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73 thoughts on “Game Thread: The A’s and O’s are Playing Base-Ball Again”
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Grossallis?
Gross uber alles.
“Bunton.” Nice.
I think Ken just said that Geren says most of Barton’s bunts are done on his own.
I like Barton as a player, but I’ve always had the impression (even before the swimming pool incident) that he isn’t the sharpest crayon in the box.
Criminy.
how about geren going up to Barton and saying, not it the fuck off.
Given his lineup constructions and in-game tactical moves, I don’t think he’d want to.
My impression from watching Barton this year is that he’s very invested in being a conspicuously good teammate: lots of extra-vigorous high-fives, combination fist pump/warrior screams, and so forth. And since “sacrifice bunt = good teammate” is embedded deep in the baseball player ethos, I’ve sort of assumed that he was taking it upon himself to do this.
I don’t remember the specific game, but I’m pretty sure that earlier in the year Geren chastised him in the dugout after one such demonstration of selflessness (and that even Fosse seconded the chastisement, albeit mildly).
Here it is: 4/30, top of the 1st, nobody out, Pennington on 2nd. I was wrong about Fosse, though: he was full of excuses, ranging from the A’s having lots of guys on the DL to Barton not being able to pull Morrow. I should have known better, as Ray criticizing a sacrifice is approximately as improbable as an asteroid smashing into Manhattan, or a Tom Tancredo/Michelle Obama love affair.
It would be nice if the A’s hitters would do something to support my claim that they don’t suck.
Gross angry. Gross smash.
Gross uber mauer
Wes Obermueller
Yahoo! Overlord
Tangentially, the auto-refresh is great but if you set the radio buttons to something different from your default it doesn’t persist when reloading a page, which makes them kind of redundant. I’d be perfectly happy with just setting the value once in my preferences and leaving at that.
I like having mine set at 5, but being able to change to 30 if I want to update frequently
TWHWHS
Boy, did that inning sound bad and stupid
WTF did Rajai just do?
Say what now?!
Just another routine 4-3-6-2 DP.
But 3 outs … double play + Rajai getting caught in a run-down?
No, there was a Suzuki fly out after that that Yahoo missed.
Gio meltdown in 3…2…
God, I hate this team sometimes.
Gio meltdown in 3…2…
1
Trainman is a fucking idiot. This team isn’t going to the playoffs with this offense.
Ok, that’s it for today’s rant.
Well, the M’s aren’t going to the playoffs with their offense, the Rangers aren’t going to the playoffs with their pitching, and the Slegna aren’t going to the playoffs with their offense, defense, and pitching …
The Rangers’ pitching is good.
Nevermind. We’re going to the playoffs. Kz for MVP. I love Trainman.
Given that the A’s look with grave suspicion on any post-Galen medical advancements, it would probably be too much to ask that they send Gio to a sports psychologist.
New nickname: stinking bear
Sacramento would appreciate having Tyson Ross added to its rotation. John Halama and Lenny DiNardo are holding down two of the spots right now.
It seems like he should either be a starter in Sacto or a short reliever (only) in Oakland.
Why does sweeney continue to bat third? Whay does Suzuki continue to bat 4th?
Because they’re only 2%-4% below average!
Way to miss the point.
What I mean to say is, it’s actually because they’re middle of the order run producers!
Heh. You forgot “clutch.”
Oh, no, I got the point — I was just yanking your chain there. I don’t think I’ve expressed objections to those 2 being in the middle of the order (or disputed that they’re basically the third and fourth best hitters on the team). Have I?
I don’t understand what the problem with that is.
Oh, Bob, Bob, Bob …
O-fer fox sake.
What we mean to say is, good job, Bob, PHing a middle of the order run producer!
Whoo hoo! If the A’s can continue keeping all their batted balls within the O’s infield, this game’s in the bag!
Speaking as someone who started following this game in the middle of this inning, the A’s have a great offense.
Hoorah!
This is the greatest lineup ever.
Kzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!
Wait, did they actually just IBB Gross to get to Rosales with a LHP on the mound?
Righty on the mound.
No, Yahoo says Meredith relieved Hendrickson before that. (Score another one for redundant online sources)
huh. Gameday thinks Hendrickson is pitching the top of the 9th.
Goodness gracious, this game has become far more enjoyable than it was just twenty minutes ago.
Wow, that’s a hell of a stat from the TV guys: 25% of runs Baltimore has allowed in 2010 have come in the 8th inning or later.
Uh … 2/9=22%
So, 2-4% below league average, then.
{chuckle}
And allow for extra innings …
In fairness, the Orioles don’t get to pitch the bottom of the 9th all that often in their road games.
Plus there may be extra innings. On the other hand, as soaker says you don’t always pitch the ninth, and generally you have your best relievers in late.
As it turns out, league average is around 20%. So for each 12 runs the average team gives up in 1-7, they give up 3 more in 8– (3/15 =20%). For each 12 runs the Orioles give up in 1-7, they give up 4 in 8–. (4/16=25%). So even if their pitching is average early in the game (ha) it is 33% worse than average in the late innings.
But haven’t the O’s lost 3 closers (nominally their “best” relievers) to injury this year? (doesn’t mitigate the pot perf but does explain/excuse it.) and aren’t starters in aggregate better performers than relievers? And what’s the SD of runs allowed for, what would that be, 80 or so innings so far?
Relievers in aggregate are about half a run per 9 better than starters in aggregate. Starters first time through the order perform about the same as the average reliever and get worse as the game goes on.
By inning, there are a lot of runs scored in the 1st (due to lineups), then runs peak in the 5th and 6th and decline in the later innings due to the bullpen being in.
Ah, interesting. Ty for the correction.
Breslow’s really turned it around after some early season struggles.
Woo-hoo! Road victory cabbage!
Boy, judging by gameday, Bailey’s location was pretty darn good on every batter.
A couple observations from postgame channel surfing: (a) Shaving and donning the Yankee uniform didn’t help Chad Gaudin any. (b) I know Dan Meyer got it together and had a decent season out of the Marlins bullpen in 2009, but tonight, yikes, that was every bit the Meyer we saw with the A’s, a guy who has no business being in the big leagues. It looked like Fredi Gonzalez felt the same way.
Yeesh. The Chron copyeditors are as bad as Ostler (or they both were reading our game thread with the “Gross” not-quite puns):
And another thing that bugs me, and the Chron is no less guilty of this than 99% of other pubs, is using simple past tense when they should be using past perfect (progressive):
My kind of quibble!
Kz got off to a hot start?