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

[rolliefingers08]

Instead of moving it up to MVP, I made the pitch speed faster because I had it really low. It will take some time to get used to, so offense will be down a bit until then.

The upcoming Orioles series is going to be tough. They bought some big name hitters in the off season, including Alex Rios, Hee Sop Choi, Corey Patterson, and Brandon Inge.

Not to mention Miguel Tejada has improved again and Melvin Mora has exploded offensively for 2006.

I may play all three games before reporting on them, so stay tuned.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Baltimore Orioles (10-5) @ Oakland Athletics (10-6)

Orioles Give A's A Rude Awakening

Left: Tejada hits a bloop single into left field scoring one of his 3 RBIs. Right: Sosa, now in left field, robs Gonzalez of a home run.

WP: Sidney Ponson (2-2) LP: Rich Harden (1-2)

The Oakland A's returned home to the Coliseum after their 7 game road trip, and were in for a rough ride with a lineup that included a much improved Melvin Mora, 30-homer man Miguel Tejada, future Hall of Famer Rafael Palmeiro, and free agent signings Hee Sop Choi, Alex Rios, Brandon Inge, and Corey Patterson.

The hit parade began in the top of the first, as Rios hit the first pitch Rich Harden threw for a triple to right centerfield, and an out later Tejada singled up the middle to score him. Tejada was thrown out on a stealing attempt, which helped the A's avoid a 3-0 defecit when Melvin Mora homered to left, making it 2-0.

The O's got right back at it in the 2nd, Patterson led off with a single up the middle, and Hee Sop Choi stepped up to homer onto the stairs in left field to make it a 4-0 Orioles lead. Top of the 3rd with 1 out now, and Tejada hits a solo shot to opposite field making it 5-0.

It seemed like a long ways into the game, but it was really just the bottom of the 3rd when the A's finally got something going. Nick Swisher doubled down the left field line with 1 out, then Marco Scutaro and Luis Gonzalez walked to load the bases. Mark Kotsay came up and grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Swisher, cutting the lead to 5-0. In the 4th, Joe Mauer hit a solo home run to left with 1 out. After that, Dan Johnson and Xavier Nady walked. Scutaro hit a single up the middle to score Johnson, putting the A's to within 2.

Skip to the top of the 7th with 2 gone and it's now 6-3 Orioles. Mora singles to right field to load the bases, and Sammy Sosa steps up to hit a bases clearing triple, making it 9-3 O's. Sosa eventually scored and it was 10-3. Nady homered in the bottom of the inning off the left field foul pole, but it wasn't nearly enough as the A's lost 10-4.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "I'm in a stunned mode right now and I don't want to comment on anything right now."

Harden: "I got ripped, plain and simple. They hit the ball hard off of me, and I just kept serving it up. The way I've pitched so far this season I don't deserve to be in this rotation. I've got to get back to pitching well before I find myself in the bullpen."

Orioles Hitting:

Tejada - 3/4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, CS

Mora - 3/4, HR, 2B, RBI, 2 R, BB

Choi - 2/5, HR, 2 RBI

Orioles Pitching:

Ponson - 6.2 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 6 BB, 6 K

Julio - 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

A's Hitting:

Mauer - 2/4, HR, RBI, 2 K

Kotsay - 0/2, 2 BB, RBI, SB

Nady - 1/3, HR, RBI

A's Pitching:

Harden - 6.2 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

League - 0.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

King - 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Baltimore Orioles (11-5) @ Oakland Athletics (10-7)

Chen Baffles A's Hitters For 7 Strong

Left: Lopez doubles down the left field line, and would eventually score on two errors. Right: Nobody knows what's going on lately.

WP: Bruce Chen (3-1) LP: Danny Haren (0-2) S: BJ Ryan (6)

The A's and Orioles donned their early 70's uniforms for their game last night, and it seemed to give the A's some luck from their three straight World Series wins in 1972-74.

The luck was put on hold in the top of the 5th however. With 1 out, Corey Patterson singled to right field, and Brandon Inge brought him home with a double to the gap in right centerfield to take a 1-0 lead. The A's got it back plus one more in the bottom of the inning though, as Dan Johnson started it off with a single up the middle. Nick Swisher walked, and Chris Snyder laid down the bunt to put both runners in scoring position. Marco Scutaro delivered a single down the 3rd base line to score both and make it 2-1 A's.

The Orioles offense wouldn't let the A's keep the lead however, and in the next inning Melvin Mora scored on a single from Rafael Palmeiro to tie the game. Then with Palmeiro on first, Danny Haren attempted a pickoff and through the ball away to advance the runner to third with the huge foul territory at the Coliseum. Hee Sop Choi hit a high chopper to the shortstop which scored Palmeiro and ended with him safe at first to retake the lead, 3-2.

Bruce Chen continued to force the A's bats to swing through his off-speed junk, getting ground out after ground out to end any threat. He struck out 4 over 7 innings of work, and finished the evening with a 1.63 ERA.

Top of the 7th now with Justin Duchscherer on the mound, and Javy Lopez doubled to lead off the inning. He advanced to third on a Miguel Tejada groundout, and Mora was intentionally walked. Duchscherer committed the same error as Haren, throwing the ball away on a pickoff attempt, scoring Lopez and sending Mora to third base. He was stuck there, but the run made the lead 4-2 for the Orioles.

Luis Gonzalez hit his first home run of the season in the bottom of the 8th off Steve Kline, but that was all the A's had left in the tank. BJ Ryan shut the door and closed out the 4-3 O's win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "Well it's tough to lose a game like this one, especially after last night when it looked like we could forget about it. Now we have to have two losses to think about in this series, and hopefully we can avoid the sweep tommorow."

Haren: "I think pickoffs are definitly something I've got to work on, seeing as it's the second time I've done that this year. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't in a key situation, but there's no room for errors any time in the game."

Orioles Hitting:

Palmeiro - 1/4, RBI, R

Inge - 3/4, 2B, RBI

Mora - 1/3, 2B, SB, 2 BB, K

Orioles Pitching:

Chen - 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Kline - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

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

A's Hitting:

Gonzalez - 1/4, HR, RBI, K

Scutaro - 1/2, 2 RBI, SH, CS

Johnson - 2/4, R, K

A's Pitching:

Haren - 5.2 IP, 10 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Duchscherer - 2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

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

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

[rolliefingers08]

Game 3 of 3: Baltimore Orioles (12-5) @ Oakland Athletics (10-

Nady Hits Walkoff In 11th To Avoid Sweep

Left: Plays like this diving catch by Chavez in the 9th kept the game tied. Right: Nady pounds it Bash Brothers style after his game winning HR.

WP: Huston Street (1-1) LP: Steve Kline (0-1)

The A's came into Sunday's game hoping to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles, and sent Dan Meyer to the mound to face John Thompson.

The scoring opened in the bottom of the 2nd inning with a 2-run home run to left from Marco Scutaro, making it 2-0 A's. The next inning though, Corey Patterson got to third base with nobody out on an error by Bobby Crosby, and Brandon Inge hit a sac fly to deep right centerfield, cutting the lead to 2-1.

Skip to the bottom of the 5th, and with 2 runners in scoring position, Joe Mauer drove them both in with a single to right, and extending the lead to 4-1. Meyer lasted 5 innings giving up 3 hits and an unearned run, and the ball was handed to Justin Duchscherer. He gave up 2 hits over 2 innings before turning it over to setup man Kiko Calero.

Calero gave up singles to Patterson and Inge to leadoff the inning, then with 2 outs Miguel Tejada homered to left center, tying the game at 4-4 and breaking Calero's scoreless inning streak.

Solid pitching and defense by both teams kept the game tied until the bottom of the 11th, and with 1 out Xavier Nady hit an inside fastball deep to the left field seats, ending up in the 2nd deck for a walkoff home run, the final score 5-4 A's.

Clubhouse Talk:

Meyer: "It was a shame that I got my chance because of a serious injury, but I couldn't help the excitement when I got the call. I had some chances last year and I was pretty awful, so this year I knew I had to bear down and pitch well to earn my spot. I did that and hopefully I can keep it up."

Nady: "I'm beginning to think some of the pitchers we've faced don't respect me. I'm getting all these pitches up in the zone and in my hot spots, and I'm hitting the ball hard. If they don't want to change how they pitch me then that's fine, I'll just keep hitting well and we can keep winning games."

Orioles Hitting:

Tejada - 2/5, HR, 3 RBI, K

Inge - 2/3, RBI, R, SF

Patterson - 2/4, 2 R

Orioles Pitching:

Thompson - 6.0 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 5 K

Bauer - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Kline - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

A's Hitting:

Nady - 2/5, HR, RBI, 2 R, K

Scutaro - 1/3, HR, 2 RBI

Mauer - 1/5, 2 RBI

A's Pitching:

Meyer - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Duchscherer - 2/0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Calero - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Romero - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

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

Next up: The Toronto Blue Jays come to Oakland for a 3 game series, Kyle Davies (1-0) on the mound to take on Roy Halladay (1-1).

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Toronto Blue Jays (9-11) @ Oakland Athletics (11-

Crosby Seals The Deal Against Jays

Left: Scutaro hits his 2-run homer to tie the game at 3-3. Right: Crosby puts the A's ahead 5-3 with his 2-run jack in the 7th.

WP: Kyle Davies (2-0) LP: Roy Halladay (1-2) S: Huston Street (5)

One of the top pitchers in the American League was on the hill for the Blue Jays in Roy Halladay, and his counterpart is one of the top young pitchers in the AL in Kyle Davies.

The A's opened the scoring in the 3rd when Mark Kotsay singled up the middle to score Marco Scutaro. Corey Koskie tied it at 1-1 with double in the 4th to score Vernon Wells from 2nd base.

In the top of the 7th, the Jays took a 2-1 lead on a home run from John Mabry, and extended it to 3-1 with a Guillermo Quiroz bloop single to center, scoring Eric Hinske.

Ryan Church singled with one out, and Scutaro stepped in, taking a 2-1 pitch and hitting a 2-run shot to left, tying the game at 3-3. Two batters later with Kotsay in 1st, Bobby Crosby hit his 4th homer of the year, giving the A's a 5-3 lead.

Ray King settled down from his recent struggles and gave up just 1 hit in the 8th, and Huston Street pitched a perfect 9th for his 5th save of the year, closing out the 5-3 victory.

Clubhouse Talk:

Scutaro: "Well, you're all as surprised as I am. Last year at the end of the season I had a hot streak where I was hitting the ball well, but I had no idea that this year I'd be tied for the team lead in homers."

Crosby: "It definitly feels good to get back to hitting again. I was struggling the last few games and to hit a go-ahead homer like that, it's a great way to end a bad streak."

Blue Jays Hitting:

Mabry - 1/4, HR, RBI, K

Koskie - 1/4, RBI, 2B

LeCroy - 2/4, 2B

Blue Jays Pitching:

Halladay - 7.0 IP, 12 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 8 K

Schoenweis - 1.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0BB, 2 K

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 2/5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K

Scutaro - 2/4, HR, 2 RBI, K, SB

Kotsay - 3/5, 2B, RBI, SB

A's Pitching:

Davies - 7.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

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

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

Tommorow: The 2nd game of the 3-game series, two unbeaten starters go at it on the mound. It's Ted Lilly (3-0) for the Blue Jays against the A's ace Barry Zito (4-0).

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Toronto Blue Jays (9-12) @ Oakland Athletics (12-

Lilly Injury Opens The Door For A's

Left: Mauer dives into home to score the 2nd run of a 2 RBI single by Byrnes in the 3rd. Right: The A's leave the field with a series win under their belts.

WP: Barry Zito (5-0) LP: Ted Lilly (3-1) S: Huston Street (6)

The southpaws were on the mound on Oakland, a showdown between A's ace Barry Zito and former Athletic Ted Lilly.

Lilly was under pressure early, in the bottom of the 3rd he walked Nick Swisher and Joe Mauer singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Then Mark Kotsay singled to load 'em up, and 2 outs later, Eric Byrnes singled to score Swisher and Mauer to make it 2-0 A's.

The Blue Jays responded in the top of the 4th with a Vernon Wells home run to straight away centerfield, cutting the lead in half. Bad news for the Jays in the bottom of the 5th, though. Lilly yelled out in pain on a pitch to Luis Gonzalez, and had to be taken out of the game with what turned out to be a strained ribcage.

In the same inning with Jamey Wright pitching now, with a runner on 2nd Mauer hit a double just fair down the left field line for an RBI, making it 3-1 A's. With 2 out and Mauer at 3rd now, Corey Koskie couldn't handle a hard groundball off the bat of Kotsay and Mauer was able to score from 3rd to make it 4-1.

To the top of the 7th we go, with the bases loaded and two out, Zito lost his control and walked Reed Johnson to score a run. Then Miguel Cairo delivered a single up the middle to score only one, thanks to Kotsay who scored another outfield assist, gunning out Eric Hinske at the plate easily.

Zito escaped the game allowing 3 runs on 7 hits over 7 innings, turning it over to Kiko Calero for a perfect inning, and Huston Street for another perfect one, saving his 6th for Zito's 5th win of the season.

Clubhouse Talk:

Zito: "I ran out of gas in that last inning but thankfully Kots bailed me out and the 'pen was able to shut the door from there."

Kotsay: "Nothing different happened to my arm over the winter, it just seems like more guys have challenged me this season and so far they're losing."

Blue Jays Hitting:

Wells - 1/4, HR, RBI, K

Cairo - 1/4, RBI

Koskie - 0/4, 3 K

Blue Jays Pitching:

Lilly - 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

Wright - 4.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

A's Hitting:

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

Byrnes - 1/3, 2 RBI, BB, K

Mauer - 2/2, 2B, RBI, BB, 2 R

A's Pitching:

Zito - 7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Calero - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

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

Tommorow: The A's go for the sweep against Brad Halsey, while the A's send Rich Harden, who's looking to turn around from a bad start to the 2006 season.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 3 of 3: Toronto Blue Jays (9-13) @ Oakland Athletics (13-

Harden Blows Away Toronto

Left: Chavez breathes a sigh of relief as he watches his homerless drought end in the 2nd. Right: Swisher makes a diving catch to possibly save a run in the 7th.

WP: Rich Harden (2-2) LP: Brad Halsey (0-1) S: Huston Street (7)

After the bats did their work, the A's completed a sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays today with great pitching and defense.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Eric Chavez hit his 3rd home run of the season to open the scoring, breaking a homerless drought lasting back to April 15th. The A's got more in the bottom of the 3rd, when Eric Byrnes doubled home Mark Kotsay from 2nd base to make it 2-0. Chavez then came through again with a double to left, scoring Byrnes and making it a 3-0 lead.

Rich Harden consistently hit 97 MPH on the radar gun into the 8th, and his only blemish on the day was a home run by Vernon Wells, which hit the pole in right field and could have easily been a foul ball. There was some trouble in the 8th though, with 2 runners in scoring position and none out. Eric Hinske hit the ball deep in the hole at shortstop, but Bobby Crosby made a great play to throw out Corey Koskie at home, and then turned a double play on the next batter to get out of the inning.

Huston Street was perfect in the 9th to close the door on the Jays, and sweep the series.

Clubhouse Talk:

Harden: "On a hot day like today, I was able to get stretched out and my stuff seemed to be popping the glove better than usual. I got to the 8th and tired out, but the D picked me up and I got out okay."

Chavez: "I don't like to worry about slumps because it gets you off your game even more, but it was a huge relief for me to hit one out today and hopefully I can keep it up now."

Blue Jays Hitting:

Wells - 2/4, HR, RBI

Cairo - 3/4, 2B

Hinske - 2/3, 2B

Blue Jays Pitching:

Halsey - 7.0 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

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

A's Hitting:

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

Byrnes - 2/3, 2B, RBI, R

Kotsay - 2/4, SB, R

A's Pitching:

Harden - 8.0 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

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

Tommorow: An off day before the A's head to Minnesota.

Injury Report: Luis Gonzalez had to leave the game in the 3rd with a knee injury. He will be re-evaulated tommorow.

[rolliefingers08]

Gonzalez To Miss A Week

Thursday, April 25, 2006

Gonzalez was injured on this diving play.

After leaving last night's game with an apparent knee injury, utility man Luis Gonzalez was re-evaluated today and diagnosed with a minor meniscus sprain.

He suffered the injury diving for a blooper hit over the infield, where he was playing 2nd base for the game. Team doctors say Gonzalez will miss 5-7 days with the injury, but Manager Ken Macha doesn't want to take any chances.

"This early in the season, why bring a guy back a day or two early? It could mean he misses games in August and September when you need everyone at 100%" said Macha this morning, after hearing the news on the injury. "Our lineup will miss him, but this gives us a chance to try a few guys out at different places in the lineup."

Marco Scutaro will be tested in the leadoff spot against Brad Radke in the opener of the series vs. the Minnesota Twins. Mark Kotsay will be bumped up to #1 against a lefty starter.

[rolliefingers08]

Unrest In The Athletics Clubhouse?

Thursday, April 25, 2006

Unhappy

After hearing rumours of it for days, everyone in Oakland finally hears the story. Eric Byrnes is ticked off.

During the 2005 season in which Byrnes hit .312 with 26 home runs, he signed a 2 year contract extension worth $4.4 million. For that kind of money and his understanding with the A's, he expected to be the everyday left fielder like he was for most of 2005.

"I struggled in the spring, but I didn't get the benefit of the doubt like some other guys here - guys who haven't been here for 3+ seasons" says a frustrated Byrnes. "I've played in a third of our games this season, and I feel like I'm just not getting respected even when I'm playing well."

Byrnes has a point too. The fan favourite in the left field bleachers of the Coliseum has 6 RBI's in 22 at-bats this season. He's also hitting .364 with a .440 on-base percentage. However all of those at-bats are against left handed pitchers. Byrnes has not been given a chance to hit right handed pitching this year, and last year he only managed a .214 average and 4 home runs off of righties. So if Byrnes expects to play every day, he has to hit right handers better. But he needs to get the at-bats first.

"If I was struggling against righthanders - I would have my mouth shut right now. But I haven't had a single at-bat against one, so how can anyone know?"

A lot of things could be going through the minds of GM Billy Beane and Manager Ken Macha, but to many it looks as if they are trying to force Byrnes out of Oakland.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Oakland Athletics (14- @ Minnesota Twins (15-

Crosby Comes Through Again In Extras

Left: Crosby watches his 3-run shot land in the left field seats in the 14th. Right: The dugout is excited after the homer.

WP: Ray King (1-0) LP: Blaine Neal (2-2) S: Huston Street (

The A's arrived in Minnesota on Friday morning not knowing that it would be Saturday morning when they left the Metrodome and returned to the team hotel. That's how it went though, in a pitcher's duel between Danny Haren and Brad Radke.

To lead off the top of the 1st, Marco Scutaro continued to surprise and hit the long ball to make it an early 1-0 lead for the A's. Haren had a no-hitter through 4.2 innings until Jacque Jones broke it up with a solo-shot to the 2nd deck in right field, tying the game at 1-1. Haren only gave up 1 more hit after that and left the game after 8 innings, striking out 6.

JC Romero gave up 2 hits over the next 2 innings, but didn't allow a run. Kiko Calero pitched 2, but got into trouble in his 3rd inning, putting 2 runners in scoring position. Ray King got him out of the jam and the game remained tied 1-1. Radke left the game in the 8th after allowing his 10th hit but not another run, and Juan Rincon pitched 1.1 perfect innings before closer Joe Nathan came in. Nathan allowed 3 hits but struck out 4 over 2.2 innings, and gave way to Blaine Neal.

After pitching one scoreless inning, Neal gave up a single to Nick Swisher to leadoff the 14th. Eric Byrnes came into pinch run, and Ryan Church attempted to bunt him over. The Twins tried to get Byrnes at 2nd, but didn't get any outs on the play to put 2 on with none out. Keith Ginter bunted them over, and with 2 out Bobby Crosby hit a home run just over the left field fence to break the tie and give the A's a 4-1 lead.

Huston Street converted his 3rd save in 3 games to close out the 4-1 all-round team victory for the A's.

Clubhouse Talk:

Crosby: "There's nothing I like better than rounding the bases knowing I just gave my team a lead, I'll tell you that right now."

Haren: "I was pretty average in my last few starts, and today I felt great out there. I didn't get a win, but our team got together and rallied in extras to win it and that's what counts."

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 2/7, HR, 3 RBI, K

Mauer - 5/7, 2B, K

Scutaro - 2/5, HR, RBI

A's Pitching:

Haren - 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Romero - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

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

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

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

Twins Hitting:

Jones - 2/5, HR, RBI, 2 K

Carroll - 2/6, 2B, K

Durazo - 1/2, 2B, 2 BB

Twins Pitching:

Radke - 7.2 IP, 10 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

Rincon - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Nathan - 2.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Neal - 2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Tommorow: Game 2 sees Dan Meyer (0-0) vs. Carlos Silva (1-0).

Injury Report: Marco Scutaro left the game in the 10th inning with shin splints. He will miss tommorow night's game for precautionary reasons, but will be available in an emergency situation, as the A's only have 3 others available on the bench.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (15- @ Minnesota Twins (15-9)

Rivas Powers Twins To Victory

Left: Nathan nailed down his major league leading 11th save of the season. Right: The Twins pitched around Chavez by nailing him in the 9th with a runner on 2nd.

WP: Carlos Silva (2-0) LP: Dan Meyer (0-1) S: Joe Nathan (11)

Dan Meyer was having another great outing against the Minnesota Twins, and so was his counterpart Carlos Silva until the top of the 5th inning. With 2 out, Ryan Church doubled to left field, and the next batter, Nick Swisher, doubled off the wall in right center to switch places and score Church. Then Keith Ginter singled up the middle to score Swisher and make it 2-0 A's.

Meyer was running out of gas in the 6th, but both he and manager Ken Macha thought he could make it out of the 6th. They were wrong, however. Justin Morneau walked with 1 out, and Erubiel Durazo singled to put a runner in scoring position. Luis Rivas stepped up and hit an 87 MPH fastball deep over the left field wall to take a 3-2 lead for the Twins.

The A's had trouble getting on base for most of the game, but almost solved Joe Nathan in the 9th. With Bobby Crosby on 3rd base and Joe Mauer on 2nd, Eric Chavez was plunked in the back on an obvious beanball, sending him to the open 1st base with Xavier Nady coming to the plate. Nady fouled out to end the game, Twins win 3-2.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "Dan's a gamer and doesn't want to leave, I have to know when it's time, and I didn't. As for the beanball, I hope they know that we didn't forget about it just because it was the bottom of the 9th."

Meyer: "I felt like I could get out of that inning, but I hit a wall in the 6th. My fastball lost some velocity, and he killed it."

A's Hitting:

Swisher - 1/4, 2B, RBI, R

Ginter - 1/3, RBI

Johnson - 2/3, BB

A's Pitching:

Meyer - 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Duchscherer - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Twins Hitting:

Rivas - 2/4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 K

Morneau - 2/3, BB, R

Durazo - 2/4, R

Twins Pitching:

Silva - 7.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

Rincon - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Nathan - 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Tommorow: The rubbermatch of a 3-game series, Kyle Davies (2-0) takes the mound against Johan Santana (4-1).

[punishher]

sad that u don't get much comments on ur dynasty ):

but i can see u really are putting alot of effort into it,and i've enjoyed catching up on ur dynasty.

keep up ur nice reports mate!

[rolliefingers08]

Thanks for following.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Announce Players Of The Month

Sunday, April 30, 2006

MLB Pitcher of the Month

LHP Barry Zito - 5-0, 2.68 ERA, 27 K

MLB Hitter of the Month

C Joe Mauer - .375, 1 HR, 12 RBI

AAA Pitcher of the Month

LHP Adam Loewen - 1-1, 2.77 ERA, 22 K

AAA Hitter of the Month

1B Daric Barton - .299, 4 HR, 8 RBI

AA Pitcher of the Month

RHP Adam Radar - 1-1, 2.74 ERA, 30 K

AA Hitter of the Month

1B Shea Baker - 3.71, 5 HR, 10 RBI

A Pitcher of the Month

RHP Michael Soriano - 0-2, 5.24 ERA, 27 K

A Hitter of the Month

OF Rob Bell - .295, 2 HR, 10 RBI

[rolliefingers08]

Standings Update

Sunday, April 30, 2006

OAKLAND ..... 15-9 - .625 - 0.0 GB

Seattle ......... 14-9 - .609 - 0.5 GB

Texas ........... 12-12 - .500 - 3.0 GB

Anaheim ....... 9-16 - .360 - 6.5 GB

[rolliefingers08]

Game 3 of 3: Oakland Athletics (15-9) @ Minnesota Twins (16-9)

A's Jump On Santana To Take 2 Of 3

Left: Kotsay gets it started with a leadoff double. Right: Macha talks it over with Davies and Mauer after they run into trouble in the 6th.

WP: Kyle Davies (3-0) LP: Johan Santana (4-2)

With the 2004 AL Cy Young winner up against a rookie, it looked like the A's could be in for a long day on both ends. However they jumped on Johan Santana early on and cruised to a series win.

Mark Kotsay led off with a double, 2 batters later Keith Ginter hit his first home run of the season to give the A's a 2-0 lead. In the 3rd, Eric Byrnes extended it to 3-0 with a solo homer. also his first of the year. Then with a runner on 3rd, Nick Swisher singled him home to take a 4-0 lead.

The Twins got back in the game with an RBI triple by Jamey Carroll and an RBI groundout by Shannon Stewart that cut the lead in half. Then in the toom of the 5th, Stewart tripled to leadoff and Erubiel Durazo singled him home to make it a 1 run lead for the A's.

That's as close as it got though, as Dan Johnson hit a 2-run homer in the 8th, and Joe Mauer added a solo shot of his own to make it a 7-4 A's final.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "After the 14 innings on the first night and a tight game last night, it was good to get ahead in this one and not have to use a lot of bullpen innings. We gave our guys some rest and now we'll move on to Kansas City."

Ginter: "It's been a really tough start to the season for me, after the injury and not getting a lot of playing time, but I made the most of it today and hopefully I'm on track to turn it around."

A's Hitting:

Ginter - 3/5, HR, 2 RBI

Johnson - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI, K

Mauer - 2/3, HR, RBI, BB

A's Pitching:

Davies - 5.2 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K

King - 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

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

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

Twins Hitting:

Durazo - 1/2, RBI, 2 BB

Stewart - 1/5, 3B, R, RBI, K

Carroll - 1/5, 3B, R, RBI, 2 K

Twins Pitching:

Santana - 5.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K

Neal - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

Bradford - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

Tommorow: The A's fly to Kansas City, as Barry Zito (5-0) takes on the Royals' Zach Greinke (1-3).

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Oakland Athletics (16-9) @ Kansas City Royals (8-17)

Royals Win Battle of Bullpens

Left: Long robs Ginter at the wall of a 2-run home run in the 12th. Right: Swisher winds up for his 3rd assist of the game, this one at 3rd base to nail Figgins.

WP: Dennis Tankersley (1-1) LP: Danny Haren (0-3)

The A's began a 3-game series vs. the Kansas City Royals knowing they've only won 8 games so far, and that they have the worst hitting in the league. And naturally with Barry Zito on the hill, it wasn't going to get any better for them.

Both Zito and Royals pitcher Zach Greinke threw outstanding games, and it took until the bottom of the 7th for a run to be scored. With the bases loaded, David Dejesus singled to RF to score one but Nick Swisher gunned down the 2nd runner at the plate. The A's got the run back in the 8th with an RBI single from Mark Kotsay to score Marco Scutaro from 2nd base, tying it at 1-1.

The game was close to ending for both teams on numerous occasions in extras. Swisher had 3 outfield assists in extra innings alone - 2 of them at home plate, and a leaping catch by Terrence Long saved a Keith Ginter homer in the 12th.

After using Justin Duchscherer, Ray King, JC Romero, Brandon League, and Kiko Calero, Ken Macha turned to the last man in the bullpen, closer Huston Street. He pitched 3.2 innings, getting out of a few jams and showing maturity on the mound way beyond his years. On the other side, Billy Koch threw 4 innings as well allowing just 1 hit and 1 walk.

So here we are in the top of the 20th inning. Dan Johnson singles to centerfield and Eric Byrnes comes in to run. He steals second, and Kieth Ginter bunts him to 3rd. With 1 out, Kotsay strikes out looking and Bobby Crosby grounds out to end the inning. Then FINALLY the A's get something in the 21st. Kotsay singles and steals second on a weak catcher. Crosby gets a changeup down the pipe and drives it to right field to score Kotsay on a close play at the plate, making it 2-1 A's.

Street is out of gas, so Danny Haren gets the ball to try and close it out. Coco Crisp led off with a double to left centerfield, and Haren got Mike Sweeney to strike out in an epic 10 pitch at-bat. With rookie Andy Bako at the plate, who pinch hit for Scott Hatteberg in the 13th, it looks like Haren will get out of the inning... wrong.

A slider that was supposed to run down and away ends up high and inside, and then becomes a souvenier in the left field seats for a walkoff home run, the Royals winning it 3-2 in 21 innings.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "I'm too old for this sh--."

Haren: "Well, I'm not a reliever for one thing. I was awful at it last season and never had done it before since high school. I don't want to use that as an exuse though, because I was given a job and I just couldn't do it."

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 5/9, 2B, RBI, 3 K

Kotsay - 3/9, RBI, SB, R, K

Johnson - 3/8, 2B, BB

A's Pitching:

Zito - 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7K

Duchscherer - 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

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

Romero - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

League - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Calero - 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Street - 3.2 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Haren - 0.1, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Royals Hitting:

Crisp - 4/7, 2B, R, 2 BB, K, CS

Bako - 1/5, HR, 2 RBI

Figgins - 4/9, 2B, R, K

Royals Pitching:

Greinke - 8.1 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K

Huisman - 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Koch - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

Tankersley - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Tommorow: AKA in less than 12 hours, Rich Harden takes on Jose Lima.

[rolliefingers08]

A's Acquire Koplove

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006

Koplove

GM Billy Beane knew that his bullpen needed another arm, and it wasn't just because the A's ran out of pitching in last night's 21-inning loss to the Kansas City Royals.

So this morning he solved the problem by acquiring right-hander Mike Koplove from the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league pitcher Mark Michael.

Koplove hasn't seen any action so far in 2006, missing April with a sprained right ankle. Last season he threw 146 innings as a reliever and spot starter. He went 3-6 with a 2.82 ERA. Michael was signed as a minor league free agent in the offseason, but was unhappy with his relief role with triple-A Sacramento.

Many see Koplove's contract as a problem for the A's, with $1 million left for this season, but Beane isn't worried. "Our payroll as roughly the same as last season, and we've had the okay to increase where we see fit."

"Koplove is a workhorse reliever, and will be well worth the additional money that we spend on him."

With the Diamondbacks in St. Louis this week, Koplove will be able to join the A's for today's game in Kansas City, where he will likely pitch an inning or two after the entire bullpen saw action last night.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (16-10) @ Kansas City Royals (9-17)

Snyder & Chavez Lead The Way

Left: That's what we like to see - Chavy watches his HR in the 3rd. Right: Swisher takes a homer away from Coco Crisp in the 5th.

WP: Rich Harden (3-2) LP: Jose Lima (1-3) S: Mike Koplove (1)

The whole team was tired after last night's 21-inning game, and only a select few showed up until an hour before today's game against the Royals.

Joe Mauer caught the entire game, so he got the day off from behind the dish, but was penciled in as the DH to keep his bat in the lineup. He led off the 3rd with a single to right field, bringing up Eric Chavez who hit a no doubter over 400 ft to right field, making it 2-0 A's.

In the top of the 5th, Dan Johnson doubled down the left field line, just fair with 2 gone. On a full count, today's catcher Chris Snyder singled through third baseman Eli Marrero to score Johnson and make it 3-0. On to the 8th, and Snyder drove in another run, this time himself with his first major-league home run to make it 4-0.

Rich Harden got through 8 shutout innings allowing just 2 hits and a walk, but he ran into his only trouble of the day in the 9th. The bases were loaded with 1 out and Terrence Long singled into right field to score Angel Berroa and break the shutout. Ken Macha didn't want to risk losing the game with a tired Harden on the hill, so he turned it over to newly acquired Mike Koplove to close it out. Koplove got a double play to end the threat and save his first game for the A's, a 4-1 final score.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "I was really hoping Rich could get the shutout, so that's I went out and told him to try and get the out, but if the run scored I'd have to pull him."

Harden: "It would have been nice to have a donut beside my name on the scoresheet, but it wasn't as important as getting the win."

A's Hitting:

Chavez - 2/3, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K

Snyder - 2/3, HR, 2 RBI, BB

Mauer - 1/4, BB, R

A's Pitching:

Harden - 8.1 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

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

Royals Hitting:

Long - 1/4, RBI

Berroa - 1/2, BB, SB, R

Figgins - 1/4, SB

Royals Pitching:

Lima - 6.2 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Bautista - 2.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Tommorow: Danny Haren (0-3) goes for his first win against lefty Brian Anderson (2-2).

Injury Report: Eric Chavez left the game for precautionary reasons in the 6th inning with shin splints. He won't play in tommorow's game but will be ready to play after the off day.

[AstroEric]

21 innings? Against the Royals? AND you took the loss? That's sort of like hell on Earth isn't it?

Good job on the most recent game. Looks like Koplove was a good pick up.

--Eric

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (17-10) @ Kansas City Royals (9-18)

Scutaro Puts A's Ahead For Good

Left: Hudson points to the sky after his solo shot in the 3rd. Right: Scutaro connects with a 2-run homer to put the A's ahead 4-3.

WP: Justin Duchscherer (1-1) LP: Brian Anderson (2-3) S: Huston Street (9)

Danny Haren was on the mound after his blown save during the 22 inning debacle, but he wasn't there for long. In the first inning he was hit in the face with a soft line drive, and luckily left the game without a serious head injury. Justin Duchscherer took over and pitched into the 7th before getting the hook.

In the bottom of the 2nd, the Royals opened the scoring with a Mark Teahen RBI single to left field that scored Scott Hatteberg. An inning later, Orlando Hudson hit a hanging curveball just barely over the right field fence to take a 2-0 lead.

Eric Byrnes started an A's rally in the 4th. He singled, then stole second, and with 2 out Bobby Crosby homered to left field to tie the game. The Royals took the lead back though when Orlando Hudson singled with a runner on 3rd.

Top of the 7th now with Chris Snyder on first, and Marco Scutaro once AGAIN somehow hits a 2-run home run, giving the A's a 4-3 lead. JC Romero and Huston Street closed it out in the 8th and 9th to take the series and keep the A's atop the AL West.

Clubhouse Talk:

Duchscherer: "I'd just taken my seat in the bullpen after going to the washroom, not having clued into the game yet, and (bullpen coach) Bob (Geren) tapped me on the shoulder to say I'm going in. Then I looked on the field and saw Danny going into the dugout, and I figured it out."

Scutaro: "The ball keeps on flying off my bat and if it wants to keep happening, I have no objections."

A's Hitting:

Crosby - 1/4, HR, 2 RBI

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

Swisher - 2/4, 2 K

A's Pitching:

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

Duchscherer - 5.1 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

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

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

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

Royals Hitting:

Hudson - 2/4, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K, SB

Teahen - 3/4, RBI

Long - 2/5, 2 2B

Royals Pitching:

Anderson - 7.0 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Porzio - 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Tommorow: An off day, and then off to Texas where Dan Meyer (0-1) takes on Kenny Rogers (1-1).

Injury Report: Danny Haren was diagnosed with a fractured nose, but is not likely to miss his next start in Anaheim on May 9th.

[rolliefingers08]

Roster Space Needs To Be Made

Thursday, May 4th, 2006

Now that Pete Orr has returned from his trip to the DL, space needs to be made on the A's 25-man roster. Orr was re-assigned to triple-A Sacramento for the time being, but he belongs on the major league roster.

The A's lineup has a lot of flexibility on the infield and the outfield, so it's likely any position player could be traded in the next week or two. The infield is fairly crowded with Marco Scutaro able to play 2nd base and shortstop, Keith Ginter able to play 2nd base and 3rd base, Pete Orr able to play 2nd base, shortstop, and 3rd base, Luis Gonzalez able to play 2nd base, 3rd base, and the outfield, as well as Xavier Nady who can play 3rd base and 1st base if needed, but more suited to the outfield. Eric Chavez is the only one that only plays 3rd, while Dan Johnson can play outfield in an emergency situation and Nick Swisher can play 1st base, along with backup catcher Chris Snyder.

Eric Byrnes could be the most expendable player on the roster right now, as he can only hit lefthanded pitching, and is no longer the next best centerfielder after Mark Kotsay, with Ryan Church on the roster. The $4.4 million left on his 2 year contract is also a good reason to trade him, but many teams will be hesitant to take it on their payroll. Keith Ginter may be the most attractive to other teams, while tradeable by the A's. He had a monster season last year and can still be a solid everyday player on many teams.

Only time will tell, but some move will need to be made soon.

[rolliefingers08]

Game 1 of 3: Oakland Athletics (18-10) @ Texas Rangers (12-16)

Kotsay & Nady Drive In 6 For A's Win

Left: Nix drives the ball deep to centerfield to score a run in the 9th. Right: Street settles down and gets a strikeout to end the game.

WP: Dan Meyer (1-1) LP: Kenny Rogers (1-2) S: Huston Street (10)

Dan Meyer looked like he could be in trouble heading into Texas against the high powered Rangers offense, but he was spotted an early lead that was never given up.

With the score already 1-0, Bobby Crosby singled to left field to move Eric Chavez to second, and up stepped Xavier Nady. He hit a bomb over the centerfield wall, making it 4-0 A's. Onto the bottom of the 6th, and Mark Teixera homered to right field, cutting the lead to 4-1. In the 7th, with Joe Mauer on 2nd and Luis Gonzalez on 1st, Mark Kotsay hit a line drive to the wall in left centerfield, scoring both runners, and Kotsay ended up at 3rd with a stand up triple, making it 6-1 A's.

In the bottom of the 7th, Tydus Meadows doubled to lead off the inning, ending Meyer's night after allowing 7 hits and striking out 3. Brandon League game in, and allowed an Alfonso Soriano single to left field that scored the run and made it 6-2. After walking Hank Blalock, Laynce Nix singled to left field and scored Soriano to put the Rangers within 3 runs.

Kiko Calero came in to relieve League, and after a perfect 8th, Huston Street was brought in to close it out. Luckily the A's led by 3 because the Rangers certainly gave Street some troubles. He ended up loading the bases, and Nix hit a sac fly to centerfield that scored a run, but Street then struck out the next batter to end the game, a 6-4 A's win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Macha: "So far we've been pretty happy with the innings that Dan has given us, and as long as he keeps it up we're going to have a lot of success 1 through 5 in the rotation."

Kotsay: "I think I forgot how tiring it is to leg out a triple, but when you get a nice pitch like that you'd better do something with it, and I was able to."

A's Hitting:

Kotsay - 2/5, 3B, 2 RBI, SB, R, 2 K

Nady - 1/3, HR, 3 RBI, BB

Chavez - 0/5, 4 K, R

A's Pitching:

Meyer - 6.1 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

League - 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

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

Street - 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rangers Hitting:

I blew it and didn't write these down.

Rangers Pitching:

I blew it and didn't write these down.

Tommorow: Kyle Davies (3-0) up against Pedro Astacio (1-4).

[rolliefingers08]

Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (19-10) @ Texas Rangers (12-17)

Astacio Puts A's Bats To Sleep

Left: Soriano slides around a late throw from centerfield to score the go-ahead run. Right: The Rangers defense celebrates a job well done in the iwn.

WP: Pedro Astacio (2-4) LP: Kyle Davies (3-1) S: Francisco Cordero (7)

When the A's were walked 3 straight to load the bases and leadoff the game, it looked like Pedro Astacio was in a lot of trouble on the night. After Eric Chavez struck out, Bobby Crosby was walked and scored Luis Gonzalez, but Astacio got a double play after that to end the inning.

The Rangers got the run back in the bottom of the inning. Hank Blalock doubled home Mark Teixera to make it 1-1. Astacio settled down after his first inning allowing just two more walks, and striking out 4 on the night. In the 5th, the Rangers took a 2-1 lead when Blalock singled home Alfonso Soriano, as the Rangers continued to hit Kyle Davies around the field.

Davies was finished after 6 innings, allong just 2 runs but giving up 10 hits, which led to him throwing over 100 pitches. Meanwhile the A's bats only managed 3 hits on the night, and Astacio finished with 8 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 6 walks, and 4 strikeouts.

Francisco Cordero only need a 1 run lead in the 9th to close it out for his 7th save, a 2-1 Rangers win.

Clubhouse Talk:

Davies: "I was lucky to have a great defense behind me today, because I got smacked around out there. It seemed like every pitch I threw resulted in contact, especially when I was behind in the count."

Crosby: "It looked like we might have a good day walking around the bases, but we couldn't get the ball out of the infield in the first and basically didn't hit out of the infield all day."

A's Hitting:

Mauer - 1/2, 2 BB

Crosby - 0/3, BB, RBI

Gonzalez - 0/3, BB, SB, R, K

A's Pitching:

Davies - 6.0 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

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

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

Rangers Hitting:

Blalock - 2/4, 2B, 2 RBI

Soriano - 4/4, 2B, SB, R

Teixera - 1/3, 2B, BB, R

Rangers Pitching:

Astacio - 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6 BB, 4 K

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

Tommorow: Barry Zito (5-0) takes on Chan Ho Park (1-4) in a battle for a series win.

[RaptorQuiz]

Excellent dynasty, sir. Very interesting and entertaining. This one and Lual's Reds dynasty are the only ones I follow.