The finale of the road trip sees the A’s go for their eighth win in nine games. My quick and dirty research shows that the previous seven-win road trip was in 2005, a 7-3 run through Detroit, Baltimore and Anaheim from August 23-September 1. You can probably guess when the last eight-win trip happened: 10-0 in Cleveland, Detroit and Kansas City from August 19-28, 2002.
Tommy Milone faces Tyler Skaggs. Here’s your lineup for the Green and Gold:
Gentry 8, Lowrie DH, Donaldson 5, Cespedes 7, Norris 2, Callaspo 3, Punto 6, Moss 9, Sogard 4.
oops wrong meme :P
OK. I was wondering, what did I do wrong…is it now considered bad luck to put up a game thread before the bottom of the 2nd?
no no I was working on two things at once and crossed filenames. But you gotta admit my Primatology meme is kinds cute too.
21st Century Schizoid Scioscia
Heh.
(Also, where did your avatar go?)
I dunno!
MLBTV seems to be down.
Thanks, and go As.
It’s working for me
Working for me as well via the Roku.
Aren’t you blocked for being in area?
Technically.
Thanks, and go As.
Got it.
Hola Unblocker was failing. That VPN that JamesV mentioned a long time ago worked.
Thanks, and go As.
When MLB.tv wants to black me out, they just hire a tall guy to stand between me and the TV. He’s not even all that tall.
If the A’s sweep, some newspaper somewhere will call for Scioscia to be fired.
When the GM assembles a thin rotation together with a bad bullpen, the manager often pays the price.
Except that writers are generally a buncha Scioscialists.
That’s the only reason that guy keeps his job.
This Skaggs character reminds me of Mark Mulder.
gritty effort
Hey, Cowgill sighting. I remember when I thought he would be just as good as Carlos Gonzalez.
.354/.430/.554, 51:63 BB:K as a 25-yo in AAA PCL. Not sure what I saw in that. I must be thinking of somebody else.
Aaron Cunningham?
Thanks, and go As.
Oh yeah, that’s right. I thought Aaron Cunningham would be as good as CarGo.
I totally forgot he existed.
Well, he as a Cunning Pig, that one.
We upgraded from cunning to compliant pig.
Sometimes I forget CarGo exists, too. Then I remember and I get furious.
Do you remember Father Desme?
Oh, for
Pete’sGrant’s sake.Cunningham, Age 21, A+/AA:
.308/.375/.509, 54:89 BB:SO
Cargo, Age 20, A+/AA:
.289/.348/.543, 37:116 BB:SO
One-year age difference and a whole shitload of tools was basically the only difference.
Cunningham did indirectly lead to Kz so that’s….something.
Regrettable?
Regrettable is a thing.
Sogard ended up being the best player in that trade.
Mark Ellis lite.
I’m not looking at TV…is Collin Cowgill really wearing his hair like a middle school girl in 1982 or is it just his Gameday picture?
What is the purpose of Punto again?
He’s supposed to be a good enough fielder to sorta make up for his bat. I sure don’t see it so far.
Yeah, not seeing it either.
Slide headfirst into first base.
At some point in the season, he will make a veteran heads-up play in the field to win a game.
I was listening to that Mets-Dbacks game this afternoon and wondering, “What does Punto bring to the team that Cliffy wouldn’t?”
I tuned in to the Giants/Snakes to watch Hudson and get sad, and thought the exact same thing.
Pretty similar players, aren’t they. Except Cliffy straight up forgot how to hit a couple years ago.
A contract that’s a few hundred thousand less?
But if we kept Pennington we would not have had … oh. Right.
I am totally ok with Gentry playing full time over Reddick.
Giants ads during A’s broadcasts?! That’s bullshit.
They did it a few times last year too, awful.
A few times? Try every game.
I don’t remember that. If so, it certainly didn’t begin “hey Giants fans!”
On the other hand, on the local radio station down here, they actually have a commercial for a sports shop that mentions A’s players. I almost drove off the road when they said Cespedes. Then they said Reddick and a swung at a horrible pitch.
Past a diving Punto!
Yyyyyyyeeeeeeaaaaaahhhh…
Wow. That’s just fucking idiotic.
Talk about towing the company line all of a sudden. I don’t THINK he’s that stupid.
Well, you know, all these cancer issues could be cured by people not having cancer.
I’m sure he is a nice guy, but I hate Erick Aybar.
God, the A’s offense reminds me of those annoying Angels teams from 2002-2006.
On the other hand, I fk’ing love Mr. Callaspo.
Wow, that was a laser.
Holy smokes…that was obliterated.
I didn’t think that was going out, I thought it would drop in front of the RFer on a short-hop.
MOSS.
Thanks, and go As.
Fuck yeah!
Lefty vs. lefty, huh? Barton’s heart sinks a little bit.
8th place hitter FTW.
LIKE A BOSS!
Astros get two hits, a walk and an error from the Royals in the bottom of the 10th, do not score.
I’m unclear on how “playing first base” makes that any more difficult for Callaspo than a play at second or third.
The first base glove does take a little getting used to especially if you’ve used a typical infielder’s glove your entire life. But yeah, I like Callaspo, just not at first.
DH is a good fit.
I thought they could charge an error on that play, just not on a botched pivot.
They should regardless. You can’t assume a double play, but you sure as fuck can assume that if he catches and easy fucking throw, that would have been an out.
The scorer’s kneejerk reaction is always “can’t assume a double play” but that one clearly needs an error charged, even though there was no consequence for the pitcher.
For fun I switched on the Warriors game.
There are dozens of people in the arena.
Thanks, and go As.
Amused at SuSlu pointing this out:
Bullpen action pls.
This delay should help the bp get moving.
yep. good use of the challenge.
I would rather have Abad here than Otero…
This fking infield defense…
Sucks?
Callaspo sucks. I expect Keebs to have turned that.
It’s still the same FKing game even if you’re playing an unfamiliar position. Take the second out of the inning there.
Melvin had to be considering a mid-inning defensive substitution at first base. I can understand an outfielder not having a clue over there, but an infielder ought to be able to figure out the basics.
Has to be Barton for the last two innings now, at least.
This putrid exhibition probably saved Barton’s job, for the homestand at least.
Brandon Moss, like a gazelle.
Damn, you got home fast!
I would have preferred to have hung around and drunk sweet sweet victory beers. I hear those victory beers are sweet.
Soon my friend.
Game of inches.
Now seems like a good time to commence drinking.
I have no idea why Norris kept setting up outside when it’s clear that Otero’s sinker drifts back towards the plate. Even Fosse was commenting on how it would make sense to throw to jam Pujols inside.
Punto is seriously unimpressive.
How many fking outs do our pitchers have to get?
n+1
[groan]
I feel bad for Cookie right now…
The A’s deserve to lose this game.
That’s okay. The Angels deserve to lose this game more. They’ve failed to capitalize on our mistakes.
Bad defense all around tonight.
omfg.wtd.
what the deuce?
duck!
Fittingly, Cook gets them out of it himself.
Runs please.
3 outs please.
I’d prefer no runs given up over 3 outs right now.
sofa on the beach.
There’s no way the A’s could turn a DP.
Sigh.
i refuse to pay for any more baseball tonight.
I’m assuming Johnson is unavailable so that leaves Doolittle and Pomeranz?
25 and 41 pitches yesterday respectively.
Jed Lowrie, doubles machine.
Yojo.
BOOBIES
Also, I’m not sold on Gregerson as a closer.
Tough to blame him for the run in the 9th. The only really hard-hit ball was Freese’s for the third out.
How many times have the Angels had the winning run in scoring position this series? Like 6?
A’s runz mojo!!!
I shoulda stayed asleep.
Trout this year has been worth more than Moss, Lowrie, and Donaldson combined.
He’ll still lose the MVP to someone like Pedroia or Prince Fielder.
Gah…you can’t miss that.
Punto is fking terrible
.355 OBP and still -0.2 WAR.
That’s because he sucks.
Back in 2010, 2011 the A’s had a bunch of guys in the lineup who I would wish wouldn’t swing the bat when the count got to 2-1 or 3-1 because they’re pretty much only good for a walk. Punto is one of those guys.
Fk. Another opportunity pissed away.
We’re not too far from Trout just getting the Bonds treatment, are we?
Not enough home runs. And he can run too well to want to give him a free pass.
that is the problem. He is still a stealing machine. Like bonds with the pirates.
It would be different if Trout were hitting 50 – 60 HRs a year like Bonds was.
True. Although 40-45 HR wouldn’t surprise me this year.
That Pujols guy hitting behind him isn’t too bad either.
Pretty far, I think.
Trout has a 190 OPS+, which seems to be about typical MVP numbers (Cabrera last year, Pujols in his prime).
Bonds 2002 had a 268 OPS+.
That’s…a lot.
I’d walk the Poo Hole. Force them to run for him or suffer him slowing the bases.
Y’know who would have turned that into an out? Eric fucking Chavez, that’s who.
Please, he would have hurt himself in spring training.
I want to get on with the rest of my night A’s runz mojo!
Joe Smith.
No wonder he’s a nondescript reliever.
in for the 6th time in 7 games
Pomeranz is inching closer to passing Anderson in WAR, I think.
when anderson gets off the DL it will be just like getting an ace in a trade.
He is still with the A’s and on the DL, right?
gritty Lowrie is gritty
I’m thinking that jackass in the stands is distracting his own team’s pitcher there.
He was awful. On the other hand, he stuck around for the whole thing unlike 90% of the Angels fans, apparently.
“Lower part of the left cheek”. Thanks Ray.
the message from butcher: I know its a lefty on deck, but its reddick, don’t let this guy beat us
there are 6 batters before trout.
Just saying.
Really hating this game
Really maddening giving them three extra outs…turingin the batting over again for trout and pujols
Can we please just lose this one quickly so I can go to bed?
Seriously, I have an early meeting where I was planning to zone out, not fall asleep.
I blame you jerks for this loss.
thank you
Slider just reminds those dumbasses of food. And that’s really all they actually care about.
Well we’re getting Pomeranz stretched out at least
Is dooolittle available?
nevermind
Wow. I think Coco catches that.
Tough way to lose.
oh, christmas trees!
Splat. Thanks, infield defense.
Meh, A’s really did not play that well this series. I think they were lucky to get 2 out of 3.
Ok, fine. Deserved to lose that one.
yeah, its hard to feel bad, terrible defense, one run scoring inning. 7-2 on the road trip.
First place, best record in the league. It was tommy Milone starting.
Yet, I still feel bad.
How…how can I not now.
?
Got a glove on it, that would have been an incredible catch,
A’s losses:
-2 Jim Johnson specials
-2 Felix
-1 tonight played like shit and almost won.\
There’s a world where we are 13-2.
you forget, one of the felix games was barton error away from very different
Yahoo has the A’s winning 6-5 right now, courtesy of this play:
Those runners totally count double.
As long as they don’t pass Moss on their 2nd lap it’s OK, right?
As if our runners could manage not to do that.
The infield defense was painful to watch. I am surprised the A’s lasted as long as they did.
Tough way to end it, but a GREAT road trip overall.
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/mlb-likely-to-adjust-rules-regarding-home-plate-collisions-and-catches-041814
the home plate stuff was too confusing.
Very. The spirit of the rule is nice and all, the application of the rule requires a fundamental change that’s more or less impossible to apply. Hell, the best I can think is that the fielder can’t put two feet on the foul side of the baseline. You’d basically have to have a cut and dry thing to look at and not do in order to make something there work.