Ahem....I have an announcement to make:
THE A’S ARE AT .500!!!!
I honestly don’t know what to do with that. I didn’t think it would happen. Where do we go from here? With an injury-ravaged team that sees Scutaro batting fifth? Maybe simply getting here is enough. Maybe winning games with a lineup cobbled together with back-up players that are playing for nothing except fun and glory is enough.
I feel like making a ‘Circle of Life’ reference, except instead of from birth to death, it could be from the field to the DL. As we lose players (Donnie Murphy, we hardly knew ya’ and thanks a lot for cutting short your campaign to replace Crosby; I will blame you next year), we get players back like Esteban Loaiza. Today’s game saw E-Lo completing five innings only giving up one hit. Unfortunately, that one hit was a homerun. I blame the poster heretofore known as ‘Jinxy McJinx’. You know who you are. It didn’t seem to throw him off, as he pitched into the eighth, before turning it over to Embree for the save.
Regarding Scutaro batting fifth, I imagine Geren was simply thinking of who he could put into the slot behind Cust, whose OBP is over .500 in the last 20 games. He is absolutely going to get on base, more often than not, it seems, we need someone to be able to hit behind him, specifically not into double plays. Someone in marketing should really have capitalized on the A’s. The Pepsi DP Crew. Free pizza if the A’s hit into four or more double plays in a game. DP’s for troops. I’m pretty sure they could fund the Hundred Years’ War.
It seems that Cust got tired of being erased off the basepaths, and decided to take matters into his own hands--hitting what would prove to be the winning homerun. Cust is the player I always wanted Chavez to be on offense; high OBP and good power.
This was a big win for the A’s. Too little; too late might still apply, but it’s amazing how much more fun a little offense married to a little pitching can be.
And here’s a little non- sequitur for the afternoon. What is Reed Johnson wearing on his face in his gameday photo?!
The A’s head to Tampa Bay for a four game series starting tomorrow.
