SFGate: Oakland Athletics : The Drumbeat

thanks, Susan. this quote from Inoa (from ESPN) is a great tribute to the A's organization, if he succeeds, it will only make it easier to sign more like him in the future:
---
"After careful thought, my parents and I decided that Oakland has a better pitcher development program, and that will be more important for my career in the long haul," said Inoa, who became eligible to sign with any major league ballclub on Tuesday at the strike of midnight.
--
The teams that outbid the A's were thought to be Texas and Cincy.

Posted By: vk | July 02 2008 at 11:43 AM

Going to Texas would be a bold strategy for pitching development. The "LaunchPad" at Arlington isn't and will never be conducive to pitching. Thank you Iona, you signed with a classy organization

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 11:52 AM

Yeah, I was going to say... not exactly pinnacles of pitching development they have in those other two cities.

Posted By: cuppingmaster | July 02 2008 at 12:01 PM

Susan, any comment on the ill advised head-first slide Chavey made just before he sat out those few games? He hit a long fly to left which he thought was out. He loafed out of the box until he saw it was in the park, then he picked it up to make it to second. He got up acting like he was in pain.

Posted By: BobEMLodi | July 02 2008 at 12:23 PM

Susan, any comment on the ill advised head-first slide Chavey made just before he sat out those few games? He hit a long fly to left which he thought was out. He loafed out of the box until he saw it was in the park, then he picked it up to make it to second. He got up acting like he was in pain.

Posted By: BobEMLodi | July 02 2008 at 12:28 PM

It's been awhile since we've seen an A's lineup with seven right-handed hitters. Saunders' splits are that he has a good batting average against both, but almost all the HRs hit against him are by righties.

Posted By: vk | July 02 2008 at 12:44 PM

Chavez on DL, I'm shocked!! He hasn't been on the DL for a whole month!!!!! Chavy was playing really good, but he sure isn't earning that $60 million the A's are paying him.

Posted By: bdizzle | July 02 2008 at 01:07 PM

Yeah VK, it's like "attack of the subs" out there today -- Davis, Bowen, Bankston, AND Murphy.
Happily, Ellis and Murphy hit Saunders pretty well; Davis has had some success too, and they might as well give Bowen a shot because Suzuki can't seem to hit him with a f*** paddle.

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 01:08 PM

AHHHH ATTACK OF THE SUBS!

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 01:11 PM

I think it was right to put Chavvy on the DL as we need him as more than a DH. Interesting that they called up Bankston. It will be interesting to see how he, and Barton, respond.

Posted By: texasfan | July 02 2008 at 01:39 PM

Can Travis Buck please find his batting stroke.

I don't want to see the Raja in there unless its as a defensive replacement or as a pinch runner.

nice kid but not a mlb starting out fielder

on the upside Harden is still in the rotation and glass bobby hasn't gone on the dl.

with only 20 home games after the break how realistic is to think post season?

Posted By: db27 | July 02 2008 at 01:39 PM

OK, time for Ellis to come up big...

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 02:15 PM

BAMMO!

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 02:17 PM

Who is this Wes Bankston guy? I've heard the name but no nothing about him..

Posted By: sfhat_trick | July 02 2008 at 02:24 PM

not realistic at all for a lot of reasons, db, that's what makes it so much fun! if the A's were really a team that looked like it could win the pennant we'd be fretting all the time, instead we can just enjoy it.

Posted By: vk | July 02 2008 at 02:26 PM

I'll save my "realism" for the FRONT page, thanks very much! Meanwhile...

Let's
Go
Oak-
Land!

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 02:34 PM

Bob Geren has absolutely no clue on how to manage his pitching staff, is he friends with Pete Rose and throwing games or something, what is he doing???? Good job on bringing in foulke with two outs in the 6th so he can implode today Geren, good one.

Posted By: pbra17 | July 02 2008 at 02:37 PM

Check out Foulke doing his Alan Embree impersonation.

Posted By: JoeyMRB | July 02 2008 at 02:37 PM

This comment has been removed for violations of terms of service.

Posted By: onski2d | July 02 2008 at 02:38 PM

That's an insult to bums everywhere.

Posted By: JoeyMRB | July 02 2008 at 02:39 PM

Good thing the A's have some veterans in the 'pen. Show the young guys how it's done.

Posted By: brian7906 | July 02 2008 at 02:42 PM

Foulke and Street and Embree are like good prom dates, they just love to give it up

Posted By: onski2d | July 02 2008 at 02:43 PM

Wow -- Wes Bankston. Who saw that roster move coming?
"Paging Mr. Barton, your ride to Sacramento is here."
But seriously, Barton needs to go clobber some AAA pitching to get his head on straight. And the A's really, really need to get his alleged "bat" out of the lineup.
Sign Barry Bonds now!

Posted By: wbgray | July 02 2008 at 02:43 PM

Bringing in Foulke ( or Embree) is on Beane, not Geren. Geren is a dolt but Billy got those guys to pitch just where Geren is using them. You no like, shoot Billy.

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 02:46 PM

please, theres a reason no one has signed Bonds.. he's a clubhouse cancer

Posted By: onski2d | July 02 2008 at 02:50 PM

Chavvy fading into the sunset. Damaged goods. Needs at least an entire year to heal and maybe not then.

Posted By: Chalton | July 02 2008 at 02:59 PM

That stoopid Geren just gave up a home run to Aybar.

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 03:06 PM

I will reiterate my statement from last night. When Devine is ready, trade both Foulke and Embree and bring up Jerry Blevins who has an amazing K/walk ratio in Sacramento

Posted By: texasfan | July 02 2008 at 03:08 PM

not realistic at all for a lot of reasons, db, that's what makes it so much fun! if the A's were really a team that looked like it could win the pennant we'd be fretting all the time, instead we can just enjoy it.

Posted By: vk | July 02 2008 at 02:26 PM

I agree, going in I was thinking 90+ losses so yes this team has been so fun to watch. aside from Cust taking a third strike with a runner on 3rd and less then two outs..

Posted By: db27 | July 02 2008 at 03:19 PM

FYI, Travis Buck is back in the Sacramento lineup after missing a couple of weeks. He's hitting AAA pitching this year. It's a matter of time before we see him again -- perhaps in time for his giveaway day?
Jack Cust needs to take some ground balls at first base. If Mike Sweeney's not due back soon, Cust is the best 1B solution.

Posted By: wbgray | July 02 2008 at 03:43 PM

Cust at 1B? He needs to be flat out released when Thomas or Mike Sweeney returns. 95 strike outs, many in key situations, really hurts the offense.

What happened to Bobby Crosby? Why did Hanahan pinch run for him? Don't tell me he finally got injured?

Posted By: cfrubio | July 02 2008 at 03:48 PM

Would it be possible for the Bullpen guys not to give up crucial home runs against the Angels..."no"...thanks anyways.

The A's pissed that series away. Leads in the last 2 games. Bullpen collapses as well in the last 2 games. So depressing.
Tf got tired of making fun of people trying to slide bengie mo into the 7 hole and decides to take some shots at B squared on the beat. Admit it TF if you could swap BB for Sabean, you'd do it faster than Baron Davis bolted for LA

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 04:00 PM

wbgray, "Sign Barry Bonds now!" you MUST NOT be a real A's fan b/c that statement is just stupid!!!!

Posted By: bdizzle | July 02 2008 at 04:20 PM

BDizzle: Are you saying that real A's fans (including myself) never say anything stupid? Where have you been all these years since Internet communities formed?

Posted By: wbgray | July 02 2008 at 04:22 PM

Kitch: actually, no. Billy is kind of like a soap opera-something big is always about to happen but it never quite does. You guys don't really pay attention to the Giants and their farm so you don't realize or maybe just choose to ignore what they're doing. If the only games you pay attention to are the BB series, you're missing a lot.
Bengie in the 7? I've worked on this a lot, run the numbers, did the math, consulted with Bill James: and best I can tell, Molina is still slow in the 7...

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 04:24 PM

TF: C'mon, I'll accept criticism of Billy Beane but not that one. Something big happens all the time on his watch. How about trading Dan Haren last winter, which everyone expected, and then following it up by unexpectedly breaking Princess' heart by dealing Swisher? Following the A's with Billy Beane in charge may not have yet yielded the ultimate reward, but it has rarely been dull.
For fun I just looked up Casey Rogowski, who inherits the fulltime job at first in Sacramento with Wes Bankston up here hoping to catch lightning. He has a pretty good wikipedia page, must be a family member. Here's a guy who was probably the best in his neighborhood and high school at every sport he tried, yet 9 years in the minors and he's still not quite good enough for the show. Really puts in perspective how difficult major-league baseball is. (As if watching Daric Barton flail doesn't do that already.)

Posted By: wbgray | July 02 2008 at 04:37 PM

"The A's will be calling him "Michael,'' though Inoa always has gone by Michel in the Dominican."
(1) Young Vida had the guts to turn down COF's offer of money to change his name to True. This new name bonus payment -- name change deal isn't so Finleyesque, but it suggests a whiff of PR manipulation.
(2) As TF has pointed out more than once, in the OLD days, teams forced the earliest Latin American players to anglicize their names. (Thus, for a few years, Clemente was known as "Bob." Of course, Roberto fought that indignity and put an end to it well before he died.)
Anyway, I thought those days were gone.
.
Or maybe this is a minor tempest/teapot issue. Maybe the kid likes the name Michael.

Posted By: xootsuit | July 02 2008 at 04:57 PM

Monday, A's in road grays , Angels wear home whites. Real baseball unis, great game. Tuesday and Wednesday Red Vs Green, Christmas pageant colors and A's blow lead and lose 'em both.

Posted By: friscojack | July 02 2008 at 05:01 PM

People were wondering about why Baisley wasn't called up instead of Bankston. Baisley is on the AAA disabled list; no idea what the injury is but he hasn't played in 17 days.

TF: Jeez, you're right, I must NOT have been paying attention to the Giants farm. I mean, I can't think of a single capable hitter they've produced since Bill Mueller!

Anyone who wouldn't trade Sabean for Beane in a New York picosecond needs to have their brain function checked.

Posted By: Zagarna | July 02 2008 at 05:02 PM

Well, let's see: Fred Lewis is doing just fine, Bowker is having a good rookie year. There's two contributing this year. Maybe we can compare them to Barton and Buck right now. Does that work for you?

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 05:17 PM

Your right TF I don't really pay attention to the Giant's farm system. You didn't exactly share insight about it. Give it to me...talk about the Fresno Grizzlies domination. What exactly am i missing out on...Brian Bocock? please...

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 05:19 PM

Sabean should get credit for the dynasty he's got going the last 3 years. 76 wins and below each of those 3 seasons. When you when more than you lose, that's good right... The future has been a long time coming for the Giants...still waiting.

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 05:27 PM

*when you lose more than you win... that was brutal, my apologies.

Damn it...the typos ruin the punch-line!

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 05:28 PM

Kitch: Both of you are just being silly now. It's no secret that the Giants neglected the farm and refused to enter the 21st century with evaluation tools. Hence the weak upper system. It shouldn't be a secret except to the willfully ignorant that that changed in 2006 ( some of you might have even noticed that their #1 pick in 2006 shut the A's down, oh: a few days ago). If you'd like a serious discussion about it, I'd be happy to enlighten you, if you want to just be foolish, I enjoy a good laugh as well...

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 05:36 PM

Funny how twinfan only shows up for A's losses. When has anyone EVER seen him post during/after an A's win? The correct answer: never.

wb is right on Bonds and oh so wrong on Cust. Why the stat heads love this guy is befuddling to me. He's on pace to best the living legend Adam Dunn for most K's in a year. He's hitting a blistering .231. He may (or may not) reach the arch achievement of 80 RBIs this year. He's a rally-killer of the first order, a lump of coal, a boat anchor on the production possibilities of the A's lineup. Yeah, sure, tell me about his walks. Who cares? A lousy 13 dingers against 96 Ks simply doesn't cut it. Cust is a bust.

Posted By: unfazed | July 02 2008 at 05:38 PM

Actually, I posted pretty regularly while the A's were sweeping my Twins... but not so much now. It's more fun after losses, I admit...especiaklly since VK stuck his foot in it this weekend.
And it's interesting that the rings from the last century are so important here yet when it comes to getting any now: "well, not to worry, we're building for the future... we don't have any money... Billy does good with what he has... look at all the dudes in AAA...wait 'til the deadline... this winter we'll get what we need... Barton is a stud... wait, Buck is a stud....Ok, maybe Bankston is a stud... there's a kid being born right now-he's gonna be a stud... OK, we traded all the studs for studettes... wait 'til they grow up...

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 05:46 PM

Since his rough April, Cust has gone 257/387/486, which is pretty normal for him. For the season, he's still hitting better than (for example) Vlad.
He's going through a bad stretch. He had bad stretches last year, too. Right now, he's the best power threat in the A's lineup, and by far their best at getting on base. You can have your rally-[lifegivers?], I'll take the guy least likely to make an out, and MOST likely to hit the ball a long way -- which am Jack Cust, and no other, at least for now.
As for his RBIs... he doesn't get to decide whether there are runners on when he bats. You do know that, right?

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 06:10 PM

Giants fans are enjoying the fact that the Giants took two of three last weekend. Are they forgetting the A's sweep two weeks prior? If 2 out of 6 is considered a victory, then I hope the Giants continue their "dominance".

That's Twins m.o., unfazed. He loves showing up when the A's look bad, but stays away for the wins. We should do the same thing on the Splash. We'll be over there a lot more than Twin will be over here. :)

Posted By: brian7906 | July 02 2008 at 06:14 PM

TF, you're right! The A's HAVE won four WS since the last Giants win, but neither team has won a "ring" this century.

So -- regular season, this century?
The A's have won 694 games, -- about 93/year.
The Giants: 635. 85/year.

8 games a year worse than the A's, against FAR weaker opponents. The Giants are currently 5 back, in the worst division in baseball, and they have one of the dumbest GMs in the game. Their everyday lineup averages like 47 years old.
It takes a real fan to keep going back to that kind of team, TF, and I respect that.

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 06:36 PM

jigokuumimi, thank you, I think I'm aware of the circumstances that lead to RBIs. And Cust has had PLENTY of chances to drive in runs. Unfortunately he finds those situations as prime opportunities to whiff. 96 Ks at the halfway point, on his way to the record books. You do know that, right?

Posted By: unfazed | July 02 2008 at 06:37 PM

Yeah, why doesn't Cust just decide not to strike out in those situations? The big dummy.

Look:
You say he's a .231 hitter.
I say he's a .387 OBP hitter.

You say he strikes out a lot (implying that's bad, though you don't say why).
I say those strikeouts don't hurt the team any more than any other kind of out, and might even help the team (more pitches thrown, fewer double-play grounders).

He's also the best power threat in the A's lineup, and by far their best on-base guy. All at a bargain price!
So how is that a "bust," exactly?

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 07:00 PM

"Giants fans are enjoying the fact that the Giants took two of three last weekend. Are they forgetting the A's sweep two weeks prior?" Of course we are. And you should too. Time to start checking the rear view mirror. Third place beckons....
"8 games a year worse than the A's, against FAR weaker opponents." Well, we'll even it up, I'll have Bonds DH those years. I'll call it dead even.

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 07:01 PM

So much for positive thoughts....I didn't bet on the A's either. I don't know how to do those bets....I'm bummed the A's lost because the last thing I heard was Ellis knocked in two runs...:Embree was so good last year. In fact he was such a good closer that I had so much confidence in him...what happened?...

Posted By: princessjenjen | July 02 2008 at 07:08 PM

'Well, we'll even it up, I'll have Bonds DH those years. I'll call it dead even.'

Um.

What?

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 02 2008 at 07:15 PM

TF isn't making sense again...

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 02 2008 at 07:57 PM

Well, you guys are in the American League over here, I forgot. I'll give you a day or two to think about it.

Posted By: twinfan | July 02 2008 at 09:08 PM

"He's also the best power threat in the A's lineup, and by far their best on-base guy. All at a bargain price!"

He may be all of that. A sad statement, indeed. And Ks are bad. Ground balls move runners over, fly balls move runners over, errors put the hitter on base. They all record the same in the box score but the results on the field are clearly different.

Posted By: unfazed | July 02 2008 at 09:47 PM

But, in *my* world of absolutes ground balls lead to double plays, flyouts with no one on base is the same as a strikeout, etc. Cust is still the best player on the team at not making outs.

Posted By: thatbootlegguy | July 02 2008 at 11:08 PM

This is a defining series. With the bullpen going through a slump, hitting still non existent and more injuries; I just don't see the A's contending at all this season. I think Beane will complete the fire sale soon. Chavez, Embree, Street, Foulke, Duke, Crosby, Harden, Blanton, Gaudin and E Brown are all available at the right price. The team will probably still contend in spurts and finish in either 2nd or 3rd place. Next year will be another grueling up and down year with 2010 being the start of the next dynasty. Sit back enjoy the ride folks....

Posted By: charlesofinley | July 03 2008 at 05:19 AM

I realize I'm in the minority on this, but I say hang onto Harden and Duchscherer. When healthy (I know, I know, an extremely big IF, especially for Harden, but still...), they're among the best pitchers in the AL. Rebuild everywhere else till the cows come home, if you must, but keep those two. Assuming Eveland and Smith are the real deal, that's a pretty good starting rotation. Not sure who the fifth starter is. Personally, I'd like to keep Gaudin, as well, but I'm sure the 'tear it completely down so we can start from scratch again' faction would REALLY hate that. Quality starting pitchers don't grow on trees, you know.

Posted By: in_the_details | July 03 2008 at 08:16 AM

Agreed in the deets, I think Harden is benefiting from the fact that he is no longer throwing the split, and if I'm not mistaken, the slider as well. He is also benefting from taking his fastball down from 97-99 mph to 93-96 mph. Might as well keep him as long as he is healthy.

As for Duchscherer, he is as crafty and efficient as they come. In his last few starts he has breezed through lineups making very little location mistakes. I'd argue that right now he's got a little Maddux in him. Keep these guys as long as possible.

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 03 2008 at 08:33 AM

I don't see how Chavez goes. Too many injury problems right now. Maybe some people will think I'm crazy, but I would wait until next season before making any decision on Chavez. Having undergone three surgeries in one offseason, I think it's unfair to label him "finished" so soon after the surgeries.

Posted By: brian7906 | July 03 2008 at 08:52 AM

Certainly I see Brown, Embree and Foulke ready to be dangled, probably Street and Blanton also. I think Devine would make a solid closer, although it is always hard to know if they have the correct makeup until they are thrust in the role. A trade of Blanton would allow us to bring back Gaudin to the rotation.
I think we should keep Duke and Harden as I don't really think we will get the full value, and I do think we have the rotation to stay competitive. Bring Blevins up.

Chavez re-injury was disappointing. He was performing more like Chavez. Again, I can't see we get real value from him because of his injury.

Bottom line: I don't see Beane simply dismantling but tuning up so the team can be better now and even better in the future.

Posted By: texasfan | July 03 2008 at 09:19 AM

It's a tough call, do they sell, do they buy? This series definitely hurt because all 3 of the games where within grasp. The 2 games the bullpen got a hold of were losses, which is uncharacteristic for a team with an above average bullpen. They are only 5.5 games back, but with the AL East race being as competitive as it has been, the wild card could be tough.

I hope the move Blanton, but I think they could get a lot more for Street. Hopefully one of the returns is either a starting pitcher, or a right-handed bat with nice pop.

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 03 2008 at 10:06 AM

I think if they'd swept the Angels series, they'd deal for this year. Now that they're further out, the Fire Sale for the Future becomes much more likely.
I hope that doesn't happen, because -- unrealistic though it may be -- I think they've got a potentially-excellent team, and if some fluky stuff goes their way, they still COULD win the division.

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 03 2008 at 10:47 AM

Guys, we didn't sign Cust off the FA market for $10m a season. We plucked him off the scrap heap for a measly $300k - the league minimum. That alone makes him a bargain, and he is our only power threat, who may I remind you is in the top 5 in On-base percentage. Jigokumimi was right in what he said earlier about Cust. The idiot that's ragging on Cust doesn't know what the hell he's talkin about. And to nearly win the last 2 games against the Angels w/ the lineup we rolled out there is what makes baseball great. It's not over yet, and I'm not in panic mode either. I think we'll be w/in 3 games of LAA again before ya know it. Barton needs some AAA seasoning. I hope Wes Bankston can show us something tonight in Chi-town.

Posted By: sfhat_trick | July 03 2008 at 11:16 AM

Well, I wouldn't beetch if you knocked off the White Sox this weekend, I might even post after a win, or 3 would be nice...

Posted By: twinfan | July 03 2008 at 11:40 AM

Yes, the perfect Sox series: something for every A's fan -- Swisher homers in each game, and the A's win 6-1, 4-1, and 5-2.

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 03 2008 at 12:06 PM

But it's a four game series, jigokumimi. Am I to infer that you're a secret A's hater and hope they lose the fourth game, 12-0, with Swisher hitting three grand slams and every good A's player being injured?

Posted By: in_the_details | July 03 2008 at 12:18 PM

Sfhat: I don't get the criticism of Cust either.
Strikeouts? Really? He does K about twice as often as an average AL hitter but he homers almost twice as often (one per 19 ABs vs. 33 ABs for league average) and his OBP is about 60 points higher. And his numbers are down right now because of that recent slump. When he's on, he gets on base in nearly half of his ABs. Plus he's cheeeep.
I don't see how you could NOT understand why the "stat-heads" love the guy so much. He's easily been the best hitter on the team since he arrived and I wouldn't be surprised to see his OPS soar back up to the .900-ish level it was last year and earlier this year. And with just over two years of ML service time (Cot's Baseball Contracts), fans should get used to him because he's cheap for a while longer.
If you think about it, the value the A's get from Cust is tremendous.

Posted By: scotthatty11 | July 03 2008 at 12:44 PM

Heaven forfend! I meant to have two 6-1 games in there & screwed it up. Eesh.

My apologies, Every Good A's Player.

And, I suppose, Nick Swisher.

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 03 2008 at 12:46 PM

Since 1980 only one pitcher acquired at the deadline has won a WS game.
Some perspective on trading for starters at the deadline from Colorado's GM:
"They only get to play every five days...look at the number of starts a starting pitcher is going to get by the end of September. Probably 10. So if the guy doesn't dominate in eight of those 10 starts, it's a disappointing trade."
Position players are different "because they can blend into the mix."
And bullpen arms, in the right role, "can make a big difference."
Pretty good article (especially for ESPN):
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

Posted By: scotthatty11 | July 03 2008 at 01:10 PM

That's the spirit TF- I'm glad Duke is going tonight, maybe he'll be able to stop the bleeding. Maybe Blanton will put together a decent start as well, ehhhh.....wishful thinking.

Go A's

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 03 2008 at 01:22 PM

Prediction: Blanton puts up a good, solid game and he is GONE! I just hope Harden isn't gone too-the only time I actually watch a full game.

Posted By: BobEMLodi | July 03 2008 at 01:28 PM

Blanton= 2-1 3.12 ERA against the White Sox. A good start is possible, but so is BP.

Posted By: gkitch25 | July 03 2008 at 01:58 PM

Hope you're right, Bob. And let's keep trading. I don't think we need a Fire Sale, just some pruning. If Street, Embree and Foulke went too, it would be OK. They're not the future and that's what we should be focusing on. The A's have had a great run, given the expectations, but I just don't think they can catch the Angels, and the wildcard is an even longer shot.
Let's keep building for 2009.

Posted By: mrbacchus | July 03 2008 at 02:06 PM

Street -- the 24-year-old closer -- isn't the future?

A couple of the current WSox (Cabrera and Hall) seem to hit Blanton pretty well -- and although Thome's never had a hit off him, he's walked FIVE times in just nine plate appearances. That's pitching around, all right -- hope it works!

For tonight's game, Brown's the only guy who seems to hit Vasquez well. But Ellis has been OK against him, and for whatever reason has been a monster on the road this year. All the A's good young hitters (so far) seem to be lefties... here's to Bankston coming up big!

Posted By: jigokumimi | July 03 2008 at 02:28 PM

Harden is an interesting piece; you'd hate to sell the best pitcher in the league, but the return could be Haren-esque or better. I wouldn't think the A's could get a "wow" package for Blanton/Street right now, though it doesn't mean they wouldn't net a good return.
I don't know for sure that anybody would give up a great package for Harden right now, but you can bet that's what Billy would require. If he throws, say, two more lights-out games over the next two weeks he may garner some serious attention.
It would suck to lose his dominance but how would it look if they shun the opportunity (should one exist), he's mostly injured for the second half, they decline his 7mil option next year (no buyout) and they're left empty-handed? Not at all an unlikely scenario.

Posted By: scotthatty11 | July 03 2008 at 03:11 PM