I dunno. Has your life turned from a gritty street drama into a lighthearted sitcom since you moved?
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
no it’s actually MORE gritty street drama now. I was just referencing the “too blessed to stress” axiom popular with the evangelical Josh Hamiltons of the world.
Never suck on a Blow Pop with the microphone open.
Its funny, they are going through all sorts of numbers that shiuld make me feel good about him, but I cant think of a single start where there wasnt at keast 1 inning of “jesus whats his problem?”.
He’s been good at stuff that’s hard to repeat, like limiting BABIP/opponent BAA and avg with RISP. Not stuff that actually matters like strikeouts and limiting walks and home runs.
Oh yeah, I just remembered the play that I was uncertain on. Is it a BIP when they catch a foul popup for an out? (Trout, for the second out in the top of the 4th) I think I forgot to count it the first time around. It’s not a fielding independent outcome, but it is a situation where bad fielding doesn’t necessarily lead to a bad outcome. Anyway, I agree with 5/17.
Look at it this way: if we can somehow score a bunch and win this game, the Angels will leave town so demoralized that Scioscia may commandeer their plane on the runway and roll it off into the Bay.
Never suck on a Blow Pop with the microphone open.
If I am reading this right, his wOBA of .309 would rank him right around 12th/13th across the entire MLB. For comparison, Brandon Phillips also has a wOBA of .309.
wRC+ for the year now up to 99.
I’d still like to upgrade MI, but am starting to believe that just getting a different righty for him to platoon with might be enough.
He went through the entire bat rack and pulled out bats and threw them back in, shook em, twisted em, slammed em, then we scored a run!
It was epic, I try not to use that word a lot because it is abused, but it is entirely warranted here.
In hypothetical situations where the A’s may drive in Moss and potentially deliver the W to Parker, the scorekeeper should have discretion over to whom the W goes.
I am – my flight was diverted when Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, and several other airports were shut last night due to extreme weather. Unfortunately I arrived too late to get in touch, and am in the airport waiting to leave now.
Lufthansa’s systems are amazingly unprepared to deal with this. We were all given a number to call to rebook, but because the Munich flight had taken off from Dublin the computer considered it to have been completed (even though we weren’t in Munich) and the phone agents couldn’t confirm any re-bookings. In my case it got worse because I am connecting to a different reservation, still on a Lufthansa flight but operated by Air Dolomiti and booked through United; that made the computer crash.
Damn, where did you sleep then? Next time give me a call (check your mail, I’ve sent you something a few months ago, answer, and I’ll mail you the phone number). We are just a 20 minute cab drive from the airport.
They put us up in the Park Hotel. By the time I’d dealt with the agents it was gone midnight and I was up again at 5:30 – thanks for the offer, and if there had been more time you would certainly have received an email!
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
Is now a good time to say that Smith is ‘due’ to go down and work on his swing, while A’s bring up Choice to see whether he can add value down the stretch?
The meaning of life is not so much found, as it is Made. -- Opus
I would say Choice could handle going 0-74 or whatever Smith is at now.
The amazing thing is Seth’s still batting .250, I’m not much for average necessarily but when you look at the lineup…
.087 for July
BABIP:
Mar/Apr .390
May .328
June .345 July .125
As I watch the last charred vestiges of the LAA’s 2013 season flicker away, I am reminded of the ESPN and MLBN punditry’s systematic slobbery gobbling of the Angels’ collective nob during the offseason, because lo and behold the rich team signed the rich guy to the rich contract and that means the rich team is clearly going to richly win the World Series. Sounds a bit rich right now… makes me dare to think that if you’re getting paid to talk about MLB on TV, you should at least be able to come up with something more insightful that what the schmuck in the back row of the cheap seats might say.
Never suck on a Blow Pop with the microphone open.
I would assert that the purpose of the TV MLB pundits is not to offer valuable analysis and/or insights, but rather to validate the uninformed opinions of said cheap seat back row schmuck.
I would additionally assert that the overall program pretty much civilization-wide is to use mass media to proscribe a propagandized and inviolable alternate reality in the mind of the back-row dweller that wealth must always equate to success and desire fulfillment.
Never suck on a Blow Pop with the microphone open.
The Angels are really impressive when there are no games being played.
The Pujols signing certainly worried me, although less so because I didn’t think the A’s would be any good. And Trout, despite his inability to cope with the Coliseum sun, is an extraordinary talent.
But those guys were on the Angels last year, and their big addition was Hamilton, who fell apart last year. His struggles this season aren’t a big shock. The automatic assumption that the Angels were the favorites, or co-favorites with the Rangers, seemed an exercise in very faulty logic.
I never got why the thought was they needed more bats. I never heard they were a weak hitting team. That being said, the names scared me enough that I did think it would be a 3 team race provided we did our part.
I noticed a lot of movement in Donaldson’s setup today – waggling the bat, the exaggerated toe lift, and the extreme cocking of the barrel. I seem to recall some of these movements earlier in the year but not to such a high degree. Anyone else think his approach is a little different?
Seems like he calls an okay game though, also is is 100 average for a catcher?
I guess a better question is, is it weighted for position, oddly I’ve never thought about it.
101 after yesterday’s game. Still mostly coincidence, of course. But so far I really like Vogt.
Weird small sample batting line (.217/.240/.522) but he makes solid contact (only 3 Ks, lots of hard hit balls), so I’d expect the BA/OBP to come up even as the ISO goes down.
Defensively, not really sure he’s been tested much, but he seems fine, so probably better than Jaso there.
All in all, not a bad LH half of our catcher platoon, at least until Jaso is fully recovered.
Nvm. This was a suspended game from a while ago that was being restarted today. Gameday just had Gray’s name in the box score because he started the game from that day.
That is a silly price, if true. I don’t know for certain that Peavy would necessarily be better than Gray this year. Don’t get me wrong. I would like to get Peavy, but he’s an injury-prone pitcher who isn’t that much better than the guys the A’s have now.
I doubt the A’s are much an option for Kenrick, but he is now owed as much as I thought. Price is probably too high, though. Oh, and whole intra-division thing. Nevertheless, all things remaining equal this will be the 2nd season in the past three years that has been a top five offensive contributor for 2Bmen.
So, I am 2:0 on the game threads this year, following the same pattern – fall behind AL West rival in a series clinching opportunity game, go to bed, wake up to victory.
Gotta say this quickly and hit the sack: with the A’s opening a big-time lead on the Rangers, another pitcher makes very good sense as one looks forward to short-series October ball.
Yeah – not to be an eeyore, but as fun as this team’s regular season is I don’t see them going far in October with the current lineup. Too many cold bats, defensive gaffs and iffy starters.
I don’t either, which is the dilemma of this team. They have enough pitching depth, excellent relievers and timely hitting to build this lead, helped mightily by the Rangers’ struggles of late, but it is hard to see them getting past more than one round of the playoffs.
But how does one solve that problem? A stud pitcher would help, of course, but that pitcher has to be pitching well in October and, if necessary, September to be useful. So that’s risky, and the Rangers probably already got the best starter available – steep price notwithstanding.
Besides, the A’s aren’t really a team that can afford to mortgage the future for one roll of the dice. Shoot, maybe Colon remains dominant and unsuspended, Anderson returns in excellent form by October, and someone else pitches very well in the playoffs. And maybe our underperforming hitters get hot at the right time. Crazier things have happened.
IDK, the Giants did it last year and they didn’t really seem all that special.
Tigers said we were way tougher than the Yankees, then they unceremoniously bent over for the Giants.
I still think if Verlander hadn’t had a 24″ zone, things might have been different.
I don’t know. The Cardinals have a very good hitting team, bona fide ace in Wainwright, decent 2-4 starters and bunch of talent in the upper minors that could step up if needed in September/October.
Yeah, they aren’t playing good baseball right now, but they’ve still opened up a comfortable lead in the division. Assuming they fix stuff, this can only be a good thing.
They may not be as good a team as they looked earlier in the year, but they’re still a threat. Playoffs being the crapshoot they are, I do worry about facing a Tampa Bay or Detroit with those pitching staffs, but you never know what will happen.
Not to say that Beane should ignore opportunities to make the team better for this year in particular. But I still think that luck plays a bigger role in a playoff series than having a top-heavy pitching rotation.
If luck plays a bigger role in a playoff series than roster construction, then the most undervalued thing in playoff baseball is active luck manipulation. Passive luck manipulation is everywhere in good luck charms, bracelets, clothing, and passive prayer. I figure it kinda cancels itself out for the most part because both teams and their fans are engaged in the practice, and it’s a low-energy practice anyway.
I have strong faith and mild intellectual confidence that the higher-energy practices of purification rituals and the casting of spells/magickal will/collective consciousness manipulation/timestream manipulation are useful tools in the minds and hearts of those who are able to believe or suspend disbelief.
If the playoffs are a crapshoot, the answer is to load the dice in advance.
Symbolically, all we need is a sunhat, some tainted birdseed, and a tiger trap. I’m not worried about the humans or their hosiery stylings.
\"Weren\'t you already aware the Kay is already writing everyone\'s story? We\'re all just characters who believe we are real. Things make more sense now, don\'t they. Be honest.\"- DMOAS
I’m coming to the conclusion (like every other year, why does it take me a couple weeks?) all trade rumors are bullshit, hurry up Billy, this is sorta stressful.
Hello Cowgill in the box
What’s the color of your sox?
Are you up this time to stay?
Or are you just quadruple=A?
Off the bench now, it is no shame
But with the Slegna is it the same?
It’s the Oakland in you that makes you want to play this game?
Do we know whether Hatteberg wants this gig full time? This is my first stretch of seeing him in more than the occasional clip, and I must say he is excellent in just about every regard. I wonder whether this is just a case of them not wanting to force out Fosse, or if Hattie also might not want the six month grind.
Mrs doctorK thought that Brennaman was a blow-hard (I tended to agree). Also, the comments they made about A’s fans not being hard-core (“Ask a typical fan to name the A’s starters, and they probably can’t name more than three”) showed they obviously did not do any homework before the broadcast.
It’s interesting to me that here on FK, we seem to love Hatteberg (I greatly prefer him to Ray), while on the fb page for CT, everybody seems to hate him.
Obviously, this site has a much-much-higher baseball IQ than your typical failbook user.
I got into this briefly with someone on Twitter earlier. He says:
“O god, Sogard batting 2nd. Ooo he’s hit well for a week or two, let’s bat him 2nd!! He’s still just Sogard which is… not that good”
I say:
“If that’s the case you capitalize on it as long as you can. And, he’s actually not been a liability lately.”
He answers:
“But the problem is this isnt the real him. Who’s to say he doesnt come back to Earth today? He’s not good and should bat 9th”
Me:
“We really don’t know what the real him is right now. And, an 0-fer today won’t make the decision a mistake. Just the same, a couple hits won’t make it the right move. Things take time. At this point he’s earning his starts and he’s not hurting them. Lastly, he’s about league average right now and on a hot streak. They’re right to try to make the most of it.”
Here’s the thing – people bitch and moan about Melvin (or, really, ANY manager) leaving someone in the same spot higher in the order for “too long” when he’s struggling, but when someone at the bottom of the order is hitting well it’s suddenly a terrible idea to bump him up higher in the order, even if it’s only for a few games?
I agree with you, I actually prefer Reddick lower down the order.
Kinda wonder how many consecutive starts Keebs has ever had in the bigs, always platooned.
Yeah, and the other part of it? If you’re going to move somebody down, somebody else has to move up. Maybe that doesn’t always mean 9 to 2, but I don’t see the harm in trying to get Sogard an extra PA for the time being.
I’m at a total loss of who to root for re: the TEX/LAA matchup.
I know it should be the slegnA, but…
It’s as bad as a NYY/ BOS game for me, but it effects us directly so I can’t turn away from it, moth meet flame…
One good thing about having huge hands is that my splitfinger has the potential to be devastating. Why did I ever hit?— Jeremy Barfield (@Baseclogger) July 30, 2013
Why don’t we have any All Stars? Didn’t get enough Vogts.
I know you are thinking SNL, but today I read it and decide they are looking for their “ancient Chinese secret”.
yup
Our lineup is shockingly low on suckage.
Who knew that the priciest A’s tickets would be for the Saturday, Aug. 16 game against Cleveland? Darned Cedpedes bobblehead…
6-0 Native Muricans’, bottom 8!
The Rangers do have 3 days to trade Garza again…
Heh!
nice
although, a hasty, low leverage trade made in total panic, overpaying much in order to make it this year would also be nice
Ha, amazing, love the pirate/ Nick Fury eagle!
Fuck yeah!
1 out to go!
Five and a half!
I am surprised at the Rangers’ offensive ineptitude of late. It makes the A’s lineup seem like Murderer’s Row.
If I walk around the neighborhood nekkid as a jaybird, and the cops stop me, can I claim that I am “too undressed to stress”?
I dunno. Has your life turned from a gritty street drama into a lighthearted sitcom since you moved?
no it’s actually MORE gritty street drama now. I was just referencing the “too blessed to stress” axiom popular with the evangelical Josh Hamiltons of the world.
130 million dollar payroll and J.B Shuck is your DH.
Parker, strikes…
I’m starting to agree with andeux’s point about Parker currently being the worst in the rotation.
Most frustrating.
Probly tied w/ Milone.
Its funny, they are going through all sorts of numbers that shiuld make me feel good about him, but I cant think of a single start where there wasnt at keast 1 inning of “jesus whats his problem?”.
He’s been good at stuff that’s hard to repeat, like limiting BABIP/opponent BAA and avg with RISP. Not stuff that actually matters like strikeouts and limiting walks and home runs.
Not today though.
750 BABIP so far today
BABIP update: down to 714 (regression to the mean, obvs)
Parker final BABIP line (assuming I calculated it right): 312 (5/16)
VOROS WAS RIGHT!!1!
Not 5/17?
I counted pretty fast. Could have easily missed one.
Box score says 27 BF, 7 BB, 3 K, 0 HBP, 0 HR, 0 SH (I am not even sure if they go in, IIRC some count them, some don’t).
Is that all or am I missing something?
Oh yeah, I just remembered the play that I was uncertain on. Is it a BIP when they catch a foul popup for an out? (Trout, for the second out in the top of the 4th) I think I forgot to count it the first time around. It’s not a fielding independent outcome, but it is a situation where bad fielding doesn’t necessarily lead to a bad outcome. Anyway, I agree with 5/17.
I’m pretty sure they count it. It’s a little like with the errors, where a dropped foul ball will make the potential run from that batter unearned.
btw, check your e-mail
NOICE
NOT NOICE
Parker is rather frustrating.
I hope we can get something out of JCS and Otero today.
Parker is going to have to suck it up and give the A’s a few innings.
Hanson is hittable, but I’m assuming this is a loss.
I don’t think Parker’s ERA is going down for a 16th straight game today.
Not unless he pitches 11 innings or so without allowing any more runs.
This is going poorly, outs please…
Stop ruining my Sunday, Parker.
Simmer down boys, we’re still in this.
hee
I can’t believe the only two guys Parker has gotten so far are Trout and Hamilton.
6 A’s runz mojo.
I will not despair.
hee!
Hanson’s pitching motion looks painful.
Maybe we DO need Jake Peavy.
Bring him home boys.
JD is due.
IDK about that one Blue.
Tighten up Parker, quick outs.
Look at it this way: if we can somehow score a bunch and win this game, the Angels will leave town so demoralized that Scioscia may commandeer their plane on the runway and roll it off into the Bay.
MF’r…
Aybar…
I’m out. Better things to do.
A tough play no doubt, but Reddick really mistimed that jump.
If Parker was a horse, we’d be thinking of shooting him right about now.
Eh, I’d be inclined to cut him a break if he had the excuse of not having any fingers.
Games like this make me wonder what the purpose is of any sort of pregame warmup.
DP pls, pls, pleeeeaaase.
Actually, need moar Hamilton
I talk about Cespedes needing to make adjustments but damn, Hamilton.
Ugh.
I guess one upside to this is it may bring us closer to Peavy?
Good things mojo.
A couple of runs and we’re back in this.
[slaps inner Eeyore]
On a day Texas loses, we can only feel so hopeless.
Parker got a leadoff hitter out!
A’s runz Mojo!
6 A’s runz, nice start.
Keebs!
Elf mojo!
I’m interested in what the numbers say about this, but the eye/gut test has been thinking highly of Sogard for a little while now.
If I am reading this right, his wOBA of .309 would rank him right around 12th/13th across the entire MLB. For comparison, Brandon Phillips also has a wOBA of .309.
wRC+ for the year now up to 99.
I’d still like to upgrade MI, but am starting to believe that just getting a different righty for him to platoon with might be enough.
Thanks (to you and MP). Trying to educate myself by poking around Fangraphs a bit myself, as well.
I don’t feel like he’s a liability.
Make it happen boys, A’s RUNZ, Son of Donald is D U E for greatness.
Brandon mojo.
It would be an excellent time for Cespedes to find his stroke.
Yes!
(pedes)
FUCKYESFUCKYESFUCKYESFUCKYES
Yoenis, please, DO SOMETHING GOOD.
Don’t think I have to say that if there was a good time for Cespedes to make his presence known, it’s now.
That will do, Yoenis.
Cespe-YES!
Finally.
SeXy FeEt!
Back in the game
whut?
He went through the entire bat rack and pulled out bats and threw them back in, shook em, twisted em, slammed em, then we scored a run!
It was epic, I try not to use that word a lot because it is abused, but it is entirely warranted here.
Gif or STFU
I saw it, it’s true.
It was pretty good.
Thanks for shaking the bats Norris. #jobu
Do this Redd, MOJO!
You would think against a pitcher with zero control, Reddick might consider not swinging at clear balls?
That makes too much sense for him.
Got some pitches, got some runz, were back in it.
ZOMG WUTS RONG WITH TIMMEH
Mojotown.
If Tommy f’ing Hanzon cannot break Theth out of his thlump, what will?
…nice pitch.
Relevant (possibly mildly NSFW language).
Seth…
Okay time to bench Smith.
bench = trade
Just a lickle’ hit can lead to runs mojo.
Elf Power.
That’s funny, CSN. I see 89 as the year the A’s swept the Gnats.
Okay, after that from Jarrod, it is seriously time to take the lead here A’s.
Top of the order MOJO.
Knock him out this inning.
Holey Carp, have you guys seen the new Jumbotron Coco shirt?
Sooooo beautiful, A’s marketing scores one on that one.
Let’s fucking DO THIS, mojo!
Lame.
Brojo
Yikes. Ugly AB by JD.
Wooo! One moar Yo.
So close though.
Just a hit Yo, just a hit.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Hell.ya.
Ahh, that Coliseum sun.
Ball of fire in the sky mojo!
LOL Trout
Once again Cespedes NOT running it out.
That is shitty, but i can’t get too pissed.
I have to agree there. Run the damned ball out.
Yup.
Need more eye-black Meathead.
We’ll take it! New ballgame.
In hypothetical situations where the A’s may drive in Moss and potentially deliver the W to Parker, the scorekeeper should have discretion over to whom the W goes.
Trout?
Works for me.
Take the lead A’s mojo!
#6 would be kind fitting today Reddick huh?
It would be, if he could lay off those ankle-high pitches.
Come on. How about NOT a leadoff walk?
Get bailed out by your offense, walk Cowgill on four pitches.
Another 4-pitch walk. Hook needed ASAP.
Yup
Yeah, he had settled down nicely, but now I’ve seen about enough of him for today.
Parker hasn’t had shit all day. Melvin was really playing with fire having him start the 6th.
And he didn’t even have someone warming up.
Get him the fk out of there.
JFC, Parker.
Two batters too late.
Yep.
I also hate bringing in Chavez with men on.
Get Peavy and his <2BB/9 here.
Why go to Chavez here over say Doolittle?
Because managers are fking clueless about leverage.
I wasn’t supposed to be in Stuttgart tonight.
Are you, or am I missing a joke?
I am – my flight was diverted when Munich, Frankfurt, Vienna, and several other airports were shut last night due to extreme weather. Unfortunately I arrived too late to get in touch, and am in the airport waiting to leave now.
Lufthansa’s systems are amazingly unprepared to deal with this. We were all given a number to call to rebook, but because the Munich flight had taken off from Dublin the computer considered it to have been completed (even though we weren’t in Munich) and the phone agents couldn’t confirm any re-bookings. In my case it got worse because I am connecting to a different reservation, still on a Lufthansa flight but operated by Air Dolomiti and booked through United; that made the computer crash.
Damn, where did you sleep then? Next time give me a call (check your mail, I’ve sent you something a few months ago, answer, and I’ll mail you the phone number). We are just a 20 minute cab drive from the airport.
They put us up in the Park Hotel. By the time I’d dealt with the agents it was gone midnight and I was up again at 5:30 – thanks for the offer, and if there had been more time you would certainly have received an email!
DP pls.
You got the double half of it …
gddmnit
Aybar is 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, and two walks. baaaarrfff
fail
Fuck Jarrod, way to shit the bed…
Walk Trout.
This.
Or strike him out. That’ll do.
Didn’t see that coming…
Wow, huge.
One more out pls.
Melvin should have had two people warming up when Jarrod went out.
Other successful teams do this all the time.
Thanks a fk’ing lot Parker.
Nice job by Chavez
Yup, kudos.
I don’t hate him. And will always remember his 5.1 scoreless
Whew, that could’ve been worse.
And on a side note, fuck Erick Aybar. Terrible fking hitter but he always kills us.
Just saw that fangraphs does live stats for the day. Aybar has a 617 wRC+ going right now.
Nuts.
RALLY CAPS MOJO!
Smith again?
Due?
regression M O J O
Win the fight!
Well done.
Nice PA! Also, I just noticed that there have been 11 runs scored (so far) in this game on just 10 hits.
Smith should have walked a few pitches earlier, but he got on base.
So close, ugh…
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
LOLLAAoAOF
HARHARHARHARHAR
That’s some Angelols defense there.
I’m so glad they got Hamilton
Take the lead boys!
DONE
Love the no-chance throw home to give Keebs second.
IKR!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
LOLSlegna
Trout apparently couldn’t play in Oakland.
Can’t wait to look at the Fangraph for this game later.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Ok. I am officially a Keebs fan.
I vote to remove any mention of Sogard within the Sogales label.
+1
this
His Elf status has hereby been re-instated.
KEEBS
Just hit it far Jed and hope it drops mojo!
Thx!
JED
Heh. All the OFs fail.
I took mlb.tv off mute for the Lowrie AB, only to find out I have been referring to Calhoun as Cowgill all game. My bad.
Today’s strategy seems to be “hit it to the Angels outfielders and wait for them to screw it up.” It’s working.
Bottom of the 6th 1 out, and it is 3:47.
7 lob for Hamilton so far.
There was a second during that collision when I thought Trout might become an EXACT Mantle replica. Glad it seems like no biggie.
that could have been really ugly, glad no one was kneecapped
There is no sprinkler head in the Oakland outfield.
is it bad that I giddily read the HH game thread during the pitching change?
You may be a schaudenfrauddict…
Hee
nice!
bring em’ home JD.
It would be good for Donaldson’s frame of mind, and the A’s chances of winning, if he could drive in this run.
Or at least take a walk.
I’ll take that too, now steal second.
Time for a Moss blast.
Brawny!
FK YEAH MOSS
The last dying gasps of the 2013 slegnA. Take it in folks.
And on the other side of the bay the Cubs complete the sweep.
Blatantly stolen from Scout mbd: how’d the A’s take the lead? Angels in the Outfield.
win
Let’s go Yo!
He’s back folks!
I REALLY hope so.
That right center field drive was awesome. He had a quite a few of those last year, if I remember.
SEXY FEET
This game has become pretty fun.
I don’t know what is going on here.
Ces was so nice and short to that ball, need to see TONS more of that with 2 strikes from his ass :)
Moss continues his underappreciated good season.
Cespedes hits a nice opposite field rope.
Gawd, the Angels just seem pathetic right now.
Smith due.
Is now a good time to say that Smith is ‘due’ to go down and work on his swing, while A’s bring up Choice to see whether he can add value down the stretch?
I would say Choice could handle going 0-74 or whatever Smith is at now.
The amazing thing is Seth’s still batting .250, I’m not much for average necessarily but when you look at the lineup…
.087 for July
BABIP:
Mar/Apr .390
May .328
June .345
July .125
Yeah — my real hope is keeping CY off the playoff roster. Choice hitting well for two months might do that.
Cupcakes on the mound.
In the bullpen, for now.
Oh yeah sorry, that’s what I meant, little mound?
Cupcakes on the mound.
Cupcakes on the mound.
Everybody’s hungry but there’s
Cupcakes on the mound.
So I stayed at the gym extra…I’ll go back if I have to…
Give me 20!
Soon.
And in the time it took us to get through (not quite) 6 innings, the Cubs completed their sweep of the Giants.
Its a wonderful thing.
If the Giants fall apart too much, they’ll have another nice high draft pick. Last time that happened, they got Posey.
Since I’m blatantly stealing stuff today, from AN:
heh
Seth Smith still has a swiss cheese bat.
He was so good earlier in the season. Right now, the A’s have been able to afford him being lousy.
He worked a nice count at least, bah.
It would be nice to avoid using Cook and Balfour in this game.
I’d love another three innings from JCS/Otero.
The beer vendors must’ve loved that last inning.
Except for the fact none of the Angels players could go get any yet.
…or maybe they already DID.
Stop nibbling Jesse
G’dammit.
Mrs doctorK: “That’s the only thing that matters in baseball – what Derek Jeter did today.”
I love this woman!
I’m enjoying the leadership qualities Josh Hamilton has brought to the Angels outfield this season. He’s taught them well.
As I watch the last charred vestiges of the LAA’s 2013 season flicker away, I am reminded of the ESPN and MLBN punditry’s systematic slobbery gobbling of the Angels’ collective nob during the offseason, because lo and behold the rich team signed the rich guy to the rich contract and that means the rich team is clearly going to richly win the World Series. Sounds a bit rich right now… makes me dare to think that if you’re getting paid to talk about MLB on TV, you should at least be able to come up with something more insightful that what the schmuck in the back row of the cheap seats might say.
I would assert that the purpose of the TV MLB pundits is not to offer valuable analysis and/or insights, but rather to validate the uninformed opinions of said cheap seat back row schmuck.
I would additionally assert that the overall program pretty much civilization-wide is to use mass media to proscribe a propagandized and inviolable alternate reality in the mind of the back-row dweller that wealth must always equate to success and desire fulfillment.
The Angels are really impressive when there are no games being played.
The Pujols signing certainly worried me, although less so because I didn’t think the A’s would be any good. And Trout, despite his inability to cope with the Coliseum sun, is an extraordinary talent.
But those guys were on the Angels last year, and their big addition was Hamilton, who fell apart last year. His struggles this season aren’t a big shock. The automatic assumption that the Angels were the favorites, or co-favorites with the Rangers, seemed an exercise in very faulty logic.
I never got why the thought was they needed more bats. I never heard they were a weak hitting team. That being said, the names scared me enough that I did think it would be a 3 team race provided we did our part.
vargas was a good pick up, wilson vargas weaver are solid. Hansen was a lotto pick, blanto was desperation, and Williams is a worse Idea than blanton
Wow. Blanton’s gameday mugshot.
Cupcakes
Glen: “He’s got a magic wand going folks…”
Keebs is sporting a not-quite-Aybarian wRC+ of 406 on the day.
So who pitches the ninth?
Otero, perhaps?
Donaldson and Smith are really struggling. It looks like Donaldson’s swings have gotten loopier, as Reddick’s are prone to do.
I noticed a lot of movement in Donaldson’s setup today – waggling the bat, the exaggerated toe lift, and the extreme cocking of the barrel. I seem to recall some of these movements earlier in the year but not to such a high degree. Anyone else think his approach is a little different?
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/07/28/witness-says-tanner-scheppers-lost-a-bar-fight/
So, he wasn’t sucker-punched, he was soccer-punched.
Josh Hamilton swings at balls out of the zone like he is smoking crack again, terrible ABs.
I need to make assumptions that the A’s are likely losers more often.
slegnA one out away from being sub-Mariner by 2 games, 7 games under .500, 12.5 games out of 1st, 8.5 out of 2nd WC.
Done!
Season fizzles…
That was the thumbnail…
+6 in the AL West.
6 ahead, 19 above!!!
Hee!
Source: FanGraphs
Fk..
I for one am glad the Slegna decided to: a) not re-sign Greinke, b) move Santana, c) deal Morales for Vargas.
That whole Haren and Greinke thing worked out rather well for us, I think.
We’ll reap the rewards of the Pujols and Hamilton deals for years to come.
And then, they’ll be traded to the Giants
Hrm, coincidence or value?
78 wRC+ says coincidence.
But intangibles! I keed, I keed.
Seems like he calls an okay game though, also is is 100 average for a catcher?
I guess a better question is, is it weighted for position, oddly I’ve never thought about it.
No, wRC+ is park and league adjusted, but not adjusted for position. So a catcher with 100 wRC+ is good. Norris is currently at 98, Jaso is at 120(!)
Catcher is actually a position of strength for the 2013 A’s.
Well I’llll beeee.
(Offensively).
yeah
I would like to believe there is some sorta operational-error in that Norris number.
101 after yesterday’s game. Still mostly coincidence, of course. But so far I really like Vogt.
Weird small sample batting line (.217/.240/.522) but he makes solid contact (only 3 Ks, lots of hard hit balls), so I’d expect the BA/OBP to come up even as the ISO goes down.
Defensively, not really sure he’s been tested much, but he seems fine, so probably better than Jaso there.
All in all, not a bad LH half of our catcher platoon, at least until Jaso is fully recovered.
Nice, he’s hit some deep to CF that hung just a bit too much, if he can translate 70% of the abuse he laid on AAA I’d be pretty excited.
Sonny Gray was just pulled from his start today 2 batters in.
Fk, please don’t trade him.
Hopefully he’s filling in for one of the SP’s if they get traded.
That said his SSS makes him look like a monster, .40% K/ 6.7BB, 14.3 SwStr, 1.84 xFIP/ 21 FIP-. LOL
Nvm. This was a suspended game from a while ago that was being restarted today. Gameday just had Gray’s name in the box score because he started the game from that day.
DONT DO THAT!!!
I’d rather we are just driving up Texas’ price.
Cubbies get Profar.
#honkbal
Looks like our sponsor has a bit of fire in him.
That’s pretty badass.
That is a silly price, if true. I don’t know for certain that Peavy would necessarily be better than Gray this year. Don’t get me wrong. I would like to get Peavy, but he’s an injury-prone pitcher who isn’t that much better than the guys the A’s have now.
I’m sorry but that’s fucking ridiculous.
I was unaware that Peavy was superior to both Greinke and Sabathia.
That would have cost us bearly.
Heh!!!
Which is the complete contract. Or are they figuring in the 2015 player option, as well?
No way is that even a reasonable price
I’m w/ Dan-bot
Hee!
Sounds as if Santana is likely unavailable.
Caption competition:
Not a caption, but you have to give it to Trout – he looks athletic even when colliding. Hamilton, on the other hand…
Kid ‘n (can’t) Play?
Not the “kick like a mule” Hamilton was hoping for.
Angels in the Outfield
Yes.
Aybar, Kenrick likely available?
I doubt the A’s are much an option for Kenrick, but he is now owed as much as I thought. Price is probably too high, though. Oh, and whole intra-division thing. Nevertheless, all things remaining equal this will be the 2nd season in the past three years that has been a top five offensive contributor for 2Bmen.
So, I am 2:0 on the game threads this year, following the same pattern – fall behind AL West rival in a series clinching opportunity game, go to bed, wake up to victory.
But is it a repeatable skill?
Need bigger sample size, see you on August 4th
Can he step on the clutch?
Gotta say this quickly and hit the sack: with the A’s opening a big-time lead on the Rangers, another pitcher makes very good sense as one looks forward to short-series October ball.
Yeah – not to be an eeyore, but as fun as this team’s regular season is I don’t see them going far in October with the current lineup. Too many cold bats, defensive gaffs and iffy starters.
You forgot passed balls, ugh.
We can’t continue being this bad, I hope.
I don’t either, which is the dilemma of this team. They have enough pitching depth, excellent relievers and timely hitting to build this lead, helped mightily by the Rangers’ struggles of late, but it is hard to see them getting past more than one round of the playoffs.
But how does one solve that problem? A stud pitcher would help, of course, but that pitcher has to be pitching well in October and, if necessary, September to be useful. So that’s risky, and the Rangers probably already got the best starter available – steep price notwithstanding.
Besides, the A’s aren’t really a team that can afford to mortgage the future for one roll of the dice. Shoot, maybe Colon remains dominant and unsuspended, Anderson returns in excellent form by October, and someone else pitches very well in the playoffs. And maybe our underperforming hitters get hot at the right time. Crazier things have happened.
IDK, the Giants did it last year and they didn’t really seem all that special.
Tigers said we were way tougher than the Yankees, then they unceremoniously bent over for the Giants.
I still think if Verlander hadn’t had a 24″ zone, things might have been different.
The DCS and LCS concern me much more than the WS.
dodgers seem tough now, but not so much the central and lol the east
I don’t know. The Cardinals have a very good hitting team, bona fide ace in Wainwright, decent 2-4 starters and bunch of talent in the upper minors that could step up if needed in September/October.
this
My position is this:
Yeah, they aren’t playing good baseball right now, but they’ve still opened up a comfortable lead in the division. Assuming they fix stuff, this can only be a good thing.
They may not be as good a team as they looked earlier in the year, but they’re still a threat. Playoffs being the crapshoot they are, I do worry about facing a Tampa Bay or Detroit with those pitching staffs, but you never know what will happen.
Hey, they could be playing like the Giants.
This, exactly.
Not to say that Beane should ignore opportunities to make the team better for this year in particular. But I still think that luck plays a bigger role in a playoff series than having a top-heavy pitching rotation.
Agree. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have luck on top of good starting pitching
My sense from recent years is that having a strong 1-2 that you can throw 4 times in a 7-game series helps significantly.
If luck plays a bigger role in a playoff series than roster construction, then the most undervalued thing in playoff baseball is active luck manipulation. Passive luck manipulation is everywhere in good luck charms, bracelets, clothing, and passive prayer. I figure it kinda cancels itself out for the most part because both teams and their fans are engaged in the practice, and it’s a low-energy practice anyway.
I have strong faith and mild intellectual confidence that the higher-energy practices of purification rituals and the casting of spells/magickal will/collective consciousness manipulation/timestream manipulation are useful tools in the minds and hearts of those who are able to believe or suspend disbelief.
If the playoffs are a crapshoot, the answer is to load the dice in advance.
Symbolically, all we need is a sunhat, some tainted birdseed, and a tiger trap. I’m not worried about the humans or their hosiery stylings.
active luck manipulation… a euphemism not heard since 1919?
Oh, I would suspect it’s been used in Palo Alto more recently than that.
Snerk
I’m coming to the conclusion (like every other year, why does it take me a couple weeks?) all trade rumors are bullshit, hurry up Billy, this is sorta stressful.
Hello Cowgill in the box
What’s the color of your sox?
Are you up this time to stay?
Or are you just quadruple=A?
Off the bench now, it is no shame
But with the Slegna is it the same?
It’s the Oakland in you that makes you want to play this game?
(apologies to Mr. Young)
Excellent!
<3
PTBaitL
The six words I wish I didn’t have to say at NASA:
why do you hate sharing you cocaine with others?
They only snort moon-dust at NASA.
thats the good stuff
Certainly beats huffing jupiter-fluid.
Nice shirt.
http://instagram.com/p/cU9BLdgDX4/#
So much for snooty Giants fans who claim nobody ever cares about the A’s.
Then again, the A’s did once do this:
Is that real? If so, I hope the A’s get a cut of the revenue due the trademark infringement.
do they know what that phrase means?
IKR, perplexing.
Do we know whether Hatteberg wants this gig full time? This is my first stretch of seeing him in more than the occasional clip, and I must say he is excellent in just about every regard. I wonder whether this is just a case of them not wanting to force out Fosse, or if Hattie also might not want the six month grind.
I have to say I even enjoyed the Brennaman/Byrnes broadcast of Saturday, relative to our folksy know-nothings.
Mrs doctorK thought that Brennaman was a blow-hard (I tended to agree). Also, the comments they made about A’s fans not being hard-core (“Ask a typical fan to name the A’s starters, and they probably can’t name more than three”) showed they obviously did not do any homework before the broadcast.
He’s basically the definition of a blow-hard.
Try asking that of fans period, anyone but outliers doesn’t know that shit.
I didn’t necessarily read that as ask an A fan, but more of how A’s have a good team yet no stars with national recognition
I remember that discussion, but wasn’t it ask an average baseball fan, not ask an A’s fan?
Pretty sure it was the “average” fan, yes.
It’s interesting to me that here on FK, we seem to love Hatteberg (I greatly prefer him to Ray), while on the fb page for CT, everybody seems to hate him.
Obviously, this site has a much-much-higher baseball IQ than your typical failbook user.
Those people are presumably really into Chris Townsend, so…
win hella win
This
Seems that Keebs has gotten himself “promoted” to the 2-hole. I love the guy, but I worry about the Peter Principle here.
Oof. No. #9 is just fine.
Teehee
As long as it’s not third option.
I got into this briefly with someone on Twitter earlier. He says:
“O god, Sogard batting 2nd. Ooo he’s hit well for a week or two, let’s bat him 2nd!! He’s still just Sogard which is… not that good”
I say:
“If that’s the case you capitalize on it as long as you can. And, he’s actually not been a liability lately.”
He answers:
“But the problem is this isnt the real him. Who’s to say he doesnt come back to Earth today? He’s not good and should bat 9th”
Me:
“We really don’t know what the real him is right now. And, an 0-fer today won’t make the decision a mistake. Just the same, a couple hits won’t make it the right move. Things take time. At this point he’s earning his starts and he’s not hurting them. Lastly, he’s about league average right now and on a hot streak. They’re right to try to make the most of it.”
Here’s the thing – people bitch and moan about Melvin (or, really, ANY manager) leaving someone in the same spot higher in the order for “too long” when he’s struggling, but when someone at the bottom of the order is hitting well it’s suddenly a terrible idea to bump him up higher in the order, even if it’s only for a few games?
I agree with you, I actually prefer Reddick lower down the order.
Kinda wonder how many consecutive starts Keebs has ever had in the bigs, always platooned.
Yeah, and the other part of it? If you’re going to move somebody down, somebody else has to move up. Maybe that doesn’t always mean 9 to 2, but I don’t see the harm in trying to get Sogard an extra PA for the time being.
It’s not a huge deal for me, but if the A’s lose a close one tonight, and Sogard bats in the ninth but Lowrie and Cespedes don’t, that’s bad.
That would depend on what each of them do in the game.
Against these Blue Jays it may not matter at all…
Good time to try it, then!
Matt Garza’s beard is really gross looking
up close.fixed that for you
I’m at a total loss of who to root for re: the TEX/LAA matchup.
I know it should be the slegnA, but…
It’s as bad as a NYY/ BOS game for me, but it effects us directly so I can’t turn away from it, moth meet flame…
I’m rooting for the Rangers never to score again.
And for Garza to pitch like Chan Ho Park in Arlington (not happening so far).
And on cue, he gives up a bomb to a guy who hadn’t homered since 2010.
Beat me to it!!!!
Two years without homering in the PCL. Wow.
Wish him the fucking best.
You didn’t. That was the problem.
Ooo burn!
asvd
Heh
Hamilton scores two more LAA up 3, bottom 6.
Angels bullpen in the game with a 2-run lead, so chalk this up as a win for the Rangers.
Also, Cotts gives up 2 singles to start the 8th, Angles load the bases, then crap out…
Rays ahead 2-1 in the 9th @ Fenway!
Heh, trains running on time, it’s now 3-2.
We have Scioscia face.
Bwahahaha!
Rays win it!
Beachy : 3.2 IP, 7ER, 1B, 5K, 2HR
So glad I dropped you for a $1 Xander Boegarts…
Our teams look alike
Now tell me you picked up Stephenson, Glasnow, Franco and Salazar this year…
My major offseason acquisitions were:
McCann, James
Stella, Tommy La
Romero, Stefen
Roach, Donn
Hoover, J.J.
What can I say, it’s a deep league (24 teams, 53 non-injured players per team)
Digging deep, I see.
Take a chance on a European
Keebs in 2 spot, uh huh!
LOL
over at HH, they’re doing all the hard work for us.
Hahahaha
Love