old a's dynasty, see the new one above - making the grade

[jdoe899]

David Wells Announces Retirement

Fatty has hung up the spikes

Looooooooooooooooollllll

[rolliefingers08]

More A's Retirements On First Day of Offseason

Nobody saw this coming

Billy Beane had known of David Wells' departure for some time, but was surprised when he recieved a phone call from outfielder Charles Thomas.

The call was to give Beane notice that he was retiring from baseball for personal reasons.

"Charles and I had a discussion about his future and he had decided that he needed to pursue other options outside of baseball" said the A's general manager.

Thomas split the season between Oakland and triple-A Sacramento.

Beane had also been informed by the agents of a few minor leaguers that they too have stepped away from baseball at an early age.

John Baker, Shaun Boyd, Brant Colmarino, and Pat Moffat have decided to end their short playing careers. All four played most of the season at single-A Stockton.

Many expected retirements have been announced around the majors, including the Yankees' Randy Johnson and Kevin Brown, the Braves' Julio Franco, the Mariners' Jeff Nelson, and the Red Sox' Mike Timlin.

The offseason is about to get more exciting with the upcoming amateur draft.

[rolliefingers08]

Looooooooooooooooollllll

I really don't mean a ton of disrespect by that though, I'm just kidding around. After reading Wells' book, despite a lot of his ego-boosting, I've got a lot more respect for him and what he's done in baseball.

[jdoe899]

wasn't thomas supposed to be some kind of top prospect?

[rolliefingers08]

He was in real life last year for Atlanta, and came over in the Hudson deal, which was supposed to be the better trade of the two for the A's, along with Dan Meyer.

Thomas hit something like .109 before finally being sent to AAA and he's not been great there either.

In the game, he started the season with the A's until I got tired of him complaining, and he wasn't doing well, so I sent him to AAA where he was average.

Found out he retired, but might not have resigned him anyways.

[rolliefingers08]

2005 Amateur Draft Review

December 1st, 2005

21st overall pick

Drafting 21st, the Oakland Athletics could basically choose any of the remaining players ranked in the top 30 and they'd have nearly the same potential, however A's GM Billy Beane and his staff saw differently when Chris Pierre's name was still on the list.

"We didn't expect him to be available at that point, so our first instinct was to take him right there" said Beane.

The A's did just that and made the 19 year old lefty their first round pick, 21st overall in the 2005 amateur draft.

"I was dissapointed to have fallen beyond the 20th pick, after expecting to go somewhere in the 10-15 range, but when it was Oakland that gave me the phone call, I was ecstatic" said Pierre in an interview with the media. "They're a deep team in pitching at the lower levels so I have my work cut out for me, but hopefully it will pay off and my dreams can come true in pro baseball."

Pierre went 10-6 in his first year of college baseball before opting to become eligible in the draft. His ERA was a high 4.82, but his strikeout rate was an outstanding 13/9 IP. Once he works on control of his secondary pitches, he will improve his standing in the A's system.

The Athletics are also high on their 2nd round pick, another lefthander, Esteban Burke. The 20 year old starter had his season cut short due to an anke sprain, but had an ERA of 2.16 at his Division II college before the injury.

Here is the A's draft summary...

1 - SP Chris Pierre

2 - SP Esteban Burke

3 - SS Jose Baez

4 - C Jacob Walker

5 - RP Mike Burkett

6 - 3B Greg Howard

7 - C Craig Zapp

8 - RF Kerry Bere

9 - 2B Mike Prince

10 - RF Frank Rivera

[rolliefingers08]

Nixon An Athletic?

January 14th, 2006

Unhappy in Boston?

Free agent outfielder Trot Nixon is one of the top names available on the market this winter, and there are rumours floating around that he may be headed to the Bay Area after contract talks with the Red Sox stalled earlier this week.

Although the move would be huge for the A's, it would present many questions in the 2006 season. Would Nick Swisher move to left field? Where does that leave Eric Byrnes? The power in the A's offense wasn't a problem in 2005, so what is the need for a power hitting outfielder?

Although the power was a huge surprise and is unlikely to repeat itself, Eric Chavez is still coming off a 50 homer season, Dan Johnson is penciled in anywhere from 5-7 in the lineup along with Nick Swisher, and Keith Ginter managed 30 home runs last season as well.

The A's plan in the offseason was supposed to be for a bat or two off the bench, one of them being in the role of Mike Cuddyer's in 2005 to play most of the positions on the field.

As usual, Billy Beane's mouth is shut when it comes to transactions, and the only comment he'll offer is, "Nixon is an exceptional player and would be a major boost to our lineup, but that doesn't mean he's wearing green on opening day."

Nixon's asking price is over $4 million, and at age 31 with some injury problems, he's probably looking for at least a 2 year deal.

If the A's sign Trot Nixon, expect a trade or a shift in philosophy in the near future.

[rolliefingers08]

A's May Sign Starter; Calero Returning?

January 16th, 2006

Could one of these guys end up behind Barry Zito and Rich Harden in the rotation?

The latest rumour to swirl through Oakland is that the A's are unhappy with the starting rotation going into 2005, and may be in contention to sign one of the many starters on the free agent market.

It is still unknown who will fill the 5th spot in the rotation, but it is most likely down to Dan Meyer, Adam Loewen, and Kyle Davies. Justin Duchscherer may also be a possibility, but he is more suited to being a reliever.

With young pitchers like Jeremy Bonderman, Joe Kennedy, Brandon Webb, Sean Burnett, and Dewon Brazelton available at decent prices, it seems logical to sign one of these guys if not to bolster your team, but to prevent rivals from acquiring their services.

The latter may be important to the A's, as the big spending Mariners and Angels both had awful seasons and are not the type to settle with mediocrity.

No starter is rumoured to be close to signing with the A's, but a solid guy may agree to terms in the near future.

ROUND THE HORN - A report in the Oakland Tribune says the A's have offered a contract to reliever Kiko Calero. He was traded away by the A's in midseason last year, but left on good terms and after a solid season, may be returning with an empty midsection of the A's bullpen.

[rolliefingers08]

Calero Signs On For 2 Years

January 20th, 2006

Enrique Nomar somehow became "Kiko"

Over the last few days there was word of Kiko Calero making a return to the Oakland A's, according to an article in the Oakland Tribune, and today it was confirmed that the 30 year old reliever has signed a 2 year, $1.6 million contract with the team.

Calero was dealt in June as the A's attempted to rework a shaky bullpen, but was quoted saying he "felt most comfortable" in the green and gold, and signed for less than market value to return to the A's.

The A's also agreed to terms with catcher Chris Snyder on a 2 year, $600,000 deal. He will compete with Bobby Estallella for the backup role to Joe Mauer, and the other will split time in triple-A Sacramento with another catcher.

Billy Beane was unavailable for comment on the signings today, which may mean that he's still working on a few deals to put together the 2006 Athletics.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Find Their Utility Man

January 21st, 2006

The other Luis Gonzalez

The Oakland Athletics have found the utility man and leadoff type guy in one signing, agreeing to a 1 year, $600,000 contract with Luis A. Gonzalez.

Gonzalez had a career year in which he produced a lot of unexpected power numbers, hitting .311 with 27 HR's and 77 RBI's. He did this while playing more than a few games third base, shortstop, second base, left field, center field, and right field. Gonzalez's speed will be utilized more often with the A's, allowing Mark Kotsay to settle into less of a stealing role on the basebaths.

This signing comes a a day after the A's reached a deal with relief pitcher Kiko Calero. General Manager Billy Beane was on the phone for most of the day after signing Calero, working on the deal with Gonzalez and commented on the two today.

"Signing Kiko was important to not only the A's, but myself because I was hesitant to deal him in the first place. He deserved a better fate with our organization and now he is with us for the next two seasons to get back to the playoffs and win a world series" offered Beane from his home in Newport, California. "We were looking for a leadoff type hitter and a utility man to solify our bench, and now we have both in Luis. The difference is that he is no bench player, and will find his way into our lineup more often than not in the upcoming season.

"We're still looking for a bat or two for our bench, but we've got the depth if it doesn't happen."

The Athletics also agreed to minor league deals with outfielder Rontrez Johnson, first baseman Shea Baker, and relief pitcher Andy Hubbard.

Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to the A's spring training facility in Pheonix, Arizona on February 18th, and at this point the A's 25 man roster is close to being set with the signings in the last two days.

[rolliefingers08]

Minor League Free Agents Sign

January 26th, 2006

The A's made a splash in the minor league free agent market, signing second baseman Ronaldo Mendez and highly coveted outfielder Dan Bell.

Both players signed 3 year minor league contacts, and will earn roughly $200,000 per season unless called up to the majors.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Make Final Splash, Sign Three

February 2nd, 2006

This trio agreed to contracts yesterday after long talks.

The Oakland A's were extremely pleased to announce today, the signings of 3 players to their 40 man roster.

Outfielder Marlon Byrd, utility man Xavier Nady, and left handed reliever Ray King all agreed to contracts with the A's yesteday after long negotiations with GM Billy Beane.

"These guys were all happy to be brought to Oakland, but wanted to make sure they were taken care of, and we feel along with these players and their families that the A's organization has done just that" said Beane, who was all smiles when introducing the three before the Bay Area media today.

Byrd split last season between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, primarily as a 4th outfielder but spending a lot of time in center field due to injuries. He agreed to a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million.

Nady took the longest to sign after coming very close to a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, but the A's upped the anty in the late stages and won the services of the young utility man, who prefers to play outfield but will not shy away from corner infield duties. Nady signed on for 3 years at $300,000 per year, and had this to say about his chance with the A's, "Wherever I can get in the lineup is good enough for me. I feel most comfortable in the outfield, but if third base is where I'm needed, or first base, I'm there too whenever I get the call."

King was a highly coveted veteran lefty, and was looking to sign with a contender, even if he had to sign for less money to do so. "I had a few offers for more money, but Oakland gave me 3 years and a great chance to win in all of those years, and for that I'm greatful" King said of his 3 year, $1.2 million deal.

Pitchers and catchers in 16 days**, it should be a great 2006 season.

** AKA tommorow or the next day.

[rolliefingers08]

Pitchers & Catchers Arrive, Kick Off Spring 2006

Monday, February 20th, 2006

Reigning AL Cy Young winner Barry Zito gets to work in Phoenix.

All pitchers and catchers in the Oakland Athletics' system arrived at Phoenix Municipal Stadium today to kick off spring training 2006.

Most of the pitching staff on the big club is settled, with 9 of the 11 spots most likely filled. The 5th spot in the starting rotation will be up for grabs to whoever proves themselves worthy of getting the ball on every 5th day. Adam Loewen, Kyle Davies, and Dan Meyer figure to be the top candidates for the position, but they just happen to be the biggest names and their performance this spring will be the key.

There is also an open position in the bullpen with either the long relief role or a middle relief spot available for the taking. Jairo Garcia is the biggest name to potentially fill that role, but there are a number of guys here to work their way towards it.

As for catchers, Chris Snyder and Bobby Estallella will compete for the job backing up Joe Mauer, while young guys like Kurt Suzuki are hoping to take the next step in the minor league ranks.

The rest of the players reporting to spring training will arrive on March 1st, when a full report will be available.

[rolliefingers08]

Spring Training Officially Underway

Wednesday, March 1st, 2006

Early morning stretching to start off the spring.

Every player in the A's organization, as well as some that are trying to find a spot in the organization, is on hand at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium today for the beginning of Spring Training 2006.

The major league roster is mostly set, but there are players vying for many different spots throughout the system in hopes of soon reaching the big league squad. Here is a look at how each position stands for the A's MLB roster...

C - Joe Mauer starting. Bobby Estalella and Chris Snyder will compete for the backup role.

1B - Dan Johnson starting. Daric Barton may find his way on the team, but is most likely going to AAA.

2B - Marco Scutaro, Keith Ginter, Pete Orr - all will likely be on the MLB roster.

3B - Eric Chavez, followed by utility guys Luis Gonzalez and Xavier Nady.

SS - Bobby Crosby, followed by Scutaro if needed.

OF - Eric Byrnes, Mark Kotsay, and Nick Swisher are guarenteed spots. Nady and Gonzalez can play outfield. So it may just be another year in the minors for Matt Watson and Ryan Church, but it depends on what they show this spring. One of them may find themselves on the roster if they give the A's no choice.

DH - Keith Ginter will share this role with a number of players.

SP - Barry Zito, Rich Harden, Danny Haren, Joe Blanton, and a number of guys fighting it out for the 5th spot.

RP - Huston Street, JC Romero, Ray King, Kiko Calero, and Justin Duchscherer have their spots locked up. Brandon League has the upper hand for the final position, but he will have to work hard to keep it.

Spring training reports will continue every Wednesday in March.

[rolliefingers08]

A's 3-0 To Begin Cactus League Schedule

Wednesday, March 8th, 2006

First round pick Chris Pierre made his dayview, and looked great striking out 8 Texas Rangers hitters on the way to getting the win. Jairo Garcia gave up 3 runs to blow a save the day before, but struck out the side this time around to get the win.

It's only been 3 games and 8 days, but Manager Ken Macha, GM Billy Beane, and their staff have already made a few decisions on some players. More news to come in the next spring training report, which will now come every Thursday.

[rolliefingers08]

21 Assigned To Minor League Camp

Thursday, March 16th, 2006

The A's have announced the assignments of 21 players to their minor league camp on the 15th day of spring training. All the players recieved action in the 9 games played thus far.

Players assigned include infielders Jose Cirillo, Greg Howard, Donaldo Mendez, John Duvall, outfielders Matt Price, Rontrez Johnson, John Nunez, Chad Relaford, and pitchers Jose Valentine, Marcus Gwynn, Tommy Phelps, and Marc Macias.

The A's are 5-4 so far in Cactus League play. A more extensive report will be available in the next Spring Training report.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Demote 14 More

Thursday, March 23rd, 2006

Morrissey will likely play 2006 in AA Midland.

Fourteen more players were assigned to the Oakland A's minor league camp today.

Infielders Shea Baker, Mark Kiger, Adam Morrissey, Francis Gomez, outfielders Andre Ethier, Freddie Bynum, Steve Stanley, and pitchers Nick Mattioni, Esteban Burke, and Mike Burkett are the notable names that were demoted.

Most of the players sent down today will find themselves with the double-A Midland Rockhounds in the Texas League.

ROUND THE HORN - Outfielders Ryan Church and Matt Watson are both having great springs batting well over .300 with 3 homers each. Church spent most of last season in Sacramento, but worked his way onto the A's post-season roster. Watson split time between Oakland and Sacramento, hitting .244 with the A's.

[rolliefingers08]

Now I remember why I stopped messing with datafiles - I hate all of them.

The one I did like removed batter walk up music, and that doesn't fly with me.

Oh well, I have a set of sliders that I used in the last season that are perfect for the way I play, and I'll stick with them and continue to modify.

As for this dynasty, the 2006 season is just around the corner. Here's what you'll see in my next few posts...

1) final spring training report

2) summary of player improvements/declines

3) opening day rosters and lineups for MLB to single-A

4) opening day!

[rolliefingers08]

Spring Training Wrap-Up Report

Sunday, April 2nd, 2006

Orr improved immensly over the winter.

The Oakland A's have finished their 2006 Spring Training schedule in Arizona, and will return to Oakland tommorow.

The A's completed Cactus League play with an 11-11 record, good enough for 6th place out of 12 teams. Manager Ken Macha was pleased with a lot of the talent he saw on display over the last month, specifically with the improvement of second base prospect Pete Orr.

"He's one of those guys that we expected to come in here, knowing that he's not going to crack our starting lineup, but still has a decent chance at making the team, but it turned out that he's shown significant improvements and played like he wanted that starting job at second."

Of course it is highly unlikely that will happen with Marco Scutaro and Keith Ginter returning to the A's after career-best seasons last year, Orr will still find himself on the 25-man roster and getting into many games as a bat off the bench, defensive replacement, or pinch runner.

With the stellar play from many position players as well as pitchers, the decisions on the final 25-man roster spots will be tough for Macha and General Manager Billy Beane. "There's a lot of solid players here and they've made our decisions a lot harder than we expected" said Beane from his usual seat behind home plate during the A's final game of the spring.

"Many guys came to us in better shape than last season, knowing that there were spots available. It's going to be hard to get it down to 25, but it's a problem we're very pleased to have."

ROUND THE HORN - Outfielder Xavier Nady left the game against the Angels with a strained ribcage. The team doctor reports that he'll be out for 7 days, but could be ready by opening day depending on how the injury heals.

[rolliefingers08]

Opening Day Rosters, Lineups, & Rotation Announced

Sunday, April 2nd, 2006

Manager Ken Macha and General Manager Billy Beane met with members of the Bay Area media on Saturday to present the 2006 Oakland A's roster, as well as the rosters for the triple-A Sacramento River Cats, double-A Midland RockHounds, and single-A Stockton Ports.

Only a few surprises in the A's lineup. Eric Byrnes was awful in spring training versus right handed pitchers, and will begin the season in a platoon role, only playing versus lefties. Keith Ginter's production also dropped off versus righties, and he will only see action versus lefties.

In the starting rotation, 24 year old Kyle Davies was the man who won the job as the 5th starter. Justin Duchscherer is penciled in as long reliever, but expect him to lead the bullpen in innings as he will pitch often in middle relief as well. Instead of having a long relief man only used to mop up games, Duchscherer will do the occasional mop up jobs as well as pitch in close games, while young Brandon League will work on his control with pitching coach Curt Young and pitch in low-pressure situations.

Moving onto the minor leagues, the Sacramento River Cats:

Xavier Nady is with the Cats until he recovers from his spring training rib injury, and will play a few games there until he recovers. First round pick Chris Pierre was unreal in the spring and will make his professional dayview in AAA.

The Midland Rockhounds:

The Stockton Ports

OPENING DAY COMING UP!

[rolliefingers08]

Just a quick note, I deleted all the .PNG images from last season as they were taking up a lot of bandwidth and space on my site. The last month or so still remains though with the .GIF's.

Opening day report coming up, and this season I'll do the updates game by game.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Detroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics

A's Get It Done On Opening Day

Left: Byrnes hits a single that scores 2. Right: Street gets the season started on a good note.

WP: Barry Zito (1-0) LP: Nate Robertson (0-1)S: Huston Street (1)

After all the fireworks, ceremonial pitches, and award presentations, the Oakland Athletics and Detroit Tigers took the field hard to start off the 2006 season.

Barry Zito never had much of a chance to settle in on the mound. After getting two groundouts to begin the game, Ivan Rodriguez hit a double to the wall. The next batter, a no namer Kevin Airoso reached 1st on a throwing error by Bobby Crosby, which scored Rodriguez from second.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Eric Chavez walked on 4 pitches from new Tigers ace Nate Robertson. The Tigers lost both Jeremy Bonderman and Mike Maroth in the offseason. Bobby Crosby singled to put Chavez in scoring position, and Dan Johnson walked to load the bases. Joe Mauer came to the plate and singled, scoring Chavez and Crosby. Nick Swisher followed that up with a single to right field, but Dan Johnson was thrown out easily at the plate by Magglio Ordonez.

The scoring continued to come early, as in the top of the 3rd Rodriguez homered to the stairs in left field and tied it at 2-2. Airoso followed it up with a single, and Rondell White doubled to score him and make it 3-2.

Bottom of 4 now, and the A's get the rally going with a Mauer single, Luis Gonzalez single, and Mark Kotsay single to load the bases. Eric Byrnes stepped up and delivered another single to score two. Chavez hit a sac fly to deep right scoring Kotsay, and the A's took a 5-4 lead.

After that, Barry Zito got out of a couple jams unscathed and left the game after 6 innings with 4 strikouts. Kiko Calero and Ray King began the path to Huston Street allowing just a hit in the 7th, JC Romero pitched a perfect 8th, and Street only needed 5 pitches for a 1-2-3 9th to close out the 5-4 victory.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "It's always good to start the season with a win, but we've got 161 to go and we'll be back here tommorow."

Byrnes: "I had a rough spring so it felt great to go out there and drive in a few to help win a ballgame."

Tigers Hitting:

Rodriguez - 3/4, HR, 2B, RBI

White - 2/4, 2B, RBI, K

Cantu - 2/4, RBI

Tigers Pitching:

Robertson - 6.0 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K

D'Amico - 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

A's Hitting:

Gonzalez - 3/5, R, CS

Byrnes - 1/2, BB, 2 RBI, K

Chavez - 0/0, 3 BB, SF, RBI

A's Pitching:

Zito - 6.0 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Calero - 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

King - 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Romero - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Street - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Detroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics

Kotsay & Crew Tame The Tigers

Left: Ordonez hits one out opposite field on the first pitch. Right: Kotsay slides headfirst into home to score another run.

WP: Rich Harden (1-0) LP: Jason Johnson (0-1)

Rich Harden took the hill for the A's and was quickly down 1-0 when Magglio Ordonez hit his first pitch into the right field seats to take the lead.

Even after that however, it wasn't meant to be the Tigers' day. With 1 out and a runner on 1st, Luis Gonzalez doubled down the right field line to score Marco Scutaro. Then with 2 gone in the bottom of the 4th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, Ryan Church singled to score Joe Mauer. The inning came at a price however as Eric Chavez dislocated a finger when breaking up a double play, and was forced to leave the game. Keith Ginter came in to play 3rd.

The runs didn't stop, as in the bottom of the 5th Gonzalez led off with a double. Mark Kotsay laid down a bunt single that just stayed fair, and Bobby Crosby hit a sac fly to score Gonzalez, making it 3-1. Kotsay stole second, and Mauer connected with a single to plate Kotsay from second base. Still with 1 out, Nick Swisher walked, leading to a Dan Johnson single scoring Mauer.

Jason Johnson's day was over for the Tigers, and again their bullpen was brought in to get lit up as well. In the bottom of the 8th, Scutaro singled with one out. Gonzalez singled, and then Mark Kotsay hit a double to score both runners. The next batter, Bobby Crosby singled with the runner in motion, making the score 8-1.

Rich Harden left the game after 7 innings, allowing just 3 hits, walking 1 and striking out 6. Brandon League pitched the final two innings, and after walking Ivan Rodriguez, gave up a home run to Kevin Airoso on a 2-0 fastball, making it 8-3, but that's as close as it got and the A's cruised to an easy win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "Losing Chavvy worried me, but we didn't need him in this game the way everybody was hitting the ball, and I'm pleased to find out that he's only going to miss a few days."

Kotsay: "Everything I did felt like it worked out there today. Every time I swung the bat I connected and when I ran, my legs took me further than usual. Hopefully this will continue for the next 160 games."

Tigers Hitting:

Airoso - 1/3, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K

Ordonez - 1/4, HR, RBI, K

Rodriguez - 1/3, BB, R

Tigers Pitching:

Johnson - 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 0 K

D'Amico - 3.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A's Hitting:

Kotsay - 2/4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB, 2 R

Gonzalez - 4/5, 3 2B, RBI, 2 R, CS

Crosby - 2/4, 2 RBI, SF

A's Pitching:

Harden - 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

League - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Injury Report: Training staff evaluated Chavez's finger after the game and concluded that he'll miss 4 days with the dislocation. It's not a major problem and the swelling has gone down, but early in the season there's no reason to take a chance. Luis Gonzalez and Keith Ginter will each get time at 3rd until Chavez returns.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 3 of 3: Detroit Tigers @ Oakland Athletics

Crosby Walks Off To Sweep

Left: Romero snags a liner in the 13th that could have scored 2. Right: Crosby and Gonzalez pound it after the HR.

WP: JC Romero (1-0) LP: Roberto Hernandez (0-1)

For the third straight game the A's gave up runs in the first inning, with Magglio Ordonez singling to lead off the came. Ivan Rodriguez singled with 1 out, and Kurt Airoso singled to score Ordonez. Then with 2 out, Omar Infante singled to score Rodriguez and make it 2-0.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Matt Watson cut the lead in half with a solo home run, and Danny Haren settled down until the 4th when he gave up a solo shot to Infante, restoring the 2 run lead. With 2 out, Jorge Cantu singled and an error somehow charged to Joe Mauer let him go to second. Some no namer named Reboulet doubled to score Cantu, and on the next pitch Ordonez singled to make it 5-1.

The A's came right back in the 4th, as Mark Kotsay singled, Bobby Crosby singled sending Kotsay to 3rd, and Mauer drove him in with a single to make it 5-2. Nick Swisher then singled to score Crosby and make it 5-3. The next inning, Swisher walked with 2 out and Ryan Church hit a hanging curveball just over the out of town scoreboard in right field to tie the game.

Danny Haren was out of the game in the 6th inning and Justin Duchscherer entered. He pitched 2 innings allowing just 2 hits, followed by Ray King for one perfect inning. The score still tied at 5-5, Kiko Calero came in and pitched 2.2 allowing 4 hits and striking out 2, before turning it over to setup man JC Romero.

Colby Lewis pitched 2.1 and then left for Roberto Hernandez who pitched 3 innings before his night ended in the bottom of the 13th. With none out and a 3-2 count to Crosby, the fastball under the hands was smashed to left, a no doubter into the seats for the walkoff home run, giving the A's a 6-5 win and a series sweep.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "Nothing beats leaving your seat in the dugout to hug the man who just won a game with one swing. We've got to work on keeping the runs down early in the ballgame, but for now we're going to enjoy this win and come back the day after tommorow to get back to work."

Crosby: "The pitch was left right in my favourite spot, I knew if I didn't hit it for a homer then I'd be kicking myself later. It's a great feeling to end a game like that."

Tigers Hitting:

Infante - 3/6, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, R

Ordonez - 5/6, RBI, SB, R

Reboulet - 2/5, 2B, RBI, R

Tigers Pitching:

Knotts - 6.2 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Lewis - 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Hernandez - 3.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 3/6, HR, RBI, 2 R

Church - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI, R

Swisher - 1/4, RBI, BB, R, K

A's Pitching:

Haren - 6.0 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Duchscherer - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

King - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Calero - 2.2 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Romero - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Injury Report: Eric Chavez has 3 days left on the sidelines with a dislocated finger. Xavier Nady returns in a day from a strained left ribcage. He may play a few games in triple-A Sacramento before returning to the A's.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Chicago White Sox (1-3) @ Oakland Athletics (3-0)

Sox Offense Explodes In The 10th

Left: One of 6 hits given up by the bullpen in 3 innings. Right: The White Sox dugout reacts to Roberts' grand slam.

WP: Jason Ginter (1-0) LP: Justin Duchscherer (0-1)

Big Joe Blanton was on the mound for the A's to begin a 3 game set versus the Chicago White Sox. The early inning problems continued for the A's as they were quickly down 3-0 in the top of the 2nd on a Ben Davis 3-run home run.

Dan Johnson replied with a solo shot of his own to leadoff the bottom of the inning, and in the 4th he started a 2 out rally with a double that ended with him scoring on a Ryan Church single.

Skip to the 8th with Blanton and White Sox starter Jon Garland out of the game, and Mark Kotsay hits a leadoff single off reliever Jason Ginter. Kotsay stole 2nd with 1 out, and with 2 outs Joe Mauer delivered an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3.

Justin Duchscherer relieved Blanton and was still on the hill in the 10th when Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede singled. JC Romero came in to face Ben Davis and on a 2-2 pitch he singled through the hole on the right side past a diving Pete Orr to give the Sox a 4-3 lead. Endy Chavez singled after that to load the bases, and offseason signing Brian Roberts hit a grand slam deep into the left field seats to put the game out of reach.

The A's were sat down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to lose 8-3.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "The early runs put us down again and that has to stop. The offense got us back in the game, but the bullpen ran into trouble in the 10th. Once the bases loaded up twice, it was inevitable that we were going to give up a couple. A couple turned into 5 and that was the game."

Romero: "I mixed up the signals with Joe and the pitch ended up right in his wheelhouse. Nothing worse than a grand slam in extras."

White Sox Hitting:

Roberts - 1/5, HR, R, 4 RBI

Davis - 2/4, HR, 2 R, 4 RBI, K

Dye - 2/4, 2 R

White Sox Pitching:

Garland - 7.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Ginter - 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A's Hitting:

Johnson - 2/4, HR, RBI, 2B, 2 R

Mauer - 2/3, RBI, BB

Gonzalez - 2/4, BB, SB, 2B, CS

A's Pitching:

Blanton - 7.O IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Duchscherer - 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Romero - 0.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

League - 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Injury Report: Xavier Nady has recovered from his strained left ribcage and will return to the lineup in triple-A Sacramento for the next 2 games before returning to the A's.