The A's, day by day...

[dweaver99027]

Series: vs. NEW YORK Yankees

April 4, 2006

NEW YORK YANKEES

5

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

1

Team Record: 0-1

Game Notes:

Inning 2: Top: Hideki Matsui blasts a solo shot over the right field wall. 0-1

Inning 5: Top: - Throwing error by Kendall, Chavez doesn't catch the ball at 3rd base, bernie Williams reaches home from 3rd. 0-2

- 2B hit by Jeter drives in Damon. 0-3

- A-Rod hits a 2 run bomb over the left field wall, 0-5.

Inning 8: Bottom: Sac Fly by Kendall, Kotsay reaches home plate. 1-5

Randy Johnson pitches like a blast from the past, almost shuts down the A's...

Below: Kotsay's amazing 4 for 4 and 3 two-base hits game was to no avail, as he was struggling alone on offense against a dominant Randy Johnson, who remembered his 2004 days and proceeded to allow only 1 run in 8 innings, leading the Yankees to a victory in the opening game of the season...

A dominant display by Randy Johnson combined with offensive inadequacy by the A's light-hitting lineup resulted in a relatively easy win for the Yankees in the inaugural match of the season. Mark Kotsay was excellent but had no protection, as Chavez and Payton both went 0 for 3. With the power in New York's lineup evident in Rodriguez, Jeter and Matsui's at bats, the visiting side had no problem clinching thsi one in the end.

WP:Randy Johnson (1-0) LP: B. Zito (0-1)

BOXSCORE:

NYY 5R - 11H - 0E

OAK 1R - 8H - 2E

Stats of Note:

NY:

R . Johnson 8.0 IP, 7H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 7SO -- ( Game MVP )

D. Jeter 3/4, RBI

H. Matsui 3/4, HR, RBI

A. Rodriguez 2/4, HR, 2RBI

OAK:

M. Kotsay 4/4, 2B * 3

K. Saarloos 3.2 IP, 5H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 1SO

Post-Game Quotes:

Barry Zito: "I let the team down, giving up those 4 runs in the 4th while we were only one run behind. It's only the first game of the season, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with it.

Mark Kotsay "I had a good game, sure, but things just didn't roll into place for us. We could not do the penultimate thing in baseball, convert our hits into runs, so we lost.That simple

Randy Johnson"I am pleased, I played fine, and my team won. I think I have put 2005 behind me, and I'm ready to help this team achieve its goals this season. Winning the opening day game is the first step in that direction"

[dweaver99027]

April 5, 2006

NEW YORK YANKEES

10

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

1

Team Record: 0-2

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Top: First pitch of the game by Harden, fastball outside, Damon blasts it for a solo.Couldn't expect a worst start to the game. 0-1

Inning 2: Bottom: RBI hit by Bobby Crosby. 1-1

Inning 3: Top: Rodriguez blasts a bomb over the left field wall with Jeter already on second. 1-3

Inning 5: 2 RBI hit by Jeter. 1-5, and the Yankees are pulling away again...

Inning 7: Top: 2 run homer by Jeter. 1-7

Inning 9: Top: 2-base hit by Sheffield scores another run. 1-8

-Another homer for New York, this time a 2-run one by Giambi.

Yankees' high-powered offense proves too much for the A's...

Below: Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter starred in tonight's home run derby that saw the Yankees demolish the Athletics, 10-1....

The Yankees' much ballyhooed lineup lived up to its hype in this game, nary allowing Rich Harden and Joe Kennedy time to breath. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguea, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield were a constant headache and Macha could not pitch around all of them. Easy blowout win in the end for the visitors.

WP:Roger Clemens (1-0) LP: R. Harden (0-1)

BOXSCORE:

NYY 10R - 14H - 0E

OAK 1R - 6H - 1E

Stats of Note:

NY:

D. Jeter 3/4, HR, 4RBI - Game's MVP

J. Damon 3/5, RBI

G. Sheffield, J. Giambi, A. Rodriguez HR

R. Clemens 6.2 IP, 5H, 1R, 1 ER, 3BB, 5SO

OAK:

F. Thomas 3/4 , R

Post-Game Quotes:

Rich Harden: " They have a very good offense, it's hard, if you slip up for a split of a second, they've gone yard.

Frank Thomas: "Their offense was good, sure, but the main problem was not ourt pitching, it was our own offense. We have to produce steadily if are going to keep up with teams like teh Yankees.

Derek Jeter:"It was a nice win today, things were good for us from the second inning and on. We had good feel and made good contact on offense, and that helped up win today. One more win tomorrow and it'll be a perfect start to the season."

[dweaver99027]

April 6, 2006

NEW YORK YANKEES

6

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

4

Team Record: 0-3

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Bottom: First at bat for the A's in the game, Mussina serves up a fat inside fastball, Kotsay blasts it for the solo homer. 1-0

Inning 2: Bottom: With runners on first and second, rookie 1st baseman Dan Johnson blasts a 3 run bomb over the right field wall. 4-0

Inning 4: Top: Tino Martinez hits, drives in Gary Sheffield from 3rd. 4-1

Inning 6: 2 RBI homer by Jason Giambi. 4-3

Inning 8: Top: Jason Giambi sticks another dagger in his former team's heart, with a 2 run blast. 4-5

Inning 9: Top: RBI single by Sheffield. 4-6

-Another homer for New York, this time a 2-run one by Giambi.

A's can't hold on to lead, get swept by the Yankees...

Below: Dan Johnson with his 3 run blast made it 4-0 early and brought hope to Oakland, but the A's dugout would not be so happy soon after, what with teh Yankees' offense kicking up again, splaying baseball all over the stands.Giambi hit 2 homers to bury his old team, and New York's bench was jubilant after a 3-0 start to the season.

This game started better for the home town Athletics, with Mark Kotsay hitting a solo shot in the first at bat, and Dan Johnson scoring 3 more to make it an early 4-0 lead. Esteban Loaiza was dominant for 5 innings, but his fatigue started to show in the 6th,when he allowed the first of Giambi's homers. The bullpen took over, but could not keep New York's bats in check, leading to the 3rd straight loss to open the season and a home sweep by the Yankees..

WP:Octavio Dotel (1-0) LP: J. Duscherer (0-1) SV: M. Rivera (1)

BOXSCORE:

NYY 6R - 14H - 0E

OAK 4R - 6H - 2E

Stats of Note:

NY:

J. Giambi 3/4, 2HR, 4RBI - Game's MVP

T. Martinez 4/4, RBI

G. Sheffield 3/5, RBI, 2B * 2

OAK:

M. Bradley 2/3, BB

D. Johnson 1/4, HR, 3RBI

M. Kotsay 1/5, HR, RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Dan Johnson: " We started good, but couldn't hold on to the lead. It hurts, starting teh year 0-3 and getting swept at home, but it's a 162 game season, we'll bounce back.

Esteban Loaiza: " Goes to show you you can never relax when pitching against that lineup of bats.. I took my mind off for a second, and Giambi hit me hard. This team has a lot mnore to show, believe me, a bad start is not going to keep us down..

Jason Giambi"It always feels good coming back to Oakland, but it feels much better doing your job on the field. I had a good day on offense, and I helped my team start the season 3-0. Expect even more from the Yankees this year."

[APR]

Nice work so far, couple things you might want to think about changing:

1. Go back to normal font size.

2. Use the Code function for the boxscores, makes it look good.

Other than that, nothing, its a really good start.

[dweaver99027]

Thanks for the tips, friend.

As for the fonmt size, I like a little more variation, not to mention that the pages will go by faster and there won't be many bandwidth problems.

As for the boxscore, I'll see what I can come up with.

[dweaver99027]

Series: @ SEATTLE Mariners (0-3)

April 7, 2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

6

@

SEATTLE MARINERS

1

Team Record: 1-3

Game Notes:

Inning 4: Bottom: Richie Sexson hits it long, goes yard, solo shot. 1-0

Inning 5: Top: With the bases loaded and no outs, Meche walks Kotsay. 1-1

- Eric Chavez hits a roller towards second, gets thrown out,but the runner on third scores. 1-2

Inning 6: Top: Thomas hits an arching ball over the 1B and before the RF gets to it, it bounces and a run is scored. 1-3

- Runners on 1st and 2nd, Milton Bradley blasts it over the right, 3 run score. 1-6

Haren eats up innings, A's get first win for 2006...

Below: Danny Haren had a great first start to the season, going 7 innings allowing only one run, and only a handful of hits, all the while the run support by Kotsay and the rest was spectacular to aid him in his task. Bradley's 3 run homer pretty much sealed the deal, and helped Oakland to their first win of the season, against their bitter division rivals, to boot...

Oakland's offense struggled mightily to get hits for the 4th straight game, but in this case the pitching staff of Danny Haren, Justin Duscherer and Jay Witasick combined for only 1 run allowed and led their team to a relatively easy victory. Gil Meche's poor control and 5 walks helped Oakland's OBP, while Milton Bradley hit a 3 run homer in teh 6th to make it 6-1 and seal the deal, giving the A's the first victory for the 2006 regular season.

WP:Danny Haren (1-0) LP: G. Meche (0-1)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 6R - 7H - 1E

SEA 1R - 5H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

D. Haren 7.0 IP, 3H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 4SO - Game's MVP

M. Bradley 1/4, HR, 3RBI

M. Ellis 1/2, 2BB

SEA:

R. Sexson 2/3, HR, RBI, BB

Post-Game Quotes:

Danny Haren: "I had a good game, but the important thing is we edged Seattle and got the win. It would be awful to star the year 0-4, and I am glad I helped teh guys get the W today.

Milton Bradley "Yes, my home run in the 6th was teh deciding factor, but I am still worried about our offensive inconsistency. We have to get more hits and not rely on th elong ball for runs, if we are going to be competitive this year.

Ichiro"We played very poorly today, and we deserve what we got. We couldn't really make out what they were throwing at us, most of teh time, and got too few hits as a result. It's early, but we better shape up fast before this 0-4 record gets any worse."

[jake44np]

Looks good, what sliders are you using?

[dweaver99027]

Pared's All-Star sliders, with the tweaks I made being pitch meter difficullty at -19 instead of te horiginal -24 or -25, can't remember which. I was serving a lot of meatballs with the original setting. I still only give up a walk or two a game, max, but that' sthe only unrealistic thing with this sliders. Well, that and maybe the fact that I do not steal much. Then again, that's all the more Billy Beane's type of ball, eh?

[dweaver99027]

April 8, 2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

4

@

SEATTLE MARINERS

7

Team Record: 1-4

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Bottom: Richie Sexson hits it long,drives in both himself and Ichiro with the homer. 2-0

Inning 2: Top: Mark Ellis hits a solo shot over the left field wall. 2-1

- Next at bat, Dan Johnson steps up, blasts Pineiro's meatball way back into the right field stands. 2-2

Inning 4: Top: With runnerson 1st and 3rd, AdamMelhuse drives Milton Bradley in with a line drive to the right. 2-3

Inning 6: Top: Adam Melhuse hist a solo homer, with 2 outs. 2-4

Inning 8: Bottom: 2B hit by Sexson drives in a runner from second. 3-4

- Joe Kennedy gives up a grand slam home run to Kenji Johjima, who makes it a commanding 7-4.

Kenji Johjima hits a grand slam in the 8th to kill the A's...

Below: Joe Blanton and an impressive run support, including Bradley's leaping catch over the wall, helped put the A's up front 4-2 with 2 innings to go, but lefty reliever Joe Kennedy blew his chance once again, allowing 5 runs in the 8th, including the dagger-in-the-heart grand slam by Johjima, leaving Ken Macha extremely frustrated as to how this game was lost...

This time around the offense was much improved, racking up hits right and left, the long ball strategy was working, and Joe Blanton was keeping runs off teh board. For 8 inning , all seemed perfect, the lead was steady, and Seattle couldn't get into a groove. But, proving what an exciting sport baseball can be, it took only one way below par relief performance by Joe Kennedy to send hopes of victory come crashing down. An RBI and a grand slam by Seattle catcher Johjima turned teh tables completely and left the Athletics unable to make a comeback of their own in the 9th.

WP:A. Lopez (1-0) LP: J. Kennedy (0-1) SV: E. Guardado (1)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 4R - 11H - 0E

SEA 7R - 12H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

A. Melhuse 2/3, HR, 2RBI, BB

M. Ellis 2/4, HR, RBI

J. Blanton 7.0 IP, 6H, 2R, 2ER, 0BB, 3SO

D. Johnson HR, RBI

SEA:

K. Johjima 2/4, HR, 4RBI - Game's MVP

R. Sexson 2/4, HR, 3RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Joe Kennedy: " I feel really bad right about now. It's the second relief appearance for me this year,and I blew it again. I promise the team, thsi will NOT happen again.

Adam Melhuse " This one is too bitter to swallow .We were vastly superior for 8 innings, then all of a sudden they score 5 and murder us. I don't blame Joe, he made a mistake, things like this happen.Hell, maybe I didn't call for the right pitch, I don't know. All I know is it hurts to lose like that. late October teams don't lose like that, that is for sure. .

Kenji Johjima (in Japanese)" I feel very good. Very nice for me and team. Grand slam home run always nice, only 5th time in my career i do it. Best thing, team won."

[dweaver99027]

April 9, 2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

2

@

SEATTLE MARINERS

5

Team Record: 1-5

Game Notes:

Inning 3: Bottom: Carl Everett drives in Fernando Vina from second. 1-0

- Richie Sexson hits it over the first baseman, drives in a pair. 3-0

Inning 5: Top: Marco Scutaro hits a long ball just inside the left foul pole, to drive in two runs. 3-2

Bottom: Everett drives Ichiro in from second. 4-2

Inning 7: Bottom.: Ichiro blazes through the bases, runs from 1st to home. 5-2

Ichiro's speed too much for the A's to counter...

Below: Barry Zito was unimpressive on the mound in his second start of teh season, all the while many battles were taking place at home plate when Seattle was on offense. The Richie Sexson hitting and Ichiro running teh bases tandem was at display for all to see today, with the Japanese outfielder crossing home plate 3 times, all oif which from 1st or second base, and on slides....

This was a poor game, with Seattle utilizing Ichiro Suzuki's speed on teh basepaths to outscore the A's by 3 runs and make it two in a row. The Mariners started out 3-0, Oakland then reduced it to 3-2 with a 2 run homer by Scutaro, and tehn it was all Ichiro. The japanese superstar crossed home plate twice, coming all the way from 1st base and sliding to barely beat Kotsay's throws to Kendall. In teh end, the home team get a deserved victory and Oakland are left to wonder when their early season slump will come to an end.

WP:J. Moyer (1-1) LP: B. Zito (0-2) SV: E. Guardado (2)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 2R - 9H - 0E

SEA 5R - 11H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

M. Scutaro 2/4, HR, 2RBI

J. Kendall 2/4

SEA:

Ichiro 2/4, 3R - Game's MVP

C. Everett 3/4, R, 3RBI

R. Sexson 2/4, 2RBI

J. Moyer 7.0 IP, 7H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 2SO, 1HR

Post-Game Quotes:

Barry Zito: " I don't know what is wrong, I'm not focused enough, that is certain. I serve some fat ones, and this hurst the team. We'll have to work on it during training.

Marco Scutaro: " Our offense was struggling again, and Ichiro was killing us on the basepaths. We didn't deserve anything better than what we got today. .

Ichiro" It was a good game for us, we hit and run with precision, and I am glad my 3 runs made the difference in the end. We'll try to extend our 2 game winning streak as long as we can ."

[dweaver99027]

April 10, 2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

6

@

SEATTLE MARINERS

3

Team Record: 2-5

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Bottom: Ichiro reaches home plate from 3rd on a sac fly. 1-0

Inning 3: Bottom: Willie Bloomquist hits a home run over the left, scores 2. 3-0

Inning 4: Top: Nick Swisher blats it on the second tier of stands over the right, for a 3 run homer. 3-3

Inning 5: Top: Kotsay scores a triple, and after two outs Chavez drives him in. 3-4

Inning 7: Top: Eric Chavez splits the outfielders, gets himself on second and drives Jason Kendall home all the way from 1st. 3-5

- Swisher drives a guy in with 2 outs and the bases loaded. 3-6

Oakland keeps Ichiro in check, grabs deserved victory...

Below: Ichiro Suzuki started out strongly, but his baserunning skills were help in check by Oakland's infielders for much of th egame, all the while Nick Swisher's 3-run jack helped the visitors tie an early 0-3 deficit, giving Huston Street the chance to convert his first save opportunity of the season and the A's their second win...

Seattle started this one strongly, aiming for their third straight victory against their bitter American League West rivals, going up 3-0 in the second. But Rich Harden regained his composure soon after, Nick Swisher had an all-too-crucial 3 run homer in the 4th to tie things up, and Eric Chavez' three straight base hits to end teh game gave the A's the offensive edge they needed to come out on top in the end, thus ending this 4 game series in Seattle tied at 2 games apiece.

WP:Rich Harden (1-1) LP: F. Hernandez (0-1) SV: H. Street (1)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 6R -12H - 1E

SEA 3R - 13H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

N. Swisher 2/4, HR, 4RBI - Game's MVP

E. Chavez 3/5, 2RBI

F. Thomas, B. Crosby 2/4

SEA:

R. Ibanez 3/3

B.J. Surhoff 3/4

W. Bloomquist 1/4, HR, 2RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Eric Chavez: "Feels good to have a good game for a change and help my team to victory.We played ok today, but we need to step it up even more if we are going to win our division this year."

Nick Swisher : "I am pleased my hit gave my team the chance to win, but I'm happier that we won in teh end. Expect better things from this club.

Ichiro:" We could not capitalize on our great start and we paid the price in the end. This division we are in is one of the toughest in baseball, and we will have to turn it up a notch.."

[dweaver99027]

Series: @ MINNESOTA Twins (2-4)

April 12,2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

5

@

MINNESOTA TWINS

1

Team Record: 3-5

Game Notes:

Inning 3 Bottom: RBI Stewart. 1-0

Inning 6: Top: Frank Thomas gets thrown out at 1st, but drives in Kendall from 3rd. 1-1

Inning 7: Top: RBI by Kotsay. 1-2

- Radke walks Kendall with the bases loaded. 1-3

- Long ball by Chavez, off the Metrodome's right wall, 2 runs scored. 1-5

Spectacular Loaiza leads the A's to another win...

Below: Esteban Loaiza had a great day on the mound, and aided by a once agin spectacular run support, went on to picth the entire game and allow only 1 run for the Twins. This combined with Eric Chavez' resurgence on offense, led the Oakland Athletics to a relatively easy win in the Metrodome...

Esteban Loaiza had a fantastic day on the mound, brimming with confidence and supported by an array of fielders always eager to go for teh Gold Glove play and make it happen. Despite a slow start on offense, the Athletics kicked their offense into play after the 6th inning, and, spearheaded by Eric Chavez and Frank Thomas in that department, proceeded to record a relatively easy second straight victory.

WP:E. Loaiza (1-0) LP: B. Radke (0-2)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 5R -11H - 0E

MIN 1R - 6H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

E.Loaiza 9.0 IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 3SO - Game's MVP

E. Chavez 3/5, 2RBI

B. Crosby 2/4

M. Kotsay 2/5, RBI

MIN:

S. Stewart 3/4, RBI

E. Durazo 2/4

Post-Game Quotes:

Est. Loaiza: " Feel sgood pitching a complete game and you team getting the win in the end. It all seemed effortless for me today, and I hope I can keep this form into the future.

Eric Chavez " It was a good game for us, we showed considtency on offense for a change, but it was Esteban who carried us on his back today. Goes to show you that Billy Beane sure knows what he's doing with the owner's money.

B. RadkeWe played very bad, and I was not nearly as good as I want to be. They killed us with timely hits and their pitching. Loaiza was just too much for our offense to cope with"

[dweaver99027]

April 13,2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

5

@

MINNESOTA TWINS

3

Team Record: 4-5

Game Notes:

Inning 3: Bottom: Shanon Stewart goes yard with a runner on second. 2-0

Inning 7: Top: Mark Kotsay hits a long drive to the left field wall with the bases loaded, and ampties them. 2-3

Bottom: Sac Fly by Rondell White. 3-3

Inning 8: Top: Milton Bradley hits a 2 run jack off of Gabe White. 3-5

Bradley's homer in the 8th gives A's their 3rd straight win...

Below: Shanon Stewart hit an early 2 run bomb to put his team ahead, and it was a constant battle in the basepaths with numerous double plays for both teams, until reliever Gabe White gave up the deciding homer to Milton Bradley in the top of the 8th...

Minnesota started this game off strong, witha 2 run homer by Shanon Stewart in the third, and from then on and up until the 8th, it was a constant infield battle and struggle on the bases, with many close calls being outs and a lot of hits turning into double plays due to some excellent fielding plays. It was only in the 8th that veteran reliever gabe White of the Twins came in the served up a meatball to Milton Bradley, who had no trouble whatsoever shooting it into the upper tier, and pretty much sealing the deal in this ballgame, giving the A's their 3rd consecutive win on the road...

WP:Danny Haren (2-0) LP: G. White (0-1) SV: H. Street (2)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 5R -9H - 0E

MIN 3R - 8H - 1E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

D. Haren 7.0 IP, 7H, 3R, 3ER, 1BB, 4SO - Game's co-MVP

F. Thomas 3/4

M. Bradley 2/4 , HR, 2RBI - Game's co-MVP

M. Kotsay 1/4, 3RBI

MIN:

T. Batista 3/4

S. Stewart 2/4, HR, 2RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Milton Bradley: " It was a very close game, and pretty nerve wrecking. I can't remember when was teh last time I've been in a game with so many double plays. What was it 8,9? Good thing is I helped the team get the W in the end.

Danny Haren " I felt bad about that bad pitch I threw in the 3rd, serving up that homer, but my run support and Milton bailed me out late in the game. We'll need to build on this 3 game winning streak and push harder to catch the Angels.

Gabe White:" I let the team down with that meat I threw, but in my career I've seen things like these happen in the bundle. I can't feel good, but me and teh team will get over it."

[dweaver99027]

April 14,2006

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

5

@

MINNESOTA TWINS

1

Team Record: 5-5

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Top: RBI by Jay Payton. 0-1

Inning 3: Bottom: Luis Castillo steals third, and then runs home despite Rondell White being thrown out at first. 1-1

Inning 9: Top: 2 outs, runners on 1st and 3rd, Mark Kotsay hits a line drive up the middle and drives a runner in. 1-2

- Joe Nathan walks Chavez with the bases loaded. 1-3

- Frank Thomas hits a long fly ball to right, barely misses the home run, but drives in 2 runners. 1-5

A's score 4 runs in the 9th, complete sweep of the Twins...

Below: It was a mano-a-mano duel between Kyle Lohse and Joe Blanton for six innings, a period during which only 1 run was scored by each team, and quite the number of batters were fanned. Veteran hitter Ruben Sierra tried to encourage his team to victory from the dugout, but in the 9th, the A's bench had the last laugh...

It started out as a pitchers' duel between Joe Blanton and Kyle Lohse, and it stayed that way for a little more than 6 innings. Relievers wqould carry the mantle for each team and the first pitcher to fold under pressure in this game was closer Joe Nathan, who gave up 4 runs in the top of the 9th and cost his team its 3rd straight defeat and a series sweep at the hands of the Athletics. Frank Thomas with a 2 out 2 run hit closed the deal for Oakland in the 9th, while Joe Kennedy had an excellent hitless 2 inning outing , his first adequate performance of teh season

WP:Joe Kennedy (1-1) LP: J. Nathan (0-1)

BOXSCORE:

OAK 5R -10H - 2E

MIN 1R - 4H - 0E

Stats of Note:

OAK:

J. Blanton 6.0 IP, 4H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 2SO - Game's co-MVP

M. Bradley 2/3

D. Johnson 2/4

MIN:

K. Lohse 6.1 IP, 6H. 1R. 1ER, 2 BB, 3SO

Post-Game Quotes:

Joe Blanton:" I had a good game for 6 innings, but so did the rest of the team. We struggled on offense for 8 innings, but luckily we scored 4 in the 9th and grabbed the win. We'll try to extend our winning streak...

Frank Thomas":It wasn't a beautiful game, but it was exciting. Neither us nor them could get anything started on offense, but our late inning explosion sealed the deal. We'll try and keep over .500 from now on.

Joe Nathan":Once again, we are let down late in the game. After holding them at bay for most of teh game, I go in and blow it, even if it was not a save situation. We'll be OK. "

[Traxis]

Great work, I'll definitely be following this. Good job getting back to .500.

[dweaver99027]

Great work, I'll definitely be following this. Good job getting back to .500.

Thanks. This game is a real challenge, with the MVP 06 mod and Pared's sliders. One mistake and wham!, you're getting hit hard. But I'm enjoying the realism.

Given the fact that I'm an A's fan, I won't give this up unless work becomes overly taxing on my time.

Thanks for posting, for a while I thought I only had one person alone watching this, lol.

[dweaver99027]

Series: vs. TEXAS Rangers (4-6)

April 15, 2006

TEXAS RANGERS

6

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

0

Team Record: 5-6

Game Notes:

Inning 2: Top: David Dellucci drives in Phil Nevin from second, with 1 out. 0-1

- Sac Fly over to the left by Rod Barajas. 0-2

- RBI double by DeAngelo Jimenez. 0-3

Inning 8: Top: RBI by Brad Wilkerson. 0-4

Inning 9: Top: Michael Young hits it for 2RBI off of Juan Cruz. 0-6

A's are shutout in their worst game of the season so far...

Below: The Colisseum was packed in this first home game against a divisional rival, but Kevin Millwood pitched a great game and Oakland's offense was nowhere to be found for the entire 9 innings, leading the Rangers to their second straight win....

This was easily the worst performance the Oakland Athletics have put out since the beginning of the regular season some 12 days ago. Batters were hitting it straight to the infielders, runners almost never got into scoring position and Barry Zito recorded his third straight loss for the year as he gave up 4 runs in 8 innings, but 3 in the second inning alone. Juan Cruz came in to pitch the 9th, gave up 2 more runs and the disaster was complete. The A's had an amazing 4 hits in the entire game, and they certainly could not hope to best one of the most potent offenses in the entire league with this offensive display of their own..

WP:Kevin Millwood (2-0) LP: B. Zito (0-3)

BOXSCORE:

TEX 6R - 10H - 1E

OAK 0R - 4H - 0E

Stats of Note:

TEX:

K. Millwood 7.2 IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 1BB, 2SO -- ( Game MVP )

D. Delucci 3/4, RBI

P. Nevin 2/4

OAK:

N. Swisher 2/4

Post-Game Quotes:

Barry Zito: "One more time, I just couldn't get a rhythm going on the mound. 3 losses for me to start the season is a tad too much. I really have to step it up, big time, if we are going to win this division.

Mark Swisher: "We couldn't hit a fastball with an ironing board today, that's how bad our hitting was. 4 hits in the entire game. It's just plain awful. I don't think this team has ever played so bad while I'm here.

Kevin Millwood:"Everything seemed to click for us, and we just grabbed the opportunity to get out of here today with the win. I had a very good day on teh mound, but I'm more happy that the team won."

[dweaver99027]

April 16, 2006

TEXAS RANGERS

3

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

2

Team Record: 5-7

Game Notes:

Inning 2: Bottom: Nick Swisher hits a 2 run bomb over the right. Home Run! 2-0

Inning 5: Top: 3 run homer by Michael Young. 2-3

Another abysmal offensive performance, another defeat...

Below: Nick Swisher helped make a good start to the game for the A's with a 2 run homer, but Chris Young answered soon after with a home run off of Rich Harden that put 3 runs on the table. Harden didn't give up any more runs, but was still saddled with the loss in the end, all the while Codero was getting his 4th save of the season...

Another incredubly poor offensive showing by the Athletics led to their 5th home defeat in 5 games, so far. After Nick Swisher's 2 run jack in the 2nd, Oakland struggled to get hits, much less runs, and a 3 run homer by reigning AL batting champion Chris Young made it 2-3 in the 5th, which proved to be the game's final score as well. It was a drab game all in all, and the team that was marginally less poor got the win today..

WP: Adam Eaton (2-1) LP: R. Harden (1-2) SV: F. Cordero (4)

BOXSCORE:

TEX 3R - 8H - 0E

OAK 2R - 5H - 0E

Stats of Note:

TEX:

M. Young 2/4, HR, 3RBI -- ( Game MVP )

D. Delucci 2/4

OAK:

M. Kotsay 2/3, BB

N. Swisher 1/4, HR, 2RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Rich Harden: "We played bad on offense, once more. Feels bad not having won at home in 5 games, this is for sure. We'll get them tomorrow.

Mark Swisher "Rich is right. He did his job, allowed only 3 runs, but we could not produce on offense. I don't know what's wrong, but we'll have to figure out soon before we fall way below the .500 mark.

Chris Young:" Both sides had poor offensive outings today, and the mere separating factor was that I had one more runner on base when I hit my home run than Nick Swisher did. I'm glad we won, but I'm not pleased by our performance."

[dweaver99027]

April 17, 2006

TEXAS RANGERS

3

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

4

Team Record: 6-7

Game Notes:

Inning 1: Top: Brad Wilkerson crushes Esteban Loaiza'a low changeup for a 2 run homer. 0-2

Inning 3: Top: Sac Fly by Delucci. 0-3

Bottom: Bases loaded, no outs, sac fly by Swisher. 1-3

Inning 4: Top: Loaiza injured. Looks like a torn rotator cuff. This is bad news.

RBI single by Kendall. 2-3

Inning 6: Triple by Kotsay, 2 runs batted in, A's grab the lead. 4-3

Loaiza goes down for the season, A's get comfort win...

Below: Esteban Loaiza started teh game giving up a home run to Brad wilkerson, but that was not the worse of the news to come for him. In the next pitxh he attempted to throw, he somehow overexerted himself and tore his rotator cuff, effectively ending his season in only his 3rd start. In the actual game, the A's managed to overcome Texas' early 3-0 lead and their manager's tossing by the umpire, by gradually tranforming hit sinto runs, stealing bases and gatting few, yet timely, hits....

The result of this game was greatly overshadowed by Esteban Loaiza's surgery requiring injury in his throwing arm's shoulder. His torn rotator cuff came in only his 3rd start of season, which rises questions of possibly poor preparation and conditioning. This is a great loss for the A's, who gave Loaiza 21 million for 3 years during the past offseason, and they now not only have losty one year out of their investemnt, but they also do not know if Loaiza will ever be able to fully be the same pitcher he was before the injury, taking under consideration his 34 years of age. In the game itself, Brad Wilkerson and David Delucci gave the Rangers an early 3-0 lead, but Oakland managed to scrape through 4 runs and get their first home win of the season...

WP: Kirk Saarloos (1-0) LP: V. Padilla (0-3) SV: H. Street (3)

BOXSCORE:

TEX 3R - 15H - 1E

OAK 4R - 9H - 0E

Stats of Note:

TEX:

B. Wilkerson 2/5, HR, 2RBI

M. Texeira 3/4

OAK:

M. Kotsay 3/5, 2RBI, 2B, 3B -- Game's MVP

E. Chavez 2/4

N. Swisher 1/1, RBI, R, 2BB

Post-Game Quotes:

Esteban Loaiza: " I'm not in the mood for any comments, guys. It hurts too bad right now. And not just the shoulder, if you know what I mean.

Mark Kotsay: " We won, but we're more concerned about Esteban's health at the moment. We learned he'll be out for the season, and the whole team wishes him the best. We'll be waiting for him to pitch again for us next year.

Brad Wilkerson:" We lost today, because we played poorly on offense in the second half of the game. This is becoming a worrying trend, and we need to adress the issue. The Texas Rangers wish Esteban Loaiza a speedy recovery."

--- BREAKING NEWS --- The fears have been ubfortunately validated. Esteban Loaiza has suffered a torn rotator cuff and will miss the entire season. The team wishes him a speedy recovery, and will await his return for the year 2007. Kirk Saarloos takes Loaiza's spot in the rotation, while veteran flamethrower Billy Koch has been called up from AAA Sacramento to fill Saarloos' void in the bullpen.

[rolliefingers08]

great job!

i plan on getting started again when the season rolls around with my a's dynasty

[Dom2662]

are u playin on Owner Mode or Dynasty Mode?

[dweaver99027]

Series: vs. DETROIT Tigers (6-7)

April 19, 2006

DETROIT TIGERS

5

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

3

Team Record: 6-8

Game Notes:

Inning 4: Top: With 2 outs, no one on base and a 1-2 count, Haren makes as mistake and Pudge Rodriguez blasts it over the center field wall. 0-1

Inning 5: Top: Magglio Ordonez hits it over th eright, barely inside thefoul pole. Home run. 0-2

-Logan drives in a guy from second. 0-3

- Tigers' sac fly. 0-4

Bottom: 2 outs, Chavez drives 2 in. 2-4

Inning 7 Bottom: Sac Fly by Bradley. 3-4

Inning 9: Sac Fly Ordonez. 3-5

A's batters struck out 12 times, Tigers notch 3rd straight win...

Below: Pudge Rodriguez hit the first solo shot scoring the first run of the game in the 4th, and led an offesnive surge for the visitors who had a 0-4 lead by the end of the 5th. Oakland tried to rally back, but the home side's batters were being struck out like flies throughout...

Another offensive sub-par performance led to another home defeat for teh struggling, so far, Athletics. The game started off slowly for both sides, with pitchers dominating, but Danny Haren lost it in the 4th and 5th, giving the Tigers a 4-0 lead, from which Oakland never really recovered. Wilfredo Ledesma started the game for the Tigers and fanned 8 batters, while Detroit had 12 K's altogether, never really giving the A's the chance to recover offensively.

.

WP:W. Ledesma (1-0) LP: D.Haren (2-1) SV: T. Jones (2)

BOXSCORE:

DET 5R - 8H - 0E

OAK 3R - 8H - 1E

Stats of Note:

DET:

W.Ledesma 6.0 IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 3BB, 8SO -- ( Game MVP )

I. Rodriguez 3/4, HR, RBI

M. Ordonez 1/4, HR, 2RBI

OAK:

E. Chavez 2/4, 2RBI

M. Scutaro 2/3

Post-Game Quotes:

Eric Chavez:"The offense is stil sub par. I do not know what is going on, we made a lot of acquisitions in teh winter to strengthen our lineup, but it has been me and the guys who have been here for some time who are not pulling their weight. Things will have to change.

Mark Kotsay "I'll have to agree with Eric. We rarely get any hits in the first couple of innings of games, and that's hurting us deeper into the ballgame. We'll have to work harder to shape things up."

Ivan Rodriguez:I am pleased, I played fine, and my team won. Wilfredo (Ledesma) did a nice job of keeping them honest with all those K's he threw, and he was the vital cog in our engine today."

[dweaver99027]

great job!

i plan on getting started again when the season rolls around with my a's dynasty

Thanks. I'll be waiting for your to start, as well.

are u playin on Owner Mode or Dynasty Mode?

Owner mode. I play this year's games at the Colisseum, but I'm moving to a new ballpark as of 2007.

[dweaver99027]

April 20, 2006

DETROIT TIGERS

4

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

10

Team Record: 7-8

Game Notes:

Inning 1 Top: Carlos Guillen blasts it for a solo shot over to the left. 0-1

- Sac Fly by Ordonez, Rodriguez reaches home from 3rd. 0-2

Inning 4: Bottom: Nick Swisher splits the outfielders and drives Milton Bradley home all the wat from 1st. 1-2

-RBI by Dan Johnson. Tie game, 2-2.

Inning 5: Bottom: Colon walks home a run,with no outs. 3-2

3RBI Hit by Milton Bradley turns into an unofficial inside the park grand slam home run after a throwing error. Rare indeed. 7-2

Inning 7: Bottom: RBI Swisher 8-2

Inning 8: 2 run blast from Ivan Rodriguez. 8-4

Bottom: 2 run homer by Eric Chavez, just over the center field wall. 10-4

Best offensive performance of the season, easy victory...

Below: The infield kept the score close for teh A's until the collective explosion of Swisher, Chavez and Bradley put them ahead for good, leading Joe Kennedy and him to exclamate iin relief after a series of poor offensive showings came to an end...

The Oakland Colisseum made a sigh of relief as A's fans saw their favorite team put up their best (and only good) offensive performance of the season and reached to an easy win over the Detroit Tigers. The visitors started off better, again, with Ivan Rodriguez and Carlos Guillen leading them to a 0-2 lead, but the trio of Eric Chavez, Milton Bradley and Nick Swisher continuously made good contact with teh ball and combined for the team's 8 out of 10 total runs.

.

WP:Joe Blanton (1-0) LP: R.Colon (0-2)

BOXSCORE:

DET 4R - 7H - 1E

OAK 10R -17H - 1E

Stats of Note:

DET:

I. Rodriguez 2/4, HR, RBI

C. Guillen 1/4, HR, RBI

OAK:

M. Bradley 3/3, 3RBI, BB -- Game's CO-MVP

E. Chavez 2/4, 3RBI, 2R

N. Swisher 4/4, 2RBI,2R -- Game's co-MVP

Post-Game Quotes:

Eric Chavez:" Feels good to finally find a groove on offense. 17 hits in 36 at bats is great, and having performances like this in the future is important for our success."

M. Bradley: " That felt good. I don'r remember ever hitting an inside teh park home run for 4 RBIs in the past, even though that error made it unoficial. Anyway, good thing is we won with our offense today, and we definitely needed to put the pressure off our pitching for a change. "

Ivan Rodriguez: They were too good for us today. We were way less than optimal both on offense and on defense, and it cost us a hands-down defeat. We'll be stronger tomorrow to close the series with a win"

[dweaver99027]

April 21, 2006

DETROIT TIGERS

1

@

OAKLAND ATHLETICS

5

Team Record: 8-8

Game Notes:

Inning 1 Bottom: sac Fly by Dan johnson. 1-0

Inning 3: Bottom: Kotsay hits teh ball 415 feet over to the right for a solo shot. 2-0

RBI by Swisher, Kendall reaches home from 2nd. 3-0

Double for 2RBI by Bobby Crosby. 5-0

Inning 8: Top: Ivan Rodriguez drives in a runner from second. 5-1

Zito remembers his 2002 days, gives A's the W...

Below: Barry Zito pitched the entire game and rarely made a single mistake, allowing only one run in 9 innings, therefore giving the chance to his once again underperforming offense to get the second home win of the season...

The Athletics reverted back to their lacklustre hitting days, but this time they were more than bailed out by Barry Zito's exceptional 9 inning - 1 run performance. Barry, reminiscent of his 2002 days perhaps, dominated almost every Tiger batter except Pudge Rodriguez, and got his first favorable decision of the regular season, after his disappointing 0-3 start.

WP:Barry Zito (1-3) J. Bonderman (0-4)

BOXSCORE:

DET 1R -11H - 0E

OAK 5R - 6H - 0E

Stats of Note:

DET:

I. Rodriguez 2/4, RBI

OAK:

B. Zito 9.0 IP, 11H, 1R, 1ER, 2BB, 8SO -- Game's MVP

B. Crosby 1/2, 2RBI, 2BB

N. Swisher 2/4, RBI

Post-Game Quotes:

Barry Zito :" I had a great game, and I'm happy I put that 0-3 start behind me. Hopefully thi smeans better days for the team, as well.

B. Crosby:" We had another sub par batting performance, too few hits, and most of our baserunners got in scoring position through base-on-balls. Thankfully, Barry was fantastic and saved us today. If he continues like this, we have too little to fear.

Jeremy Bonderman:" It was an unlucky game for us today, Zito factor aside. We got enough hits, but he seemed to get unhittable whenever we got into scoring position. That's a trait of a great pitcher."