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The Oakland Telegraph
10 May 2032
Rios and Hawkins injuries and rotation struggles create problems for A's
By Terry Bull-Rotation, pitching problems correspondent
How quickly things can change, eh. A week ago Paulie Beane's Oakland outfit were looking well placed to fulfill preseason predictions and charge headlong towards yet another playoff appearance. All of a sudden, it doesn't look quite so rosy. And we know that the A's front office is concerned with how things are going, after reports of a bashed-up A's-branded iPad, pierced by a kitchen knife, landed unannounced from a vertical direction on the pavement beneath the window of GM Beane's office at the Coliseum.
Speaking to reporters after last night's 6-5 defeat to Seattle, Beane refused to comment on the smashed laptop story, but admitted he was concerned at his team's recent form. It was clear from his comments - an unguarded reference at one point to "soft-tossing wazzocks" was a bit of a giveaway - that he is angry with his underperforming rotation. Brad Dundee's (0-3, 7.40) struggles are already high profile, but, in a rare outbreak of reasonableness, Beane said that given Dundee is only just returning from a very bad injury, he was prepared to cut him some slack. Karl Dickson (0-3, 4.50) has been either lethal or utterly abysmal in his starts. Carl Bates (1-1, 6.91) has disappointed, while Joe Byrd, who replaced Bates in the rotation while he was injured, is back in the minors after allowing 8 home runs from 18 innings pitched in 3 starts. "This is a rotation of five all-stars", lamented Beane, "They should be doing miles better than this current omnishambles." Pitching coach Ace Onballs is understood to be under strict instructions to sort it out, or else.
So far this season, the bullpen and the lineup have done well enough to keep the team winning. But the latter is under threat after both Pepe Rios and Dennis Hawkins were laid up, for 2 weeks and 4 weeks respectively, after getting injured running the bases in a game against Houston a week ago. Replacements Rob Dyment and Jean-Francois Pelletier are doing their best, but those injuries to key players leave a big hole in the A's lineup. And the team's problems manifested themselves in a 2-4 past week, which has seen Oakland slip to 15-11 and down to second place in the American League West division, albeit only half a game back of the Los Angeles Angels.
To make matters worse, the New York Yankees are on a 15-game winning streak and are 21-4. Crikey almighty.
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