A's Win Series, Beat Shields, Score 13 More Runs, Matsui Collected 5 RBI AND Ryan Sweeney Hit a Homerun!
by baseballgirl on Jul 27, 2011 9:59 PM PDT
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PrintOkay, I have to give credit where credit is due. There haven't been many times this year when I can say this completely non-sarcastically (although this week has been delightfully surprising), but the offense deserves all the credit in the world for their performance tonight. Going up against James Shields, who came into tonight's game with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP (obviously one of the best pitchers in the AL), the A's offense absolutely destroyed the ball tonight to the tune of seventeen hits and thirteen runs; ten of them off Shields. Trevor Cahill had it made tonight in his 7 1/3 innings; or as someone in the gamethread said, "The Rays could hit three grand slams and still lose." (This was true until the four garbage runs in the ninth inning.)
Believe it or not, this was a tight 1-0 affair until the bottom of the fourth inning. The A's put an early run on the Rays in the third with a Weeks single and a Matsui double, but that run would be a mere footnote by the end of the fourth inning. Conor Jackson walked to lead off the inning and was Swingled to second. Cliff Pennington bunted the runners to second and third (laughable in retrospect), and Scott Sizemore drove them both in with a triple to make it 3-0 A's. Both Hideki Matsui and Ryan Sweeney would have paid big bucks for a triple of their own; they were both a triple shy of the cycle tonight. Landon Powell walked, and Weeks (who would collect three RBI on the night) singled in the A's fourth run. After Crisp flew out, Matsui hit a three run homerun to give the A's a 7-0 lead. Willingham doubled and Jackson singled for the A's eighth run, and call in the kids, the end of the world is coming--Ryan Sweeney Swomered for the A's nine and tenth run of the game; the eighth and ninth of the inning. All charged to James Shields.
The A's would add on two more runs in the fifth on a single by Powell and a triple by Weeks (hilarity ensued if you picture Weeks chasing Powell around the bases) and a Matsui single. They would get their thirteenth run on a sacrifice fly by Weeks in the sixth; on a ball that was nearly hit out for a grand slam. All in all, Matsui had 5 RBI, Weeks had 3, Sweeney and Sizemore had 2, and Jackson had one.
Cahill breezed through his seven and a third scoreless innings; allowing 4 hits, 4 walks, while striking out 6. Breslow struck out the two batters he faced in the eighth. Let's just pretend that the game ended there. It doesn't really matter that De Los Santos gave up 4 runs (two unearned due to a Weeks' error) and for some reason, Brad Ziegler was called in to finish the game against some lefties. He struck out Zobrist out to end the game and Celebration! is currently playing.
The A's try to sweep the four game series tomorrow afternoon. See you back here!
Current Series
Athletics win the series 3-0
| Mon 07/25 | WP: Brian Fuentes (2 - 8) SV: Andrew Bailey LP: J.P. Howell (2 - 2) |
7 - 5 win |
| Tue 07/26 | WP: Brandon McCarthy (3 - 5) LP: David Price (9 - 9) |
6 - 1 win |
| Wed 07/27 | 13 - 4 win | |
|
Tampa Bay Rays Thursday, Jul 28, 2011, 12:35 PM PDT Mostly sunny. Winds blowing out to right field at 10-15 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. |
||
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Comments
Why did the A's wait so long to hit like this?
With this kind of offense, they would be in first place right now.
I really don't understand why Sweeney doesn't try to do that more
I’ve said it a bunch of times, he’s big and strong and when he turns and squares the ball up he doesn’t hit cheap homers. He needs to quit trying to hit like Jason Kendall and flip everything over the infield the other way.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
That doesn't really affect what he tries to do when he swings.
Official Athletics Nation Rotating Tagline Editor - Pam liked my old sig better.
My thoughtful watermelon is easily mistook for an early American catapult.
DURRRR THEY’RE TOO OLD, BABIP IS TOO HIGH, TOO MANY Ks, DURRRRRR
by mikev on Jul 27, 2011 10:03 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
its his hitting approach and his unwillingness to change it
he inside-outs everything. he’s been asked about this, and his response has been, basically, i’m a .280-.300 hitter, i’m not changing anything. of course, he’s got as empty a high average as anyone, given he collects mostly singles – hence, why he’s a 4th OFer at best. he’s definitely got the build to hit the ball with more authority, but until he changes his swing a little, that won’t happen. reminds me a lot of crosby…though sweeney is actually okay at hitting a baseball (just not hard), which is better than crosby.
by guy incognito on Jul 27, 2011 10:30 PM PDT up reply actions
after he ALMOST hit a homer a couple of weeks ago
when it went just foul, he was asked about it after the game and said he was trying to change his swing a bit to hit with more power
by heartstopper on Jul 28, 2011 5:57 AM PDT up reply actions
he's got the build for plenty of power
i’d get his approach if he was a smaller guy, not a corner outfielder, or not interested in being a starter. but he’s all of those things…and the fact is, he’s big enough to hit for more power, and wants to start at a corner outfield spot. he simply has to hit for a bit more power to do that. i really hope his lack of playing this year makes that sink in for him. he’s never going to start for a good team unless he starts hitting a lot more doubles and homers.
by guy incognito on Jul 28, 2011 7:09 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
this reminds me of Ichiro
Who many people claim could have hit 20+ HR’s a year, easily, if he didn’t want to swing for singles.
Yeah...
But Ichiro in his prime was a .320-.350 hitter, not a .280 hitter, and as the lead-off batter he almost got on base at will. It seemed in those days that whenever you looked, Ichiro was up at the plate again, getting another hit.
And then there's the whole base stealing thing that he did
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Jul 28, 2011 10:36 AM PDT up reply actions
Yeah, there's really not much of a comparison between Ichiro and Sweeney
Last of the Ninth - Photography
they both play RF
both male, both on losing teams
by heartstopper on Jul 28, 2011 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Last names being with S
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Jul 28, 2011 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Begin
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Jul 28, 2011 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
I agree
in an interview several years ago for the A’s magazine Sweeney talked about his hitting approach, which he learned in little league, of “trying to move the runner over, do the little things” (his words). I don’t know whether the White Sox organization tried to get him to change that while he was in their system, although I have read that they eventually got frustrated with his lack of power.
If Beane is to be believed....
And the A’s are indeed “underwhelmed” by their current offers, then why not? There is two months of baseball left. The A’s are playing good baseball, and the Rangers are due for a fall. If the A’s can close the lead to four or five games by September, then they are definately a force to be reckoned with.
"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer
Chris Townsend really challenged him about this in his interview
He said it’s your first HR in 109 games, and basically asked him why he doesn’t hit more HRs.
My interpretation of Sweeney’s response, basically, was I do want to change my swing and hit more HRs, and I will.
by Billy Frijoles on Jul 28, 2011 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
He's going to have to if he wants a shot at being an everyday OF again
Last of the Ninth - Photography
I think he gets that
He has a nice arm, great range, can hit for average, good speed (not great but not bad), a good eye at the plate, and a massive hole with that total lack of power.
I think he does realize if he wants to get paid, if he wants to play every day, hitting for power is going to have to become part of his game.
by Billy Frijoles on Jul 28, 2011 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
What will be interesting is how swinging to hit for more power affects his ability to hit for average, if at all
Last of the Ninth - Photography
Yeah
I imagine that his 2-strike approach will still be “Swingles” but he might let it rip a little more with 0 or 1 strike.
Not sure if it will affect his average but would much rather have .270 and 15-20 HR than .290 and 2 HR
by Billy Frijoles on Jul 28, 2011 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xDSSie6kHs
OT, but its a nice story.
I loved this so much. It was nice to see all this offense and Ryan Sweeney with a rare homer.
Almost lost in this is that Cahill (hopefully) got back on track with good outing here.
LIfe may not be a bowl of cherries.
But I’m currently eating a bowl of cherries, and it’s pretty f**kin’ awesome.
~GreenNGoldSooner
Woo hoo!
Can I please not get strange looks from my coworkers tomorrow for wearing my A’s wristlets? Just for a day at least?
Fernando's favorite word in describing a game is "grind". He seems to have a rather limited
Imagination & vocabulary!
Oh my word....he's horrible!
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
He seems to be insecure about his own vocabulary
because he knows that he is no wordsmith. I think that’s why he gets super nervous and why he fumbles over his words so much.
by Rygoslinglover on Jul 27, 2011 11:59 PM PDT up reply actions
He needs a good thesaurus app on his phone
"I wouldn't honestly be surprised if there was a Derek-Jeter’s-d**k-shaped Popsicle concession at Yankee Stadium."- emperor nobody
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jul 28, 2011 9:46 AM PDT up reply actions
Twitter...
@BrodieBrazilCSN My wife and I had a great laugh with that sign-off. :) #Athletics
brodiebrazilCSN Brodie Brazil
@LnStrngr haha. thanks for watching. producer was in my ear like… DUDE… you STILL got it wrong!!!
by LoneStranger on Jul 27, 2011 10:32 PM PDT up reply actions
I missed the first part of the game and turned on the radio to find we were up 12-0
It was that parallel universe feeling. I say we’re in a buying mood.
(That is, let’s bid up the price on Beltran to the point the Giants need cash and cede territorial rights in order to let MLB buy them off.)
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
Kinda late for that, don't ya think?
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
Seriously, I am not sure
At this point, I think there would be something to be said/gained by either holding or trading up (rather than selling). If you’ve got a fun offense and you can add a power bat (Ludwig?), sure, you won’t likely compete for the post-season but you give people a reason to come out and root on the team. And that, to me, counts for something.
I mean, we sell Crisp, Willingham, and concede the season, I go to 2-3 more games. We say, “let’s give it a shot” and I got to 4-5 games maybe. But, I’m excited and that carries into season ticket sales for next year…maybe.
Just a thought.
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
Um, care to explain that?
Beethoven played 2nd base, didn’t he? We’re set there.
Da da da dum.
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
Mozart was a five tool player!
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
Ok, this
I did not expect from AN.
Next thing you’ll be debating Brucker’s finale for the 8th symphony.
(if you can explain that comment, I’ll be really worried about you)
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
(the real debate is about Bruckner's unwritten finale in the 9th)
"I think what baseball projects, and what classical music needs, is the sense that one goes to a live event not to experience greatness, but to experience the possibility of greatness.... Not every game is great but what we go for is the chance that this particular game might be.' —David Lang
by King Richard on Jul 27, 2011 11:02 PM PDT up reply actions
Oooh Oooh Oooh
You need serious counseling.
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
That reminds me of a time when
we were doing Beethoven’s 9th as part of a concerts in the park series. It was really windy, so they literally had to tie strings around the music stands to hold the music in place. The chorus has nothing to do for a long time in the middle, and the risers were such that it was really easy to just sneak out the back so a bunch of the guys were back there guzzling beer and getting drunk. When the chorus part was coming up soon, I had to go back there and round them up to get them back in place in time.
It was a hell of a situation — bottom of the 9th with the scores tied and the basses loaded.
Sweet is the lore which Nature brings; / Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things:— / We murder to dissect.
by iglew on Jul 28, 2011 12:35 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs
six tool actually. he could close when needed
came with the quirky personality
by heartstopper on Jul 28, 2011 6:02 AM PDT up reply actions
i don't think beltran would approve the deal
he gets to refuse any trade but is willing to go to the giants
by heartstopper on Jul 28, 2011 5:59 AM PDT up reply actions
he specified that he would only approve a deal to a team
that had a very good chance to get into the World Series. He mentioned that the pitching staff was a consideration. Most likely he would have approved a trade to the Phillies or the Braves, or maybe the Rangers (he’d mentioned Boston but they were never in the hunt), had any of them been willing to offer a top prospect. The Giants finally did (although Wheeler is only at single A).
And Matsui now batting .244
Project his HRs and RBI out and I think we’re much better off than last year, aren’t we?
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
If you are comparing him to Cust's production last year, then he is doing worse
If you are comparing him to Cust’s production this year, then it’s basically a wash.
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Lets wait til September for the comps.
You have to now, based off Matsuis 955 OPS in the 2nd half last year. Looks like he’s going to do something similar this year, which will definitely blow this and last years Custs out of the water.
Sigh
Even if Matsui repeats his 2010 second half’s .955 OPS this year again, he will end the year with roughly a .260/.350/.440 line. Not only does it not “blow Cust’s last year out of the water” (whatever that is supposed to mean) - it is still a worse year than Cust had last year.
To match Cust’s 2010 production, Matsui needs a second half line of about .335/.500/.550. To “blow him out of the water” he basically needs to turn into Babe Ruth or a 2001-2004 Barry Bonds.
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
"Babe" Godzilla doesn't work for me.
It just doesn’t roll off the tongue right.
i've never tried to rank them to be honest. i guess i like beer.- stm72
Babe-zilla?
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Jul 28, 2011 9:47 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
It doesn't matter
Matsui’s second half production, no matter what it is, is pointless unless the team goes on a .750 run from here on out. Had Matsui begun to hit like this in May, and then tailed off a bit when others could pick up the slack, the A’s would have several more victories than they do now (because of all the one-run losses that might have been turned around).
No, what you said doesn't matter when comparing production of two players
2011 Oakland Athletics: We have Cy Young pitchers and make yours look like it, too
Yeah, true
My “Yep” is more in the sense of talking about Matsui’s season in relation to how it’s hurt and is now helping the A’s. He was a large part of why they had a bad first half, bad enough that they’re basically out of the race.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
why do the A's do this to us????
Play horrible for a couple of days then get knock out then back at it again. They just love playing with our emotions
by oaklanda'sfannotsj on Jul 27, 2011 10:37 PM PDT reply actions
I know, it's crazy....
They are absolutely crushing the ball right now. I just don’t get it…but I love it! Keep that mojo going, yo!
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
You got my money Smokey?
"I thought it was going in," Warriors center Chris Hunter said. "It looked like the invisible man tipped it away at the last second."
"He's chicken curry right now. He'll become beef curry a little later on."
-Keith Smart
Now What?
Do we trade anyone? Do we call anyone up? Do we just roll with the dice and make up 11.5 games? Crazier things have happened…
kinda what whizkid said above...
I say roll the dice with the girl you came to the dance with, at the very worst.
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
WhizDad said
WhizKid says sell. He thinks my theory is hopeless. But, I say, show faith in the team.
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
Oh sorry about that, Daddy!
Muh bad…….
"You're early, but hang around; we'll have a fight for you sooner or later."
-John "Blue Moon" Odom
The problem is that everyone wants to pay with Monopoly money, not good prospects
"I wouldn't honestly be surprised if there was a Derek-Jeter’s-d**k-shaped Popsicle concession at Yankee Stadium."- emperor nobody
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jul 28, 2011 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions
BB has been a seller before
with the team closer in the standings
by heartstopper on Jul 28, 2011 6:05 AM PDT up reply actions
I didn't take offense, WhizKid might but we have a disagreement in the house
But, then again, I’m in marketing. The team’s hot (at home anyway) and you need to generate some interest. Do something exciting, so long as it doesn’t give away the farm. Show some faith? Let us be a good underdog/spoiler. Don’t fold. Play another card.
Hey dad, I got this guy's autograph, Rollie
Fingers. Who's he?
I like marketing.
The Coliseum would be way more fun if Mike Veeck was in charge of promotions.
"I wouldn't honestly be surprised if there was a Derek-Jeter’s-d**k-shaped Popsicle concession at Yankee Stadium."- emperor nobody
by Gaijin_Suketto on Jul 28, 2011 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions
Was watching the replay of sweeny's homer...
and did anyone catch that part when he came back to the dugout he said “it’s BP today”. hahah
by Resh R. on Jul 27, 2011 10:52 PM PDT reply actions 2 recs
best a's game i've been to in a looong time
add in the satisfaction of some successful razzing in the LF bleachers and two matt joyce blunders, and it was a great night.
by nateinberkeley on Jul 27, 2011 11:43 PM PDT reply actions
My brother and his friends were out there too.
Sounds like you guys had fun since his voice was hoarse as hell when he came back.
Just when you think Weeks may have cooled down....
….he goes and has a huge game. He has a legit chance of being over .300 at the end of the season…
And Matsui, is it possible we might actually get something for him by the trade deadline?
What have they done with the A's??
This “score at will” and “humiliate the other team’s All-Star pitchers” stuff is blowing my admittedly-fragile mind right now.
"If we start getting into that sh*t, we might as well get out the plastic sheeting and have an orgy." --Gaijin Suketto
by emperor nobody on Jul 28, 2011 12:53 AM PDT via mobile reply actions
This is still the A's.
It’s the reanimated zombified 1929 A’s, but they’re still the A’s.
by LoneStranger on Jul 28, 2011 8:16 AM PDT up reply actions
Well,
That was fun. 13-4, and we crushed them with that onslaught in the fourth. Matsui had another great game; he’s been fantastic since the All-Star break.
I think this is how everyone – Billy Beane included – envisioned the team at the start of the season.
Wow that was a fun game to be at
So glad I went! The lineup looked unstoppable today. That fourth inning was amazing.
"Da greatness of Da Rooster" - RLangford
"The whole thing was a piece of theatre. Billy had told Art how and where to stand during a game so that the players would... take strength from his countenance, because when Art sat on the bench... he looked like a prisoner of war."
-Moneyball
I woke up and I'm still here
I guess this means the world didn’t end.
"Once you go Bed....everything else is dead." - Bed
"So you're saying we should skin the Rangers and wear them as uniforms? I’m down." - Kyli
Watched the first 2 innings, then went out for some drinks last night
I got an ESPN Alert, claiming that the A’s had scored 9 runs in the 4th and the game was currently 10-0 Oakland. Well, I thought maybe my phone wasn’t working properly or that somehow I had drank much more than I assumed.
Still can’t believe it. And Ryan Sweeney HR? WOW!
Too bad we didn’t start this just a series or 2 before the All-Star break. We’d still be in this thing.
My mannerism a prism/ And it should shine
Light it if you would/ Be so kind, right now'd
Be A' Good Time
by DaRubiesSLOKingsA's on Jul 28, 2011 8:59 AM PDT reply actions
I'm telling you
Crazier sh i t has happened. Remember that Mets collapse a few years ago? The Rangers’ pitching can’t hold on to the way it was performing in the first half
"The Rangers’ pitching can’t hold on to the way it was performing in the first half"
Yeah, everyone said the same thing last year.
Last of the Ninth - Photography
There is always the hope that last year was an outlier.
Of course, with Ryan at the helm, I doubt any collapse will be longterm.
i've never tried to rank them to be honest. i guess i like beer.- stm72
Lineups via CSN -
Coco gets day off, Pennington in two-hole, Suzuki down to eighth, Sweeney playing center
Oakland A’s
1. Jemile Weeks 2B
2. Cliff Pennington SS
3. Hideki Matsui DH
4. Josh Willingham LF
5. David DeJesus RF
6. Conor Jackson 1B
7. Ryan Sweeney CF
8. Kurt Suzuki C
9. Scott Sizemore 3B
Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day
by PDXAthleticsfan on Jul 28, 2011 10:47 AM PDT reply actions
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