Apologies for today's long game thread, but if you think I was going to risk disturbing any good mojo that was actually going our way this weekend, you're crazy. ;)
So. Let's talk. We, as an A's fan base, have been accused of spending too much time whining about injuries and not enough time just 'Wearing It' and watching our team play the games with the cards we have been dealt.
For that reason, I'm letting the Huston Street news go. We can't do a thing about it, and truth be told, I'm glad the A's took the precautionary route for once and actually DL'd a player instead of a) wasting a roster spot by having an injured player on the bench for 10+ days and b) bringing a player back too soon and risking further injury.
Not to mention, it is likely that the rest will do him good; it's not like he was particularly sharp the last few times out. I'm imagining he'll heal fully, rest up, and come off the DL ready to go for the last month of the season. That's my story, anyway. In the meantime, I hope Calero gets the chance to close, with Duke used on alternate days. Well, actually, I kind of hope the A's offense decides closers are a thing of the past and starts putting up numbers than render the 9th inning meaningless, and as long as I'm asking for all that, how about a pony and a villa south of France?
Kudos to the offense as a whole today, especially Jay Payton, and special thanks to Saarloos, who did what he so often does; allow a lot of hits, but somehow manage to minimize the scoring. We needed exactly what he gave us today, and with the one-out, two-out, <blip>, three-out work by Duke in the ninth, working off the much-needed insurance runs by Swisher, the win was secured early.
Deep breath, AN. We all knew, somewhere, in places we don't like to talk about, that this contest would not be decided easily; that this whole season has been a roller-coaster, why should the last six weeks be any different?
Thanks a heap to the struggling Detroit Tigers, who couldn't manage to help us out with the Rangers, and I'm waiting with not-really-baited breath to see how Seattle is going to lose their current 2-0 lead to the Angels.
It's baseball at its best right now, and if the A's are going anywhere but a golf course come October, they have to do what they did today. And they're going to have to do it without Huston for a while; and maybe without Harden entirely. But that's A's baseball 2006, for better or for worse.
Buckle up.
