One Size Fits More! Pinch Hit Grand Slam Helps A's Break Ranger-skid

by Nico on Sep 10, 2011 5:05 PM PDT

Scott Sizemore's pinch hit grand slam broke a 3-3 tie as part of a 5-run top of the 6th, and then the A's had to hang on, hang on, hang on as their 8-3 lead became 8-5...8-7...and if you thought getting the 27th out was difficult in general, try getting it when the umpires make bad calls, presumably in braille.

Starting at the end, with the A's clinging to an 8-7 lead, Josh Hamilton at 1B and two out, Andrew Bailey, who has never blown a save after the All-Star break but had also never saved a game at Arlington, got Michael Young to hit a bouncer to the SS hole. Cliff Pennington made an excellent play, backhanding it and firing the ball across the diamond to a stretching Brandon Allen a clear 1/2 step ahead of Young. "Sa-ayfe!" yelled a blind man named James Hoy, and Bob Melvin came out to argue heartily though Hoy probably didn't see him. And so Bailey had to retire Adrian Beltre, which he did on a liner to 2Bman Adam Rosales.

Why Rosales? Rewind to the top of the 8th when the A's training staff rivaled Hoy for bewildering decisions. Jemile Weeks fouled off a 3-1 pitch, winced and grabbed his hamstring, but the A's decided to let Weeks finish the at bat (he took a called third strike) before inserting Rosales for the bottom of the inning. There were limited possibilities here. If Weeks had put the ball in play, a guy who had just grabbed his hamstring would have to run. Or if Weeks was ordered to take the 3-2 pitch, if he walked the A's would have had to pinch run for him anyway. Baffling, especially considering Weeks has been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing season.

It was a meh day for Trevor Cahill, charged with 5 runs in 5+ innings, but sparkling defense, a clutch 5-out "hold" by Grant Balfour, Bailey exorcising his Texas demons, and a great game in just 4 innings by Sizemore, gave the A's a much needed win, their first in the last 10 tries against the Rangers. And all they needed to do was hit a grand slam and get 28 outs!

However, as bad as the A's defense was last night it was outstanding today. Ryan Sweeney and Josh Willingham each made circus catches in the same inning, Pennington made a diving stop to the right of 2B to get Mitch Moreland on a bouncer up the middle, and the first out of the 9th came when Sizemore reached into the A's dugout to make a sensational catch of Ian Kinsler's foul pop up. Sizemore was so close to falling into the A's dugout that Kurt Suzuki put him in a bear hug to protect him -- a foul pop up that could be scored 5-2.

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Bailey and Suzuki looked angry as the A's won the game

I’m just hoarse from yelling during many key moments.

by OaklandSi on Sep 10, 2011 5:11 PM PDT reply actions

I hate pitchers' duels.

by player20 on Sep 10, 2011 5:13 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

upon further consideration

All I can figure is Melvin told Weeks to just take all pitches from there and hope for a BB or HB. That’s the most positive thing I can possibly say about that move.

Glad to have the win, it was a tough one.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 5:23 PM PDT reply actions

Then what? He has to pinch run for Weeks (with Rosales) if he reaches.

So you’ve told a batter to take 3-2, instead of putting up Rosales to either take or swing 3-2.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Sep 10, 2011 5:45 PM PDT up reply actions

but if he gets out, you didn't have to make a substitution until next inning.

Is that helpful? I dunno, kinda seems like it isn’t all that helpful.

Although sending a guy in to take makes even less sense.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 5:53 PM PDT up reply actions

No. Either way, no matter what

as soon as the AB is over you have to take Weeks out.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Sep 10, 2011 6:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Well, the A's Health Management is and has been shot for years.

Even a blind squirrel is right twice a day.

by Zonis on Sep 10, 2011 5:40 PM PDT reply actions

Instant. Replay.

That. Is. All.

"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 Sep 10, 2011 6:20 PM PDT reply actions

I might not mind it if it were instant.

If the ump pulls out a tablet from his pocket and they beam him the video to watch right then.

But if it’s anything like the NFL with the 3 minutes of setup before the guy even takes a look, then forget it.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't want replay, but I do want better umps

There’s no excuse for blowing a call like that. It wasn’t even close by “play at 1B” standards.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Sep 10, 2011 7:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I agree.

Sometimes when a manager comes out of the dugout I wonder if he really could make that call from where was sitting.

But not this time, that was a big error.

And no, it didn’t look anything like Allen’s foot was off the bag.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 7:49 PM PDT up reply actions

Nor was that even the call

It would have been a more understandable, though still wrong, call to say Allen’s foot was off the bag. It was closer to being off the bag than Young was close to being across the bag.

I like Cindi. A. She never pretends to know more than she does. B. She has unbridled enthusiasm for her "Hotties," and isn't afraid to show it. -IM4Oakgal

by Nico on Sep 10, 2011 8:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, I meant that.

I don’t know what the call was, the ump doesn’t tell me. But It didn’t look like his foot was off the bag nor was the play particularly close either.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 8:23 PM PDT up reply actions

Typical A's baseball.

I still say there’s intrinsic value in the manager throwing a major hissy fit and getting tossed on all questionable calls. To do otherwise makes it way to easy for an umpire to go against a complacent team.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Sep 10, 2011 8:44 PM PDT up reply actions

I hear ya. But I'd like to think this ump gets in trouble with the league for bad calls too

I mean sucking should lead to some feedback from your boss, not just the players and managers.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 10, 2011 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions

This is probably exactly how they "get in trouble"....

There has to be a “reason” why your boss reviews your performance. A suspension with owners raising hell about paying a guy to sit on his ass…..

Money talks. As usual.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Sep 10, 2011 9:41 PM PDT up reply actions

Well, that's what it had to be because it was clear as can be that the throw and catch beat him

Last of the Ninth - Photography

by Flashfire on Sep 10, 2011 8:38 PM PDT up reply actions

I just do not understand how the guy thought Allen's foot was off the bag

Last of the Ninth - Photography

by Flashfire on Sep 10, 2011 8:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Grieve is a total homer

I’m pretty sure that was it.

"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

by cuppingmaster on Sep 10, 2011 11:21 PM PDT up reply actions

I tend to think the NFL just wants an excuse for more commercials the way they run their replay.

Watching TV its pretty easy to figure the correct call within 30 seconds of the play. Hell, in tennis it takes about five seconds, although they use a very specific, easier-to-callibrate, type of replay.

For MLB I like the idea of an umpire sitting in a studio somewhere so that TV replays of questionable calls can be wired in as they become available to the network. I suppose if it was managers instigating the reviews you would want to limit the number of challenges to maybe just a couple per side per game. Anyways, I think it would be good for baseball as long as it didn’t extend the time of the game by more than a couple minutes. Its another area where MLB is lagging behind the precedent set in other sports leagues.

by Aufheben on Sep 10, 2011 11:17 PM PDT up reply actions

yahoo

ack-A

by ak_A on Sep 10, 2011 6:44 PM PDT reply actions

F**king slegnA winning 1-0

They better not win the division. That is why I don’t get upset if Texas wins tomorrow

We need to show up Monday and beat the slegnA. That is my playoffs as it is some others here I am sure.

by Trainman on Sep 10, 2011 8:11 PM PDT reply actions

Now 5-0

by Trainman on Sep 10, 2011 8:31 PM PDT up reply actions

Only time I root for the

mother effing Yanks…..and they always manage to screw it up. The only thing you can count on them for is to do something totally effed up to the A’s.

"You may glory in a team triumphant, but you fall in love with a team in defeat."--The Boys of Summer

by alox on Sep 10, 2011 8:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Trevor Cahill.

Blehh

"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

by travdog6 on Sep 10, 2011 10:03 PM PDT reply actions

As usual this year...

…the umps were horrible. Dump the umps & do it all electronically!

It ain't over till the fat lady sings...but she is on a diet now!

by Bulgaricus on Sep 10, 2011 10:11 PM PDT reply actions

Better use of technology in umpiring is far more likely to be implemented

if it is represented as providing the umpires with better tools to do their job rather than “dump the umps” and replace them with machines.

Being wrong about something you’ve worked on is a blessing, not a curse, and people are so invested in being right that that gets lost. —Graham MacAree

by iglew on Sep 11, 2011 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions

Close Game

Thankfully, we hung on. Clutch salami by Sizemore, and while Cahill struggled again, the offense came alive and the defense was excellent.
Man, when did Bailey’s ERA jump to 3.28?

by Jason James on Sep 11, 2011 4:35 AM PDT reply actions