Kuzul

While the Oakland Athletics didn’t have any legitimate stars last year, they managed to strike some magic, win the AL West and come within one win of the ALCS. However, this year the A’s won’t need a supply of magic to bring out the big-boy bats and pound opposing pitchers.

Last year, the A’s ranked 14^th in the MLB in offense, with 195 home runs and 713 runs. While the A’s hit just .238 as a team, they were able to hit a lot of home runs and avoid letting their strikeout woes bury them. At least until Game 5 of the ALCS, when Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers overpowered the A’s to put an end to Oakland’s magnificent run.

Yoenis Cespedes was clearly the best hitter on offense, while Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss and Stephen Drew put together very good numbers. While Drew, Cliff Pennington and Chris Carter, all of which started games, are gone, the A’s are ready to bring out the bats in 2013.

Billy Beane and the front office made sure to be active in the offseason, filling gaping holes in the infield with pure talent. The outfield was stacked and improved over the offseason, as the A’s snatched power threat Chris Young from Arizona in a trade that included Pennington.

Cespedes, who hit .292 with a .356 OBP (on-base percentage) in 2012 is poised for an even better 2013 campaign. He has the whole package, as he is a power threat who hit a home run in 4.72 percent of his at-bats. Cespedes is also a speed threat (80 percent success rate for steals) with a heavy dose of defensive talent.

Coco Crisp is another great defensive player, and we’ve seen Josh Reddick lay out and make some great catches as well. Young can play some great defense in his own right, so the A’s will be in great shape when it comes to outfield defense.

On offense, the A’s will also be in good shape. Crisp isn’t much of a power threat, but he has speed and can hit the ball well. Reddick hit 30 home runs in 2012, and while he strikes out a lot, he makes up for that with big, clutch hits.

The outfield is stacked, but the infield can’t be overlooked either. Last year, the A’s barely had anything in the infield, but Beane made some moves to bolster the unit. Among those moves was the signing of Japanese shortstop Hiroyuki Nakajima, who hit .297 or better in all of his years in Japan.

Nakajima is projected to be a .270 or .280 hitter in the big leagues, according to FOX Sports. That would completely change the dynamic of the whole offense: for the better.

Jed Lowrie also has the potential to change the dynamic of the offense, at another position where the A’s received nothing in 2012: second base. Cliff Pennington started in the playoffs and didn’t do much. Lowrie, on the other hand, got on base about one-third of the time while hitting a home run in 4.7 percent of his at-bats.

Second base lacked power or any sort of intimidation factor in 2012, and the same goes with shortstop, as Stephen Drew was hurt and didn’t do a ton on offense. If Nakajima can get on base, presumably at the top of the order, Cespedes will have tons of opportunities to drive in runs.

I can also see Lowrie in the middle of the lineup driving in runs. If not, Brandon Moss and Josh Reddick—both players which can whack the ball out of the park at any time—will be. Both strike out a lot, but both have power. In addition, Moss hit .265 in 2012.

At the bottom of the lineup, the A’s will have John Jaso, who will start at catcher. In 2012, Jaso posted a whopping .394 OBP with five more walks than strikeouts. I think Jaso can set up opportunities for someone like Young, who is powerful, but won’t be at the top of the lineup. Jaso will get on base and he can drive guys in while providing a power threat.

The batting order is stacked because of the tinkering the A’s did in the offseason. Oakland let go of Chris Carter, but reeled in Lowrie in that deal. Nakajima will get on base at the top of the order, and Jaso will do so at the bottom of the order. Cespedes will do part of the cleaning up while providing more opportunities for power threats such as Moss and Reddick, who will finish the job.

There is no position that the A’s are weak at on offense, as every player is capable at the plate. Even Scott Sizemore, likely the starter at third base, owns a career .329 OBP. Having a complete offense built around a star (Cespedes) is always good, and that offense will take the A’s far in 2013.

And if everything goes into place, the A’s could even be the last team standing once the season concludes.

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For the second time in three years, the San Francisco Giants will enter spring training with the feeling of being World Series champions. 

However, there are still some questions that need to be answered and some concerns about the defending champions.

Tim Lincecum and Hunter Pence were among the players who struggled last year, and while they both stepped up in the playoffs to help the Giants win the World Series, both have a lot to prove in 2013. While the Giants didn’t make any major offseason moves, they gave out a lot of minor-league deals.

What does that mean? Every player who received one of those miniature contracts has a lot to prove in spring training.

Here are four battles within the team to watch for in 2013.

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When Brian Wilson went down in the first week of the 2012 season, many Giants fans panicked. Some lost hope for the whole year. 

After all, the Giants didn’t have any proven ninth inning options, and the last several World Series champions, including the 2010 Giants, had proven closers. 

Bruce Bochy didn’t make many fans feel better when installing Santiago Casilla as the closer, and after a very good start as closer, Casilla folded and cost the Giants some games. So then, the Giants went to a closer-by-committee format. 

Why? Because they didn’t fully trust Sergio Romo’s durability at closer.

Eventually, Bochy started giving most of the opportunities for saves to Romo, and he made Bochy‘s trust pay off in the regular season and in the playoffs. Romo went 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA and four saves with nine games finished in the playoffs, closing out the World Series with three perfect innings (total) in the World Series.

However, there are still some concerns about the little ball of energy that is the San Francisco closer.

Romo’s elbow has always been a concern, and his small frame is as well. While I’m not worried about his size, as he has pitched three days in a row before and is much heavier than Tim Lincecum, his elbow, which acts up at times, is a concern.

Even when Romo was clearly the best in the bullpen, his durability concerns prompted Bochy to give the job to Casilla. However, after seeing Casilla thrive in low-pressure situations or in the eighth inning, it’s hard to give him the job. The Giants pursued other relievers in the offseason, but they didn’t want to use Brandon Lyon as the closer.

Romo has the talent to close games, and he showed he has the mentality to be a closer. It was on display even more when Romo allowed three consecutive hits and a run against the Reds in Game 5 of the NLDS. One home run would have ended the Giant’s season, but he recovered to battle Jay Bruce and win in 12 pitches, before striking out Scott Rolen to finish off the game.

That’s the moment when everyone realized that Romo had the guts to close. It would have taken a lot for Bochy to insert Romo into another bullpen role, and the closer-by-committee won’t work for a whole season. It worked during the stretch run, but Romo is a better option, and Bochy knows how much easier it is for relievers to operate in a settled role.

As Andrew Baggarly of csnbayarea.com notes here, Bochy will have Romo start out as closer and save almost all of the games. He may give occasional save opportunities to Jeremy Affeldt or Casilla, but Romo will be the closer.   

Casilla has struggled in high-pressure situations and probably can’t operate in that situation for a whole season, and Bochy probably agrees. Javier Lopez cannot pitch to righties at all, and lefties, who are supposed to do well against Romo, hit under .200 against him last year.

So if the Giants do need to replace him, they won’t have many options from within the team. To get another closer, they will have to trade some good players. The Giants don’t operate on trades or signings of big-name players, so doing that unless Romo goes down with an injury seems unlikely.

Bochy is a manager who runs on trust, and if Romo has a couple of bad games he won’t yank him from his role. Romo is consistent, and he took a heavier workload in 2012. There are breaks in the baseball season, and it’s not like Romo will be pitching every day. The Giants have a very strong bullpen that can eat up innings and five guys in the rotation that can go the distance on any day, so it’s not like Romo will be pitching every day.

Professional athletes are strong and can handle a lot, and Romo can definitely handle the closer’s workload. In the playoffs, he showed he has the late-season stuff and the guts to close out games and succeed on a big stage, and he’s ready to attack in 2013.

Setup man is no easy role, and that’s the role Romo dominated in for most of the 2012 season and all of 2011. Romo has proven to be durable, and he has proven that he can carve up any hitter at any time. Just ask Miguel Cabrera.

Last year, Romo converted 18 of his 19 save opportunities (including the postseason), and the only one he didn’t convert was when Casilla was closing and Romo blew an eighth inning lead. Romo’s ERA was 1.79 last year, and there’s not much more the Giants can ask for him to do. He’s proven to be the best reliever on the the team, and he’s proven that he can handle closing.

Which is why he’s going to be the Giants closer for a long time.  

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Every year, in sports, there are underrated players who break onto the scene with great performances.

And, every year, people try to predict who those players will be. And this year, I have some ideas.

Despite successful 2012 campaigns, these players aren’t getting much attention for a variety of reasons. However, in 2013, they will be getting attention, for some good performances, in fantasy and real life. And then, they’ll be shining in the bright lights of October.

But who will those players be? Well, why don’t you find out.

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Last year, the Oakland A’s went on a run for the ages, and they almost snuck into the ALCS.

The A’s won their last six regular season games to stunningly capture the AL West, before rallying from down 2-0 to force Game 5 of the ALDS. They lost Game 5, but it let Oakland experience a run for the ages.

However, the A’s haven’t done much in the offseason. They signed Hiroyuki Nakajima from Japan, but only to replace Stephen Drew. They re-signed Bartolo Colon and traded for Chris Young, but that’s really been it.

Oakland isn’t expected to do as well in 2013 because of their lack of big names. However, the offensive went on a home run spree in the second half, and while Brandon Moss won’t be smashing 21 homers in 265 at-bats, he, Josh Reddick and Yoenis Cespedes could provide pop for the middle of the lineup.

Crisp and Nakajima will likely be table-setters, while Young will be relied on to provide pop from the bottom of the order. The offense looks fine right now, because they were in the top half of the league in runs scored. And, the pitching staff will look to protect that.

A good season may not be realistic to expect from Travis Blackley, but Jarrod Parker and Tommy Milone can only be better in their second season. Brett Anderson finished the 2012 season with a bang, and Colon did a good job before being suspended for steroid use. So, the pitching staff has talent, and they can be one of the league’s best.

Factor in a mean bullpen with Sean Doolittle, Ryan Cook and Grant Balfour and you have a good team. Unfortunately for the A’s, a complete team just isn’t enough.

On paper, the Rangers, Angels, Blue Jays, Tigers, Red Sox and Yankees all look more talented than the A’s. Texas has Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus on the offense and Matt Harrison and Derek Holland on the pitching staff, and the Angels have Albert Pujols, Mike Trout, Josh Hamilton, Jered Weaver and others.

Both are in the division, and if games were won on paper, Oakland would finish third. However, they pride themselves on being a resilient team which doesn’t win games on paper, and they are wound up around the middle of the pack in the AL.

Baseball is about getting hot at the right time, but in a 162 game season, the best teams almost always find their way into the postseason. The A’s have some talent, but there are still question marks in the pitching staff. Teams like the Angels and Blue Jays are fine with the pitching staff, as the Blue Jays practically have a new team due to some offseason spending and dealing.

Detroit didn’t dominate Oakland, although they would have won the ALDS in four games with a better closer. Justin Verlander overwhelmed the A’s and Yankees, while Doug Fister, Max Scherzer and Anibal Sanchez did the same to all three teams that Detroit faced in the playoffs.

Even though baseball is unpredictable, it won’t be easy for the A’s to sneak into the playoffs. The AL is great this year, and it will be harder than ever to win the AL West. Even if they do make the playoffs as a Wild Card, they will be down to a one game playoff without a true ace (yet).

Oakland is definitely a talented team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached into their bag of tricks and pulled out more magic to find their way to the playoffs. But they are still unproven, and there are question marks. With all the talent around them in the AL West and the AL in general, I’m not seeing them in the playoffs.

The only thing that I think could get them into the playoffs is some more magic, which the A’s sure know how to provide. 

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It’s October 9, and you’re watching the pregame show for Game 3 of the 2012 NLDS. If you’re a Giants fan, you probably don’t know why you’re watching.

Right? Right.

No one expected the Giants to win the NLDS when they were down 2-0, but they did. They won it. No one expected them to win when they were down 3-1 against the Cardinals in the NLCS. They did. Not many expected them to win the World Series against Detroit.

They did.

The Giants defied all odds and did the unthinkable, winning the World Series for the second time in three years. Fans had their doubts, especially when Melky Cabrera was suspended, Brian Wilson was injured and, well, when the playoffs happened.

People don’t respect them still, as they aren’t seen as one of the most talented teams in baseball. Moves that involved players like Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke and Torii Hunter took all the spotlight over the offseason. No one noticed the Giants signing guys like Andres Torres and Wilson Valdez, and no one noticed deals handed out to Jeremy Affeldt, Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro and Santiago Casilla.

However, the Giants have some talent. They have Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence in the middle of the lineup, which should be enough to make them at least dangerous. Pence did well in the World Series and is poised for a bounce-back season, while Posey is coming off of an MVP season.

Pagan and Scutaro will be back setting the table, and while Scutaro won’t be hitting around .370 like he did during his time with the Giants, he will probably hit around .280 and be a good No. 2 hitter who makes contact almost every time he steps up to the plate. Torres and Gregor Blanco bring energy, while Brandon Belt has potential and could hit around .300.

Belt is key on offense, and it would be big for the offense if he could drive in Posey and Pence and set the table for Blanco and Brandon Crawford. He will be vital to the success of the team in 2013, and he could make or break the offense.

Tim Lincecum is another make-or-break player. He struggled in 2012, and even though he posted a 2.55 postseason ERA, he isn’t forgetting his 2012 struggles. His small stature and weight (around 160 pounds) may have contributed to his lack of velocity on his fastball, which sets up his other pitches.

I believe Lincecum will bounce back in 2013, and I believe he will aid a superior pitching staff consisting of Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong, Madison Bumgarner, Barry Zito and Lincecum. Zito did very well in the 2012 postseason (2-0, 1.69 ERA), Vogelsong has great stuff and projects to have an ERA around 3.00, Cain is a consistent ace who projects to have an ERA around 2.70, and Bumgarner is a durable young southpaw with the potential to win tons of games and log tons of innings.

The pitching staff is great, but it will not be able to survive another poor or even mediocre year from Lincecum. They will also need some help from the bullpen, and they will need to either bring back Brian Wilson or mold Sergio Romo into a durable closer.

Romo is fearless and has experience, as he closed out the 2012 World Series and saved the last three games. However, durability has always been a concern with him, and even though Santiago Casilla, Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt have experience closing games, I don’t believe a closer-by-committee approach will work for a whole season.

Wilson will also be reluctant to operate in a role that doesn’t involve the ninth inning, even though he probably needs to be eased back into the system due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. If he does sign with the Giants, he could present a problem, on the mound and with the closer situation.

Bochy is a master at working these things out, and he makes sure that his team has a team-first attitude. I do believe he will sort things out in the bullpen, but it is something he will need to work on. Some of the things that worked for the 2012 bullpen, including using Santiago Casilla as closer for about half of the season, won’t work again in 2013.

The Giants have the talent and the experience to do it again in 2013, but it’s going to be harder. The teams in the league are getting much better, and the Giants will need to perform up to that level. They have the talent on the team, but Belt and Lincecum will need to step up.

There will be doubters, but the Giants believe they can win another championship. They’ve given San Francisco a run for the ages, and they want it to continue. The team will sacrifice anything to win games for their team, and that’s why the Giants are capable of capturing another championship.

However, it’s going to take a lot of help from every single player.

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Tim Lincecum went through the worst season of his career in 2012, losing 15 games with a 5.18 ERA.

And, once he struggled and got the loss in a start in Game 4 of the NLCS, that was it for him starting. But luckily, the former ace and two-time Cy Young winner has found some success…out of the bullpen.

Out of the bullpen, Lincecum has allowed one run in 10 and two-thirds innings. He came in during Game 1 of the World Series with two on and two out in the sixth inning, and he struck out Jhonny Peralta. He struck out five of the seven batters he faced, twirling two and one-thirds perfect innings.

Lincecum was perfect, as he commanded his change-up and used his slider more freely, not worrying about the potential risk of getting tired from overuse of the pitch later in the game. He is now throwing everything he has at each batter, knowing that it’s unlikely he’ll face the same hitter twice in the same game.

The two-time Cy Young winner is 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA in the postseason (out of the bullpen,) and not including the time he came in during the third inning of a 2008 game because of rain, Lincecum has a career ERA of 0.82 in the bullpen.

Maybe he doesn’t like it there as much, but the reality is that he gets to pitch in more games. The Giants crowd roars when Lincecum and his long hair trot from the dugout to the bullpen mound. It’s happened four times at AT&T Park and twice on the road.

Lincecum’s ability to throw a lot of pitches on short rest will really help, and he can be counted on to chew up innings. If he continues to succeed, he could be a late-inning reliever or an inning-eater, providing decent relief for a whole season.

You may ask about who would replace him in the rotation, and I’ve got an answer. San Francisco has some money to spend, and it could use it on Kyle Lohse, James Shields or even Zack Greinke. The only challenge then would be assembling the rotation.

Ryan Vogelsong has a 1.42 postseason ERA, and he compiled a 3.37 ERA and 14-9 record in 2012 despite a rare rough patch. Madison Bumgarner went 16-11 with the same ERA, Zito went 15-8, and Cain compiled a 2.80 ERA and a 16-5 record.

So it’s safe to say the rotation wouldn’t have problems. Lincecum has had some struggles in the rotation, although he is perfectly capable of going deep into a game there. Bad luck played a part in Lincecum’s 5.18 ERA, and he also had some trouble pitching to Buster Posey. In fact, backup catcher Hector Sanchez became Lincecum’s battery mate, with Posey moving to first base. 

Some may argue that the lack of chemistry between Posey and Lincecum would be a cause for concern, since three of the other four starters always pitch to Posey (and Zito pitches to him sometimes). But out of the bullpen, Lincecum has pitched 6.1 scoreless innings to Posey, his 2010 postseason battery mate.

He has done well pitching to Sanchez, too. Sanchez caught 4.1 innings of one-run ball from Lincecum in Game 4 of the NLDS, which was a relief appearance. So, there is no way that Lincecum will shy away from a catcher and force Posey to leave a game because he is unwilling to pitch to him (Posey).

Lincecum won’t shy away from anything, and he has done a great job accepting his role, avoiding sulking and finding some success. You could argue that Lincecum’s bullpen relief is the reason that the Giants are still playing, since he got the win in Game 4 of the NLDS, another elimination game, while saving his fellow relievers for Game 5.

That could happen again in the regular season, and there’s a good chance of it. But first, manager Bruce Bochy and general manager Brian Sabean have to put Lincecum in the bullpen.

And no, that’s not a punishment. I’ve been preaching Lincecum’s second -and past success for what seems like forever, and I’m still a huge fan of him. I was shocked when he was excluded from the NLDS rotation, only to watch him go 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in the NLDS.

Then, I realized having Lincecum in the tool shed for almost 162 games every year would be better than having him start 30-35 games. He can send the crowd into a frenzy just by jogging to the bullpen, which is very valuable. He can be one of those pitchers who realize throwing their best stuff at a team for a short period of time can really help, without the risk of facing the hitter again.

I don’t expect this to happen, and I think he can build on his World Series and postseason success to regain his form in the rotation. His confidence will be there, and you can expect Lincecum to go through some rigorous offseason workouts to ensure success in 2013. But there is a good argument that Lincecum can be replaced in the rotation and be used as a key reliever, and that he can fill in in the case of an injury.

Because now, he has experience pitching in the rotation and the bullpen. He’s got confidence in his stuff out of the bullpen, and he can definitely succeed in either role.

But if Lincecum is in the bullpen, and the Giants find a decent replacement, the rotation will retain its elite status and the bullpen will fall into the category of elite. 

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Coco Crisp boosted the Oakland A’s early on, giving them a lead four pitches into the game. Then, the A’s couldn’t do anything right on offense.

Despite struggling to keep his pitch count to a minimum, Justin Verlander struck out 11 through seven strong innings as the Detroit Tigers beat the A’s 3-1 in Game 1 of the ALDS. Verlander picked up the win, while Jarrod Parker, who allowed three runs (two earned) in over six innings, took the loss.

Parker made an error that brought home a run for the Tigers, and he allowed a home run to Alex Avila. Despite having decent stats for the game, he didn’t pitch well. A lot of good contact was made, and his defense made some nice plays behind him. Yoenis Cespedes couldn’t make a great play on the ball that Avila hit, though. Parker made one of many mistakes, and Avila pounced.

He threw a high fastball, and Avila hit it the opposite way. It was a first-pitch meatball, right in Avila’s wheelhouse (it was right over the plate, too). The ball went over the left field fence for a home run, doubling Detroit’s lead.

Parker allowed two early hits to Austin Jackson and Quintin Berry to start the game, before inducing a double play to Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. However, it brought home the tying run and negated Crisp’s home run.

Verlander woke up after his mistakes, although it took him a lot of pitches. He made some mistakes early, but he took advantage of a large strike zone, got ahead of counts and finished off hitters. He settled in during the middle innings, striking out five batters total in the sixth and seventh innings. More than half of the outs he got were by way of the strikeout, which isn’t rare for Verlander.

Joaquin Benoit came in during the eighth, and he struggled. Cespedes singled and Brandon Moss hit the first pitch he saw to deep right field. However, Andy Dirks caught it at the warning track, as Moss just got under the pitch.

Jose Valverde, who is known as an exciting but erratic closer, located his pitches and struck out two batters while jamming George Kottaras on a pop-up to finish off the game.

In the third, Berry hit a slow grounder to the right side, and Parker fielded it. He flipped the ball to first base only to realize no one was there.

Omar Infante rushed home with the go-ahead run, although a spectacular running catch by Cliff Pennington allowed Parker to escape further damage. Parker got a lot of help from his defense, as they made three great plays behind him.

It wasn’t enough for the A’s to win, though. There weren’t many bright spots aside from the defense in this game, but Pat Neshek was one of them. His son lived less than 24 hours and died suddenly Wednesday night, which deeply saddened Neshek, his family, the A’s, MLB and the baseball world. However, he bounced back and was able to pitch.

He did well, too, which was great for the team. Unfortunately for the A’s, it wasn’t enough. They failed to figure out Verlander, who was able to throw heat in the later innings and stop the A’s while keeping his bullpen fresh. They couldn’t capitalize on a chance against Benoit, and they couldn’t start a rally against Valverde, who isn’t known for 1-2-3 innings.

They’ve been doing it all year, but they couldn’t do it against the Tigers. Will it matter? Will they learn from their mistakes? What’s next for the A’s?

Those are all reasonable questions, and they will probably be answered in Game 2. However, if the A’s can’t start capitalizing on chances, if they can’t stop striking out (they went down 14 times by way of the strikeout) and if they can’t figure out Verlander (who will start Game 5 if there is one), this magical season may come to an end.

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

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Last night, the Oakland Coliseum was rocking. And no, it wasn’t for the Raiders.

Because of their improbable, amazing second-half run, the Athletics had finally earned the fan support they strived for. It seemed inevitable that the A’s were going to miss the playoffs, especially after entering the All-Star break with a 43-43 record.

Oh, and September wasn’t going to be very kind to the A’s, either.

However, the A’s dominated in July and August, excelling in close games. They didn’t limp through September, when everyone thought they would crumble. The Rangers, Angels, Orioles, Tigers and Yankees were among the teams who faced the A’s, and Oakland dominated in those games.

Their poor hitting didn’t stop them. Their lack of experience didn’t stop them. Actually, nothing stopped them. Now they are in the playoffs, and they are just two wins away from winning the AL West. 

In their game last night against the Rangers, Grant Balfour, Oakland’s inexperienced closer, threw a nasty, cut fastball. It hit 97 mph, and it was enough to fan Mike Napoli. Balfour struck out the side in the ninth, mixing his high heat with his nasty slider to KO the Rangers.

A whole city erupted with joy. Everyone in the country smiled. The A’s did it. A team without much talent or money came through in the clutch, just like the 2002 team that had a movie and book dedicated to them.

A’s fans were clamoring to bring in top prospects and make a big trade. After all, the Rangers and Angels were in their division, the Orioles and White Sox were doing well and the Red Sox were sure to make a run at the playoffs (they didn’t, though). And how could you count out the Rays, who had made an improbable run in 2011.

Then, their offense exploded against the Twins, as they swept Minnesota. The Rangers took the first of a two-game set, but a walk-off home run from Brandon Hicks propelled the A’s to a win in the second game.

The Yankees were next, and that was the series that changed the season for the 47-44 A’s. They won four consecutive one-run games, capping it off with a comeback win. Seth Smith hit a tying home run in the ninth, and Coco Crisp capped off the sweep with a walk-off hit.

Balfour, Ryan Cook and Brandon McCarthy were sure to stay in Oakland. The fans got into it. Everyone started talking about the A’s. Eventually, they climbed into the playoff race, winning nine straight at one point. Now, the team with 14 walk-offs is headed to the playoffs.

Despite having Cliff Pennington (or Adam Rosales), Derek Norris and Josh Donaldson in their lineup, Oakland’s offense exploded. Yoenis Cespedes performed well, Brandon Moss always came up with clutch hits, Crisp and Stephen Drew got on base a lot at the top of the order, Donaldson exceeded expectations while replacing Brandon Inge at third base and much, much more happened.

Jarrod Parker won 13 games while getting the win in the clincher and pitching like an ace, especially with the pressure elevated. Balfour, Cook and Sean Doolittle became a formidable relief trio, while Tommy Milone, Travis Blackley and A.J Griffin exceeded expectations as inexperienced rookies.

Now, the lights are shining even brighter. Blackley and Griffin are in charge of winning the AL West for Oakland, which would make them the top seed. Even if they can’t, there will be a one-game playoff at Camden Yards, Yankee Stadium or the Coliseum. 

Playing in Yankee Stadium would frighten most young, inexperienced teams. But the A’s aren’t like those teams. They come up with big hits, key pitches and great performances. Usually, that leads to wins. It has certainly led to wins in the second half, where Oakland is 49-25.

Oakland has power, pitching and clutch hitting. This formula has been amazingly successful in the second half, and Bob Melvin has helped. He has mixed and matched his team to perfection, and his strategy is working perfectly.

Can the A’s continue their magical run? Certainly. The teams around them won’t overwhelm the A’s. They’ve had success against the Yankees, Rangers and Orioles, and the Tigers are definitely beatable.

Parker will have to pitch like an ace and continue to hit his spots. Griffin will have to keep his magic going. Blackley will have to piece together a decent performance, and Milone will, too. Balfour will have to be as dominant as he was against the Rangers, and Doolittle and Cook will need to lock down the seventh and eighth innings.

But in all honesty, there’s no limit for the A’s. They are a great team, they play the game the right way and they come up clutch. So, while it might seem like the A’s are going to falter, they won’t. Because they aren’t going to back down. So unless the A’s are outplayed, they won’t lose. What does that mean?

It means that the A’s can win the World Series.

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports. 

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If you look at Tim Lincecum’s stats this year, I’m sure you won’t be impressed.

The former ace is 10-15 with a 5.15 ERA, and he has lost about all of his pitch command. Lincecum hides the ball with his unorthodox delivery, and he used to hit 95 mph on the radar gun. However, his fastball now tops out at just 92 mph, making it much less effective. 

Since his fastball is less effective, his off-speed pitches are, too.

His fastball used to get him ahead of the count and his changeups used to make hitters whiff. His slider had tons of movement, and hitters would be miles off of the pitch. But now, those pitches aren’t as effective, due to the lack of speed on his fastball.

Plus, he hasn’t been locating his fastball, and hitters are pouncing on off-speed pitches left in the zone. But the real problem is that his pitches haven’t been in the zone a lot. More often than not, Lincecum is missing the strike zone.

Could this be due to fatigue? Maybe. When Lincecum was in his Cy Young years, he exceeded 100 pitches nearly every game. Bochy often let him exceed 120, and he threw 138 in a game once (the most ever was 149 by Edwin Jackson).

However, it didn’t really catch up to him in 2010 or 2011. He struggled in August 2010, but he dominated in September and October. He was 4-1 with a 2.43 ERA in the postseason, which is something Bochy must consider when assembling the playoff rotation. Then, he posted a 2.74 ERA in 2011, despite somehow having a losing record.

If it’s not fatigue, it could be a lack of proper preparation. It’s taken Lincecum tons of time to get settled in, and he has a 7.88 first-inning ERA this year.

I can relate to this issue. I’ve seen him pitch twice (at AT&T Park) this year, and he allowed two earned runs in the first inning both times. He didn’t pitch into the sixth in either game, and he lost both.

One of those games was on Tuesday night against Arizona. He never found his rhythm on the mound, and he couldn’t locate any pitches. He only threw 77 on the night, despite being well rested. He threw only 39 of them for strikes, and he gave up seven earned runs and a three-run home run. However, he had looked great before that.

Unfortunately, he didn‘t look great against the D-Backs. Lincecum pitched scared and didn’t attack the zone. He pitched scared to Paul Goldschmidt, but he missed his target by so much that it was right in Goldschmidt’s wheelhouse. He crushed it down the line for a three-run homer, sealing Lincecum’s 15th loss. Then, Barry Zito and Ryan Vogelsong went out and picked up wins.

Before that, his command was back and his confidence was back. It was perfect timing, and if Lincecum had mowed down a mediocre D-Backs lineup, he would’ve locked up a spot in the playoff rotation. But, thanks to command problems, inaccuracy and those first innings, he didn‘t.

His first-inning issues are something Bochy must also take into consideration when assembling the rotation. All five starters will be on the playoff roster, and one of them will be used in long relief. Even though long relief means pitching a few innings, you definitely pitch more when starting a game. Pitching less will hurt Lincecum, since he won’t have time to settle in. He’ll have to be incredibly sharp from the get-go.

Lincecum will face a weak Padres offense on Sunday as he hopes to seal a playoff rotation spot in a huge ballpark. Vogelsong dominated the Padres twice, although it’s fair to say he’s received some lucky breaks in those starts. Plus, Vogelsong doesn’t possess the playoff experience and success owned by Lincecum.

Bochy has confidence in Lincecum, and the real Lincecum will stand up in the playoffs. Vogelsong will crumble under the pressure, when he won’t be facing the Padres, but rather the Reds or Nationals.

But it’s safe to say Lincecum will attack and prepare well for the start, and that he won’t be walking guys. He’s shown the ability to command his pitches at times, and I think he can if he bounces back from his horrible start against the D-Backs.

However, a number of things have to go right. He can’t let opponents hit .265 off of his change-up, he can’t issue free passes and he can’t struggle again in the first inning.

It’s happened before, but not against the Nationals. He has struggled at times against decent offenses, but he has also gobbled up the Rockies, Phillies, Mets and Dodgers.

Can he revert to his old form? Yes. Will he? That’s a question that his performance will answer, but for now, the answer is yes.

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