listening to the game Rajai gets a hit and I think to myself, “There he goes again. Isn’t he supposed to be bad?”
If I had to guess based on only my personal experience from the games I would have guessed he’s 1st on the team for batting average and probably 2nd or 3rd in OBP. Of course, I know that’s not true, because I can look at his numbers and see that he isn’t even close (though not quite as bad as AN seems to think he is), so I guess I just randomly happen to pay attention to the games in which he’s good. Still, it feels weird to me every time someone talks about him being bad, because he never seems to be bad when I’m watching.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
by iglew on Sep 12, 2010 11:33 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs
The solution is obvious
Rajai Davis needs to buy you a ticket for every A’s game through the rest of the season, including road games. He’ll also need to purchase you plane tickets and hotel accommodations.
He’s already going to be playing everyday… you’ll be watching him thus he’ll play awesome… a late season surge can only help the A’s win more games AND it will help Davis make more money via his next arbitration hearing.
The monster at the end of this blog.
I feel similarly
In the games I have attended this year, as well as many games I have listened to, Rajai has played very well. I think that I have seen first hand 3 of his home runs in the 6 games I attended. I think Rajai is a threat to go deep all the time! Clearly, this is not the case, but boy does my brain think he’s great.
Whereas every time I turn on the tube, he's swinging at a high fastball on the first pitch and popping up to short center...
"We don't want our people to be preoccupied with seminude, crazy men jumping up and down who are chasing an inflated object," said Sheik Mohamed Osman Arus, head of operations for the Hizbul Islam insurgent group.
Completely agree on Rajai.
He’s not (that) cheap anymore, and he’s definitely not good either. His defense is too shaky for him to be a true 4th/5th outfielder. I’m really starting to believe in Corey Brown again. I’d love to see him get the call now to get him a few big league AB’s. He’s been solid in his (SSS) return to Sac, and he’s getting to the age where it’s time to make the next step. I think now’s a perfect time to bring him up.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Some of us know him as the a-hole who piled into Ray Fosse in an All-Star game (it's why Ray is the way he is folks)" - OptimistPrime
Haven’t been around lately, but have you guys lost hope or do you think we can make a push with our remaining schedule? IMO Texas plays easier teams but we can make a run and make up the 8 games. We’ve been within 10 games all damn year. Texas isn’t that good. F them.
It’s not a lie if you believe it.
Odds
This time of year I enjoy watching Baseball Prospectus’s playoff odds calculation. I started watching about a month ago when it was around 5% for the A’s. Now it’s now down to 0.42%. (The decrease is not so much that the A’s have lost any ground, but rather the season is getting closer to finished and they haven’t gained any ground either.)
About a half a percent chance sounds right to me right now. Does that count as “lost hope”? It’s a tiny sliver of hope. It is what it is.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Ahhh, here in KC. Gonna be heading over to the complex soon.
Didn’t get much sleep, though. Too cramped in the airplane seat so the best I think I managed was a half-nap here and there. Not really enough time to get much sleep right now either, so I’ll live. Gonna be a fun “doubleheader” today, I think!
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Better use that auto-focus feature, bleary.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Sep 13, 2010 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions
From the Drumbeat
This is the list of callups who will join the A’s in Kansas City: Chris Carter, Eric Sogard, Vin Mazzaro and Josh Donaldson.
The funny thing about baseball is that people will believe what they want to believe. -Joe Posnanski 8/29/09
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