A's Strand Twelve Runners, Hit Into Four Double Plays, and Lose, Also, Duh

by danmerqury on Sep 13, 2011 10:49 PM PDT

Ryan Sweeney, bases loaded, -.185 WPA
Jemile Weeks, 1B and 3B, -.160 WPA
Josh Willingham, 1B, -.158 WPA
Kurt Suzuki, 1B, -.201 WPA

Man, if this game came in the middle of a pennant race, I'd be pissed. Good thing the A's have already sapped pretty much all of my motivation. There's rotten luck in the clutch, and then there's this. Those four double plays added up to -.704 WPA, where the losing team adds up to -.500 total.

The rest of the game wasn't exactly easy watching either. In the 3rd inning, Peter Bourjos popped out at the furthest piece of 1B-side foul territory in the park. Erick Aybar, who was on 2B, tried to tag up to 3B. Brandon Allen caught the popup and fired a throw to 3B that would have caught Aybar by a mile, except that it was completely off line. The ball rattled around the 3B-side foul territory, and Aybar scored with ease.

And yet, in spite of their woes in the clutch, the game was actually very close until the 9th inning, which mostly a testament to the sheer number of baserunners the A's were able to get. Angels starter Jerome Williams walked 5 batters in 4.1 innings, and the A's tallied 8 hits on the night. On any other day, this would have been a blowout, but that's how baseball works.

One of the few bright spots came in the 5th inning. With men on 1B and 2B, Josh Willingham hit a line drive to RF. In a moment that brought back happy memories of Mark Kotsay in the 2006 ALDS, Torii Hunter dove for the ball and completely missed it. Willingham ended up at 2B, and the tying run came into score.

The game was 4-3 until the top of the 9th, when Michael Wuertz and Neil Wagner combined to allow two more runs, giving Angels closer Jordan Walden quite a bit of cushion to work with. He didn't end up needing any of it, as he pitched a solid 1-2-3 inning to clinch the victory for the Angels. The Rangers beat the Indians tonight, so the Angels remain 3 games behind in their chase for the AL West pennant.

Current Series

3 game series vs Angels @ Overstock.com Coliseum

Mon 09/12	WP: Gio Gonzalez (13 - 12) LP: Joel Pineiro (6 - 7)	6 - 3 win
Tue 09/13	WP: Hisanori Takahashi (4 - 3) SV: Jordan Walden LP: Fautino De Los Santos (2 - 2)	3 - 6 loss
Los Angeles Angels Halos Heaven @ Oakland Athletics Athletics Nation Wednesday, Sep 14, 2011, 12:35 PM PDT Overstock.com Coliseum Jered Weaver vs Rich Harden Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to right field at 10-20 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. Complete Coverage >

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With Weaver on the hill tomorrow, I'm in favor of all GIDP participants...

From tonight save Weeks get the night off. Partly due to Weaver, but mostly just because. Ok, maybe not Willingham, either, but I’m just so damn tired of Suzuki & Sweeney.

Oakland Athletics * St. Bonaventure Bonnies * Green Bay Packers * Buffalo Sabres * New York Knicks

by RyanFromBonas on Sep 13, 2011 11:07 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

Ryan, I completely agree with your DP candidate assessment. I am on the fence about a Recker start, however. Somehow, I hope we make Weaver pay tomorrow.

by player20 on Sep 13, 2011 11:23 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

A's

I can’t lie, I have kinda stopped watching. On to 2012. But thankfully college football is going and the NHL is coming up.

M Go Blue

by goblueram on Sep 13, 2011 11:14 PM PDT reply actions

I'm in this spot, too. Too busy anyway, but not going out of my way to catch a game at the

moment. I’m looking forward to the offseason moves. I don’t really know why, because the end result is usually the same, but I suppose that’s the closest thing to hope springing eternal for an A’s fan.

by Drone on Sep 13, 2011 11:49 PM PDT up reply actions

You nailed it Dan

It feels like this team has just kind of sapped the desire out of me (and many A’s fans, if AN is a representative sample). As much as I would like to echo Future Ed and just feel “Yay baseball!”, it’s harder to get excited about these days. Even “let the kids play”, which I have loved in the past, isn’t doing it for me. I don’t see Jai Miller or Anthony Recker as a big part of the future, and with Brandon Allen forgetting that he’s Brandon Allen, there’s not much left to pay attention to. However, today’s game does start before my bedtime, so maybe I will get to listen to a little baseball, and remember that any baseball is good baseball.

by el generico on Sep 14, 2011 12:55 AM PDT reply actions

With football started

and hockey around the corner, baseball has to yell louder to be heard. Unfortunately, our A’s voices are hoarse after already yelling the whole season to get and keep our attention.

by LoneStranger on Sep 14, 2011 9:45 AM PDT up reply actions

Eh

I don’t really follow any other professional sports besides baseball, and living in Switzerland means I basically only get cultural discussion of local football (soccer) and hockey clubs, which I also don’t follow. Instead, I get really excited abotu coming up with a 2011 fantasy baseball draft strategy.

by el generico on Sep 15, 2011 3:14 AM PDT up reply actions

Yay Baseball!

Although tonight was painful! I hope Rich shows up tomorrow. Go Ray’s and Dbacks and I can’t wait for Moneyball.

"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." -Jessica Rabbit

by A'sfansince1970 on Sep 14, 2011 3:44 AM PDT via mobile reply actions

I will listen as much as I can at work

I have tickets to all 4 games against Detroit. That will probably do it for me for 2011, as week night games are tough with my work schedule, and I think I’m done paying to tickets for 2011. But I’ll listen to all the remaining games, of course. My A’s fandom predates this team, management, and ownership. Hopefully it survives them too.

by OaklandSi on Sep 14, 2011 8:50 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs

My A’s fandom predates this team, management, and ownership. Hopefully it survives them too.

Well said.

by Billy Frijoles on Sep 14, 2011 9:54 AM PDT up reply actions

make that a teeshirt and send me a roomy medium.

by AV on Sep 14, 2011 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions

looks like a completely different team next year

Weurtz should be gone because his option is not even close to being a good price. Powell may be gone too unless the A’s use Suzuki as trade bait. Crisp, DeJesus, and matsui most likely gone too. Willingham is the only one worth resigning but rumor has it his good season puts his cost way up maybe a 3/30 contract. I must think most of the coaches are gone too except pithing coaches. Devine gone not worth arbitration. The way the team looks right now trading 1 of the pitchers will probably happen.

by Arcman on Sep 14, 2011 8:47 AM PDT reply actions

Pay the Ham.

by player20 on Sep 14, 2011 12:08 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

3yrs/$30M

isn’t out of reach for this team to pay a power hitter who wants to play in Oakland. Get it done!

Re-sign Josh Willingham now!

by sf drift king on Sep 14, 2011 12:16 PM PDT up reply actions

That's what I'm saying. 3 year deal, value worth $1M X each HR he hit in 2011 to start negotiations

by player20 on Sep 14, 2011 12:28 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

There are so many players on this team

who need to be gone.

That performance last night was fucking pathetic.

And today we get to see Weaver go against a shittier lineup.

Losing to this team is unacceptable.

Thank God their season is over soon because this current roster is miles away from even contending in the future. Of course there will be many that are gone and they will make their trades but with the management we have, they may never contend.

Too handicapped to do so.

by Trainman on Sep 14, 2011 9:37 AM PDT reply actions

Jerome Williams is a joke...unbelievable that we didn't rock that dude.

I fail to see how our lineup of Carter/Taylor/Mitchell and/or Miller etc etc AAA players would do worse.

by Billy Frijoles on Sep 14, 2011 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Oh my god.

SS Pennington
C Suzuki
DH Matsui
LF Willingham
RF DeJesus
3B Sizemore
CF Sweeney
1B Allen
2B Sogard

by danmerqury on Sep 14, 2011 11:22 AM PDT reply actions

I was about to post that - unbelievable...

by OaklandSi on Sep 14, 2011 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions

why is that not believable?

we’ve seen all sorts of stuff this year, why is this worse, or even bad.

Oh, Suzuki at 2.

No Weeks. (hamstring?)

by MobiusKlein on Sep 14, 2011 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions

They said Taylor was going to start today.

Guess not.

Yeah Zooks at 2 is bad. But Allen and Sogard are bad too. I think you could swap Sweeney and Zooks here.

Is Sactown done with the playoffs yet? I want to see Carter again. I think I wouldn’t be as angry watching him embarrass himself in meaningless games.

by Billy Frijoles on Sep 14, 2011 11:57 AM PDT up reply actions