Angels Continue Angry Email Campaign; A's Don't Get A Runner In Scoring Position

by baseballgirl on Sep 20, 2011 10:51 PM PDT

I mean, really. For your convenience, I have created a formula out of tonight's lineup which might help to explain tonight's game.

Ian Kinsler > Jemile Weeks
Elvis Andrus > Coco Crisp
Josh Hamilton > Hideki Matsui
Michael Young > Josh Willingham
Adrian Beltre > Scott Sizemore
Mike Napoli > Chris Carter
David Murphy > Kurt Suzuki
Nelson Cruz > Cliff Pennington
Endy Chavez > Michael Taylor

Any questions? (And yes, I'm tongue-in-cheek; the Rangers are an established, playoff-bound team and the A's are just rebuilding. I honestly think they can and will be much better.)

Seriously, the A's can't compete with the Rangers. It's probably amazing that Rich Harden only gave up 6 runs to that lineup. Just kidding; that part of the game was awful too. Harden continued his struggles against Texas, lasting only three innings. He gave up seven hits, six runs (5 unearned), one walk, and struck out three. Graham Godfrey (Gryffindor!) pitched four scoreless innings to follow Harden, but it was too late. The A's offense and its three hits were really, really terrible. Highlights include a monster homerun by Michael Taylor (his first!) and a homerun by Coco (his eighth!), but those two hits and a single by Matsui rounded out the entire offense. Wuertz came in to give up another run (season ERA watch 6.68) and Blevins and Wagner finished the game. Texas reduces its magic number to 4, and if the A's aren't careful, there will be another team celebrating on the field this week.

We play again tomorrow. I'll be back for all of the action (or lack thereof).

Current Series

Rangers lead the series 1-0

Tue 09/20	WP: Derek Holland (15 - 5) LP: Rich Harden (4 - 4)	2 - 7 loss
Texas Rangers Lone Star Ball @ Oakland Athletics Athletics Nation Wednesday, Sep 21, 2011, 7:05 PM PDT Overstock.com Coliseum C.J. Wilson vs Brandon McCarthy Clear. Winds blowing out to right field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 75. Complete Coverage >
Thu 09/22		12:35 PM PDT

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Comments

Whatever. Imma tailgate and get drunk tomorrow.

FUCK THE GIANTS.

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 Sep 20, 2011 10:56 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

REC'D!!!!!

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."

by Tutu-late on Sep 21, 2011 6:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Belatedly made green

by Glorious Mundy on Sep 21, 2011 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions

Nice meeting you guys at the tailgate tonight

this is Mike, the Quakes fan. Great to meet everyone and great to see Taylor get his first HR.

Gotta wake up early tomorrow morning to fly to Portland for Quakes away.

It’s always a good night when the merits of Jeff Tam, Billy Koch, and Frankie Menechino are discussed and debated.

Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.

by johnjahafanclub on Sep 20, 2011 11:08 PM PDT reply actions

I was working so missed the game completely

But hey, Melvin is getting a three year deal!

by OaklandSi on Sep 20, 2011 11:12 PM PDT via mobile reply actions

I was there

Missed the game completely.

by richwol1 on Sep 21, 2011 9:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Failing to se Baseballgirl's hope

The Rangers are far and away the better team right now, and I am not seeing how we are coming close to bridging that gap next year.

I guess we can watch the young hitters progress, but their pitching is arguably better than ours given the parks. Billy please sign one or two legit arms.

"It's better to live rich than die rich" -- The Fat Lady

by geogrman on Sep 20, 2011 11:32 PM PDT reply actions

I'm not even going to comment on this game.

I decided to go back to the start of this abysmal season and read the Opening Day thread. Even though I wasn’t even here then (I was definitely here in spirit, the pure optimism we all once had gives me hope, even though the future now looks questionable at best. And there is gold to be mined from this thread! “LaRoche was the surprise of the spring”. “Philly may win, but Atlanta has the better team”. “Don’t count out the White Sox since they have Dunn now”. And people were laughing at the defense. Of SF. This is a must-read if you need a pick-me-up.

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 12:38 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Once again, I thank you all for making this season bearable.

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 12:39 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions

we've been down this path before

see my 2007 epic write-only negativity thread:
http://www.athleticsnation.com/2007/7/15/225430/645
but don’t read it, it’s against the rules.

by MobiusKlein on Sep 21, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions

I broke the rules

But if having a good laugh is against the rules, then so be it. Connie Mack, into your hands I commend my spirit.

Don't you realise you'll find next monday or next Tuesday/Your golden shoes day

by PDXAthleticsfan on Sep 21, 2011 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions

Sorry Mobius. How could I NOT read the thread after that epic buildup?

Yeah, I read it. I’m currently reading it. Pandora and her curious cat be damned. The secrets of the contents will go with me to my grave and never be spoke of again.

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 4:28 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

heheheh

it’s ok.
At the time, there was a lot of angst about how negativity was destroying the site.
So I made the dump for negativity to drain the wound. Folks could vent without fear of bringing other down, and nobody could complain about it because that would prove they read it.

4 years later, it’s OK.

by MobiusKlein on Sep 21, 2011 5:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Hope springs eternal?

It was great meeting many of you at the tailgate, and the food was delicious. I have to give special props to whoever made the soy taco filling. Sensational.

When I sat down at my seat I was talking to this longtime diehard Ranger fan, he moved to the Bay Area 2 years ago but before that basically lived in Dallas his whole life. He really gave me a pep talk about how this A’s team was like decades of Rangers teams that he watched, and how these things go in cycles (unless you’re the Yankees) and we will rise and be competitive again. Was kind of weird to hear it from a Rangers fan but I’ll take it. He was even talking about how the Rangers old stadium was worse than the Coliseum.

Between the tailgate and the pep talk my A’s fandom is slightly re-energized.

Don’t really think 2012 is our year (although a lot can happen in the off season) but Taylor is looking pretty good, Sizemore as basically a rookielearning a new position has played very well, Weeks looks good, and I think we can hit on either Allen or Carter. Penny looks alright as well.

Signs of hope.

Our injuries to the pitching staff however dampen my optimism for 2012. We have an average pitcher in Cahill, good pitcher in Gio, Good but often injured McCarthy, and average→shit for the rest. But if we at least improve next year, have a winning record, that would be amazing. Then Michael Choice in 2013 and it’s on!!!!

by Billy Frijoles on Sep 21, 2011 11:37 AM PDT up reply actions

dang, now I can't hate on all Texans

by MobiusKlein on Sep 21, 2011 11:55 AM PDT up reply actions

But I can, Mobius. Now Texas is having pity on us? Hot damn! How things have changed.

The whole damn state can eat it. The Rangers, Spurs, Mavs, (not the Rockets so much). In fact, it’ll be easier to mention the things I like about TX. 5 family members in San Antonio, the Astros (Killer B’s era), and the steakhouse in Amarillo that serves 72-oz steaks that are free if you finish them. That’s about it.

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 4:35 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Why is someone better than Hammer?

I’m sure 29 other teams would want his production…

by Sniff009 on Sep 21, 2011 12:33 AM PDT reply actions

all teams wnat his bat, but not his glove

Since he is arguable the best hitter available in this years free agent class, he will not be cheap.

We yet enjoy little to be envied, but endure much to be pitied.-Thomas Dudley

by Future Ed on Sep 21, 2011 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions

Friendly Giants fan here . . .

was just wondering what your thoughts were so far on Michael Taylor. Is there any chance he lives up to his former prospect status?

Adoptive father of 18th round draft pick and future ace, BRANDON ALLEN

by Nnamdi Asomugha on Sep 21, 2011 12:43 AM PDT reply actions

Say what you want about me, but I am glad this happened.

The A’s suck this year; the only thing to play for is watching the young guys perform. So if a Rangers sweep keeps the ~~Angels~~ Slegna out of the playoffs then more power to them! It will be a cold day in the firey depths of hell before I want to see the A’s do those damn Halos any favors!

if you beard, you are really like my dad. you're old!

- my Chinese fiancee. So cute...

by Dr. Handsome, D.D.S. on Sep 21, 2011 6:45 AM PDT reply actions

11 out of 12 to Texas is pathetic

Go TB. Fuck slegnA and Boston

by Trainman on Sep 21, 2011 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions

I prefer to think of it as, we took 4 out of the first 5. Everything since has been a minor setback.

Credit to whoever came up with “Tuck Fexas”, who sounds like an animator that worked with WB and Hanna- Barbera.

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 4:40 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

Microcosm of 2011

This was my last game of the year (our package ends tonight but I’m doing something else) but it felt like this game encapsulated so much wrong with the A’s for the past four years, including the sheer boredom of watching a mediocre team drop a game to a very good team. Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly because it was free parking Tuesday) the crowd was decent-sized, though other than Taylor’s HR (and Crisp’’s later) there was nothing to cheer about.

I’ve moved from the “Harden is okay as a fifth starter” camp to “Harden could easily be replaced within the organization and probably should be” camp. While from time to time Harden will give you a game that Outman or Godfrey are incapable of giving, most of the time this is the Rich Harden of the second decade of the 21st century - not enough juice in the fastball and too many change ups in the zone.

Kara’s been asking people during breaks about their favorite moment of the season. Mine: Geren getting fired; second, McCarthy’s two-hitter. Glad that Melvin is in it for the long haul, but then again, I keep seeing those “Moneyball” ads featuring the actor playing Wash, and I think, “What if…..?” Not that Wash’s in-game strategy is so great, but because he’s such a monumental teacher and inspiration for everyone who plays for him. Really — you wonder what Wash would do with a guy like Chris Carter. Sigh.

I started the season in the Oakland camp; now I’m in the San Jose camp. Get the stadium built. I want to see a team that has some money in the till.

by richwol1 on Sep 21, 2011 9:10 AM PDT reply actions

Went to game

Looked like Taylor missed a catch, and Matsui misses 2 that I thought they should have had. Also Taylor made a good throw to plate that Suzuki missed. They were all close plays, but contributed to game getting out pf hand.

by gambler on Sep 21, 2011 9:52 AM PDT via mobile reply actions

that throw Suzuki missed got me nervous

He acted like he didn’t even care he didn’t have the ball. He stood there looking at his feet. If the runner at 3rd had noticed, he’d have been in on the same play.

The Taylor non-catch was awful, at least from my view of it. It was much worse than Matsui who just didn’t make his plays because he’s short on range.

by 4-6-3 on Sep 21, 2011 1:15 PM PDT up reply actions

Carter

He can’t hit fastballs either now? Derek Holland barely went to any offspeed pitches against him. If Carter can’t turn on a fastball in the zone, I don’t know if there is hope for him.

Obviously I still want him to play the rest of the year because we don’t have enough MLB action to reasonably evaluate him.

Didn’t have any really tough plays at 1B but at least he didn’t screw anything up there either, looked fine in the field.

by Billy Frijoles on Sep 21, 2011 10:31 AM PDT reply actions

He does seem to be reacting to pitches, rather than anticipating/attacking pitches.

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."

by Tutu-late on Sep 21, 2011 10:44 AM PDT up reply actions

His bat speed does not look good

"I'll guarantee this: The A's will have a better season in 2012." - George Zimmer

by cuppingmaster on Sep 21, 2011 10:48 AM PDT up reply actions

I wonder if it is a bat speed problem, or a reaction problem.

Is the speed fine, but he is starting his swing late, (which shows a bad approach), or is he slow with the bat?

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."

by Tutu-late on Sep 21, 2011 10:56 AM PDT up reply actions

Looks like both to me

I need to watch him a little more closely though

"I'll guarantee this: The A's will have a better season in 2012." - George Zimmer

by cuppingmaster on Sep 21, 2011 11:19 AM PDT up reply actions

Yeah, this is why I asked.

I can’t tell much from watching on ComCast.

"Trying not to rec a "F**k the Giants" post is like trying not to look at boobs."

by Tutu-late on Sep 21, 2011 11:24 AM PDT up reply actions

Tentative

might be a good way to describe it.

He should be told to go out there, not worry about making an out and do what he should be doing. Get a pitch to hit and hit it, not watch it and get down in count.

Be aggressive if he gets a pitch and if he does not, take it.

by Trainman on Sep 21, 2011 11:33 AM PDT up reply actions

Agreeing With Train's Evaluation

Tentative may be the perfect word to describe Carter. To sum up the Carter/ Allen debate I may have accidentally started a few days ago, Carter (at the plate) seems to be WAITING for something to happen (passive). Allen seems to be TRYING to make something happen at the plate (aggressive).

by player20 on Sep 21, 2011 5:25 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions