Our team is an offensive enigma. Yes, it was going through an offensive slump and there's no telling if it's actually over just yet. But this team scored nine runs tonight after scoring a grand total of nine runs in the series against the Kansas City pitching staff at home. And eight runs total in the series against the Orioles at home. And one run in the opener against Nate Robertson.
And they did it (or at least started it) against a pitcher who has baffled them early in his career. Bonderman has admittedly gotten extra amped every time he faces the A's. As a matter of fact, Bonderman is arguably the best pitcher the A's have faced since Carlos Silva.
Speaking of a team's best pitcher, the A's got some troubling news on Rich Harden today. He apparently has a pulled lat muscle and has been moved back from his start tomorrow. Barry Zito will take over facing Mike Maroth. Kuiper and Fosse said on the telecast that Harden might be held out until the Angels series. Let's just hope the A's fare better without King Richard than they did in May. Then again, I guess that's why Beane picked up Joe Kennedy and Juan Cruz was moved into the starting rotation in Sacramento. Let's just hope they can perform better than Etherton and Glynn did during that rough stretch.
As for tonight's game, you've got to give so much credit to Adam Melhuse and Mark Ellis. Ellis led off the game with a home run and made several remarkable defensive plays in the field, including one where he threw out a runner from his La-Z-Boy and a bare-handed throw from a glove scoop from Croz. Melhuse sits on the bench and then comes in to go 3-4 with a walk.
I think that the TV accidentally left a mic on in the dugout and Melhuse could be heard saying the following to Kendall:
Ahhhh, it's a nice feeling when the A's have a run-away victory. They haven't happened too often lately.
One last note, welcome to the world, Diego Chavez.