A Game Decided During The 7th Inning Stretch?

by Nico on Apr 3, 2007 9:53 PM PDT in News Comment 139 comments

It kind of feels like tonight’s game was decided between innings. The A’s had come back to tie the game 4-4 on Jason Kendall’s annual deep fly ball, a double that brought the A’s all the way back. Justin Duchscherer, usually expected in the 8th inning with the A’s ahead, had been throwing in the bullpen with the A’s trailing, yet he did not come out to pitch the bottom of the 7th. Neither did Joe Blanton, who was only at 81 pitches but who was asked only to toss his eight warmup pitches while Kiko Calero hurried to get loose.

And then Calero pitched like a guy who warmed up too fast, giving up two more runs than he allowed all of spring training--followed by Duchscherer, who pitched like a guy who wasn’t quite his usual self. A 4-run 7th inning and a second straight loss. You get the feeling there’s a “rest of the story” to the 7th inning stretch bullpen game of musical chairs. Stay tuned…

Meanwhile, be very afraid, as with an MRI detecting a bulging disk in Esteban Loaiza’s neck the A’s rotation officially includes Chad Gaudin and Joe Kennedy until further notice. That’s why it’s so important for the A’s to win starts by guys like Haren and Blanton, both of whom pitched well enough to win but neither of whom did.

The Rangers already look like a team with too little pitching to compete, and the Mariners are going to have trouble contending with a rotation that relies on Jarrod Washburn and Miguel Batista. The A’s need to stay within striking distance of the Angels until Oakland gets healthy, which is why I wish Rich Harden were pitching against the Angels this month instead of missing both of the upcoming series. On the other hand, I’m glad he’s pitching tomorrow. Remember that all night tonight, and repeat out loud as necessary: Rich Harden is pitching tomorrow.

Addendum...I meant to mention that I thought Crosby had an excellent approach each of his first three at-bats tonight, so kudos to Croz for a comeback of sorts in Game 2

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Duke wasn't himself, Kiko was rushed

If Blanton stayed out there and gave up a go ahead run, I'm sure people will complain that he was out there too long.

Let's not start questioning Geren's moves just yet and put much more blame on the players throwing and calling pitches.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 9:57 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Nobody's questioning Geren

Please read more carefully. I wouldn't be surprised if we learned that Duke had some back or elbow issues warming up and wasn't able to go the first time he warmed up.

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i reread it thrice before posting

thats the tone i got. sounds like it questions the sit down of blanton

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not at all

I'm not questioning anything, just noting that the moves--having Duke up with the A's trailing, then not going to him when it was tied, getting Calero up so fast Blanton had to take his warmup pitches but not just leaving Blanton in anyway--suggest there is more than meets the eye. Perhaps Blanton was gassed (doubtful) or perhaps something weird was up with Duke (my guess).

If there were no extenuating circumstances, then yes, I'll criticize Geren for warming up Duchscherer to bring in Calero. But I have a feeling there are extenuating circumstances.

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

my guess to what happened is below. thoughts? nt

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If so

he shouldn't have been brought in at all tonight. He's much too valuable, long term, to risk further injury if he couldn't get loose.
Whatever the reason, the bullpen was botched on Geren's first meaningful try. He needs to be much better than that.

by IndianaAsfan on Apr 3, 2007 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

which is why i don't think it had anything to do

with an injury. duke was warming up while the a's were trailing. in my mind, i think geren was going to bring him in at that point, with the a's trailing, to pitch 2 innings.

instead, the a's came back to tie it on rare back to back two out hits.

then he decided to do the kiko-->duke-->street route.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's absurd--

He was going to bring in Duke to pitch 2 innings with the A's trailing, but decided not to bring him in to pitch 1 inning with the game tied?

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i think he wanted duke in if they were trailing

so that the score would be kept the same, ideally.

they ended up tying it so he went with kiko so duke could provide the setup role or provide some time in extra innings.

in a tie game in the 7th inning, i'd rather have kiko out there than duke.

what's so "absurd" about that?

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Makes no sense..

If the A's are behind you want Duke for 2 innings to keep the score the same.....but if tied you just want him for one.....DO you not want the score the same there too?

Duke wasnt going two either way....and he better not go two in a game they are down 2 runs in, especially with his health issues already.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Apr 3, 2007 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm not saying i would want him for just 1

if the game is tied.

breaking it down:

tie game

kiko pitch 7th
duke pitch 8th and 9th
saves street for extra innings, if necessary

losing

duke pitch 7th and 8th
if a's get the lead, you have street for the 9th
if tied, you can go street or kiko
if losing, game over

Duke was up while the A's were losing. They tied it, he sat down, Kiko came in. Scenario A

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why would Geren have Duke

slated to pitch two innings when he usually doesn't pitch two innings and today Geren said he wanted to get in as many relievers as possible who hadn't pitched yet? Today, of all days, Geren wants Duke to pitch two innings? No.

Now what's your reasoning as to why Calero wasn't up more than a couple minutes before he was asked to come in--up so late, in fact, that Blanton had to take his 8 warmup pitches just to stall?

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Duke pitched more than 1 inning multiple times

last year, and he started as the long man.

by theblackpearl on Apr 3, 2007 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

beats me, ask geren

it makes just as much sense though as having duke warm up, tweak/hurt something, then come in anyways to pitch

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:52 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

and as far as what Geren "says"

he's been managing the team for 1 day and we already know that he's gone back on statements.

did he not say that Buck wouldn't be platooning?

it's not implausible for him to want duke to pitch two innings during a tie, winnable game?

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Which is poor, IMO

In my coaching experience, changing plans like that rarely works. If Duke was going to come in with the A's behing to give them a chance to come back, then bring him in anyway to give them a chance to get ahead. Then, if the game goes extra innings you have a fresh, and properly warmed up Calero to pitch. At this stage in the season these decisions are made before the game either starts, so either Geren changed the plan in the heat of the moment or they weren't adequately prepared. Staffs routinely talk before the game about different game situations and which pitcher they want in there. I've never heard of planning to warm one pitcher up then rush another one in only to return to the first to finish the inning.

by IndianaAsfan on Apr 3, 2007 10:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

duke tweaking something makes more sense?

why would he come pitch at all then

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:42 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

you've never heard of

warming up a setup man during a tie game, only to take the lead, then rush your closer out there? then, if the closer blows it, they go back to the setup man.

you've never seen that happen?

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are you asking whether I've ever seen that,

or whether I think that's good managing? Keep in mind that Geren could have let Blanton throw 8 warm up pitches, then come to the mound, gone back to the dugout, let Blanton face one hitter, then come back to the mound and called for Calero, and Calero would have been plenty ready--and Blanton would have faced all of one more hitter.

As for Duke "tweaking something," what I'm supposing is that Duke may have said he couldn't get loose YET, forcing a Plan B to start the inning, then signaled that he was "good to go" a few minutes later. That's not only possible, it's my first guess as to what actually happened.

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 Apr 3, 2007 11:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

well i wasnt asking you

but i do believe i asked if you've ever seen it.

so no, i wasn't asking if it was good managing. then again, this thread isn't about questioning managing, right?

what you're supposing is possible, but not my first guess as to what happened. why that makes my guess absurd, i dunno.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 11:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's absurd, because if you were prepared

to put in your set-up man to pitch x innings to "protect" a deficit, you would certainly put him in for the same x innings to protect a tie. I don't know how to put it any more clearly.

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 Apr 3, 2007 11:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

or you could go with your other setup man

to protect the tie, since it was the 7th inning

then you have duke for the 8th and 9th, if it's still tied.

and regardless of what geren said, we know that he's reneged statements already (Buck not platooning), so duke could have very well gone 2 innings to set up street for extra innings.

i don't see anything absurd with that and i'll leave it at that.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

wow

Based on the lineup one game, we can conclude that Geren has indeed reneged on his statement that Buck will not be platooning? Couldn't his reasoning for playing Kielty have been more along the lines of what his stated intent for bullpen use was in this game, namely, to use as many relievers possible? Or for whatever other reason?

Doesn't seem like Geren's off to a good start. But that doesn't mean that you should be making, ahem, absurd assumptions. Yeah, if Kielty starts in Buck's place in the next 5 games the A's play facing a lefty, well that's a different story than one game.

www.??e??s??????.com...the "launch" is coming soon...or grand opening in brick-and-mortar terms...I'll be all over the DLD the day it's ready.

by Cutthemullet on Apr 4, 2007 1:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly my point

so why can't geren change his mind for one game with his rps?

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 9:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He can, if he does it at a pace

that allows his pitchers to be ready or in a way that doesn't contradict himself. If he changed his mind about Duke coming in (which makes no sense for reasons I've already gone over multiple times) then instead of hurrying Calero he should have left Blanton in for at least one hitter (or gone "batter-to-batter" with him). And if he didn't want Duke in when the game was tied, consistency says he shouldn't then want him in when the team is now trailing by two. No matter how you slice it, the series of moves makes no sense. There are many ways to change your mind; some are more defensible than others.

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 Apr 4, 2007 9:31 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sparky Anderson woulda had 3 guys up n/t

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 10:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not in this situation

You're comparing apples to oranges (or the 9th inning to the 7th inning). Of course I've seen teams do that with their closer in the 9th. I've also seen Torre ripped for doing it in NY with arguably the best closer of all time.
However, I feel this case is different. Far more games are tied in the 7th than in the 9th, and tie games in the 7th is one scenario discussed in pregame preparations. In the seventh you're also considering using a reliever for two innings compared to the closer who is typically only used for one. The decision should only have been do we stay w/Blanton or go to Duke (since he was the one warming up). You also asked somewhere up-thread how we knew Calero was rushed - well you don't typically have the starting pitcher warm up and then take him out before throwing a pitch. That means the relief pitcher wasn't ready when the inning was supposed to start. The logical deduction, since Duke had been warming up longer, was that Calero was rushed. The results support that conclusion as well because Calero's history isn't coming in and giving up 2 run homers.

by IndianaAsfan on Apr 4, 2007 11:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

so blanton stayed out so kiko could get more

pitches. why, then, can't those extra 8-10 pitches kiko got to throw, suffice his warm up? how do you know he didn't meet his warm up quota? he might have needed the extra tosses when blanton came out, but he got those extra tosses

and as far as 7th inning tie game scenarios go, i'm pretty sure geren is of the general mindset of wanting kiko in the 7th and duke for the 8th and possibly 9th, if tied.

when the a's tied the game, duke sat down and geren went with kiko.

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 11:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

This much is clear: If you don't get it by now

you won't get it just because I explain it yet again. Re-read my (and others') comments if you want answers as to why your argument--which now appears to be "Geren wants Duke in the 7th when the A's are trailing but not when it's tied"--makes no logical sense.

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 Apr 4, 2007 1:11 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's not my complete argument.

so please don't dumb it down to that.

and this much is clear: if there hasn't been any information about duke not being able to warm up in time(has there been anything? i haven't checked) your assumption has absolutely no backing whatsoever.

i'm starting to assume you simply go against whatever i say upon seeing my name.

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not at all; I don't do that with anyone

If/Whenever you present an argument that holds up logically, I'll agree with it. Your argument in this thread just doesn't make sense logically, as has been explained, multiple times, by me and others.

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 Apr 4, 2007 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

but without any info

about duke having problems warming up, how does your argument hold logically?

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sigh. One more time:

By having Duke warm up in the 7th while the A's were trailing, Geren suggested he was ok bringing Duke into the 7th inning with the A's trailing. If you are ok bringing your set-up man into the 7th inning with your team trailing, there is NO REASON you wouldn't be ok bringing him into the 7th inning with the game tied. It's a BETTER scenario for using your set-up man than the one you were about to settle for. So whether Duke was coming in because Geren wanted Duke, Calero, and Street all to get some work if possible, or whether Duke was coming in because he wanted to "hold the M's at 4 runs right now" doesn't matter--he was going to Duke and then the situation got even MORE "Duke-logical". THERE IS NO REASON THAT AFTER AN UPGRADE FROM TRAILING TO TIED THAT YOU WOULD RESPOND BY CHOOSING A DOWNGRADE FROM SET-UP MAN TO THIRD RELIEVER.

Consider this: If you are willing to trade Smith for Jones, then surely you are willing to trade Smith for Jones and $1,000.00, no?

I'm not picking on you because you're fadedash, I'm "picking on you" because there is no logic to your analysis.

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 Apr 4, 2007 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i'm not talking about my analysis.

i'm asking you one question over and over that has yet to be answered.

if duke had no signs of problems warming up, which none have been reported, how does your scenario hold up at all?

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 2:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not sure which part of the analysis

(or what "scenario") you're referring to, but here's my basic answer...I wasn't questioning Geren last night because I didn't have all the info and wanted to hear what Geren had to say before passing judgment on a puzzling series of moves. Given that Duke was fine warming up, Geren screwed up, plain and simple. Really the only scenario that could exonerate Geren is if Duke AND Blanton weren't able to go when the bottom of the 7th arrived, and that does not appear to have been the case.

If that didn't answer your question, then please tell me exactly what the question is and I'll gladly answer it.

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 Apr 4, 2007 3:02 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

that answered my question, somewhat

You were under the assumption that something happened to Duke while he was initially warming up. That's the only scenario you see fit to making sense of what happened. There have been no reports of such an occurrence.

What do you suggest happened then, if the above scenario didn't take place?

If you can't fathom any other scenario that makes sense, how can you say that there is no logical sense to my scenario at all?

It might not be logical to you, but that doesn't mean there isn't any logic behind it.

I was fine with the moves Geren made, you weren't. Simple as that.

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 3:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, the reason I guessed that Duke

didn't feel right warming up is that it was the only explanation that didn't Geren look foolish for not bringing him in to start the 7th. I don't think Geren is a fool, therefore I figured there was an explanation other than a foolish one.

If Duke felt fine, then my conclusion is that Geren may be an excellent manager but last night he did something foolish. Oh well.

But your argument that it makes sense to bring Duke in to start the 7th if the A's are behind, but no longer makes sense when they're tied, and that it makes sense to sit Duke down only to get him back up and then bring him in when you're trailing again...? Okey dokey, then.

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 Apr 4, 2007 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

my logic on that

If the A's are trailing into the bot7th:

Duke can ideally come in and pitch two scoreless innings. The game either ends after that (with a loss), or it goes to Street in the 9th and Kiko in extra innings, if necessary.

The A's ended up tying it:

IIRC, Duke sat down right after the A's tied the game. With the game tied, Geren can go to Kiko for the 7th, like he normally would, and then let Duke pitch the 8th, like he normally would. The added bonus is Duke getting to face Ichiro in the 8th inning, with Duke being the pitcher Ichiro struggles against the most. Then, if the A's take the lead, Street can come in during the 9th. If the game remains tied, Duke can pitch the ninth, saving Street for extra innings.

What Geren wasn't anticipating and what actually happened:

Kiko comes in during a tie game, after fulfilling his warm up pitch quota thanks to Blanton going out there and stalling. Kiko proceeds to get shelled.

-- Single (on a play that we've seen Crosby make before)
-- Pop out
-- HR
-- Single

Guess who's coming up to bat? Ichiro. Kiko clearly doesn't have it and Duke is the one pitcher Ichiro doesn't want to see. Duke comes in to face Ichiro and gets beat.

Does that still not make any sense? None? Just let me know if it does or doesn't, because that's the best I can explain it. If it doesn't make sense to you, but does to me, then that's that.

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 3:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why it doesn't make sense:

Why would you want to pitch Duke 2 innings while trailing, hoping to come back, but not want to pitch him 2 inning while tied, hoping to take the lead for Street (with Calero still available to pitch the 9th instead if it's tied)?
And if Geren wanted to get as many pitchers (from among Duke, Calero, Street, Embree) in as possible, as he stated before the game, why would he tab Duke for 2 innings?
When Geren brought Duke in, finally, to face Ichiro, who closed the barn door and did they ever find the horse?
Finally, the fact that Calero continued to warm-up while Blanton threw 8 warm-up pitches doesn't mean Calero didn't need Blanton to throw 15 warm-up pitches before Kiko was ready. It just means Blanton was only allowed to throw 8 before Geren had to do something.

I never do 20/20 hindsight (personal policy). When Calero was called in, I said, "I don't think he's had enough time to warm-up; this isn't going to go well." And it didn't.

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 Apr 4, 2007 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

trying my best to answer

I'm not saying I wouldn't want him to pitch 2 innings, while tied.

If trailing, Duke pitches 2 innings. If the A's take the lead, they can go to Street for the 9th. If it becomes tied, they can go to Kiko for the 9th and Street for extra innings.

If the game becomes tied, Kiko comes in for the 7th, like he normally would. This does not mean Duke wouldn't have the opportunity to go 2 innings. If the game remains tied, Duke can go the 8th and 9th, saving Street for extra innings. If the A's take the lead, Duke can pitch his 1 inning of 8th inning setup and Street can close it out, like we've seen time and time again.

I take Geren's pre-game intentions with a grain of salt. Things change over the course of the game, including game time strategy. Furthermore, like I've mentioned, Geren also went on the record saying Buck would not be in any kind of platoon. The first opportunity given, Buck sits vs a lefty.

That analogy is way over my head. Don't understand it.

You could argue this one back and forth with no evidence. Blanton only gets to throw 8 pitches. Maybe that was enough for Kiko, maybe not. Him having a bad outing doesn't necessarily support the rushed claim. Pitchers have bad outings. You can't say 100% for sure either way if he was rushed or not. You might not have thought Kiko was warmed up enough, but maybe CY, Kiko and Geren all thought he was warmed up enough. Who knows for sure?

This could be an endless debate, it seems. I would have liked to see a reporter ask Geren, "Why did you warm up Duke and then go with Kiko?" but I don't know if anyone's even asked him that.

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 4:14 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your last sentence is where we agree.

I wish someone had asked Geren because it don'ta make-a no sense. Your logic in this last post is fine...if you just go with Duke either way because he's the one you already told to warm-up and be ready. It's generally a bad idea to get guys up and then not use them--sometimes you have to, but you don't want to do it any more than necessary. If Duke was going to be the choice if trailing, then he definitely should have been the choice when it became tied and only Duke had been warming up.

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 Apr 4, 2007 4:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Windsor Waiting in the Wings?

Could we see Windsor and Komine come up before too long?

Or should we just recognize that we are having our May a bit early, and will be strong the rest of the way...

More than just ANtics: http://www.louisgray.com/live/

by louismg on Apr 3, 2007 10:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

admit it...

I can see through this, you just wanted to use that alliterative post title. heh...

www.??e??s??????.com...the "launch" is coming soon...or grand opening in brick-and-mortar terms...I'll be all over the DLD the day it's ready.

by Cutthemullet on Apr 4, 2007 1:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Angels series won't be that tough

After all they'll be starting Dustin Mosely and Colonel Saunders. I like the A's odds to win at least two in the Rev's kitchen!

"Congratulations to the Oakland Athletics on their 2007, 2008 and 2009 Western Division Championships" --Rev Halofan

by BruceBochte on Apr 3, 2007 10:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

if we're losing after 5 innings against them

good luck. they got the real deal shutdown bullpen there.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Saunders

shut the A's down late last year, when, arguably, the offense was much better than it has shown the first two games this year.

by IndianaAsfan on Apr 3, 2007 10:06 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure...

But in those two games the A's are throwing Gaudin and Kennedy. Not like it's some big mismatch

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Apr 3, 2007 10:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts on the game:

Kielty should have been removed in favor of Buck in the 7th. No left-handed ABs for him please.

I don't see why Blanton was removed with so few pitches. Except for leaving a few balls up it seemed like he had good control as evidenced by his 0 walks and 7 K's.

I felt that the offense gave up in the 8th inning. With our 3-5 hitters up we needed to try and scrape together some runs, not go down 1-2-3.

The 'pen just got beat, plain and simple. They left too many pitches up and they got hit hard.

Crosby's AB in the ninth has to get out of his mind very quickly. Morrow was on the ropes and Crosby has him 2-1 and he pops it up to shallow center. The ball was right down the middle so he's got to do something with it.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Apr 3, 2007 10:06 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

just because they went 1-2-3

doesn't mean they gave up.

if the A's win a game 1-0, and went 1-2-3 in the top of the 9th, did they give up there?

i agree with your other points.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I guess I should've elaborated.

I kind of rushed it. The approach in those 3 AB's were terrible as they swung early in the count instead of trying to work it into your favor as you should do when trying to get back into a game.

"Their batters are patient to the point that it's annoying." -Ryan Franklin, Seattle Mariners

by Helloooo 1st on Apr 4, 2007 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Perhaps the A's need to put Crosby at 2B

and Ellis at SS.

Crosby has absolutly no arm stregnth right now.

by Zonis on Apr 3, 2007 10:13 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

but does ellis have arm strength?

i figure that's why scutaro was at SS last year

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Problem is, Ellis has no arm strength ever

Ever since his shoulder surgery, SS is just not an option. The A's have said so, point blank. (And the A's training staff is never wrong.)

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:16 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Injury.

No surgery.

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 3, 2007 10:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Beat me to it.

Ellis rehabbed.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Apr 3, 2007 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Right--I knew it ended with a 'y'

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You knew it was like a trial...

Ended with something like a jury...

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 3, 2007 10:37 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

His throws looked plenty strong to me.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Apr 3, 2007 10:15 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They wern't

Crosby can usually throw a bullet to 1st, which is his strong point.

But right now he is having to rush his throws because he has half on it than he usually has.

by Zonis on Apr 3, 2007 10:17 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He just needs time

Crosby looked a little better to me today. He should have made that throw to first but he was a little off. He had some good at bats today it still looks like his timing is off a little, it was encouraging to see him get an opposite field hit and not dig a 3 foot hole swinging for the fences every swing. He and the A's will improve! Go A's

www.GamingDomination.com

by 3Chavy3 on Apr 3, 2007 10:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

CMon..half on it?

That's ridiculous....Maybe it's not all there, but it is close....he can make the throw from SS.

Bring back Hammer.

by OaktownPower on Apr 3, 2007 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree.

His throws looked pretty good to me, strength-wise. The one bad throw might have been a rush-job because he had to range so far to his right to get it (incidentally, I doubt Scutaro even comes close to gloving that grounder).

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Apr 3, 2007 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Even if he does,

Scutaro just doesn't have the arm Crosby has, so at worst Crosby at "half-strength" is equal to Scutaro, not inferior. Scutaro has the arm of a 2Bman, so when he has to play SS you can't expect strong throws--he's fundamentally sound and basically competent at SS, but his arm is nothing to brag about or pine for.

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good point

I thought the same thing about Crosby's throw and Scutaro's arm.

It's possible that Crosby's problem is that he doesn't trust his accuracy yet, so he's sort of babying his throws -- kind of like a pitcher trying to "guide" the ball rather than just let it go, the result being less velocity and, unfortunately, less control.

His arm might be physically fine, he just doesn't trust his accuracy enough yet to let it go.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 6:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Was that reply to Zonis or Nico?

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 3, 2007 10:35 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Zonis, and new AN can kiss my ass.

Stat Wonk Futurist

by salb918 on Apr 3, 2007 10:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can both sets of lips

fit on that tiny ass?

"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." --Dr. Johnson

by FreeSeatUpgrade on Apr 3, 2007 10:38 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

both sets?

Please, sir. Think of the children!

See the latest dumbass thing I've done -- camUra

by hunter on Apr 4, 2007 8:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I need a better explanation

All I know is that I watched Duchscherer warming up in the top of the seventh. I thought, based on Geren's pregame comments (about getting all of his relivers in the game this series) and simple logic, that Geren wanted Duke to get some work.

So what was Calero doing in there?

If Nico's guess is correct, that Duke that some problem warming up, why was he in there later in the inning? He wasn't ready to start the inning, but he was good to go a few minutes later? If that's the explanation, I won't be satisfied.

That leaves me with Option B, that the A's rally to tie the game put Geren in standard bullpen mode, with Calero pitching the seventh, Duke the eighth, et cetera.

The trouble with Option B is that, well, it's stupid. You don't race your cold reliever into the game when another guy has warmed up. There's nothing written in stone tablets that says Duke can't pitch the seventh inning in a tie game, especially when he's the one who is ready.

And if Duke really did have trouble warming up, there was nothing stopping Geren from letting Blanton start the inning.

There's no way this can be explained that will satisfy me, I fear.

by bear88 on Apr 3, 2007 10:28 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Exactly right, bear88--

What puzzles me is why rush Calero when you could just let Blanton face the first hitter while Calero warms up more? Seems to me that if Duke didn't come in to start the 7th, he probably shouldn't have come in at all--but I can't see any reason why Calero had to be rushed in when Blanton was only at 81 pitches anyway.

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:34 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

maybe just for the fact that it is blanton

here's your options of pitchers to take the hill in a late, tied game

duke
kiko
blanton

which of those 3 do you least want out there?

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:47 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

If Calero hasn't had adequate time to warm up,

my order goes:

a healthy Duke
Blanton, pitching a good game, only at 81 pitches
Calero
Duke, after saying "I can't get loose yet, check back in a few minutes"

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:51 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

how do you know calero didnt have adequate time?

Because he had a bad outing?

Unless you were counting, I'm guessing Calero got in as many warm up pitches as the coaches normally see necessary.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, because the time between

when I saw the bullpen and only Duke was throwing and the time I saw Calero summoned into the game was too little time. And the fact that Blanton was asked to throw 8 warm up pitches when he was warming up to leave the game should be another clue.

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 Apr 3, 2007 11:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

a clue to kik needing 8 more pitches, perhaps? nt

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 11:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah, at least 8 more pirches

What does 'nt' mean?

See the latest dumbass thing I've done -- camUra

by hunter on Apr 4, 2007 8:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

"No text"

You put it in the subject line if you've written nothing in the "comment" section -- it's a courtesy so that readers know that they don't need to expand your comment to read what you've written.

It always reminds me of "this page left intentionally blank" on legal forms...

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My concern

It's tough being a manager, but I never have thought it's all that difficult managing the actual game. Criminey, I coached my daughter's basketball team over the winter, and the easiest part was the "game" part. Who plays when, and where, and who substitutes for whom. I even had to improvise in the championship game, and the only hard part was figuring out how to do it without embarrassing one of the girls whose confidence was suddenly shot. It was stressful, but the decisions themselves were pretty easy.

What bothers me about Geren is that he failed tonight to do the one thing a manager needs to do during a game: maximimize his team's chance to win.

It didn't seem to me that he was prepared for the possibility the A's might actually tie the game.

by bear88 on Apr 3, 2007 10:50 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's worse than that--

Tying the game actually made Geren's job easier. He had Duke up for a less logical situation for him, coming in with the team behind. When the A's tied it, it made Duke's entry MORE logical, not less. There was nothing to prepare for--when the A's tied the game, the situation came closer to matching the choice of pitcher who was up. If Duke said "I can't go right now," no crisis because fortunately the A's had a pitcher in the game who was throwing well and who was only at 81 pitches.

Really the only possible blunder was to get a new reliever up quickly and needlessly rush him into the game before he was ready. Oops.

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 Apr 3, 2007 10:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i thought this thread wasnt about ?ing geren. nt.

by fadedash on Apr 3, 2007 10:57 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Questioning Geren

That would be me.

The A's might have lost anyway, no matter what Geren did. Blanton could have given up a leadoff home run if left in the game. And if that happened, as you said upthread, Geren would have been criticized for leaving him in.

I didn't like this particular decision because it felt like Geren was scrambling for an option when he had at least one decent one (Blanton at 81 pitches) and one possible one (Duchscherer, if healthy). Instead, he rushed Calero into the game and had to stall in order to do it.

I'll confess to a bias here. I have never been a fan of Beane's selection of Geren. He's been getting a honeymoon, but I still can't shake the feeling he has the job because he is Beane's best friend and won't rock the boat. So he has to persuade me that he's a good choice. One way is to be a shrewd on-field manager, because I can see those decisions (as opposed to things like whether he talks to Melhuse). I wasn't impressed with this one.

by bear88 on Apr 3, 2007 11:21 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

learning pains

I think it's just a noob manager who overthunk. Kendals drive into deep center got him all confused and he ended up over analysing, maybe Calero had better match ups, who knows..

but he got burnt.
and he probably got beamed by Beane afterwards.
hopefuly he learns.
Harden Pitches Tomorrow.

( just getting some of those pesky losses out of the way early )

by tosk on Apr 4, 2007 9:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

But he's not a noob

He's managed a few hundred games in the minors (how many seasons was he at Sacto?). Plus he's been bench coaching in Oakland beyond that.

I assume that the Sacramento bullpen has fewer (good) options than the A's', so there's some adjusting to his current situation, but still -- his learning curve shouldn't be this steep.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Basically, my final analysis,

not having heard that anything was wrong with Duke at any time, is that Geren simply screwed up. It happens, hopefully not too often. I've liked Geren so far, so to me it's a lot of good and one complete blunder. And 160 games to go.

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 Apr 4, 2007 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree

It was a screw-up. Not a big deal, but not something you can rationalize as a great series of decisions afterwards.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 10:16 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

i thought this wasn't about questioning Geren

No reports of issues with Duke (still plenty of time for reports to come out though). If they don't, does my guess still seem so completely absurd? Coaches change their mind and go back on things they say, nothing is set in stone. You guys act like this is the first time ever a manager has warmed up someone and then decided to go with someone else when the situation of the game changed.

If Kiko breezes through the 7th, I'm almost positive you don't say anything. But Kiko has a bad outing, so automatically he was "rushed" and automatically it's a bad call.

As far as taking out Blanton after only 80+ pitches, the dude is a a walking gas can, ready to explode at any moment. In any given inning, you expect someone like Calero to have a better chance of preventing runs than Blanton. Nothing wrong with taking out Blanton there. Nothing wrong with bringing in Calero.

But I guess I shouldn't have to say that since "nobody's questioning Geren," right?

by fadedash on Apr 4, 2007 10:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I Have to Agree with fadedash here

Y'all are over-analyzing, we just got beat last nite, plain and simple. It may not have mattered what Geren did or did not do .. let's get'em tonite with Rich on the mound .. go A's !!!!

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 4, 2007 10:39 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So What!!

Its early. We win tommorow with King Rich. Sweep Anahiem, and get on with it. End of Story. Good riddence to Loiaza. He stinks anyhow, and is boring as hell to watch pitch. I think chad is going to do a good job in his place. Dont fotget we are 15 and 2 in our last 17 games against them. You cant excpect us to hog tie them every game. P.S will somebody let Chavy the season started yesterday!! No hitter tommorow, and were right back in it.

Later

How low can we go!

by lopayrow on Apr 3, 2007 10:53 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Just another typical April

Slow starts suck! :-(

by IM4Oakgal on Apr 3, 2007 11:27 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

On the errant Crosby throw:

Crosby caught the ball awkwardly in his glove and had to be extra careful not to let the ball drop out before the transfer to his throwing hand. That time lost forced him to rush the throw a bit, thus being less accurate. Crosby's arm strength seems okay to me. Maybe not 100%, but definitely a lot more than half strength. That wasn't the issue on that play.

"The future's like, who cares?" ~Eric Chavez

by rebus on Apr 3, 2007 11:43 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I definitely agree about one thing

Crosby had a great approach at the plate. Yes, he made the mistake, but if he continues to approach his ABs the way he did tonight, he's going to finally become that star the A's have been waiting for. I loved the shot the other way and he also did it again later. Perhaps Van Burkleo is having an impact on him?

by Blez on Apr 3, 2007 11:51 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Crosby did look better at the plate

It seemed like he was trying to take the outside pitch the other way. Except for his last AB, I liked his approach at the plate

by Khmi on Apr 4, 2007 12:06 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

His Approach was OK in the last AB

.. he just missed his pitch by a hair .. missed squaring if off .. that happens .. even Big Frank missed some juicy pitches last year -- I can think of Todd Jones' floater that he popped out to center when he had a chance for a winning walkoff slam in the ALCS {was it game 2 in Oakland}; I can think of his GIDP in game 4 of the ALCS in Detroit, not to mention all the popups in April-May of regular season last year when he was trying to get his timing back; etc.

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 4, 2007 1:05 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Baseball's a game of inches, Randy. And

unfortunately, you're boy Bobby seems to miss an awful lot of pitches by an inch (and in some cases by a foot).

by Bacon on Apr 4, 2007 8:36 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

your

"I know they say it's like kissing yer sister, but I guess that depends on what kinda sister you got." Rene Lachemann

by Elvez on Apr 4, 2007 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's Not "my boy"

.. I'm not defending Crosby nor am I a particular lover or hater of Crosby - but some of y'all border on sounding like Yankee fans in their hyper-criticism of A-Rod. Look, even future hall-of-famers like Frank Thomas or A-Rod cannot always square-up on the ball when they get a juicy pitch nor come through with RISP. I know I could not come close to hitting MLB pitching, it isn't easy -- let's cut our players some slack .. as Macha was known to say, it isn't easy to win an MLB game, it just isn't -- the A's are being rudely reminded of that in their first two games of the season. I will extend that to say, this game isn't easy at the MLB level, for anyone, any of the players even the superstars .. ;-) Take it easy guys .. that's my humble suggestion .. :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 4, 2007 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it's a different phenomenon

Yankee fans are obsessed with who's "a real Yankee." Paul O'Neill, Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, and probably Mussina are "true Yankees." What does this mean? It means that they "know how to win" and "are champions."

They also like talking a lot about which players can "play in New York."

Their criticism of ARod is pure ego-stroking. It basically boils down to (1) ARod is immune to our Special Pinstripe Pixie Dust, which means he sucks; and (2) ARod can't take booing from the Toughest, Most Knowledgable Fans in the World (tm), i.e. us.

I haven't heard anyone say that Croz "isn't a true Athletic" or anything like that. It's not about him failing to meet the lofty standards and awesome responsibility of playing in the Holy Green and Gold (if you think I'm exaggerating about this attitude among Yankee fans, listen to NYC sports radio for a while). It's just that people think he's not a good player.

That being said, I'm definitely of the "give him some time" school here. As far as I'm concerned, folks who were sceptical of him all along (e.g., Nico) are perfectly justified in pointing to Monday night as evidence for their criticisms of Crosby; folks who were on the Bunnies train during Spring Training and then switched tracks to the Venezuelan Man-Candy Express after Opening Night need to take a few deep breaths.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 1:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

w.r.t. ARod - anyone who questions Crosby's 'D'

.. should take a look at A-Rod ..

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 4, 2007 2:12 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Why do people struggle with this so?

"Your in trouble." Can you possess something known as "my 'in trouble'"? Not really.

"I like you are shirt." Make sense? Not so much.

Your/You're mistakes are a writer's version on Crosby trying to pull a slider thrown off of the outside corner. Only Croz doesn't have a "preview" function.

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 Apr 4, 2007 10:47 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Its a mystery.

Not enough kids paying attention in there classes.

"I know they say it's like kissing yer sister, but I guess that depends on what kinda sister you got." Rene Lachemann

by Elvez on Apr 4, 2007 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

clearly, teachers are to blame

"San Jose A's of Fremont" is already being mocked by Angel's fans

by ArakSOT on Apr 4, 2007 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

To true

Its a problem in are school 2day.

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 Apr 4, 2007 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

You know what I like about Croz?

His hot.

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

hiz hare

by OaklandSi on Apr 4, 2007 1:09 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Actual sign that graced the LF bleachers

for most of 1987:

"Hey Mark: Your hot!"

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 1:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like the real estate signs that say

"Lots for sale!"
Perfectly good English, but always makes me think, "Lots of what?"

"I know they say it's like kissing yer sister, but I guess that depends on what kinda sister you got." Rene Lachemann

by Elvez on Apr 4, 2007 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We always imagined McGwire standing there

asking himself, "What about my hot?"

"And Julio Franco is batting right-handed!" -- Wayne Hagin, A's radio play-by-play, mid-80s

by Nick on Apr 4, 2007 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's teased us before with a game or two of...

trying to take the pitch the other way, then reverting back to his swing-from-the-heels approach when the game is on the line and a single would win it.

I'll believe it when I don't see it! :)

"Okay, now I know who drank the rest of my six-pack of Bitchy McSnarky's Snarkalicious Snarkade..." -Poppy

by McFood on Apr 4, 2007 7:00 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Rich can pitch all he wants...

but as long as they hit the balls at Crosby and the A's are striking out silly, this team will never win.

With the Oakland A's, the intravenous drip is always half full!

by OaktownRajah on Apr 4, 2007 12:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Wow

It took all of two games for someone to call Extra Innings and wish for Macha to come back.

"We are a complete freak show." -- Billy Beane

by day-to-day on Apr 4, 2007 12:46 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Folks concerning Crosby, let's be careful not to

.. sound like Yankee fans in their incessant criticism of ARod .. Well let's try to get'em tomorrow, avoid the sweep .. G'Nite everybody! :)

.. the Athletics may be small-market but they have BIG-heart! ..

by Randy Bell on Apr 4, 2007 1:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Put in on Geren

I'm as big a Crosby-hater as anybody, but this loss wasn't on his back. It's essentially the middle of spring training for China Doll, and he's playing as well as anybody does at that time of the year.

His plate discipline has been good in Seattle, and he's hitting the pitches where they want to go. Sure, he might have made a better throw to Swish but even that wasn't all that bad. Somebody needs to explain that whole running the bases thing to him is all.

It was great to see Milton's first dinger of the year, not to mention Kendall's extra base hit. It remains to be seen if the Pizza boy can actually put the ball in play and which Chavy we have this year, the Evil Chavy of '06 or that other guy.

I personally don't see the problem with leaving Blanton out there with 81 pitches, so Geren must have been having some rookie manager jitters tonight.

The A's success should surprise no one. They're a much better team than people give them credit for. -- Joe Morgan

by BubbaDude on Apr 4, 2007 1:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Anybody notice anything odd

with this boxscore?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore...

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Apr 4, 2007 6:11 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

In case they fix it:

Play-by-Play:

Top 2nd: Oakland

M. Ellis hit sacrifice fly to right, B. Kielty scored

Bot 2nd: Seattle

R. Sexson homered to deep right, R. Ibanez scored

Bot 5th: Seattle

K. Johjima doubled to right, J. Guillen scored

Top 2nd: Oakland

N. Swisher hit sacrifice fly to right, B. Kielty scored

Bot 2nd: Seattle

N. Swisher homered to deep right, R. Ibanez scored

Bot 5th: Seattle

N. Swisher doubled to right, J. Guillen scored
N. Swisher singled to center, Y. Betancourt scored

Top 6th: Oakland

N. Swisher homered to deep left

Top 7th: Oakland

M. Ellis singled to left center, N. Swisher scored
J. Kendall doubled to deep right center, M. Ellis scored

Bot 7th: Seattle

Y. Betancourt homered to deep left, J. Guillen scored
I. Suzuki tripled to deep right center, J. Lopez scored
A. Beltre hit sacrifice fly to right, I. Suzuki scored

Signatures? We don't need no stinking signatures.

by jubjub on Apr 4, 2007 6:19 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

DAMN it!

If Swish wasn't such a f'n traitor, the game would have been tied going into the 9th!

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 4, 2007 6:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

We're never going to win a game this year.

0-162. Book it.

"How dare Swisher take time off from his busy schedule of professional sex to draw a walk." Jeff, LL

by Jennifer on Apr 4, 2007 6:24 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

We should have kept Tejada.

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 4, 2007 6:38 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Zito.

"How dare Swisher take time off from his busy schedule of professional sex to draw a walk." Jeff, LL

by Jennifer on Apr 4, 2007 6:40 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Byrnes.

Not just his hair, which is living on Travis Buck's head.

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 4, 2007 6:44 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Terrence. Long.

"How dare Swisher take time off from his busy schedule of professional sex to draw a walk." Jeff, LL

by Jennifer on Apr 4, 2007 6:50 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

{dies}

and Crap! When did Jack Cust leave?!

The A's are in last place! We're all gonna die!

by Poppy on Apr 4, 2007 7:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kendall is overpaid and never hits home runs.

"Okay, now I know who drank the rest of my six-pack of Bitchy McSnarky's Snarkalicious Snarkade..." -Poppy

by McFood on Apr 4, 2007 7:03 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ouch.

"How dare Swisher take time off from his busy schedule of professional sex to draw a walk." Jeff, LL

by Jennifer on Apr 4, 2007 7:24 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Mulder, and Hudson, and Hunter, and Blue, and

Eck.

"Okay, now I know who drank the rest of my six-pack of Bitchy McSnarky's Snarkalicious Snarkade..." -Poppy

by McFood on Apr 4, 2007 7:45 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

yabu

At my IMac, where suffering is optional.

by ak_A on Apr 4, 2007 7:22 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Should have kept Ethier...wait...nevermind.

"Okay, now I know who drank the rest of my six-pack of Bitchy McSnarky's Snarkalicious Snarkade..." -Poppy

by McFood on Apr 4, 2007 7:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Blanton pitched well enough to win

the A's hit (almost) well enough to win.

I cringe at Kielty in right field

by OaklandSi on Apr 4, 2007 10:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, he looks so awkward out there.

"The future's like, who cares?" ~Eric Chavez

by rebus on Apr 4, 2007 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

So, apparently, does the ball

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 Apr 4, 2007 10:08 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Crosby had an errant throw to first

That errant throw is what set up the homer that broke it open.

by 2xr on Apr 4, 2007 10:54 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

"An errant throw" is unfair to Crosby, IMO

It was ruled a hit because it wasn't really a routine play and once Croz didn't field it 100% clearly he was in trouble. Had Scutaro been out there he either would have fielded it cleanly but thrown late (inferior arm) or not thrown at all (better judgment). It was a great play by Swisher to save the throw, but I think it was correctly ruled a hit.

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 Apr 4, 2007 11:11 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My subject line is poorly worded--

It was an errant throw in the end. What I meant is that it wasn't an error, or "Crosby's fault" that the runner reached.

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 Apr 4, 2007 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs