I figured there was no way the Angels' 2014 season could approach 2013's swirling vortex of suckitude. Then Hamilton got hurt. Not a season-ending injury, just a very bad omen. But even as I type these words, they're mauling Bartolo Colon like a hungry bear. I have no love for this team. They throw money around in a vulgar (not to mention irresponsible) manner. But if you like a good soap opera, keep an eye on 'em. If the pitching is halfway decent, they should be easy to spot; they'll be breathing down Oakland's neck All Summer Long. For the record, I hope their pitching sucks.
So let's dive into Uncle Scrooge's Money Bin, shall we?
THE QUESTIONS (75 points)
1. SERIES OUTCOME (3 points) A's 2-1
2. THE HUMAN DRAMA OF ATHLETIC COMPETITION Do any of these Games go into Extra Innings? Are any of these Games tied through Seven Innings? Through Five? Are any of these Games scoreless through Three? (1 point each, 4 total) Yes, Extras/No Tied Through 7/No Tied Through 5/No Scoreless through 3
3. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE We all suspected that Sonny Gray was going to be a pretty good Starting Pitcher, but how about Jesse Chavez? Early on, he's taken some of the sting out of losing Parker for the entire season. And for the slegnA, Garrett Richards has been every bit as good as Gray. Four out of the six Starters listed for this series are averaging at least 1K/IP. Tommy Milone is one of those guys. Dan Straily isn't, but he's close. Rank all six Starting Pitchers by K/IP for this series, highest to lowest. Not looking for raw strikeouts here; it's all about the ratio. Ties count as points. (2 points each, 12 total) Chavez (1.285), Straily (0.818), Richards (0.714), Santiago (0.428), Skaggs (0.333), Milone (0.166)
4. CAT PEOPLE No, not the 80's movie. We're talking about Jed "Meowrie" Lowrie and Craig "Kitten Face" Gentry. Predict AB/H/XBH for each of them. (2 points each) Are either of them charged with an Error in this series? (1 point, 13 total) Lowrie: 14 AB/6 H/4 XBH Gentry: 12 AB/5 H/0 XBH No Errors
5. ALUMNI DAY Speaking of small sample sizes, way to go Collin Cowgill! You're tearing it up! So is Grant Green. Unfortunately for Grant, he's doing his tearing-it-uppage in the Pacific Coast League. He'll likely be starting at SS for the Salt Lake Bees on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the Bees begin a four-game set in Tacoma. Predict AB/H/XBH for Cowgill. (2 points each) As of 3:23 pm Sunday, Collin is batting .333. Is he at .333 or higher at the conclusion of this series? (1 point) Now, predict AB/H/XBH for Grant Green for Tuesday and Wednesday (2 points each, 13 total) Cowgill: 3 AB/1 H/0 XBH Yes, Average at .333 Green: 4 AB/2 H/1 XBH
6. TOMMY vs. TYLER Good news for Tommy Milone: Wednesday is a night game, and Tommy mostly comes out at night...mostly. It's not at the Coliseum, but as every A's fan knows, you can't have everything. Some of you might remember Tyler Skaggs as the D-Backs prospect that some ANers would have preferred to Jarrod Parker in the Cahill trade. As it stands right now, Advantage: Parker. We'll learn a lot more about Skaggs as the season progresses. Predict IP/H/ER/BB/K for each of them. If either Pitcher is scratched, the question applies to Wednesday's SP. Feel free to revise before gametime. (2 points each, 20 total) Milone: 6 IP/6 H/2 ER/2 BB/1 K Skaggs: 6 IP/7 H/4 ER/3 BB/1 K
7. SLIDING-SCALE LONG BALL: Who hits the first HR for each team in this series? You can guess up to 3 players from each team. A correct answer based on 3 guesses is worth 1 point. A correct answer based on 2 guesses is worth 3 points. A correct answer based on 1 guess is worth 5 points. You can guess "Nobody" for either team. A correct "Nobody" is worth 3 points. (10 points possible, in theory) Cespedes, Pujols
Answers due by 7:05pm PDT Friday. Good Luck, and Let's Go A's!