Another week, and a greater than .500 record, against some pretty outstanding competition. I love these Athletics. I've loved them since I can remember. Since Dave Stewart signed that ball so my Dad could give it to me as the best 4th birthday present ever. Since Jason Giambi took the time, as a young lean rookie, to sign a piece of copy paper for the kid staring at him in the elevator before his appearance on Gameday for KPIX. Since pitching coach Bob Cluck asked me to correctly answer the amount of home runs Mark McGwire hit in 1996, and tossed me a ball for my efforts. And since Dallas Braden tossed a ball up into the stands at Phoenix Municipal this last spring. This team is always fun, always unpredictable, and always keeps you wanting more. And with this in mind, we take a look back at week three of the 2011 season, where the A's went 4-3, and improved their record to 8-8 overall.
That's right, in perspective, almost 1/10 of the season has already been committed to the record books. The A's stand in third place in the AL West, 3 back of the Rangers and 1 back of the Angels. They haven't played either yet, so cries of We're In This Thing are still resounding from the wall that is Mt. Davis. This Athletics squad has given me one hell of a tough time to evaluate. The starting pitching is outstanding. Brandon McCarthy is probably the best fifth starter in the league. The hitting, relief pitching and defense.... some days fantastic, some days not so good. But that's what love is, right? Some days you are sick, some days you run wild with unsuppressed joy. So let's look in on the week.
Monday April 11
Athletics 2 @ White Sox 1 (10 Innings)
The A's pulled out a squeaker. Dallas Braden pitched brilliantly, and deserved this win, but the A's could do nothing against Mark Buehrle and the Sox until Juan Pierre dropped a Daric Barton fly ball that allowed Pennington to score the tying run. Kurt Suzuki than hit the go ahead home run in the tenth, his first on the year. The hero of the game was actually the Athletics bullpen. Tyson Ross pitched three scoreless frames before Fuentes closed the door. This made me happy, and my love flourished. Which set me up for the inevitable fall.
Tuesday April 12
Athletics 5 @ White Sox 6 (10 Innings)
This was, in my opinion, an odd game to watch. Neither team really wanted to win. The day after signing his six year contract, Trevor Cahill looked like he was trying to do too much for the first 2 innings. Even after settling down, he still could only make it through 4.2 and was trailing. The A's bullpen did an admirable job, only giving up one more run for the rest of the nine. It was the hitters that let the A's down this night. Edwin Jackson struggled early, but the A's couldn't put the nail in the coffin. Once the bullpen came in, the offense looked even worse... Alexei Ramirez was able to put the A's away in the 10th with a solo shot off Bobby Cramer. Rough day.
Wednesday April 13
Athletics 7 @ White Sox 4 (10 Innings)
This was also, an odd game to watch/listen to. The A's entered the game with a combined .230 average, and after mustering only one run over 8 innings, morale was not high after Anderson was not his sharpest on the afternoon. Then the A's decided that they did indeed know how to hit. They had the tying run at second and the go ahead run at first with no one out in the ninth. Then Suzuki struck out. Then Sweeney struck out. Then Pennington brightened our day with a 2 run single to center. Then through some more base hits, the A's tacked on three more in the 10th. This was the same bullpen that had completely shut them down the day before. Baseball is a funny game.
Thursday April 14
Athletics 0 v. Tigers 3
The A's hitters once again entered their funk, and made Phil Coke's changeup look like the greatest pitch ever thrown. Gio Gonzalez, though a little wild and in trouble often, held the Tigers scoreless through 6, but Tyson Ross and company couldn't stop the Tigers any longer. The only good thing for A's hitters this game: Coco Crisp's new haircut.
LINK
Friday April 15
Athletics 4 v. Tigers 8 (10 Innings)
This game, like the previous night was also maddening. The A's received another brilliant outing from a starting pitcher, this time Brandon McCarthy. Unfortunately, a 1-0 lead was not safe when Miguel Cabrera led off the ninth with a big fly. Then things just fell apart in the 10th. Errors galore, walks, and just a general unraveling. Then, just for fun, the A's decided that could put 3 extra runs on the board. If only those runs could have come in any other inning. But no, the A's again made a so-so Rick Porcello look like a bonafide starter. The jury is still out on Fuentes. Hopefully Bailey can be ready by May 1.
Saturday April 16
Athletics 6 v. Tigers 2
Well, things were not very optimistic for the weekend after the two gut wrenching losses. Dallas Braden was on the mound facing Justin Verlander. The A's, for whatever reason, decided they remembered how to hit. Maybe their hitting power is fueled by the sun. We must change every game to a day game. Yeah. that's logical. The bullpen held up just fine, and the A's broke the 2 game skid.
Sunday April 17
Athletics 5 v. Tigers 1
Playing in the daytime again, the A's looked like a real honest to goodness baseball team. Trevor Cahill fanned 9 over 8 innings of 1 run ball, and the offense was able to record timely hits to plate some runs against Brad Penny. It was, for the third week in a row, a great ending to a kind of maddening week.
The Good
Starting Pitching. Yet again, the starters are carrying this team while they learn how to hit. Over the week, they allowed only 8 earned runs in 41 innings, or a 1.89 ERA. If you only look at the Tigers series. 1 earned run in 26.2 innings, or an ERA of 0.34. They're good. They're really good.
The Bad
Inconsistent hitting, inconsistent relief pitching, and inconsistent defense. Yes, besides starting pitching, there are many issues going on here. Thus far, the A's are hitting only .236 as a team, tenth in the AL. They've also committed 18 errors, worst in the majors. Things will have to turn around soon or the starting pitching won't hold.
Injuries. Once again the A's are injured. Currently on the list: Bailey, Harden, Wuertz, Braden, and Rosales. Not the end of the world, but it's going to start being a problem soon, especially in the bullpen. The A's are deeper this year than last, but we can't sustain losses forever.
Play of the Week:
Suzuki puts the A's on top in the tenth
Fun Play of the Week:
Justin Verlander forgets where he's throwing
In short, it was a good week. The A's could have easily gone 6-1, they also were a few missed plays away from going 2-5. So, we'll take it, and maybe take this torture label away from the other side of the bay.
Also, the A's made a move this week. They traded a minor leaguer with Toronto for David Purcey. His stats aren't that impressive, but he does add even more depth to the 'pen.
Song of the Week:
Limelight by Rush, hopefully what the A's are about to enter. A rag tag bunch, maybe ill equipped, ready for prime time. Yup, I ran with it.
Up Next
The A's remain at home for 2 against the scuffling Red Sox, who are 0-6 on the road so far. Then they go to Seattle for a set against the division rival Mariners. Tyson Ross should make his first start of the season somewhere in there. Let's Go Oakland!
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