Game 35: Big Surkamp, our cheap getaway ← FREE KRAUT!

Game 35: Big Surkamp, our cheap getaway 60

The situation is so bleak, even Thunderbutt’s enthusiasm is waning. That must mean the spectacular turnaround is imminent. Eric Surkamp’s improbable run to the Cy Young Award begins tonight on Getaway Night in Boston, with this thunderous lineup behind him facing the inconsistent but pretty good so far this year Rick Porcello:

Crisp DH, Burns CF, Reddick RF, Davis LF, Vogt C, Butler 1B, Alonso 3B, Semien SS, Coghlan 2B.

60 thoughts on “Game 35: Big Surkamp, our cheap getaway

  1. MikeV May 11,2016 3:43 pm

    Worse defensive infield possible, no?

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • doctorK May 11,2016 3:51 pm || Up

      Marcus is the best of the four – by a wide margin.

    • Soaker May 11,2016 4:04 pm || Up

      They could bring Callaspo back.

      What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
      • 5Aces May 11,2016 4:08 pm || Up

        They could play me at second.

        Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
  2. 5Aces May 11,2016 4:09 pm

    Whenever I think of games in Boston, I think of Monday night baseball when, for some reason, we had our reclamation project start against Roger Clemens.

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
    • doctorK May 11,2016 4:15 pm || Up

      I still remember how Jim Palmer kept slobbering over Clemens while dismissing Stew.

      (To be fair, the A’s were bad that season and the Red Sox were playoff-bound, but still…)

      • andeux May 11,2016 4:20 pm || Up

        Poor Stew had to pay someone on Crocker street to slobber over him.

        TINSTAAFK
        • FreeSeatUpgrade May 11,2016 4:40 pm || Up

          [Curt Schilling creates, posts meme to Facebook about Dave Stewart prowling the restrooms at Target Field]

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  3. FreeSeatUpgrade May 11,2016 4:41 pm

    Hey guys, the A’s are winning!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 4:47 pm || Up

      Nope

      • FreeSeatUpgrade May 11,2016 4:50 pm || Up

        I feel fairly sure that they’ll again be leading at some point in some game layer this month.

        "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Future Ed May 11,2016 4:52 pm || Up

        all part of the plan

        I have $5. No I don\'t.
  4. Future Ed May 11,2016 5:00 pm

    NOT LOSING!

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  5. Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 5:00 pm

    Khlutch!

  6. Future Ed May 11,2016 5:17 pm

    ……..

    chris fucking young

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  7. mother pucker May 11,2016 5:19 pm

    How is the top talent in the 2017 draft?

  8. Future Ed May 11,2016 5:37 pm

    gross

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  9. Soaker May 11,2016 5:38 pm

    I didn’t seriously think that record of 51 runs in 4 games would be in jeopardy, but that’s 44.

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Future Ed May 11,2016 5:41 pm || Up

      bloops like this will help

      I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 6:20 pm || Up

      Hard to see how it doesn’t get broken at this point.

      • Soaker May 11,2016 7:00 pm || Up

        Just scanning through the scores for big numbers, giving up 40 runs in a 4-game stretch is uncommon but it does happen, perhaps a dozen or so times in Oakland history.

        The 1955 Kansas City A’s had a stretch of giving up 68 runs in 5 games. They gave up 39 in 4 games and then capped it off by coughing up 29 to the White Sox in the fifth game. Best of all, those were the fifth through ninth games the Kansas City A’s had ever played after moving from Philadelphia.

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
    • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 7:17 pm || Up

      Boom. We made it.

      • Soaker May 11,2016 7:22 pm || Up

        What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  10. Future Ed May 11,2016 5:46 pm

    we all knew going into this series that sonny was the workhorse.

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  11. Soaker May 11,2016 6:18 pm

    This definitely has to be the final night of the Alonso at 3B experiment. Coghlan and Ladendorf in the infield if Valencia remains day-to-day.

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  12. Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 6:21 pm

    I have this vague recollection of pitching being the strength of this team a few weeks ago.

  13. Future Ed May 11,2016 6:26 pm

    Yeah. Maybe it was a good play, ken, but did we ever think Butler would beat it?

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
    • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 6:27 pm || Up

      He got him by like 10 steps. A lesser play only gets him by 5.

  14. Future Ed May 11,2016 7:26 pm

    comeback!

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  15. Soaker May 11,2016 7:29 pm

    On the way out of town, please dump most of this pitching staff into the harbor along with the tea. And Butler.

    What I discovered Blew. My. Mind. -- Pat Boone
  16. Future Ed May 11,2016 7:29 pm

    fuck! god dammit! shit!

    I have $5. No I don\'t.
  17. Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 7:37 pm

    I don’t want to overreact, but I think everybody needs to go. All the players, the coaches, Melvin, Forst, Beane, Wolff, Stomper…everybody.

    • andeux May 11,2016 7:39 pm || Up

      Me?

      TINSTAAFK
      • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 7:41 pm || Up

        Yes. Sorry. I’m packing up too.

        • AV May 11,2016 9:16 pm || Up

          [gets slumber-party supplies ready]

          *i’m* AV. alex vause. put this loon in psych before she hurts someone.
    • lenscrafters May 11,2016 9:25 pm || Up

      I’m understanding why, of all the Beane acolytes, no team ever made Forst an offer he couldn’t refuse. Granted he didn’t have much to work with this offseason.

      • Glorious Mundy May 11,2016 10:03 pm || Up

        Nothing has happened in the last two years to shake my belief that the last good run of front officing was mostly attributable to Zaidi.

        • FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 8:51 am || Up

          It really does feel like a lot more moves in last 2 years have been the high variance, wishcasting sort.

          This year, though, is a lot more suck by payroll design, small revenue plan that has not been a Beane approach very often.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  18. lenscrafters May 11,2016 9:23 pm

    This may be the worst team of the Beane era and I’m not even being hyperbolic. They’re near last or smack dab last in almost every possible baseball category. Even in the morose Geren years, they at least played competent defense and had decent pitching; this team simply can’t hit, can’t pitch, can’t defend.

    I’m glad I was dragged to that new Captain America movie, that was a far more entertaining 2 hours than having to pay attention to this.

    • dmoas May 12,2016 11:39 am || Up

      Well at least this time you can fully blame the players and/or the front office’s ability to choose players. In the Geren era, there was such a high fuck up management going on that even though the players were a major part of it, it was hard to distinguish it. But this is mid/late 90s A’s bad for me. During that time where our pitchers sucked such serious ass it was hard to give a shit about them let alone watch. But I think we need a regime change. Whether Beane/Forst is at fault or not is irrelevant, they’ve stagnated here.

      • Glorious Mundy May 12,2016 12:01 pm || Up

        I’ve been very resistant to saying this, because we could get end up with someone worse, but I have reached the point wanting a house cleaning. You just cannot be this bad. And you cannot be this bad and have a less than excellent farm system after trading away multiple all stars, including a cost-controlled MVP. It’s hard to overstate how badly they have damaged what they built in 2012-2013 with completely self-inflicted wounds.

        • dmoas May 13,2016 9:16 am || Up

          I’ve been done with them since the Donaldson trade. I don’t mind them trading him, but that was an abysmal trade from the get go. That wasn’t the first bad deal, but that just put a giant stamp on it. And their explanations have become dumber and dumber. We could get someone worse, but without the history of success with this organization, there would be a quicker hook rather than continue to accept mediocrity.

          • ptbnl May 13,2016 9:32 am || Up

            Though increasingly the “history of success” looks more and more a function of the luck (TINSTAAPP/health) of having the Big 3 on the cheap.

            If this is His will, He's a son of a bitch.
            • Glorious Mundy May 13,2016 10:25 am || Up

              I think that’s unfair, or at least it can be said about nearly every great team. Where would Brian Sabean be without having hit on Lincecum/Cain/Bumgarner? Beane deserves credit for picking Mulder, and then getting Haren for him before he broke. He deserves credit for picking Zito who was ready to dominate in the big leagues right away and never got hurt. And he built great teams around those guys on the relative cheap that could very easily have won multiple World Series.

              And then they made a ton of shrewd moves to build the 2012-July2014 juggernaut. Cespedes, Colon, Kazmir, Balfour, Crisp, Gomes, Moss, Vogt…those were all outstanding signings that were not obvious at all. Ditto getting Reddick for Bailey, or Parker and Cook for Cahill. And then things like turning Doolittle back into a pitcher and Donaldson into a third baseman. There’s a lot of luck involved of course, but that’s a hell of a track record.

              I think he’s lost the plot, but I won’t diminish his past successes.

              • dmoas May 13,2016 1:14 pm || Up

                His early success came heavily on the back of Alderson. He was a part of the lead in so it’s not like he just showed up and reaped the rewards. And our latest success was pretty incredible too. But I also believe people can stagnant. He could move on and find success again, but i think staying in Oakland is likely to just involve more the same as now with a flash here and there.

                • 5Aces May 13,2016 3:29 pm || Up

                  Not only CAN they stagnate, I think that is almost always the case. You give any coach/GM/manager enough time and everyone will tire of hearing his schtick.

                  At Fresno State, Pat Hill owned the town for half a decade. He still was eventually run out on a slow moving train. And after a couple of years away, I bet he would now be fresh and loved again.

                  Also, I have never felt Forst is worth a damn. The first times I ever remembered hearing about him was around the start of the Old Bob era, so I have always tied the 2 together.

                  Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
  19. 5Aces May 12,2016 3:38 pm

    I cant believe this. Checked my phone and our starter only lasted 4 innings against the off day??

    I’ll go back to work now…

    Camelot sure fell apart, didn't it? -Steve McCatty
  20. FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 6:05 pm

    Let’s go Sharks!

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
  21. FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 7:01 pm

    Excellent first period, Sharks flat dominated. Need to add on now.

    "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
    • FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 7:09 pm || Up

      Like that!

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
      • Thunderbutt May 12,2016 8:17 pm || Up

        All game. 4 on 1 lol

        There is always a score.
        • FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 8:54 pm || Up

          That was crazy, 60 minutes in complete command. Bring on the Blues.

          "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."
          • Glorious Mundy May 12,2016 10:28 pm || Up

            Conveniently scheduled not to overlap at all with the Warriors’ conference finals. I think I’ll clamber onto the bandwagon now if only to distract myself from the A’s.

            • MikeV May 12,2016 10:34 pm || Up

              quakes just beat houston 3-1.

              actually looked competent!

              And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

              Thanks, and go As.

    • mother pucker May 12,2016 11:12 pm || Up

      It is scary. Not taking anything for granted, but I really believe if they are playing at their best, they are the best team remaining. Defensively they are just so solid (minus game six), and Jones is such an upgrade over Niemi and tail-end of Nabokov. He’s such a calming presence back there.

      They have fallen behind 0-2 in every WCF in which they played. This would be a good fking time to change that!

  22. MikeV May 12,2016 10:44 pm

    If you consider the number of people involved, Santa being fake has got to be the largest cover up in human history.

    And I have to say: mikev is one of my favorite people on here -slusser.

    Thanks, and go As.

    • FreeSeatUpgrade May 12,2016 11:09 pm || Up

      The Papal Infallibility scam has 1,000 years on Santa. But no one really ever believed that one.

      "Kraut will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no kraut."

Leave a Reply