The Pedagogy of the Unimpressed
by monkeyball on Jul 21, 2007 9:38 PM PDT
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PrintWell, given the way Billy Beane has built this A's roster, he's apparently trying to eradicate the use of the word "gimme" by greedy little A's fans.
With ace-in-the-making Dan Haren vs Journeyman Avatar Steve Trachsel, and only-under-.500-recently Oakland vs drowning-all-season Baltimore, this game really shouldn't have been as much of a nail-biter as it turned out to be.
The A's managed to break through early against Trachsel (which they weren't able to earlier this week against Trachsel, Jr., aka Jamey Wright) to balance out Haren's increasingly-common early-innings jitters. Then, thanks to the Monkeyball Axiom (the team with more XBHs tends to win the game; I'm considering 2 2Bs + 1 HR to beat 3 2Bs) and Jack Cust's 17th HR, the A's added just enough to hang on.
Yes, a win is always cause for celebration. And the on-field appearance of Swisher, the nonsuckiness (for a night) of Crosby at the plate, the ability of Haren and Suzuki to work together to shrug off the 1st inning, and the continued stellar bullpen work from Casilla were all welcome sights.
But when Haren vs Trachsel feels this dicey all night long ...
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No complaints tonight for we have won.
I just hope we get a little winning streak going over the next 8 days so we can make the division tighter. Not that I have much hope for us winning anything but I still want to see a nice ending to this frustrating season.
Congrats to Danny Haren getting a well-deserved win.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 21, 2007 9:34 PM PDT reply actions
Sadly sobering post game write up...
but I refuse to be disenchanted with this win. Crosby actually looked good tonight....in that heterosexual baseball playing way. Piazza and Cust were in the heart of the order, and they produced!!! How long has it been since the heart of the order came through for us? Suzuki looked shaky, and for a catcher he did spend a lot more time than one would like chasing baseballs, but he still has a pass. He did drive in a run on a Sac fly...and he doesn't even play for Sac anymore.
A lot more positives than negatives tonight!
I was happy with this game
Smart, creative hitting, a stolen base and a HR, very good situational hitting, good off-field hitting, good starting pitching, solid bullpen work. The A's are a much better team when Travis Buck is in the lineup (which makes the Larry Davis "Er, uh, duh, what's a thumb guard?" all the more irritating).
Good win. Now we need the next 4.
I don't see how you leave Cust or Buck
out of the lineup ever. It especially baffles me why they didn't play last night and I hate that lefty vs. righty determinant.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 21, 2007 9:47 PM PDT up reply actions
Speculation only...
but Piazza's comments in the post game interview would seem to indicate that this will be a regular occurrence. DJ's days may indeed be numbered in Oakland, although I hope last nights foolishness marks the end of Swish playing center. I thought he was getting better at it, but I don't think it would be prudent to run him out there everyday.
I'm still impressed with our guys performance. Bunting for base hits, taking advantage of the assumptions of our opponents, stealing bases...a double by Buck. The next few days may turn out to be very interesting. How will the outfield shake out if Cust is going to be the starting Right fielder?
DJ just doesn't fit anywhere on this team.
I think you have to play Cust, Kotsay & Buck in the outfield and move Swish to 1B permanently.
In regards to our hitting- you have to play to your strengths and "small ball" may be the only way with this squad. It's heresy around here but when you can't score 4 runs a game (I think we are 35-10 when we do) then you have to come up with a new plan.
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 21, 2007 9:56 PM PDT up reply actions
DJ does appear to be the odd man out.
The question is what kind of deal could be made?
I may be big on self-abuse ...
... but, yeah, I've pretty much been disabused of the notion that Swish is really a major-league CF.
Problem is, we don't really have one on the team right now.
Yet another disconcerting fact about this team
I wonder if Geren is developing ulcers. Kotsay can still defend his position decently, he just can't hit.
Thank you
I agree whole heartedly. Travis Buck should only sit if they need a replacement thumb guard...
by IndianaAsfan on Jul 22, 2007 7:37 AM PDT up reply actions
bases loaded twice
once with no outs, the other with one out. Chavez hit into a DP and one run scored, Kotsay hit into a DP and no one scored. Last in the league in BA, last in the league in RISP. This is a very flawed lineup. I thought there were two good AB's tonight, Cust left center HR, and Suzuki sacrifice fly to right to score a run, text book hitting, oh, that 6 other guys on the team would learn from that. It was noted by Fosse that Travis Buck had put on a show in batting practice before the game hitting HR's to right, it is showing up in his hitting right now. Early in the season he was hitting ropes to left center, now he is pulling everything, straight out of the DJ, Chavez, Ellis, Swisher, Crosby textbook. It is sad to see, another
A's hitter pulling ground balls to the right side.
by china bob on Jul 21, 2007 9:49 PM PDT reply actions
It was especially irritating
with Kotsay, since he couldn't have hit it more solidly and fast to the 2nd baseman... after that inside-out double with no one on.
What is it about bases loaded and A's hitters???
I guess if you are last in the league in hitting, it only makes sense that bases-loaded means minimal scoring.
Happy with the win. Suzuki came up "un-Athletic" and that IMO was the diff in the ballgame.
by One won lost won on Jul 21, 2007 10:04 PM PDT up reply actions
One problem is that a high-BB, low AVG team
will often walk with RISP to load the bases--as the A's did twice--and then will often fail to hit with RISP to get runners home--as happened twice (Chavez, Kotsay). That's why guys like Payton, who are high AVG, low OBP, are good RBI guys: Their non-outs actually drive in runs.
I'm so sick of the sac fly complaining
The A's are 9th in the majors in sac fly's. Now of course this doesn't take account things into percentages, but to assume that we're completely terrible at sac flys (not that your post did this especially but I see it all the time here) is ridiculous.
by awesomer @ Athletics Nation on Jul 21, 2007 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions
It's not just the Sac flies...
it's also the fact that we are horrible with RISP. What I especially loved about tonight was the progression towards where the sac fly became a scoring option. A lead off double, followed by a bunt base hit which moved a runner to third....and then the run scoring execution. This is what good teams do....and up until tonight, we have not been a very good team for a few weeks now.
What about the late 2B into the left-center field
gap? Buck went with that pitch nicely ... I wouldn't get too concerned with him getting pull-happy. He does tend to use his hands overmuch when protecting the plate in a deep count, causing him to roll over some, but he showed he's still going the other way with the two-bagger.
Buck
did you miss his double to left center?
by IndianaAsfan on Jul 22, 2007 7:39 AM PDT up reply actions
Caption time!
Just got back from the game...
(I'm visiting my parents, and they live, like, 5 minutes up the hill from the stadium.)
Fun game to watch. Everyone was just electric when Danny had the chance to shut it down in the 7th.
A guy three rows in front of me was all over Jay Payton for lolligagging that Buck double. JayPay looked a little rattled...
Hey
We won two outta three and both our AL West nemesis lost one tonight!
Throw in the fact that I got to see the mythical baseball playing shortstop (easier take snapshots of Bigfoot) and another impossibly high HR from Cust, I have to say it was a good night.
Remember, streaks start with one.
I never think Cust's homers are out off the bat.
They always seem too high for me!
Looks like we have ourselves a 30 homer guy for cheap next year. Huzzah.
All of his hits
have top spin off the bat. It's frustrating. He hits like the complete opposite of Fred McGriff.
two outta three?
the A's lost the first game of the series on Friday.If they win Sunday's game, then it will be "two outta three"...
I think he meant
two out of their last three.
by IndianaAsfan on Jul 22, 2007 7:40 AM PDT up reply actions
meanwhile, bradley barely missed the cycle in SD
a bad call in the ninth kept him from a shot at a double and the first cycle in padre history...
pretty good showing for a guy who would probably still be on the DL in oakland.
Maybe it suddenly occurred to him
that it would be a good idea to actually play baseball in his walk year.
Pshaw. There's no room
in our outfield for a cycle.
What if it's just a unicycle?
Or I guess that belongs on the infield!
I would go nuts at this stage
And put Buck as the everyday CFer the rest of the way. Stew in left, Buck CF, Cust RF, Swish 1B
I don't see why Buck couldn't become
a good CFer. He's athletic, he's quick to the ball, and he's young enough to learn quickly. I know he doesn't get sufficient jumps on the ball, etc. now, but could he not develop into a good CFer? His ceiling for playing CF should be higher than Swisher's, I would think.
definitely a better frame for it
and you'd think he would have some good instincts off the bat, having played the infield before. we've got very little to lose at this point in the season.
I dunno
I'm not a fan of Buck's arm.
I think he might be a good fill in for next year, but I'm hoping the A's trade for one or a prospect (Herrera?) will develop into one in the near future.
by Threepwood XX on Jul 21, 2007 11:27 PM PDT up reply actions
I don't think he has the range for it.
Neither does Swisher to be fair, but at least he has a decent arm.
Swisher is just terrible on deep balls.
He makes tons of glove 'errors' on balls that Kotsay doesn't even consider missing.
If Travis can do better than that, then the hell with concerns about his arm, bring him on.
You know
At this point, with a struggling team, a win is a win. We fought hard and we closed it out. No regrets.
Great title, monkeyball
Not a cheap pun at all--a pretty brilliant one.
if there's one thing I've learned from grover ...
... it's a comprehensive knowledge of Marxist educational theory.
Wait, no, that's not right.
If there's one thing I've learned from grover ... it's how to graciously accept a compliment.
Thank you, sir!
i noticed some very strong throws
from Ellie tonight. I know it's just one game, but it sure seems like his arm's stronger than Scutaro's. I really think the A's should have him work on his throws over winter if Crosby maintains his line in the second half. 2B would be a much easier position to fill.
If nothing else,
we could bring up Melillo to play 2B.
If Ellie's shoulder really has recovered enough to play SS again, that would be excellent.
that's what i was thinking
it's certainly worth a concerted effort at this point.
Ellis looked quite good on his throws, even flat footed.
I was at the game!
that was captured very well on TV too!
very nice catch indeed.
35-11 when scoring 4 runs
Hopefully with Piazza back in the lineup, we might have consistently more power.
I said something in April about
how under Geren it looked like the A's could score 4 runs/game by scoring 3 with "Moneyball" (BBs and XBHs) and one with "small ball". Then they lost sight of that approach. Last night was classic: A HR, a leadoff double, but also a run from playing bunt-for-a-hit, steal, etc., the classic "get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in." That 4th run is crucial and with the A's mediocre hitters they need to find that run. Last night they went out and found it, and last night they won.
Good point. It's obvious that our current
personnel needs to execute some "small ball" in order to win. It must kill BB's ego to know that he is responsible for assembling a team that must play the game in a way in which he doesn't believe. That is unless giving away outs has become undervalued :-)
by ohtobe21likehuston on Jul 22, 2007 9:50 AM PDT up reply actions
Crosby watch
Saturday's game:
The good side: A bunt hit with a nice avoiding
slide, helped set up a run. Maybe should bunt more.
Crisp single to left field, looked like he's still
using the lighter bat, good bat speed.
The bad side: His last at bat, not being able to
reach an outside strike and cueing it off the
end of the bat for a weak grounder to second.
SOMEBODY TELL HIM TO STAND CLOSER TO THE PLATE!
Van Burkleo, are you capable of that!?
by SanJoseRon on Jul 22, 2007 9:08 AM PDT reply actions
Great summary, monkeyball.
I logged on this morning to post a comment expressing nearly the exact same sentiments, and you took the words right out of my mouth. Last night's game was a microcosm of the reasons we're struggling to be a .500 team. More terrible hitting with RISP (2 for 11), struggling to eke out 4.2 runs (last in the AL), and counting on your great pitching to make up for it.
If we had even an average offense, this team would be 15 games over .500.
thank you, sir!
Yeah, it's certainly not that I object to winning, or to winning a 1-run game, or to winning an exciting and tense and dramatic game. And I of course know that in baseball, anything can happen and the day-in-day-out competitiveness and challenge of the game means the worst team can beat the best team/pitcher on any given day ... but, yeah, we should have won this game easily.
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