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Oakland Athletics: Losses in 10 of Last 12 Games, Is There Still Hope?

Sell, sell, sell!  The Oakland A’s are  24-31 and have lost ten of their last 12 games and the club is tied for last place in the American League West.  The A’s have no chance to make a season out of things, right?

In the words of Lee Corso, “Not so fast, my friend.”

Selling off big contracts at the trade deadline shouldn’t be the answer, even as the A’s are mired in a terrible slump.

Yes, they are in last place, but are only eight games out of first place—and the division leading Texas Rangers are showing signs that they are human after all.

 

No Monday Blues for A’s

The A’s put a 12-1 whooping on the Rangers on Monday night via an eight-run offensive explosion in the bottom of the second inning.

Rookie Jarrod Parker (2-2) was able to silence the noisy bats of the Rangers by taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning.  Michael Young broke up the no-hit bid with a single up the middle, making the decision to bring Parker out for the ninth an easy one.

Parker’s pitch count was at 111 as he gave way to Jim Miller in the ninth.  Miller closed out the game, but did allow a 400-foot home run from Mike Napoli.

There is still a ways to go before the July 31 trade deadline, and things could get worse. 

But let’s take a look at how things are now, and and take a peek back at how the A’s have landed in the spot they are in.

 

Expectations

Heading into the 2012 campaign, the A’s were not expected to make much noise.

The A’s ended the month of April with a 11-13 record, and then went 5-1 in the first eight days of May. At the 30-game mark, the club was 16-14 and expectations had been exceeded.

Two games over .500 is the best the A’s have been able to muster in 20112.  At the quarter turn, the team was 20-20 and again, expectations were probably exceeded.

Splitting their next four games left them at 22-22 and that’s when the bottom started to fall out.

Loss No. 22 was the start of a nine-game losing streak, and the A’s were able to muster only two wins since that point.

 

Injury Bug

Injuries to Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Inge and Brandon McCarthy in May did not help the team’s cause.

McCarthy (4-3, 295 ERA) is the team’s ace and having him back will go a long way towards turning things around.

Before his injury, Cespedes was starting to show signs of being the productive bat the club thought he would be when they coughed up big dollars to bring the Cuban defector to Oakland.

Brandon Inge caught fire when he was signed by Oakland after the Detroit Tigers released the long-time Veteran.  His injured groin started acting up and the A’s lost him to the DL.  Since his return, Inge has struggled.

Inge was batting .167 for the season entering Monday’s game against Texas. 

With a 2-for-4 night against the Rangers, including a three-run homer, his average now stands at .190 with six home runs.  Hopefully for A’s fans, the veteran is showing signs that he can regain some of that magic he had when he first came to Oakland in late April.

 

Top of The Order

The one-two punch at the top of the A’s order consisting of Jemile Weeks and Coco Crisp has simply not been good.  Crisp is batting .165 with an OBP of .222.

With Crisp expressing his displeasure about being moved to left field in favor of Cespedes, it seems if the A’s did make a move at the trade deadline, Crisp might be a player that could be moved.

With the way Crisp is playing, this could be easier said than done.

Weeks is starting to come around,though. 

The player many fans thought could be the future of the A’s got off to an awful start. 

Weeks hit .186 in April with a .263 OBP.  May was better.  He hit .250 and his OBP was .337.  The progression has carried over into June, as well.  In four games in the first few days of June, he is 5-for-12, and hitting .417 with a .500 OBP.

After his horrid start, the speedy second baseman has raised his total average to .227 and his on-base percentage is now .311.

Manager Bob Melvin has been experimenting with the two-hole lately, in hopes of finding someone to help with the part of the order that is supposed to set the table for the A’s.

 

All-Star Possibilities

Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Rookies Jarrod Parker and Ryan Cook didn’t seem like it would benefit the A’s right away. 

At least on paper.

On grass, Ryan Cook has been sensational.  The rookie from Clovis, California has pitched 25 innings of middle relief, and has given up two runs, while sporting a measly ERA of 0.72.  It wasn’t until his 24th inning that Cook gave up his first runs.

Parker has stepped in and pitched very well (see above).

The trade of Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney to the Boston Red Sox for Josh Reddick and prospects didn’t seem to be a trade that made anyone real excited.

Well, after further review, the trade has worked out alright. 

Bailey went from the A’s directly to the disabled list and Reddick for Sweeney has worked out just fine for the A’s. 

Sweeney is batting .313 in 41 games for the Red Sox, but he has no home runs.  This was always the knock on the big outfielder while he was with the A’s—he simply couldn’t provide the long ball.

In Reddick, the A’s have landed a right fielder that is hitting .271 with 14 home runs (both stats lead team).  The latter stat is the main reason that Oakland got the better results from the swap.

The chances of the A’s getting a player voted into the All-Star game are probably slim, but either of the aforementioned transplants are definitely deserving.

 

Weather the Storm

There is no need for the A’s to panic and sell off everything they own.   Melvin is a solid skipper and he will do everything in his power to make things work in Oakland.  The A’s were 13 games below .500 at the trade deadline in 2001 and basically stood still as July 31 came and went.

Injuries have played a big part in the recent slump.  The team now has some key guys back from the DL.  Ace Brandon McCarthy (4-2) returned to make his first start on Saturday,  and he pitched well. “The Mac” scattered eight hits over six innings allowing two earned runs, earning his fourth win of the season.

Cespedes returned to the lineup on Friday and went 0-for-4, then on Saturday he came alive going 3-5 with an RBI.  The A’s center fielder is 4-for-17 since his return from the DL.   Cespedes is a key piece to the A’s puzzle if they plan on getting their solid pitching staff some run support in order to come out of their current funk.

The 12-1 beat-down of the Rangers is a nice step towards coming out of said “funk.”

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Oakland A’s Uncertainty and a Little Drama Surrounding Offseason

The Oakland A’s offseason has been a bit of a soap opera.

Since what looked like a full blown fire sale by shipping off three good young pitchers (Cahill, Gonzalez and Bailey), things have taken a different turn.  Billy Beane pulled the trigger on Yoenis Cespedes, the hot prospect from Cuba, telling A’s fans that he is willing to spend some money to go along with the youth in Oakland

Although, don’t forget about the huge contract he gave Cahill last year, as we know all too well with Beane, he is very impatient when he spends big bucks.

 

Drama

Manny Ramirez is bringing his show to Oakland along with a 50-game suspension and some legal issues.

Coco Crisp doesn’t seem happy with the notion that he may have to move to one of the corner spots in the outfield, due to the signing of Cespedes, so fans will have to wait and see how that plays out.

Crisp should just relax until we find out if Cespedes’s big numbers in Cuba are any indication of how good this kid can be in “The Show.”

 

Question Marks

Without boring you with a list of names that A’s fans are well aware of, I will just mention a few spots that remain a mystery in Oakland.

Closer Andrew Bailey is gone, so who will step in and win the job?  The outfield is definitely not settled, and the DH spots and first base are a traffic jam to say the least.

 

What We Know

Kurt Suzuki, Coco Crisp, Cliff Pennington, Jemile Weeks and Scott Sizemore are pretty much locks for their respective positions and Brandon McCarthy, Bartolo Colon and Dallas Braden will fill the top three spots in the rotation.

 

My Two Cents

The A’s are a young team and there are a lot of ifs as we begin spring training.  I like what I see in Jemile Weeks—there will be no sophomore slump here.  If Cespedes works out, I like the potential one-two punch of the speedy Crisp and Weeks at the top of the order.

The competition for the closer spots and the three or four guys vying for the last two spots in the starting rotation could be good for business, as these guys will leave it all on the hill in order to secure a spot.

OK, I’ll stop dancing around the real issue in Oakland.

The Oakland A’s couldn’t score runs in 2011 and this needs to change. Cespedes, Manny and a huge stable of young unproven talent is supposed to solve that problem.

So, if the A’s are a soap opera, let’s hope it’s not the “Young and the Hitless.”

I’m just saying!

 

This article can also be viewed at SportsandMoviestuff.com

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2011 Oakland A’s: Stellar Pitching and New Bats Could Put The A’s Over The Top!

The Oakland A’s are being called the San Francisco Giants of 2011.

The comparisons stem from the fact that the A’s have a solid pitching staff. Like the Giants, the A’s have added some key veterans to make a push towards the playoffs.

The last time the A’s made the playoffs was 2006 when they lost to the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS. The A’s have added a list of veterans to help them get over the 500 mark for the first time in four years.

Following is a list of key additions that could help the A’s get over the hump and possibly contend for a pennant.

David DeJesus was brought in to play right field and bat third, DeJesus is not a power hitter but he hits for average, batting .318 in 91 games in 2010. He has a lifetime batting average of .289.

The Oakland A’s continued the trend of bringing in more bats with the addition of left fielder Josh Willingham from the Washington Nationals. Willingham is probably going to start the season in left field. Although, he does have the versatility to play other positions, which comes in handy during the grueling 162-game season.

The 6’2″ Willingham can bring some pop to the lineup, he will bat cleanup and brings the potential to hit twenty or more home runs. During his career he has cleared 20 home runs three times.

To fill the void left after the departure of Jack Cust is veteran Hideki Matsui. After seven years with the New York Yankees and a one-year stint in Los Angeles with the Angels, he lands in Oakland as the designated hitter.  Hopefully he can do the same as Willingham is expected to do and hit twenty or more dingers.

Matsui has been called a “professional hitter” by many analysts and he also brings a veteran presence to the club.

It’s no secret that the glue holding the Oakland A’s together is the starting pitching staff, featuring 2010 eighteen game winner Trevor Cahill and left-handers Dallas Braden, (pitched a perfect game in 20110), Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson.

The A’s bring in Rich Harden (again) to round out the rotation, although an injury to Harden has left the race wide open for the fifth starters spot. Tyler Ross, Branden McCarthy and Bobby Cramer all have a chance at the final slot.

The A’s have also tinkered a little bit with the bullpen adding Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour to a group led by All-Star closer Andrew Bailey.

The A’s hope that the additions on offense will help improve a club that was ranked 23rd overall in runs, 17th in batting average and 26th in slugging percentage.

Many experts predict that the Oakland A’s will improve upon their 81-81 record, but it may not be consistent with the traditional American League style of play. The A’s may have to play small ball and manufacture runs instead of the classic American League trait of getting one or two guys on base and hitting a two or three run bomb.

The A’s are definitely hoping they can get some fire power from the four and five holes, but they do have the capability of manufacturing runs with guys like leadoff man Coco Crisp, Mark Ellis, Kurt Suzuki, and DeJesus, just to name a few.

With manager Bob Geren entering his fifth season, some might wonder if he is the right man for the job. He has not had a winning season since he arrived in Oakland. Some analysts have argued that Geren is the right man for the job because he has the fortitude to handle hands on General Manager Billy Beane, who is said to be a bit intrusive when it comes to the everyday handling of the ball club.

Only time will tell how it all plays out, but Beane has definitely put the pieces into place for Geren and the Oakland A’s to succeed in 2010.

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