I'm going to say this once. Ken Macha made the right move tonight by leaving Danny Haren in the game. Yes, he gave up seven runs and the A's scored six, but the truth is that Macha has to think ahead.
And frankly with Esteban Loaiza pitching tomorrow, you never know how much you're going to need the pen and how early especially given Loaiza's last outing. I think sometimes as fans we get so wrapped up in the moment that we make snap judgments. But honestly the team now has Duchscherer, Street, Kennedy and probably Calero ready in case Loaiza pulls another Seattle performance.
The good news to extract from this game is obviously Eric Chavez. I'm almost afraid to talk about it because I don't want to jinx it, but Chavy is pushing his April game where it's never been before. Last April, Chavez was just abysmal, hitting .193 for the month with two home runs and nine RBIs total. He's a career .248 hitter for the month and has a total of 28 homers in that month for his career before this season.
Well, he already has nine RBIs this month, matching his total from last April. He normally averages a home run every 21.5 at bats in April. He currently is averaging one every six at bats.
Now before we say this is the year he finally hits that remarkable potential remember that Chavez is an extremely streaky hitter. It's just that he's never had a tear like this in April that I can remember so you can't blame an A's fan for getting really excited about it.
Maybe it's Frank Thomas's presence, maybe it's being a father, maybe it's just him maturing or maybe it's Gerald Perry's presence. It's still way to early to know whether he'll keep it up because Chavy is so streaky, but whatever the reason, he's on fire right now.
Enjoy the ride while it lasts. Maybe it will last for a while, maybe it ends soon, but it's fun to finally see flashes of that potential.
