Warning: Venting Ahead, Next 4 paragraphs
After a game like this, it's hard to know whether to take shots at everyone available or to get exceedingly philosophical. It's a tough call, but since I'm of the "exceedingly philosophical" personality type, and "it's a long season, things ebb and flow, blah blah blah" makes for pretty dull reading, let me say a few things from the side of me that is feeling more disgust than hope right now.
- Once again, the A's go into a continued hitting funk and Adam Melhuse rots on the bench, his last 11 left-handed at bats still yielding 7 hits, two for the distance. Scott Hatteberg, acknowledged to be playing at less than 100% health, is hung out to dry, Jason Kendall muscles up soft bloops that just can't find holes in the 7-man infield alignment, and the A's can only dent the scoreboard when an inning-ending DP ball just isn't hit hard enough to stop a run from scoring.
- I don't mind prolonged slumps, which happen to every hitter, and I don't mind Ellis being overmatched by relievers with great arms. What I mind is stupidity, and that's what I see from Bobby Crosby. Swing too hard and miss? Swing harder--that'll help. Need a couple strikeouts and a few ground balls to the left side? Croz is your man, because he and everyone who watches the A's knows his success lies in a short right-center field stroke. I don't particularly want Crosby moved out of the 3-hole, because I don't want to watch stupidity in any part of the order either. Sit his allegedly cute ass down until he wants to hit properly. Please?
