"Broad Side Of Barn" Strategy FTW!
by Nico on Sep 4, 2010 3:50 PM PDT
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PrintFor the second game in a row, the A's plan appeared to be to have their starting pitcher throw very few strikes, walk too many Angels' hitters, not give up any runs, and win. And it worked, again.
Trevor Cahill's 6 innings took a career high 116 pitches because he walked 6, threw only 60 strikes, and had to rent an extra storage shed to house all the runners he was trying to strand. Yet Cahill stranded all, allowed none to score, and picked up his 15th win. Only Torii Hunter solo HR off Craig Breslow in the 8th put the Angels on the board in the series.
As for the A's offense, they had just enough two-out magic: A Jack Cust RBI single in the 1st ("I knew he would strickout!!! I knew it!!!"), a Cliff Pennington RBI single in the 2nd, and a Mark Ellis RBI single in the 6th, all with two outs, helping Jered Weaver to drop to 0-3 against the A's this season.
Coupled with the Rangers getting shellacked by Jim Thome and the Twins today, the A's are 8 games out at day's end. If Texas has a Padres-level losing streak in them, maybe the A's can make the AL West interesting again. It's up to Oakland, because the Angels' offense is "A's-like" these days, and this is the worst the Angels have looked as a team since I can remember.
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the angles always look this bad
they just win instead
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
I hope we don't stick with this pitching strategy.
It scares me.
That's pam. "classy enough." -whiteshoes40
Cahill has 5 starts left
and if he can win all 5 of em he’ll have 20 wins
Mathletics FTW!
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Sep 4, 2010 4:15 PM PDT up reply actions
Are they actually not?
I thought the consensus was that the voters are still stupid.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 4, 2010 4:49 PM PDT up reply actions
they are
but a couple of years ago lee beat wang or sabbathia beat wang one or the other.
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
... definitely no Freudian slips here
Move along, folks.
"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.
/ Raises hairy palm, sheepishly.
// Hopes Nico isn’t on-line.
The meaning of life is not so much 'found,' as it is 'made.' --Opus
by The Dogfather on Sep 4, 2010 6:55 PM PDT up reply actions
Having looked up Ceiling Cat to see
what the heck you’re talking about, I have to say that the resemblance is uncanny.
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
voters are always stupid
not just in baseball cy young voting too.
People are hoping that Greinke winning last year was a sign that voters might be looking at other things, too.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Sep 5, 2010 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions
Aren't the innings starting to get a bit high for Cahill and Gio?
I wouldn’t feel like he needs another 5 starts this year, and pretty soon a 6-man rotation ought to be in the works, dont you think? Nico’s optimism notwithstanding, the A’s are simply about as true a .500 ballclub as can be this year. They lose to teams who are better, and beat the ones that are worse, basically like clockwork. Sure, Texas could drop 10 in a row (especially with Cliff Lee missing a start), but we can’t make that up with 10 games in a row of our own.
Your poem here.
Don't get me wrong --
I haven’t thought the A’s were in it for about a month. My “optimism” in the recap is tongue-in-cheek.
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
Oops, I meant to be tongue-in-cheek about your tongue-in-cheekiness...
… and the meta-cheeks got lost in redundancy. Put simply, I knew that, and didn’t mean to represent it otherwise.
Your poem here.
Silly goose.
My comment above was totally tongue-in-cheek.
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
In regard to the specific question,
they’re not on innings counts. Cahill should be good for anything up to 200 IP (and I can’t see him reeling off more than 35 over five starts). Gonzalez threw 160 last year and thus should easily be good to go to 190. That’s about 3 more starts, so if the team is truly finished in the playoff hunt (as opposed to merely on life support, as right now), I could see the A’s shutting him down for his final start or two.
Bizarrely, the A’s starter at worst risk of going way over his previous innings high is Dallas Braden, who’s currently 12 innings over his previous career high (just 148). However, he’s sufficiently old that he’s past the injury nexus.
"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.
Thanks, PT! You rock.
I know there’s a lot of ways to get inning counts wrong (I remember last year some controversy over this, when it turned out BB/Geren were keeping track better than folks thought), and didn’t want to suppose I could get the numbers myself.
Your poem here.
Actually last year they screwed it up, royally
and then this year both Anderson and Cahill went on the DL.
Not necessarily a causal link, especially in Cahill’s case, but who knows. The way the team handled both of them last season was… acephalous.
"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.
+1
What you fail to understand in your joyless myopia is that baseball is the key to life-- the Rosetta Stone, if you will. If you just understood baseball better all your other questions your, your... the, uh... the aliens, the conspiracies they would all, in their way be answered by the baseball gods.
well, zippy doo.....we won.
alaska A currently residing in northern Idaho. --- theme for august = remain calm and try to truly enjoy a .500 team.
So tomorrow...
We go up against Haren and the Rangers go up against Blackburn. So, we’re eight games back going into a three-game set against the Mariners, with the Rangers to sqaure off against the Blue Jays.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 4, 2010 4:51 PM PDT reply actions
We face E. Santana, not Haren, for better or for worse.
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 don't care how bad their track record is
That can’t possibly be “for worse.”
"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.
CBS had us going against Weaver tomorrow, so I just went to their depth chart, which had Haren next.
That was also wrong, apparently. I shouldn’t have expected anything else.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 4, 2010 8:43 PM PDT up reply actions
While we're at it, can I try Jeff?
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
Oh, good.
I don’t know if I could handle us having to actually face Danny as an Angel. The occasional shots of him in the dugout are bad enough.
The Padres are in the midst of a choke-job of epic proportions ...
if they let the Giants steal the division, what a shame.
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.
yeah, we were scoreboard watching at the coliseum
besides watching the Twins crush the Rangers (yay!) we noticed that the Padres were on their way to their ninth straight loss. They might help the Giants back their way into the division championship (if the Rockies don’t do it).
.
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
GIGO
garbage in, garbage out
I would only assume bad calibration
wtf? what reason do you have to believe there is "bad calibration"?
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
The "eyeball" test!
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 just know hardware and software can be wrong, just like people.
at least that's fixable
Kerwin Danley, however, is not.
!#%&$#@&%&% antioxidants! - pam
by cuppingmaster on Sep 4, 2010 9:26 PM PDT up reply actions
And it's WILLING to be fixed.
Human umpires don’t seem to be. In fact, they seem to be intentionally getting worse out of defiance. It’s not an uncommon response to feeling attacked.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 4, 2010 9:43 PM PDT up reply actions
When they were the California Angels, they just seemed a lot more...something.
Like they belonged to the whole state or something.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 4, 2010 8:45 PM PDT up reply actions
Someone needs to put out an APB on the Angels offense
They failed to reach 100 runs scored in either July or August and have 5 in 3 games in September.
In the “This Is Not a Typo, Honest” category of stats, Brandon Wood has a wRC+ of 6.
"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 way his career has gone, you'd think the A's had developed Brandon Wood.
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 Angels have been, if anything, WORSE than the A's
at transitioning hitting prospects from the minors to the majors. Although their AAA park is a super-bandbox, so that probably results in their hitters being overrated to some degree.
"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 Angels have reached the pinnacle of Suck Mountain.
They are bad and will be bad for a long time. I can’t stop smiling.
JJ Martin
The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker
what about the Mariners?
Aren’t they the Mons Olympus of sucking – bigger than any mere terrestrial sucking?
I don't know about that
They have a healthy payroll, an owner willing to spend, and a smart GM. I wish the A’s had gotten Haren and Callaspo (who could play 2B) for what the Angels gave up. They’re a smart organization that won’t sit on its hands.
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
"and a smart GM."
what makes you say that?
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
Seems reasonably smart to me
Signed Abreu, Hunter, Piñeiro, traded for Haren and gave up nearly nothing — basically seems to target solid players and not give up too much in the process.
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
Hunter was a very bad contract
Abreu #1 was a good contract. Abreu #2 was a very bad contract. Piniero, eh, pretty good, I guess. Anyone would have traded for Haren given how ridiculously little the D-Backs were asking in return; for all we know, maybe Reagins was just the first guy to pick up the phone. The Scott Kazmir deal was laughably horrible for them. Ervin Santana’s extension looks pretty bad now. Fernando Rodney was horrible. Juan Rivera was a good signing because it was cheap, but he’s not a good player.
I’m not impressed. I mean, he’s not throwing away $25M in payroll on worthless players every season the way Stoneman did, but the overall tally looks well below average to me.
"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 Hunter looked like it would probably be a bad contract,
but has been proven otherwise by not declining as quickly as we all assumed he would. Maybe that was lucky on the Angels’ part or maybe they gauged right. I thought Kazmir predated Reagins but if not then yes, terrible trade. And Rodney was a bad deal, I agree. So, a mixed bad to be sure.
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
Nah
He’s being paid like a superstar. He played like a (non-super) star for 2 seasons, has been pretty good this year, and is declining.
I mean, they got a good player, but you’d have to be beyond incompetent to fail to at least get a good player for $18M a season.
"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.
And Hunter is now playing right field
Where he’ll likely be more valuable defensively, but his offense is less valuable. Maybe that comes out as a wash, but I tend to think him moving positions will make him a bit less valuable overall.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Sep 5, 2010 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Actually, given how brutal he's been in center for a while,
I suspect it’ll probably help him (infinitesimally, of course; maybe a run per season or so) just on the basis that fewer balls are hit in his direction.
"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.
Oh right -- I guess I was thinking of the first time he was traded,
not when the Angels got him. I’ve never believed in Kazmir and was surprised he was good for as long as he was.
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 must have missed those 5.
Kind of like Kazmir missed the target, the glove, and almost the backstop.
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 now, he is horrible now
but when he was good, he seemed to only go 5 innings
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Oh yeah -- that's one of the reasons
I thought he was overrated. But he always seemed to have a complete game 12 strikeout fest to share with the A’s.
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
Didn't he sign Fuentes, too?
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Sep 5, 2010 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions
I may have overstated in my glee of watching the Angel ineptitude in so many facets of the game.
In light of past performance, where I think they exceeded their talent, and their expectations of this year, I’ll stick with them being the essence of suckitude. But I am biased.
JJ Martin
The best way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until the ball stops rolling and then pick it up. ~Bob Uecker
they have so many holes right now
SPs not named Haren or Weaver, closer, outfield defense, catcher (since they refuse to play Napoli). They’re going to have to spend some serious scratch this offseason to upgrade.
!#%&$#@&%&% antioxidants! - pam
by cuppingmaster on Sep 4, 2010 9:33 PM PDT up reply actions
True. All I was really trying to say is that
they have a pretty large payroll and a willingness to spend money, and for example I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they made serious plays for Crawford or Beltre — so they could get better quickly, especially since they’ll be getting Morales back and he’s a stud. But hopefully the A’s will finish ahead of LAA in 2010 — and again in 2011!
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
They also have ~95 million committed for next season and a boatload of arbitration eligible players.
The A’s are in a better position (budget wise) to bid for top free agents than the Angels for the first time since…a long time.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 4, 2010 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions
That's a nice thought.
This may be the year Hunter’s contract really bites them, especially since while he can still hit ok he’s no longer even a CFer. And yes, being reminded of some of Reagins’ moves I had forgotten about, he’s definitely made plenty of bad ones. Though he didn’t trade Carlos Gonzalez for … GAAAAAAAAAAH.
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
Don't forget Gary Matthews, Jr.
They paid him $10.5MM to play (poorly) for the Mets this year, and they have to pay him $11MM next year to sit on his couch.
Right. I thought of that one a few moments ago.
Good — I want the Angels to be bad, so I’m glad to be reminded of these gaffes.
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 mean, he's not terrible.
He certainly has made a lot of good moves. It’s hard to build a constantly contending team and be bad. But aside from the Mets, it’d be difficult to find a GM who wastes more money. Is that better than making bad trades and giving away players? In his financially-strong position…yeah.
Right -- I guess I just kind of threw him into a bigger generalization
of thinking the Angels are a pretty well-run organization, without separating out so much the “GM part” from the rest. He’s helped a lot by the fact that he’s flanked by an owner above him, and a manager below him, who are to be envied.
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 didn't mention that one because it's on Stoneman,
unfortunately. Actually, Reagins did quite well to save $2M or so by getting the Mets to acquire Matthews’s rotting corpse.
"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.
Counter offer: 8% and I get to sit on it too.
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
SSS
But since returning to Sacramento Corey Brown is 7-for-19 with 3 homers, a triple and a double. That includes a 3-for-4 night so far in Colorado Springs where the River Cats scored 8 in the first and now lead 14-5.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Given the utter dreck* the A's are running out there at the corner outfield spots
and the fact that he has to go on the 40-man roster this offseason anyway, I think he’s actually playing himself into position to debut in the majors once Sacramento’s season wraps up. I would never have guessed that two months ago.
*I stopped being high on Jeff Larish once I realized that I had been confusing him with Ryan Raburn, and the A’s had not acquired the latter.
"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.
It's funny. Larish's numbers aren't hot, but I actually really like his swing.
He’s got a super compact swing and a pretty quick Chase Utley-esque follow through.
Pam liked my old sig better.
The A's got a decent four or five games out of Larish
…which is more than they got from either of the Matts.
Beane is stockpiling outfielders for next year… no idea how it will play out….assuming Gross and the Matts are gone, there’s
Coco Crisp (the A’s will probably take the option)
Rajai Davis
Ryan Sweeney (who is untradeable at the moment)
Chris Carter
Michael Taylor
Conor Jackson
Corey Brown
Jeff Larish
Jeremy Hermida
As for Hermida
Has there ever been the case of a player who came up, had one outstanding year, then slipped into oblivion, and actually made it back to that original level of success after a few years in the wilderness? Anyone?
Carl Pavano
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
I checked out his BB-Ref comparables
Jose Guillen is about the best I can do. Pretty stretched, but if you squint a little, you can sort of see a similar trajectory.
"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.
Yes, if you squint
Hermida’s high was higher, and his fall was quicker and faster.
I have a feeling that if you look at one great year, followed by a decent year, followed by two years of fall-off and oblivion, you’d find a lot of comps.
Here's the problem:
Several of those guys are arb-eligible, and the team will never have time to sort through them all in spring training anyway. (I note you didn’t mention Buck, who’s probably going to get claimed on waivers in the offseason, so I guess that’s of little consequence.)
I’d be surprised if Hermida and Jackson aren’t released (certainly there’s no way either of them sees an arbitration offer).
"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.
Also, there's a pending roster crunch (see below).
I’d be pissed as hell if the A’s gave up a useful, cheap minor leaguer to keep that crap on their 40-man roster.
"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 left off Buck...
…and shouldn’t have (he slipped my mind), but as you say, it’s of no consequence. He’ll be gone.
Best guess is that Hermida will be invited to spring training. Everything I’m reading suggests that Jackson is expected back.
...which would mean he'd go to arbitration
Unless Beane is bullshitting Slusser, it sounds like the A’s see Jackson in their plans.
Beane has wanted to get Jackson
ever since he scouted him in college. Jackson will be given every opportunity to stick.
Like I said, I'll be pissed
Conor Jackson is worthless dreck and hurt on top of it. I want no part of him.
"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.
Nothin personal against Conor
Seems like a really nice guy, but yeah…PT I’m with you 100% on this.
You know you are big-time when people chant your name while you pee. - 67MARQUEZ
by bakerbeachboy on Sep 5, 2010 1:38 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm not interested either
but if Beane is true to form we’ll be seeing Jackson if he’s healthy enough to play.
I can't imagine anything dumber than tendering Jackson a contract
If Beane wants him back so badly, he can get him in free agency for much less money. It’s not like he will inspire a bidding war or anything.
"Rollins helps them with the small ball when he's not in the lineup." - Joe Morgan
Instead of Dropping Conor...
Shouldn’t we at least see if we can get a Demel type prospect in return for Conor Jackson? I know we are all shell-shocked from our 4-year injury hoax, but come on… if healthy, he has the capability of being the 3rd best OF on the A’s next year (Not a good thing, I know… but still). You can’t just drop for nothing.
I'm reasonably certain a corner OF spot is his to lose in ST
Even though he’s another injury case, Beane likes him. I HOPE he gets traded or non-tendered, but I’m not sure it’s gonna happen.
!#%&$#@&%&% antioxidants! - pam
by cuppingmaster on Sep 5, 2010 9:19 AM PDT up reply actions
The only team that thought he was worth a Demel-type prospect
was the A’s. While I’m generally in favor of getting major league players for minor league arms, this experiment was an utter failure. It needs to end, as soon as the season ends.
"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.
Beane seems to have lost his mind.
I don’t see that in the sense of the hyperbolic, I-disagree-with-him sense. I mean he really seems to have just become crazy. He focuses on tiny ridiculous tangents like wanting Conor Jackson, while losing sight of how relatively easy it would have been to win the division this year.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions
That last sentence is way wrong
The A’s are 8 games back over 5/6 of the season. Even if they had replaced their Matts with Matt Holliday, they’d still be trailing by 3 or 4 games.
It’s cold comfort, and I get the fiddling-while-Rome-burns vibe some lately too, but this season was a lost cause absent some really massive intervention via free agency.
"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 we're 8 games back over 5/6 of the season, that means we've played even with the Rangers over that 5/6.
We haven’t really lost much ground over the course of July and August. In fact, we’ve gained a slight amount. And over the course of April and May, we played even with the Rangers and slightly better.
We had a cold streak and they had a hot streak. If we play the month of June with just a little help from Beane, there’s no way the AL West race is over by this point. And if he would have really invested himself in the cause, we could easily have won. The Rangers have massively overrated pitching, and their hitting is streaky at best.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 10:22 AM PDT up reply actions
IF the A's played well in interleague
this would different, but there is little chance now
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
The Rangers are just better
The A’s have a lot going for them, but an OF that combines for 12 HRs on a team whose HR leader will probably have about 17? Come on. Dingerz aren’t everything, but at some point you have to say: Come on.
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
Since you have in past criticized me for "spinning"
your posts in ways that you did not intend, I will avoid attempting to do so here and respond with a simple:
If we’re 8 games back over 5/6 of the season, that means we’ve played even with the Rangers over that 5/6.
WTF?
"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'm sick of seeing Rajai, Carson, and Gross take at bats.
Can’t wait till the AAA playoffs are over.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 4, 2010 10:10 PM PDT up reply actions
But who gets called up?
Taylor’s not on the 40-man and hasn’t really earned it, Carter’s hurt (maybe he’ll be ok by then?), Corey Brown seems like a long shot for a callup. I know: Matt Watson!!!
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 Taylor is rule 5 (V?) eligible this off season,
so he has to be added anyway, no?
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
Yep, and it brings up an interesting point
The A’s have a major roster headache coming this offseason. Guys like Andrew Carignan and Matt Sulentic don’t stand a chance of getting a roster spot and will be exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
Ideally the A’s would want to add Taylor, Cardenas, and all five of their remaining top-four-round draft picks from 2007 (Simmons, Brown, Doolittle, Horton, Banwart) to their 40-man roster, possibly along with some wild cards like Bobby Cramer and Jonathan Joseph. As it is, they will almost certainly have to risk Rule 5 with several of them. Assuming they save one spot for a free agent, I can’t figure out how to get more than 6 of them onto the roster.
I guess it’s one more reason to attempt to trade for an expensive player. The A’s might be able to use some of the guys like Horton, who will probably get squeezed out in a roster crunch anyway, to induce the other team to eat a chunk of the guy’s salary.
Also, this is why I’m beating the drum for Cramer to get a look now— the team needs to make a decision on him one way or the other, but they could give him 3 starts to see if he’s “for real” in order to make a more informed guess. His numbers say he deserves a shot.
"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 forgot Eric Sogard, too
This is a serious problem.
"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.
Simmons and Doolittle are too injured to really matter anymore
Horton is too sucky. Petit seems like a decent comp and went unprotected for a while and he had a great glove. Brown does deserve a shot as does Taylor obviously. I have a soft spot for Banwart.
In the end the 40th spot on the roster rarely matters and matters much more than us extreme roster freaks believe it does.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
I'm having trouble seeing how Petit and Horton are remotely similar
other than they both play the middle infield. Petit is a glove man without any plate discipline. Horton is an OBP guy.
Doolittle is probably sufficiently injured that he won’t get taken. Simmons is supposedly fine from a structural standpoint, and I would be surprised if someone did not take him given that the A’s leave him unprotected. I suppose anything can happen (see: Brad Kilby) but I’m not thrilled at having to chance 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.
They're both SSs that can't slug worth a damn
They’d both be eaten alive at the big league level. But then again, I thought the same of Pennington.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
40-Man Roster
I see absolutely no reason to fear the Rule V draft this offseason. If anyone seriously give Matt Sulentic a shot on a 25-Roster, I will eat my hat. Same with Doolittle, Simmons, Horton, and Cramer. That is some serious garbage right there. Our 26-40 roster is probably the least of my concerns this offseason. No one really deserves to be given a 2nd thought. Just give me a LF & RF who can hit .280 with 20+ hr’s… that’s all that matter this offseason.
Given that you appear to think Demel-type prospects
are given away routinely by teams in return for crap major leaguers, I’d say you have serious issues with properly valuing prospects vis a vis MLB players.
"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.
Is losing Simmons really going to matter though?
It’s likely he wasn’t going to be good even if healthy. If someone takes him, he’ll likely be offered back anyway. I wouldn’t add him.
www.zekeishungry.com
by thejd44 on Sep 5, 2010 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions
He looked good in 2007 and 2008
He was horrible last season, no doubt, but I think whatever he’s dealing with (dead arm or something) was already bothering him.
I understand it’s a low probability that he’s very successful, mostly because there’s a good chance no one ever figures out what’s wrong, but I’d like to avoid that low probability. It’s not like this team is exactly oozing talent from every pore.
"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.
Hermida, Taylor, and Brown should all get looks.
Taylor and Brown, because like PT and FutureEd mentioned, they have to be on the 40 man roster anyways. And really, there’s quite a few guys on the 40 man roster who I don’t really care about parting with and/or are nontender candidates anyways.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 4, 2010 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions
I really, really, really hope Taylor turns it around because
1. The A’s so desperately need a good slugging COFer
2. Taylor mashed in A, AA, and AAA through last season and should be really good
3. He’s the only hope to make the Carlos Gonzalez trades less painful
Some of these are more rational than others.
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 was high on Rajai Davis when the A's first got him.
Because I thought he was Fred Lewis. I feel your pain.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Sosa had me caught up in the magic, and I feel like an idiot. I don’t say that often, but I feel like an idiot because of Sammy Sosa." -Jay Mariotti
Call up Michael Taylor!!
He’s been on fire lately
O/T: Looks like my home town got the shit shaken out of it
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/nzealandquake
My Brother lives 50 miles to the south of Christchurch and there was no damage that he could see. 7.0 and no deaths reported. Big aftershocks and a storm brewing.
So...cheap one year deal for Javier Vazquez next season. Any takers?
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
Yes.
I’d do it in a heartbeat, PROVIDED that the A’s make sure his problems this year are not physical in nature.
He makes perfect sense for the A's...almost too perfect..
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 4, 2010 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions
I take that
I’m growing on the idea of getting a pitcher and then trading for a bat. It’s risky but I think the A’s need to be aggressive. They need to go for it. It’s either win in the next couple years or rebuild again. As a fan I don’t know if I can handle rebuilding. Some may mention Holliday. I say sure. Except this time the A’s can’t half ass it. It’s time to lay all the chips on the table. Sign Werth. Sign Vazquez. Trade for Uggla. Look for a couple more deals.
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
The A's would have to trade the pitcher before they signed a replacement
Otherwise, as PT points out, the sharks will be circling the blood and the A’s won’t get value. The problem is that if any starter other than Mazzaro gets traded, the A’s lose their mojo.
On the other hand, there’s a plethora of really good relievers on the team: Wuertz, Breslow, Ziegler, H-Rod - and with Devine on the way and the possibility that Wolf or the new guy could stick, there’s room for maneuver. Wouldn’t trade Bailey.
Vazquez won't sign with any West Coast team
he’s been very public about that. He even got it written into his contract when he signed with Atlanta that they couldn’t trade him to a West Coast team.
What the hell?
Does he work for ESPN or something? Did the West Coast steal his girlfriend?
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 9:34 AM PDT up reply actions
it's a family issue
he doesn’t want to play half his games anywhere that it takes too long to get home in a family emergency. and except for a very, very long plane ride from LAX (that only leaves once a day), you can’t get to Puerto Rico from the west coast on one plane and in reasonable time.
This is why we need that Yankee money.
If the Yankees were West Coast, they’d be able to sign him.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions
And ESPN would cover sunsets but not sunrise.
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
Damn, didn't know that.
I hope he realizes how perfect of a fit he would be here. We have a great defense and a park that’s bad for home runs, basically the only two things he’s been bad at, pitching wise, his entire career.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
by lenscrafters on Sep 5, 2010 12:09 PM PDT up reply actions
I would really like Kuroda for 2 years/$14-15M
especially if what OaklandSi says is true.
!#%&$#@&%&% antioxidants! - pam
by cuppingmaster on Sep 5, 2010 9:29 AM PDT up reply actions
We are totally going to fall 2-4 games short.
2-4 games that could have easily been won had we had an actual league average offense and not one with Chavez, Fox, Patterson and the Matts in it.
Beane picked the wrong year to sit on his hands. If we had Holliday this year we’d never had left 1st place.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
How about if we had Carlos Gonzalez?
That would have been easier to arrange: Do nothing.
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
ugh
um, yeah. Beane blew it there. Im 100% in the circle of him not being as good here as he is on the Rockies, but he would have been a better than league average guy in Oakland.
Definitely deserves a chapter in DummyBall for sure.
-Yeah, I just posted that, but my opinion is apparently "wrong" a significant portion of the time though, so take it as you will.
So you're saying that over a full season's sample,
the A’s are, by true talent, actually somewhere between 24 and 36 games better than the Rangers.
… ok.
"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 say we're even with them.
The division should have been basically neck and neck between the Rangers and the A’s all season.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 12:51 AM PDT up reply actions
OK
If you are even in talent with another team and yet happen to find yourself 8 games behind, the odds that you overtake them to win the division are close to nil. They’re still close to nil even if it’s more like 7 games (as would probably be the case if Cust had been given the starting job from the get-go).
The A’s are not 4-6 games better than Texas over a 27-game stretch. That’s comically ridiculous. In fact, all evidence indicates that Texas is, in fact, better than Oakland, has been all season, and will continue to be for the rest of the season (especially after acquiring Cliff Lee). And this despite some baffling roster decisions of their own, most notably putting Neftali Feliz in the bullpen.
"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.
although pitching is an issue for Texas
Lee has been hurting lately, and is likely to miss his next start, for example.
This is the math...
If the Texas Rangers go 13-14 the rest of the way, the A’s will need to go 21-6 to catch them.
of course
but the Rangers have clearly fallen off, especially their starting pitching. That doesn’t mean that the A’s chances of catching them are good – they’re not. It would take a combination of a terrific A’s hot streak and a Texas collapse.
BTW, while not likely it’s not unprecedented. There have been some spectacular September collapses in MLB history. Just one example among several: 1969 Cubs. Near the end of August the Cubs had the best record in MLB and were ahead of the Mets (a team with great young pitching but inconsistent offense and defense) by 9 1/2 games….
The Mets were a much better team than the A's are now.
When the season ended, the Mets had won 100 games. They came on strong and the Cubs collapsed, but the Mets were far from the .500 club that the A’s are today so there was more of a chance they’d get hot at the end.
The same is true of the Mets’ collapse/Phillies’ rise a couple of years ago. Sure, one team collapsed and the other got hot. But there is nothing in the A’s line-up to indicate this team has the capability of getting sufficiently hot to catch even a failing Texas team.
I remember that team, I watched them alot
the Mets got very hot in the second half of the season. Several of the position players who came up big in the second half and especially in the postseason had been very inconsistent before that (and I’m being kind). They came together and played great, much to the surprise of Mets fans who had been watching them that year and previous years.
As I said, their pitching was young and great.
The A’s have an easier September schedule than the Rangers do. As a real .500 team the A’s do very well against sub-.500 teams. I’m not saying I think it’s likely at all – I don’t think that. But it is not impossible.
Texas could very easily play that poorly or worse for the remainder of the season.
Other than a ridiculous hot streak in June, they’ve generally been a .500 team, plus they’re on the road for 15 of the 27 games they have left. Everyone knows they don’t play well when they’re not in their cozy Arlington playground. I could easily see them going 9-18 the rest of the way. Trouble is, the A’s then have to go 17-10 just to secure a one-game playoff. Of course, we have 10 games left against the Mariners, and Royals, so that’s good. Other than six games against the Mariners, the closest thing to a pushover team the Rangers will play is the Angels or the Tigers.
The point of this is, I can convince myself that we’re not out of the race, and so can you!
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Not enough to put down money on playoff tickets.
The check has to be received, I believe, by September 15th. Early round tickets in section 115 are $30 each, which is $10 less than at the door. World Series tickets are $200. Even if somehow, through some system in the universe that is as yet unexplained, the A’s do make it to the playoffs, I find it hard to imagine any scenario where they beat the Yankees in a short series.
payment in full is due by 9/15
but you can do it online (season ticket holders can do it via their myA’stickets account) or on the phone.
If you go the full postseason option, they refund in full any game that isn’t played. If you go the game by game or round by round option, any unused amount will be credited toward 2011 season tickets.
The offer is for season ticket holders only, by the way. I don’t see any problem with calling them up on 9/15 by some miracle the A’s appear to be closing in on the Rangers. Even if you pay and it doesn’t happen you don’t lose the $$.
Eh
The Pirates would have a ~10% chance or so of besting the Yankees in a five-game series.
It seriously cannot be overstated how utterly random the first round of the playoffs is. I believe the team with more regular season wins is below .500 in divisional playoffs.
"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.
Mathematically, sure, we'd have a shot at them in a best-of-five.
But apparently as soon as we see the Yankees a-comin’, everybody under 25 on this team loses control of their bladder and shakes uncontrollably. We can play with Tampa Bay, but we can’t figure out how to hit the Yankees’ sub-par rotation?
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 10:26 AM PDT up reply actions
So I'm under 25 then?
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, my point
Sure, mathematically, in a short series, anything is possible. But after what we saw in New York last week, I wouldn’t put much odds on the A’s. It happens from time to time that when you have two playoff teams with one as juggernaut and the other as Driving Miss Daisy, Miss Daisy moves on. But most of the time, Daisy goes down.
Oh, definitely not that much.
How much are the bleachers?
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 10:24 AM PDT up reply actions
That's under the assumption that eight games happen at the Coli?
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
I hope that particular baffling roster decision continues into next season.
As well as not starting Derek Holland.
"We were shit, pathetic," Guillen growled early in spring training. "We hit too many home runs."
He was hurt a large chunk of the season
which explains the cautious approach, I guess. He seems to be in their rotation now.
I seriously fear him next season, though. He could wake up one morning and suddenly be as good or better than Cliff Lee (who is, in many ways, not a bad comparison for Holland).
"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.
Playoff Bound
With Kane County’s win today all five of the A’s minor league affiliates are playoff bound this season! Hopefully, this means our minor league rosters are in much better shape than some pundits claim and portends good things for the big club in 2011.
Minor league playoff status has little to do with roster quality, unfortunately
A team full of 24-year-old non-prospects might easily be the best team in the California League.
In the A’s case, I don’t think it’s so much that as it is a lot of teams sneaking in through the back door by winning half a season of a weak division. But neither really portends future dominance.
"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.
Jeremy Barfield has been quiety pretty good for Stockton
Could be a sleeper guy to watchout for in the outfield a couple years from now.
OPS+ in the 90s at a corner outfield spot?
I know he’s supposedly got some tools, but his performance since being drafted has been dismal. I know the cupboard is pretty bare down on the farm, but I’d still be horrified if he made my top 30 A’s prospects.
"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 he's 6-5, has a big leaguer's name, and has an amazing arm.....
And he’s hit 19 HRs! What more could you want?
"Loyal? I'm the most loyal player money can buy." - Don Sutton
Convert him to a pitcher and maybe I'll be interested, then...
I feel obliged to point out that older brother Josh put up a much better season in the Cal League when he was a year younger. And we all know how good Josh is(n’t).
Speaking of pitcher conversions, I noticed recently that Robin Rosario (who briefly held the A’s Latin American signing-bonus record, before Ynoa obliterated it shortly afterward) is now listed as a pitcher, although he hasn’t appeared in any games yet. I had a feeling that might be coming after he struggled so much with the bat in last year’s Rookie League. He supposedly has a 70 arm on the scouting scale, so I’m still reasonably optimistic about him.
"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.
Rosario = Mid-90's Fastball
http://athletics.scout.com/2/995576.html
Robin Rosario: Rosario was a six-figure bonus baby out of the Dominican Republic in 2008 as an outfielder. He struggled at the plate, so the A’s moved him to the mound to take advantage of his strong right arm. According to A’s Director of Player Development Keith Lieppman, Rosario has been throwing in simulated games and has reached the mid-90s with his fastball.
And he supposedly has a cannon of an arm too from RF from what I've heard
19 assists this year
You know you are big-time when people chant your name while you pee. - 67MARQUEZ
by bakerbeachboy on Sep 5, 2010 1:03 AM PDT up reply actions
Eh he hasn't been great.
But he has a ridiculous number of outfield assists due to his insane arm, which is pretty cool.
A's Fan in Sweden
"Sosa had me caught up in the magic, and I feel like an idiot. I don’t say that often, but I feel like an idiot because of Sammy Sosa." -Jay Mariotti
From Melissa Lockard
#Athletics full-season org. leaders thru Sat: BA: Grant Green (.322); HR: Chris Carter (31); RBI: Steve Parker (97); SB: Corey Wimberly (56)
#Athletics full-season org. leaders (P) thru Sat: ERA: Ian Krol (2.70); W: Clay Mortensen (13); SV: Paul Smyth (28); K: Shawn Haviland (169)
http://twitter.com/oakclubhouse
Last of the Ninth - Photography
in the CSN postgame interview video
Cahill has the big pack that all starters put on post-game, but over his left shoulder, not his right.
One more strike against Texas
Hamilton to miss time with bruised ribcage
!#%&$#@&%&% antioxidants! - pam
Suzuki doesn't miss time, but should.
"I wasn't able to extend so I had a serious lack of extension."--Dallas Braden
by StJosephBurningTheOakTreesToTheGround on Sep 5, 2010 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Ed Crosby misses time with "bruised ego by proxy"
I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal
he thought it was a fastball down the middle.
no wonder he missed
"The ego, the super-ego, and the Ed" - dannycakes
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