A's in First Place!
The A's are currently tied for first with Texas, a half-game in front of the Angels. Can we put up a real winning streak and get a first-place cushion, before the return of Hamilton and Cruz to the Texas lineup?
Stuff
Leaderboard
| Name | # of GOG | This GOG | Total points | GOG wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Rank | Score | Rank | Count | Rank | ||
| cuppingmaster | 15 | 20 | 1 | 140 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| longtimeasfan | 14 | 18 | 2 | 133 | 6 | 1 | 4 |
| paris7 | 15 | 18 | 2 | 136 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| CmdrKhraanik | 13 | 17 | 4 | 115 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| vignette17 | 15 | 17 | 4 | 171 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| ArunisArun | 1 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 32 | 0 | 17 |
| UrgentMirth | 15 | 15 | 7 | 144 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| twinkle toes | 12 | 14 | 8 | 117 | 12 | 1 | 4 |
| streetfan | 13 | 14 | 8 | 99 | 18 | 0 | 17 |
| buddahead9 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 118 | 10 | 2 | 2 |
| Athletix Man | 15 | 14 | 8 | 115 | 13 | 0 | 17 |
| danmerqury | 15 | 14 | 8 | 139 | 4 | 0 | 17 |
| weenmAN | 13 | 13 | 13 | 102 | 17 | 1 | 4 |
| SoCal As Fan | 10 | 13 | 13 | 94 | 20 | 1 | 4 |
| GoAs | 14 | 12 | 15 | 106 | 15 | 0 | 17 |
| PDXAthleticsfan | 15 | 11 | 16 | 129 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Berry Jo | 15 | 10 | 17 | 123 | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| King Richard | 10 | 10 | 17 | 75 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| oblique | 14 | 9 | 19 | 98 | 19 | 1 | 4 |
| harenshair | 1 | DNP | DNP | 0 | 50 | 0 | 17 |
| shudiddy | 2 | DNP | DNP | 9 | 39 | 0 | 17 |
| colin | 11 | DNP | DNP | 89 | 21 | 0 | 17 |
| OpeningDay85 | 4 | DNP | DNP | 24 | 29 | 0 | 17 |
| micdog2001 | 9 | DNP | DNP | 71 | 23 | 0 | 17 |
| mikev | 1 | DNP | DNP | 0 | 50 | 0 | 17 |
| thewhizkid | 5 | DNP | DNP | 51 | 26 | 1 | 4 |
| gratefuldude | 1 | DNP | DNP | 6 | 44 | 0 | 17 |
| noava22 | 2 | DNP | DNP | 19 | 31 | 0 | 17 |
| SLOtown | 1 | DNP | DNP | 1 | 49 | 0 | 17 |
| offthefoulpole | 1 | DNP | DNP | 3 | 47 | 0 | 17 |
| OakA'sHoney | 1 | DNP | DNP | 15 | 34 | 0 | 17 |
| Kyli | 6 | DNP | DNP | 55 | 25 | 1 | 4 |
| A'sBowlingLeague | 8 | DNP | DNP | 65 | 24 | 0 | 17 |
| Dwayne Ross | 1 | DNP | DNP | 6 | 44 | 0 | 17 |
| stranahanahan | 8 | DNP | DNP | 46 | 27 | 0 | 17 |
| my_cat_max | 1 | DNP | DNP | 10 | 37 | 0 | 17 |
| nevermoor | 14 | DNP | DNP | 126 | 8 | 1 | 4 |
| gunnero | 1 | DNP | DNP | 8 | 40 | 0 | 17 |
| Gaijin_Suketto | 1 | DNP | DNP | 3 | 47 | 0 | 17 |
| Jason Hunt | 2 | DNP | DNP | 20 | 30 | 0 | 17 |
| Where's My Burrito? | 5 | DNP | DNP | 29 | 28 | 0 | 17 |
| gambler | 1 | DNP | DNP | 13 | 35 | 1 | 4 |
| lenscrafters | 14 | DNP | DNP | 118 | 10 | 1 | 4 |
| Future Ed | 1 | DNP | DNP | 8 | 40 | 0 | 17 |
| OnlybuyBeaneJerseys | 2 | DNP | DNP | 10 | 37 | 0 | 17 |
| DDroney | 1 | DNP | DNP | 16 | 32 | 1 | 4 |
| Leopold Bloom | 1 | DNP | DNP | 7 | 43 | 0 | 17 |
| doctorK | 12 | DNP | DNP | 106 | 15 | 1 | 4 |
| X-Pac | 1 | DNP | DNP | 8 | 40 | 0 | 17 |
| A's Believer | 1 | DNP | DNP | 13 | 35 | 0 | 17 |
| robbo650 | 1 | DNP | DNP | 5 | 46 | 0 | 17 |
The Questions (39 points possible)
Final Results - A's drop two at home to pennant-chasing Twins. Answers in Bold, below.
1. The A's are two games over .500 going into today's game, the first of a two-game set. Predict the Series Outcome. [2 points] Twins Sweep, 2-0
2. The Twins have surprised most of MLB with how awful they are this year. On the road (where they have played 25 of their games), they are hitting a mere .208 BA with just 12 homeruns. Compare this to last year, when they were batting over .280 in September, leading the league! Do they get a HR this series? Do they bat over .208? [1 point each, 2 total] Yes, Hit a Homer (3, Rivera, Morneau, Plouffe) / Yes, BA over .208 (26/80 = .325)
3. Starz, Position Players: Name two A's position players (includes DH, but not pitchers) who have a Positive WPA for the series, and two who have a Negative WPA for the series. [1 point each, 4 total] Postive WPA - Kouz, Matsui, Sweeney / Negative WPA - Barton, Suzuki, Pennington, Willingham, Jackson, DeJesus, Ellis / [Powell with an even .000 WPA]
4. Mark Ellis is trying his hardest to prove to AN that he is not washed up at the plate, though his defensive reflexes appear more than intact. Predict his PA / H / XBH. How many Assists? How many Double Plays is he a part of (includes runners doubled off)? [2 points each, 10 total] 8 PA / 1 H / 0 XBH / 7 Assists / Part of 2 Double Plays
5. Brandon McCarthy has the best WAR (1.8) among A's pitchers, but also the most losses (4). This is due to his low BB rate, lack of homers given up, and when it comes to the losses: his errors. Does he get a Win, Loss, or No Decision tonight? Then, Over/Under/Exact for each of the following: IP - 7 / HR - 1 / BB - 2 / K - 5 [1 point each, 5 total] No Decision / Exactly 7 IP / Under 1 HR (0) / Under 2 BBs (0) / Under 5 Ks (1)
6. The A's may not have a perfect OF, but we do have a lot of OFers! Which outfielder has the most of each in this series: PA / H / RBIs / BBs? All ties count for points. [2 points each; 8 total] DeJesus, Most PAs (9) / Sweeney, Most H (2) / All Tied, Most RBIs (0) / Sweeney, Most BBs (2) [Note: Everybody gets points for the RBI Question!]
7. The A's bullpen continues to shine. For all Relievers taken as a group, predict the total: IP (+/- .2, or 2/3 of an Inning) / Inherited Runs Allowed to Score / Ks (+/-1) / BB (+/-1). [2 points each, 8 total] 12.0 IP (11.1 - 12.2 ok) / 1 Inherited Runner Allowed to Score / 8 Ks (7-9 ok) / 3 BB (2-4 ok)
