sfgiantsflgators Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Maybe it's cause I had him in a Devil Rays uni... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Well I'm sure he'll turn it around. I like him, so I'm not going to let him get into the "doghouse" and get traded or anything. Maybe I'll fool around with his ratings a tad to get him going again cause I want to keep him as my closer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom2662 Posted November 11, 2006 Share Posted November 11, 2006 Well I'm sure he'll turn it around. I like him, so I'm not going to let him get into the "doghouse" and get traded or anything. Maybe I'll fool around with his ratings a tad to get him going again cause I want to keep him as my closer. Thats what you should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Game 2 of 3: Detroit Tigers (7-7) @ Oakland Athletics (7-7) Tigers Squeak By 2-1 Left: Swisher dives in to score the A's only run of the game. Right: A dirty Tigers team leaves the field in victory. Nobody's eyes were glazed over or brains fried, but Joe Blanton had his eye on some cupcakes and getting his first win of the season on 4/20. Things went his way early on as he didn't give up a hit until the 3rd inning, and the A's spotted him a 1-0 lead when Nick Swisher doubled to lead off the 5th, and 2 outs later Jason Kendall singled him home. Blanton ran into trouble in the 7th though, already 1-1 with the bases loaded, he was relieved by Joe Kennedy who struck out the first batter, but then walked home the next before Justin Duchscherer came on and got them out of the inning. The A's couldn't strike back and Joel Zumaya closed it out to take the Tigers' 2nd win of the series. Clubhouse Talk: Macha: "I think we played a sound ballgame, but the Tigers did what it took to win in a close one, and we just couldn't do the same." Tomorrow: Barry Zito takes on Jeremy Bonderman and the A's hope to avoid being swept by the Tigers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Game 3 of 3: Detroit Tigers (8-7) @ Oakland Athletics (7- A's Come Out On Top In Pitchers Duel Left: Payton saves the day, robbing Polanco at the wall in the 6th. Right: Zito grimaces as he fires off a curveball on his final strikeout. Barry Zito and his 0.75 ERA took the mound against Jeremy Bonderman hoping to lower it even further. He was rolling early on, allowing just two hits in the first 5 innings. In the 6th he got a huge boost from Jay Payton, who made a leaping catch at the wall to save a Placido Polanco home run. Bonderman managed to top Zito through his first 6 innings, but the A's finally got on the sticks in the 7th. Nick Swisher led off with a single, and he was followed by Frank Thomas to put Swisher in scoring position. Eric Chavez walked to load the bases, and Jay Payton grounded out to first, plating Swisher and putting a run on the board. Dan Johnson flew out to right field and scored Antonio Perez, who pinch ran for Thomas, and the A's led 2-0. Huston Street was thrown right back into the fire in the 9th inning, and he struck out Curtis Granderson to lead off, then Polanco grounded out. After a walk to Carlos Guillen, Magglio Ordonez lined out to Chavez to end the game, avoiding the sweep and earning Street his 2nd save on the year. Clubhouse Talk: Curt Young (pitching coach): "We thought it would be best to just have Huston get right back in there. We know his attitude and the way he was brought up, and he went out there and did a great job for us." Tomorrow: The A's continue their homestand as the (insert SoCal location) Angels of (continue semi-humorous overused joke here) come to town. Rich Harden (1-1) matches up against John Lackey (3-0). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Sauerbeck Released Sauerbeck during a late Spring exhibition game in San Francisco The Oakland Athletics today decided to release left-handed pitcher Scott Sauerbeck. Signed as a free agent in Spring Training after being released by Cleveland, he was ineffective during the spring and had yet to get into a game with triple-A Sacramento. The A's will be forced to pay half of the $1 million remaining on his one-year contract. The 34-year-old Sauerbeck is 20-17 with a 3.82 ERA and five saves in 471 games over seven seasons with Pittsburgh, Boston, Cleveland and Oakland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 11, 2006 Author Share Posted November 11, 2006 Game 1 of 3: Los Angeles Angels (8- @ Oakland Athletics (8- Anderson & Controversy Make Deadly Combo Left: The television view of an A's rally in the 4th inning. Right: Thomas strikes out on a fastball from Rodriguez to end the game. Rich Harden and John Lackey continued the set of great pitching matchups at the Coliseum in this homestand, but only one brought his total A game, as Lackey struck out 5 and gave up just 4 hits in his 7 innings of work. Juan Rivera opened the scoring with a solo blast in the 2nd inning on a 2-2 splitter from Harden. The A's responded in the 4th, with Frank Thomas on 1st and Nick Swisher on 2nd, Milton Bradley hit a double into the left centerfield gap to score Swisher easily. Most guys would have made it home from first as well on the play, but despite a great effort, Thomas was thrown out at the plate by Garrett Anderson. The Angels tore up the bases on the day, stealing 4 including 2 from Chone Figgins. He singled with 2 outs in the 5th and once he took 2nd, Anderson singled him home for one of 3 RBI's on the day. Controversy in the in 6th came when Mark Kotsay doubled with 1 out. Swisher then hit a deep fly ball that Vladimir Guerrero caught on the run. Kotsay went halfway on contact, but then ran back to tag up when it appeared Guerrero would make the catch. As soon as the catch was made, Kotsay bolted for third. However on the catch, 2nd base ump Jim Joyce saw this on the catch: That INCH and fraction of a second in Kotsay's tagup ended an A's rally on a double play, as the Angels made a protest and the toss to 2nd confirmed it. A livid Kotsay and 3rd base coach Ron Washington tried to make a case, but to no avail as the call stood. A mental-error filled 7th brought in 2 more Angel runs and the Scot Shields-Francisco Rodriguez combo closed out the game as the A's dropped the 4-1 decision. Clubhouse Talk: Kotsay: "No doubt we were pissed off about the call, but now that we've cooled off a bit and seen a couple replays, we can tell the right call was made, no matter what we thought happened." Tomorrow: Esteban Loaiza (1-2) looks for his 2nd win against Kelvim Escobar (1-1). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfaninfla Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 I'd release Witasick and call up someone.....what are his full stats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 14, 2006 Author Share Posted November 14, 2006 Game 2 of 3: Los Angeles Angels (9- @ Oakland Athletics (8-9) Viva Los Kirk, Big Hurt No photos available for this game. Frank Thomas had been driving in the runs, but so far in his first season with the Oakland Athletics, he'd hit below .230 and only had 1 home run. Today he made a big splash into the hearts of A's fans however, with his team down 6-4 in the 9th, the Big Hurt blasted a cutter from Francisco Rodriguez deep into the left field seats to tie the game up at 6-6. In the 10th, with Marco Scutaro on 3rd base, Nick Swisher singled over the drawn in infield to win the game, 7-6 for the A's. Kirk Saarloos relieved Joe Kennedy and Esteban Loaiza in the 6th inning, and went on to earn the win with a stellar 4 and 1/3 innings pitched, giving up just 2 hits and walking 1, while striking out 2. Jason Kendall got the day off, and Adam Melhuse was brilliant in his place going 1 for 4 with a 3-run homer in the 2nd inning off Kelvim Escobar. Clubhouse Talk: Thomas: "I'm here to hit the ball, and so far this year it hasn't gone perfectly, but today felt amazing." Tomorrow: Danny Haren takes on Ervin Santana in the rubber match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 14, 2006 Author Share Posted November 14, 2006 Game 3 of 3: Los Angeles Angels (9-9) @ Oakland Athletics (9-9) Santana Sits Down A's Left: Haren catches Molina on a check swing in the 2nd inning. Right: Johnson saves the day with a great stretch on a throw from Crosby. Ervin Santana was absolutely on fire today as he 3-hit the A's on route to his first victory of the season. Danny Haren was not bad in his own right with 5 strikeouts and 4 hits over 6 innings, and he left the game down just 1-0. Kiko Calero made the mistake of pitching to Vladimir Guerrero and a lesson was learned as Vladdy went deep to make it 3-0. Santana continued to get groundball after groundball and his Angels cruised to an easy 3-0 win. Clubhouse Talk: Macha: "That Santana is a great young pitcher, but we certainly made him look good as well the way we were swinging." Tomorrow: The A's fly to Texas and take on another division rival in the Rangers. Kip Wells (2-0) faces the winless Joe Blanton (0-2). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abc006 Posted November 14, 2006 Share Posted November 14, 2006 great dynasty. really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Game 1 of 3: Oakland Athletics (9-10) @ Texas Rangers (8-11) DJ Drives A's Home Left: Young salutes after his homer made the game close in the 8th. Right: Johnson drives home a run with a single up the gut in the 4th. Joe Blanton managed to earn his first victory on the season for the A's as they downed the Texas Rangers 4-3. Dan Johnson drove in 2 runs along with Jason Kendall, and Huston Street had a quick 9th inning for his 3rd save on the year. Scoring began in the top of the 4th when Johnson singled home Eric Chavez to make it 1-0, and Kendall doubled to bring in Jay Payton after that. With the A's up 3-2 in the 8th, Johnson added some needed insurance with a solo home run, his first on the campaign to extend the lead to 4-2. Michael Young hit a homer for the Rangers in the bottom of the inning but it wasn't enough as Street closed the door in the 9th to bring the A's to .500 ONCE AGAIN. Clubhouse Talk: Johnson: "I've obviously been struggling so far this season hitting under .200, but it's good to help the team out and drive in a couple." Tomorrow: Barry Zito looks to continue his hot start against the Rangers ace Kevin Millwood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Unit Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Street with a nice save there. Things will come around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (10-10) @ Texas Rangers (8-12) Payton Pays Off Left: Zito buckles the knees of Lee for a second time in the game. Right: Payton connects for a triple in the 6th inning, scoring two on the play. Kevin Millwood hardly had his ace material on the evening as the A's defeated him for a 2nd time this season. Barry Zito ran his shutout streak to 25 innings with a solid 7 innings of work, striking out 4 Rangers and allowing 8 hits. Jay Payton was the real story on the day for the A's. With Jason Kendall and Mark Kotsay on base, Payton tripled to the right centerfield gap to score both runners and take a 2-0 lead. In the 6th, with the score already 5-0, he did the exact same thing this time into the left centerfield gap and made it 7-0 A's. Frank Thomas hit the top of the wall in the 7th inning to score another run, and managed to make it into 2nd despite thinking he had a home run under his belt, and jogging it most of the way. (or was it a Frank Thomas sprint?) Zito cruised right through the 7th inning, despite having runners on nearly every inning, managing to induce three double plays behind him, and freezing a couple with his nasty curveball to get out of jams. Jay Witasick threw a scoreless 8th and 9th to preserve the shutout. Clubhouse Talk: Zito: "It seems like every pitch I throw, it's headed away from their bat or right into the hands of Mark (Ellis) for two." Tomorrow: Rich Harden (1-2) goes for the sweep against Adam Eaton (2-2). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Game 3 of 3: Oakland Athletics (11-10) @ Texas Rangers (8-13) Kendall, A's Sweep Away Rangers Left: Lee is disgusted by the play of the Rangers. Right: Meanwhile, the A's are all smiles as they'll be hitting the bar tonight. Rich Harden took to the hill looking to even his record on the season and give the A's a boost into sweeping the Rangers, and taking sole posession of first in the AL West. He did just that in striking out 4 batters over 6 innings while allowing just 2 runs on 5 hits. The real story of the day was the offense once again, as Jason Kendall hit a 3-run home run, his first homer since July 27, 2004. Dan Johnson drove in a couple with a 2-run shot in the 6th inning and Nick Swisher doubled and hit a solo jack for his 6th and 7th RBIs on the year. Frank Thomas, Bobby Crosby, and Mark Kotsay also homered, as Adam Eaton and Robinson Tejeda both gave up back to back jacks in consecutive innings. Joe Kennedy picked up the save in throwing 3 scoreless innings. Clubhouse Talk: Macha: "It's great to have a series like this, but we can't get too far ahead of ourselves." Tomorrow: The A's have an off day before they hit the road to Kansas City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Loaiza Scratched Loaiza throwing earlier this season The Oakland Athletics announced this morning that right hander Esteban Loaiza has been scratched from his start on Thursday night against the Kansas City Royals due to a calf strain. Loaiza suffered the injury during his off-day throwing routine in Texas, and will be sidelined for 3-4 days. Danny Haren (0-1) will take his place, as with the off-day it would be his regularly scheduled day to pitch. Loaiza will likely be returned to his current spot in the rotation when it comes around again, and will not throw for 5 days for precautionary reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfaninfla Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Was that a real (one that happened in game) injury or did you just make it up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 Made it up of course, because guys can't get injured when they're not playing. But I just like to throw things in there like that... add some realism... and I just felt like skipping Loaiza. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cubsfaninfla Posted November 15, 2006 Share Posted November 15, 2006 Ha....Dan Johnson isn't doing too well either...are you thinking of sending him down or benching him? Of course, he could be improving with that 2 for 4 game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Share Posted November 15, 2006 DJ's leash has shortened, but he's not too near the end of it, as he's just starting to come around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Game 1 of 3: Oakland Athletics (12-10) @ Kansas City Royals (9-11) Big Hurt Puts Down The Royals Left: Kendall takes home plate easily as Berroa throws it away. Right: Thomas watches his 3-run shot leave the park in the 6th inning. Danny Haren was on the mound in place of the injured Esteban Loaiza, and his counterpart was the Royals "ace" Scott Elarton. The A's got off to a quick start in the first inning, with Jason Kendall on third base, Nick Swisher hit an easy grounder to Angel Berroa, who decided to throw home but was way off target, scoring Kendall easily and making it 1-0. In the 6th inning Frank Thomas decided to break it open, hitting a 3-run home run on a pitch that Elarton left waaay up in the zone, making it 4-0 A's. Haren was cruising meanwhile, using the fielders behind him on his way to a complete game performance for his first win of the season. Clubhouse Talk: Thomas: "A pitch like that, I gotta hit it out. It's great to finally be contributing more regularily." Tomorrow: Joe Blanton goes up against... who cares. Some useless KC pitcher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 A's Announce Player Of The Month Awards The Oakland Athletics today announced their minor league and major league Player of the Month Award winners. Starting pitcher Mike Rogers and third baseman Vasili Spanos are the single-A Stockton Ports players of the month. Rogers went 4-0 with a 2.25 ERA, while Spanos hit .339 with 2 homers and 8 RBI's. Righty starter Brad Sullivan and left fielder Brian Stavisky were the double-A Midland Rockhounds players of the month. Sullivan went 4-0 with a 1.35 ERA in 4 starts. Stavisky hit 4 homers and drove in 13 runs in April. First baseman Daric Barton and relief pitcher Kaz Tadano earned player of the month awards for the triple-A Sacramento River Cats. Barton hit .368 with 2 homers and 8 RBI's, while Tadano went 2-1 with a 0.94 ERA in just under 19 innings of work. Right fielder Milton Bradley was the A's hitter of the month, with a solid .345 average and 11 RBI's in the month of April. Barry Zito was unquestionably the pitcher of the month. Zito went 4-0 with a 0.48 ERA, and had a shutout streak of 27 innings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abc006 Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 getting better by every post. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolliefingers08 Posted November 18, 2006 Author Share Posted November 18, 2006 Game 2 of 3: Oakland Athletics (13-10) @ Kansas City Royals (9-12) Not Such A Royal Night In KC Left: Sanders tosses his bat after hitting a 3-run bomb off Blanton in the 4th. Right: Kendall has an ugly strikeout during a 7th inning rally. Joe Blanton hoped to get his 2nd straight win against former Athletic Mark Redman, but it wasn't meant to be as the Royals pounced all over Cupcakes in the early going. David DeJesus hit a solo home run in the first inning to make it 1-0, but the real damage came in the 4th. Mark Grudzielanek took Blanton deep with a couple runners on to make it a 4-4 tie, and Reggie Standers did the exact game thing with 2 runners on to extend the lead to 7-4. Eric Chavez responded in the 7th with a solo homer of his own, but Jason Kendall struck out with the bases loaded to end a 7th inning rally and the A's hopes in the game, as they dropped it 7-5 to the Royals. Clubhouse Talk: Blanton: "It was ugly out there. I left everything hanging in the sweet spot. Someone turned my variable stuff option on in MVP, because ugly is the only way to describe it." Tomorrow: Barry Zito looks to stay unbeaten in the rubber match of the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeyMcM93 Posted November 18, 2006 Share Posted November 18, 2006 Ouch, 7-5. Really liking this dynasty. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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