The problem with "Win One for the Tripper" is where do we go from here? It's not like we can fall back on the phenomenon formerly known as Mazzaro World, can we? (Well, he is pitching tonight).
Ah hell, who needs a gimmick, anyway?
The A's found the winning formula last night. Long ball, small ball, drop the ball....it was a scene befitting a Hollywood thriller; high drama, twists and turns, comedy, suspense, and finally, a feel-good ending.
Manager Bob Geren had a surprisingly dissatisfied take:
"We were very fortunate to win the game," said A's manager Bob Geren, whose team is 2-6 in interleague play. "Almost all of their runs came from errors. There's been so many times this year when I've said we played good enough to win and fell short. Tonight, we really didn't play that well and won."
So what to do for an encore? How about leaving Tinsel Town with a series win?
Perhaps we're getting ahead of ourselves; counting the chickens before they hatch. After all, the Dodgers are baseball's darlings, boasting the league's most glamorous record, and the A's are, well, the A's.
But we love ‘em anyway.
Ryan Sweeney is slated to come off the disabled list today, and, wait...did I read that right? Rajai Davis has batted .298 in 14 games as Sweeney's replacement in center? It's true. He's gone 14-for-47, with four multiple-hit games, including last night, when he homered for the first time this season, and has raised his average 81 points from .146 to .227. .227, folks! But there's more! The A's won their first six games with Davis in the starting lineup, and are a respectable 8-6 since took over for Sweeney.
Shoot, maybe it was Rajai World all along. Naaaaaah...
Tonight, we have Vin Mazzaro versus Randy Wolf. Here are your lineups: