Bad game for Byrnes

If you happen to catch the highlights of tonight's, April 26th, game, try to see how bad Byrnes played the ball hit into left which became a run that tied up the game right after the A's had taken the lead.

I am trying to get an A's contract rundown based on the great, but long since updated, DugoutDollars site; hopefully that should be up soon. And as always, the pitching log is updated nightly. Let me know of any suggestions to make it a better log.

Calero has a bone spur

A little blub in today's Knight Ridder papers was that the A's requested from the Royals 2001 x-rays of Calero's right elbow because at that time he had bone spurs... of course, before today, it was just to give the A's an idea of his elbow as the A's trainers stated it was just tendinitis.

But someone from the A's has divulged that Calero indeed has a bone spur and they are going to take the same approach with him as Saarloos did with his: pitch through it.

Makes one wonder whether the tendinitis tag is just a cover for something worse that the A's don't want to reveal as in last season when Dotel was suffering from tendinitis.

Temporary Solution

After tonight's miserable loss, I decided to do some looking at teams from the past three years and compare them to the A's current situation. The 2004 Mariners and Blue Jays were in the bottom 5 of losing teams and yet if you look at their team batting summaries, they weren't all that bad. What got them was a combination of the pitching being awful and a few guys who got 200 too many ab's i.e. Scott Spiezio.

So what does this have to do with the 2005 A's? Well, the A's have only 3 guys who can be counted on as of this moment: Hatteberg, Kotsay, and Scutaro. Seeing as how they are the best hitters on the team, I recommend constructing this lineup:

Kotsay
Scutaro
Hatteberg
Kendall
...

And the rest to follow in any order you see fit. The reason I chose to stop at that is simply because the rest are too streaky to consistently produce. In the beginning of a game, the 1-3 of the lineup above give the greatest possibility of scoring runs for that inning with Kendall currently excelling solely with runners in scoring position. The A's need to string some wins together in order to make sure the pitching doesn't put extra pressure on itself to pitch perfect games in order to help the club win. With a run or two to start every home game, the A's know that they have the ability to win the game in their final ab should a tie be reached into the bottom of the ninth, and to a lesser degree, the eighth.

Tommorow review and Today's look

Calero is going to be examined tonight by Lewis Yocum and he is expected to be allowed to pitch in two days. Also, Thomas and Kielty will be in the lineup tonight; who they replace, I don't know yet.

Update: Yahoo has released the lineup and Thomas is in left for Byrnes with Kielty in right for Swisher. And unlike Atlanta's Bobby Cox's constructive move in placing the struggling Andruw Jones in the seventh spot, Chavez and his 0-15 RISP avg is batting third.

As for yesturday, Macha did the best he could in trying to stretch Dotel's warmup tosses for the ninth. However, durring the comeback in the top of the ninth, he should have instructed Yabu to throw a pitch and pretend like he was hurt to get more time for Dotel. That's just a little gamesmanship that lots of managers use when they are in a tight, tight pinch.

I look for the A's offense to explode off of Byrd simply because the A's know him from his KC days and they know him well.

A's trying to move Ginter

According to the former A and current D'back scout Shooty Babbitt, the A's are looking to move Ginter. That's all that he mentioned but it makes one wonder how you could trade a guy with no value unless you play him which I am told he will not be.

New concise pitching log

Thanks to the idea of a poster at the A's Scout message board, I have created an Excel file that has all the game logs of the A's pitching staff; I will update the file daily.

Here's the file; I recommend saving the file instead of clicking the link.

Crosby signed 'till 2009

The A's announced today durring BP that they have agreed to terms with Bobby Crosby on a 5 year contract through 2009. This would cover Crosby's final year with the A's as he was under club control for 5 more years anyways; it just provides financial relief for the A's and financial security for Crosby.

This and That

The day after the loss, there have been a few grumbles from the players about their situations and the state of the club that were detailed in today's Knight Ridder papers.


Among them:

• Byrnes said that if he had the chance to do the dive again, he would because that's how he plays, all out. I can understand the fact that if he catches the ball the A's are out of the inning, but if he doesn't the A's are down by more runs AND they still have to get out of the inning. If he had played it on the bounce, the A's would have been down by 2 runs at the most with Rincon ready in the pen. At that late stage in the game, you have to minimize the damage and in that case, a dive was not the answer. And of course, Byrnes was benched after that play but there was no mention in today's papers that the play was the reason for being benched. Because if it wasn't, why did Macha decide to keep him out there for one more defensive inning before being pinch hit for?

• Apparently Melhuse has lost confidence in Macha about playing time after reading an online site that led him to distrust Macha. As you may or may not know, there have been numerous occasions where Macha has said one thing about a player and then a week later said another. Frankly, I wouldn't trust Macha at all; his personal skills aren't the best.

• Yabu was asked about facing Ichiro and he replied: "If I come in to face him, it means the Athletics will be behind by several runs," followed with "I don't think I'll have the opportunity to face him." I think it's pretty obvious that Yabu isn't happy with his usage and so far I can't blame him; he has been in only 3 games for the Athletics and has been charged with 1 earned run. Plus, his velocity has improved from spring training.

Frankly, I am surprised that there weren't more players complaining to the media about their respective situations. With Nomar being placed on the DL and isn't expected to return until 2-3 month or longer, the A's should jump at the chance to trade either Ellis or Scutaro as Ginter has no trade value and when Crosby returns in late May, there will be three people rotating on one spot.

Tonight's game

Should be an interesting game as I say that Zito finally picks up the W that has alluded him for 2 starts now. And hopefully Thomas starts and gets his first hit as well.

If you are in the normal A's broadcast area, you should be able to get game on ESPN2. However, this may not be the case if they decide not to cut from the Cubs/Cardinals game thta was delayed for and hour and a half.

As with almost every baseball fan with the internet, I am in a couple of fantasy leagues; I will have a little meter that will show my ranking as the season goes on. More on that in a future post. Along those lines, it would be a great deal of help if I had some ideas on features that would make this blog more informative.

Boo-hoo Byrnes news

Now it seems as if Byrnes, now Boo-hoo Byrnes, is complaining about not starting tonight:

Byrnes, who doesn't make much of an effort to hide his displeasure when he's left out of the lineup but never expresses himself in a boat-rocking fashion, was seen walking off the field with general manager Billy Beane during batting practice and never surfaced in the clubhouse while it was open to the media before the game.

Wow, could it get any sadder then this? Nevermind the fact that he tried to throw a ball near third base like a shortstop and allowed a runner to score... the guy has the balls to now complain? Just can't wait for him to be gone.

4-13 Lineup

WOW... what a difference a day makes! Not sure if that is a trademarked saying, but who cares, today's lineup is worth infringing a trademark or two.

M. Kotsay cf
J. Kendall c
E. Chavez 3b
E. Durazo dh
S. Hatteberg 1b
K. Ginter 2b
C. Thomas lf
N. Swisher rf
M. Ellis ss

Not too damn f'ing shabby. I still say that Ellis should bat 8th with Thomas 9th but you can't have everything. Book it, tonight the A's will win; here comes Blanton's first win!

Update: Why did Macha bring in Street when Cruz and Calero were supposed to be the setup men to Dotel? Sheesh.

Frank Brooks DFA'd

Update: Brooks was claimed by the Braves and he was optioned to Triple A Richmond. Oh well, another free lefty bites the dust.

And this is where Beane should strike with optioning Street to the minors. The La Times is reporting that Frank Brooks of the Dodgers, is being removed off the 40 man roster to make room for 3rd baseman Norihiro Nakamura. Fellow lefty Kelly Wunsch was selected instead of Brooks as a lefty out of the pen at the end of spring training.

The A's can pick him up off of waivers and place him on their 40 man OR they could try to sign him as a free agent if he is released by the Dodgers. Having a lefty like him in the pen would do wonders for Macha as he has two lefties when it comes to match ups. Brooks may be familiar to you as he was a 2004 Rule 5 selection of the Mets who was then traded to the A's.

And there is the way out

Ha! Once Orioles' lefty reliever Steve Kline gave up homers after poor defensive plays, you knew he was going to spew to the media. Apparently, he wishes he could undo the free agency departure from St Louis.

Well if there was ever a time to capitalize on a player, it's with Kline. As I previously stated, the O's were looking for a CF... well now, trading Cameron for Kline and Sosa and Cash seems like a pretty good deal.

But we don't have Cameron you say? Well look at what Roberto Hernandez of the Mets is saying about his former coach, Rick Peterson:

Hernandez credited pitching coach Rick Peterson, who worked with him in the early '90s with the White Sox.
'It's been a big plus, where he gets on me when I'm not doing my routines or when he thinks that I'm not finishing the way I should be . . . There's a trust and a bond.'

This is a great development as now the Mets can point to the reunion of Hernandez and Peterson and correlate that to a potential reunion of the CY Young Winner Barry Zito. We'll have to see as the season progresses but this is starting to become a great opportunity.

Today's game: Towers v. Haren

This should be an interesting matchup as Towers gave the A's fits last year... of course, the way the lineup is set up leaves much to be desired.

Kotsay
Thomas
Kendall
Chavez
Durazo
Hatteberg
Ellis
Swisher
Scutaro

Ok, what was Macha puffing on? Having Thomas hit second?? Kendall should never bat higher then second as he is just getting accustomed to the league; same with Thomas. So now Chavez will be coming up with the worst scenario being only 1 runner on and 2 outs. Of course you could say that Chavez having to start the next inning would be the worst, but leaving a runner on base would be a nice rub on the wound :)

The Powerless Ellis batting behind OBP machines Hatteberg and Durazo makes no sense at all. And if you saw the game last night, you can tell that Ellis is favoring his shoulder as he didn't range to his right. So you might as well get Ginter behind Durazo to see if he can develop into some power. The thought of having three lefties in a row doesn't sit well mainly because of Hatteberg's weak start to the 05 season. Finally, Thomas hitting 9th would allow for speed on the bases as the lineup turns over.

Kotsay
Kendall
Chavez
Durazo
Ginter
Hatteburg
Swisher
Scutaro
Thomas

So the A's lost tonight five to two and of course, Thomas, Kendall, and Ellis go a combined 0-10 with Thomas and Ellis getting a walk a piece. Here's Macha's "reasoning:"

"Just trying it out and seeing how it looks," Macha said. "I want to see how Charles does in the No. 2 spot. That's the wild card in the whole thing, and I know I'll get a quality at-bat out of (Kendall), no matter where he is. I moved Chavez down one spot, but he's OK with that, too."

Huh? Why must you find out what Charles does in the 2 spot this early in the season? It's not as if he or Kendall have gotten off to a great start. There were a couple of times in the game where Chavez came up with two outs and of course the A's didn't score. So instead of trying to win a game AND get some production out of guys, Macha places them in situations where they are going to fail. Nice way to start the season.

A's Legacy Readers: Help needed

As the season has started, I am wondering if the blog should take the step towards gameday posts. So if you so choose, inform me whether it would be a good idea; I'd appreciate it very much.

I know that after watching Saarloos post a 5 spot, something's need to be said.

Oh yeah, and I just noticed something...



looks alot like...



Any thoughts?

ACES and Juiced review

I brought up in another in a previous post the book, ACES, written by Mychael Urban of MLB.com fame. Well I have read the book and I feel it's not that bad but it can be confusing at times. Urban likes to change thoughts in mid-paragraph which makes it very difficult to digest the starlings. Another issue with the book is that it wasn't as revealing as I would have liked. It would seem like the juiciest of juice stories should be in a book about the Big Three but it was pretty bland.

On the other hand, Juiced was a well-written autobiography of Jose Canseco's life. There is a misconception about this book that it is solely about steroid use and baseball but there is far more too it then that. You get to read about Jose's life from being a kid in Cuba to his various marriages and run-ins with the law. However, Jose did not write this book alone as former San Francisco Chronicle writer, Steve Kettmann, was his ghost-writer.

Overall both books were pretty good but Juiced is far more in-depth with Jose's life and ACES is far more encompassing with the A's Big Three. And if you are interested, try to pick up Glenn Dickey's Champions, which is a great lead into Moneyball.

OT- Huizenga kills Marlins' deal

According to the Sun-Sentinel, H. Wayne Huizenga has told the Florida Legislature that the Marlins will not be evicted from Dolphins Stadium. This effectively kills the proposed Marlins proposal for a state-heavy funded ballpark adjacent to the Orange Bowl. The fact that in December '04 he was sent a letter notifying the team would be evicted from Dolphin Stadium

Mr. Loria is not the most amicable man around and with the way he has been toyed with Huizenga, he will move from South Florida. The main issue is the amount of money Huizenga pockets from the Marlins in way of concessions and parking. Look for news about a meeting with Vegas Officials in the next month or two.

Moves to look for

As I watched Zito wade through 4 innings, I wondered what the A's could get for him. Sure he is a former Cy Young Award winner, but that has to wear off at some point, doesn't it? And with two bad starts to begin the '05 season, one has to wonder whether this is a fluke or a continuation of his 3 year decline.

So after reading ACES by Mychael Urban, I decided that only the Mets would be willing to give up talent for Zito simply on the Peterson connection. He's an inside guy who has Minaya's ears when it comes to picking up pitchers; he would root the hardest to get Zito in Flushing. So I say, why not do the following three moves to bolster the team...

Zito to NY Mets
Cameron, Yusmeiro Pettit, cash

Cameron to the Orioles
Sammy Sosa and cash

Byrnes to the Pirates
Tom Gorzelanny and Brian Bullington

Reason for Mets: As I type this, the Mets are about to go 0-5 to start the season. The media hounds in New York will be foaming at the mouth after the Mets laid down 200 million dollars this offseason in player acquisitions. By sending Zito to a pitcher's park and to his former pitching coach, he can regain his form by being in a comfort zone. After all, he has stated that he wouldn't mind playing in the Big Apple. While Cameron has a no-trade to Oakland, he would be informed that it's not his final destination as he will be sent to Baltimore to play into the centerfield friendly Camden Yards. Zito is owed 5.5 million this year with an 8.25 million dollar option; 1 million dollars included in the deal would help offset the cost of Sosa being add to the team.

Reason for O's: Cameron is under contract until 2006 for 6.50 million with an '07 option of 6.5. Sosa is a free agent and is being paid by the O's for 8 million with 10 million coming from the Cubs. He had an 18 million dollar option for 06 but he voided it as part of the conditions of being traded to Baltimore.. While Cameron can solidify their center field situation, Sosa is very likely a one year deal. The cash would be the difference between the 05 salaries of the two players or 1.5 million dollars.

Reason for the Pirates: Byrnes hasn't seen a fastball he didn't like and with a move to the National League, he should see a great deal of 'em. Gorzelanny had some elbow inflammation and the Pirates were worried that he may have to undergo surgery. But James Andrews determined that everything was ok; which mean he's a good enough return for the defensive lapsed Byrnes. Bullington is a right-hander who is rated 6th overall by Baseball America in the Pirates system; a nice compliment to the lefty Gorzelanny. As they continue to see solid starting pitching but few runs scored, look for the Pirates to make a move for a right-handed hitter.

The issue with these trades is Hatteberg; via addition by subtraction; with Hatty gone, Swisher can be placed at first with Sosa moving to right. This allows for a two person rotation in left field with Thomas and Kielty. So he may have to be kept until a taker is found. And the net cost becomes 2.2 million for Byrnes and 5.5 million for Zito with Sosa costing 8 million but with a net cash addition of 2.5 million.

Byrnes can't cut it

Sure he won Thursday's game, but to think that he should be left in when defensive changes were made Friday is silly at best. In the top of the 10th, Thomas pinch-hit for Hatteberg and in the bottom of the inning, Swisher was moved to 1st and Thomas moved to Right. While Macha had the right idea of defense, he left Byrnes in the game.

So when Gathright hit a fly ball to the warning track, Byrnes didn't, as usually, get the best read on the ball and had to play the ball of the wall. Had Thomas been in Left with Kielty in right, that ball would have been caught. Bobby Cox has seen a ton of great left-fielders, just in his days with the Braves alone, and when he says that Thomas is the best left-fielder he has ever seen, you have to realize that keeping Byrnes in left is a liability.

The A's need the Pirates to hit some offensive woes in order to try to pry Snell from them for Byrnes. Getting Snell would make the pitching depth huge when it comes to keeping Zito.

4/6 Interesting Lineup

With Saarloos taking Crosby's roster spot to start tonight's game, it is very interesting that Ginter is starting at second base. Even more interesting is that Thomas, over Byrnes, is starting in left field.

Crosby to the DL

According to Macha, he has a stress fracture to his 9th or 10th rib and may be out for 6 weeks. So much for a good start to the 05 season. Apparently, the press release is saying it is both ribs; when it comes out, I will update on it.

Of course, they could have sent Street down as well and saved him for another year; and Seay cleared waivers so he could have been signed to Street's spot. Oh well...

5 Minor leaguers test positive

A continuing story this season is the steroid scandal in baseball; if it wasn't enough for the A's do have to endure McGwire's likely and Canseco's certain use of steroids, 5 minor leaguers have tested positive for steroids, notably, Javier Herrera.

He was considered a high prospect as noted by many sites including Bobby Lee's Future of A's Baseball blog. Now it would seem that his position in the A's system would take a few hits although this is his 1st offense.

Street makes the team...

and in my opinion it was a hastly made move. Street did not have to be on this roster to start out the season. Sure he was impressive in the spring, but why start the arbitration clock on him when you got guys like Harikkala or others who can be the last guy in the pen. When you look at Street, you know he's the real deal; he has that look of determination and has the numbers to back up the stuff. But if you have such a sure thing, why do you have to rush it so soon, especially when he is the 3rd option, at best, to setup Dotel?

But the thing that is fruestrating is the fact that instead of carrying another bench player in the event of a lefty being avaliable, the bullpen is full to the max and you would have to waste an option on Street if you were to send him down. And it just so happens that the bumbling orginization that is Tampa Bay has released just the type of bullpen pitcher the A's needed in Bobby Seay. If you look at him, he looks to have turned a corner and had a complied year very similar to former A Chris Hammond, only with a better K9.

What's funny is that Macha talks about using Street in soft spots to get him acustomed to pitching in the Majors yet he could do the exact same thing at midseason. The way I see it, your last players on your respective benches should be projects; guys who you are testing out to see if they can change things around i.e new scenery. Street's the real deal but he doesn't have to be rotting in the pen when he could be getting work in Triple A.