Oakland A's 2005 season official thread - Page 17

johnnyshaka · 06-21-2005, 02:31 AM

Haren looked GREAT again tonight and the bats looked FANTASTIC!!!!! Great game.

johnnyshaka · 06-21-2005, 03:10 PM

DOLA,

Harden is officially back...he'll be starting tonight. Strict pitch count will be enforced, but nevertheless, definitely great to see the pride of Victoria back in Green 'n' Gold.

Green & Gold Heart · 06-21-2005, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

DOLA,

Harden is officially back...he'll be starting tonight. Strict pitch count will be enforced, but nevertheless, definitely great to see the pride of Victoria back in Green 'n' Gold.

And it's looking like it will mean no more Ryan Glynn in green and gold. Thank goodness. It's about time we get this rotation back to normal.

BadluckinOOTP · 06-22-2005, 02:44 AM

He's back!!!!! 6 innings 2 hits 1 run...

JDOldSchool · 06-22-2005, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Green & Gold Heart

With Harden coming back soon, it should make for a fun summer for the green and gold. Can we get back to .500???

Can they get to .500?

They'll be in the playoff picture in August and September. There's no doubt in my mind. Once Street gets back, this is a very solid team. Everyone expects them to be sellers in July, but I can easily see them being buyers (in their A's, small market, sneaky Billy Beane kinda way). Is anybody really missing Durazo right now? I bet the A's could get something solid for him.

johnnyshaka · 06-22-2005, 04:13 AM

Won't get much for Durazo at all...he's a DH who has only had over 500 at bats in a season twice during his career. A DH who can't stay healthy won't get you much on the trade market.

Great to see Harden pitch well and Johnson hit his first homer.

One game at a time...slow and steady.

JDOldSchool · 06-22-2005, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Won't get much for Durazo at all...he's a DH who has only had over 500 at bats in a season twice during his career. A DH who can't stay healthy won't get you much on the trade market.

If I'm not mistaken, didn't Durazo have limited at bats in Arizona because they just didn't see him as an everyday player (and his defense is atrocious)? Has he ever really been injured until this year? He had 500+ at bats the past two seasons. I don't think his health is a major factor once he gets back. There are teams that could use him.

Green & Gold Heart · 06-22-2005, 11:55 AM

I agree with johnnyshaka that the A's probably won't get much for Durazo should they try to deal him this year. Every injury update I've read said his elbow is not getting any better. Plus, he was struggling quite a bit before he went down. I hope Beane can prove me wrong though.

johnnyshaka · 06-22-2005, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

If I'm not mistaken, didn't Durazo have limited at bats in Arizona because they just didn't see him as an everyday player (and his defense is atrocious)? Has he ever really been injured until this year? He had 500+ at bats the past two seasons. I don't think his health is a major factor once he gets back. There are teams that could use him.

In 2000, Durazo was supposed to be the everyday first baseman in Arizona but had wrist problems that caused him to visit the DL three times that year. Ever since then, the Diamondbacks never really gave him a shot to win the job back. This recent injury has everybody a little nervous because it wasn't supposed to take this long for him to get back and as of a week ago, Durazo was still very sore. Not good.

No NL team would be interested in a slow DH type that makes $4.7 a year. There really aren't any AL teams that hard up for Durazo type players who make that kind of cash.

The only way we move Durazo is if we package him up with a big time prospect or we just dump him as a straight salary dump without getting much in return.

JDOldSchool · 06-22-2005, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

The only way we move Durazo is if we package him up with a big time prospect or we just dump him as a straight salary dump without getting much in return.

I am thinking that dumping Durazo for very little still could be worth it. Dan Johnson has been solid since being recalled and I don't think he needs to go back to AAA. But, if as you say, Durazo isn't close to coming back anytime soon then there might not be much of an issue with Johnson going down.

I like the A's for the last 3 1/2 months of the season as long as Street can get back soon. Kendall, Johnson/Hatteberg, Crosby, Chavez, Kielty (he doesn't suck anymore!), Kotsay, and Swisher is a solid team. Scutaro and Ellis aren't great, but they're alright at the end of the lineup.

The pitching is getting much better. Getting Harden back is huge. Harden and Haren are the two best pitchers right now. Blanton has been very good lately. Zito is pitching like a #4 starter. Saarloos hasn't been that bad, either.

The bullpen is scary, which is why Street needs to come back. I'd much rather see Duchscherer in the 7th and 8th than in the 9th. Yabu, Rincon, and a healthy Calero are decent as well.

It seems like I'm the only one who sees this team competing with the Rangers and Angels for the division title. 10 games is a lot to overcome, but the injured players are mostly healthy now. This team is going to surprise people the rest of the way.

johnnyshaka · 06-22-2005, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

I am thinking that dumping Durazo for very little still could be worth it. Dan Johnson has been solid since being recalled and I don't think he needs to go back to AAA. But, if as you say, Durazo isn't close to coming back anytime soon then there might not be much of an issue with Johnson going down.

I like the A's for the last 3 1/2 months of the season as long as Street can get back soon. Kendall, Johnson/Hatteberg, Crosby, Chavez, Kielty (he doesn't suck anymore!), Kotsay, and Swisher is a solid team. Scutaro and Ellis aren't great, but they're alright at the end of the lineup.

The pitching is getting much better. Getting Harden back is huge. Harden and Haren are the two best pitchers right now. Blanton has been very good lately. Zito is pitching like a #4 starter. Saarloos hasn't been that bad, either.

The bullpen is scary, which is why Street needs to come back. I'd much rather see Duchscherer in the 7th and 8th than in the 9th. Yabu, Rincon, and a healthy Calero are decent as well.

It seems like I'm the only one who sees this team competing with the Rangers and Angels for the division title. 10 games is a lot to overcome, but the injured players are mostly healthy now. This team is going to surprise people the rest of the way.

I like your optimism...but, sometimes being realistic is good as well.

Kendall has been a negative behind the plate...throwing out a whopping 6 of 54 would be base stealers. Brutal. He hasn't hit worth a lick either. Get Melhuse some at bats...he's wasting away and if Kendall goes down we're going to be up the creek cause Melhuse's cobwebs will be tough to break.

The outfield situation could get worse before it gets better with rumours of Kotsay getting shipped out. If they can't get an extension worked out, he'll probably be gone by next month and he, struggling as he is, is our best outfielder. Kielty can't hit from the leftside...in fact he's just as bad as Byrnes is against righties...so, that's not good. Swisher is coming around...but, he's not really dazzling anybody yet.

I love our infield with Johnson at first, Ellis/Scutaro/Ginter and the usual suspects over on the other side. Sure, we could improve at 2B, but we aren't doing too badly by that bunch.

Pitching...the starters are starting to come around and with a little luck could put up some great numbers and definitely put us in a better position to get out of the basement.

Contend?? I dunno, a lot of things have to go right and nothing can go wrong from here on in and then we might have a shot.

Green & Gold Heart · 06-22-2005, 04:13 PM

I'm not worried about contending this year, but I think .500 is attainable. That's my goal for these guys.

It may take Kendall a whole year to adjust to the league and start pulling his weight again. I agree that we should see Melhuse at least once or twice a week. The guy hit 11 home runs in limited time last year. I think he's good enough for at least 40-50 starts a year. And yes, Kendall hasn't been much a crime-fighter this year but I wouldn't put the blame soley on him. Some of the young pitchers have very slow deliveries and let guys get good jumps.

When Durazo is healthy (if he gets healthy soon enough) I would shop both him and Hatteberg and see who brings the best offer, then pull the trigger. Johnson should have the starting job at 1B, and there's no reason to have all three of those guys on the team. Then whoever of Hatteberg and Durazo stays on the team can serve as a DH.

I sure hope we can ink Kotsay, but at least we know that if we don't get a deal done, he will be in HUGE demand at the deadline and Beane might be able to pull off something masterful that will help us down the road.

JDOldSchool · 06-22-2005, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Contend?? I dunno, a lot of things have to go right and nothing can go wrong from here on in and then we might have a shot.

The A's are 1/2 game further out of first place than the Twins are in the central. I don't see anybody saying the AL Central is a finished race.

What's the A's record since Crosby has come back? How about since Chavez stopped hitting .200?

I don't see themtrading Kotsay. He can get two draft picks for him if he leaves at the end of the season. This team will contend unless Beane pulls the plug and totally tanks this season. I just can't imagine him doing that because this team absolutely can win.

johnnyshaka · 06-23-2005, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDOldSchool

The A's are 1/2 game further out of first place than the Twins are in the central. I don't see anybody saying the AL Central is a finished race.

What's the A's record since Crosby has come back? How about since Chavez stopped hitting .200?

Hey, I would love to see the A's comeback and win it all...BUT, I just don't see it. Prime example...last night against Seattle, the bullpen (and Crosby) blew another great start by Zito. You can't do that if you want to win ball games. We've done that WAY TOO OFTEN this season and unless this kind of stuff stops, we aren't going to contend...it's just that simple.

Difference between the Twins and us...their 7 games above .500 and we're 9 games south of that mark. Sure, we've been playing better lately, but we need to play much better and everybody else needs to play the way we did for the first two months of the season for us to even contend. What's it going to take to win the division...100 wins?? If the Angels keep playing the way they have thus far, they should end up with around 96-97 wins...so, 100 wins sounds about right. If that's the case, then we need to win 69 of our remaining 91 games. Does that seem feasible?? Best team in baseball right now, the White Sox, haven't even won 70% of their games so far and you expect the A's to win more than 75% of their remaining games?? Aren't you reaching a little bit??

Quote:

I don't see themtrading Kotsay. He can get two draft picks for him if he leaves at the end of the season. This team will contend unless Beane pulls the plug and totally tanks this season. I just can't imagine him doing that because this team absolutely can win.

If Beane can get a couple of close to MLB-ready prospects for Kotsay now, he will. Trading Huddy and Mulder for the guys he got was to setup up a playoff run starting NEXT year...2006. Haren and Meyer were supposed to cut their teeth this season so that they'd have a little experience under their belt for next year. Blanton was called up to do the same. Swisher is getting a ton of playing time despite his poor to fair play so he's better prepared for next season. Durazo's injury was a blessing in disguise because now DJ is getting the same oppurtunity as Swisher and is making a great case for being a big part of next year's run. Street has been rushed along and should be even better next year. Everything is about next year. Two draft picks aren't going to help much next year...so, why not try and pick up another young bullpen arm that is ready or close to ready to compete now to help our situation next year??

Skipaway · 06-23-2005, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

What's it going to take to win the division...100 wins?? If the Angels keep playing the way they have thus far, they should end up with around 96-97 wins...so, 100 wins sounds about right.

I don't think A's got much chance now, but 100 wins sounds wrong. If A's got hot, how could the Angels get 96-97 wins? 92-95 wins will be enough for the division, which is basically playing like the White Sox.

Green & Gold Heart · 06-23-2005, 02:22 PM

The A's are 14-8 since Bobby Crosby came back, good for a .636 winning percentage. If they play exactly at that pace the rest of the season, they would go 58-33 in the next 91 games, and finish with a 89-73 record, which would probably only be good for second or third place in the AL West - certainly not to win it. So they'd have to get better than they currently are to really have a shot. And you know they'll hit their slumps and have their hot streaks, so that's why I think this is a .500 team and not much better - not because of how they are now, but because they blew it in April and May.

johnnyshaka · 06-23-2005, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skipaway

I don't think A's got much chance now, but 100 wins sounds wrong. If A's got hot, how could the Angels get 96-97 wins? 92-95 wins will be enough for the division, which is basically playing like the White Sox.

Whatever...point remains the same...A's have to play better than .700 baseball for the rest of the season. Sure, it can happen, but we don't have same kind of guys we had a couple of years ago when we ran the table after a slow start.

Skipaway · 06-23-2005, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Whatever...point remains the same...A's have to play better than .700 baseball for the rest of the season. Sure, it can happen, but we don't have same kind of guys we had a couple of years ago when we ran the table after a slow start.

Again, they don't have to play better than .700.

They got 13 games against Angels!

Green & Gold Heart · 06-23-2005, 02:25 PM

My math is completely wrong on my post above johnnyshaka's. Give me a few minutes to fix it as my response needs to change.

EDIT: It's fixed now.

johnnyshaka · 06-23-2005, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skipaway

Again, they don't have to play better than .700.

They got 13 games against Angels!

You make that sound like a good thing...13 games against the top team in your division and you have to win as many games as possible...that is NOT a good thing. Over the last three years we've essentially won just as many games as we've lost against the Angels...why would it be any different this year? Especially when we aren't as good of a team as we were the last three years?

Would love for the A's to prove me wrong...but, unless they win 65 games, and likely more, in the next 91 games they aren't going to the playoffs.

06-21-2005, 02:31 AM	#321
johnnyshaka All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 680	Haren looked GREAT again tonight and the bats looked FANTASTIC!!!!! Great game. __________________

06-21-2005, 03:10 PM	#322
johnnyshaka All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 680	DOLA, Harden is officially back...he'll be starting tonight. Strict pitch count will be enforced, but nevertheless, definitely great to see the pride of Victoria back in Green 'n' Gold. __________________

06-22-2005, 02:44 AM	#324
BadluckinOOTP All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: OKC Posts: 1,534	He's back!!!!! 6 innings 2 hits 1 run... __________________

06-22-2005, 04:13 AM	#326
johnnyshaka All Star Reserve Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 680	Won't get much for Durazo at all...he's a DH who has only had over 500 at bats in a season twice during his career. A DH who can't stay healthy won't get you much on the trade market. Great to see Harden pitch well and Johnson hit his first homer. One game at a time...slow and steady. __________________

06-23-2005, 02:22 PM	#336
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	The A's are 14-8 since Bobby Crosby came back, good for a .636 winning percentage. If they play exactly at that pace the rest of the season, they would go 58-33 in the next 91 games, and finish with a 89-73 record, which would probably only be good for second or third place in the AL West - certainly not to win it. So they'd have to get better than they currently are to really have a shot. And you know they'll hit their slumps and have their hot streaks, so that's why I think this is a .500 team and not much better - not because of how they are now, but because they blew it in April and May. Last edited by Green & Gold Heart; 06-23-2005 at 02:28 PM.

06-22-2005, 11:55 AM	#328
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	I agree with johnnyshaka that the A's probably won't get much for Durazo should they try to deal him this year. Every injury update I've read said his elbow is not getting any better. Plus, he was struggling quite a bit before he went down. I hope Beane can prove me wrong though.

06-22-2005, 04:13 PM	#332
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	I'm not worried about contending this year, but I think .500 is attainable. That's my goal for these guys. It may take Kendall a whole year to adjust to the league and start pulling his weight again. I agree that we should see Melhuse at least once or twice a week. The guy hit 11 home runs in limited time last year. I think he's good enough for at least 40-50 starts a year. And yes, Kendall hasn't been much a crime-fighter this year but I wouldn't put the blame soley on him. Some of the young pitchers have very slow deliveries and let guys get good jumps. When Durazo is healthy (if he gets healthy soon enough) I would shop both him and Hatteberg and see who brings the best offer, then pull the trigger. Johnson should have the starting job at 1B, and there's no reason to have all three of those guys on the team. Then whoever of Hatteberg and Durazo stays on the team can serve as a DH. I sure hope we can ink Kotsay, but at least we know that if we don't get a deal done, he will be in HUGE demand at the deadline and Beane might be able to pull off something masterful that will help us down the road.

06-23-2005, 02:25 PM	#339
Green & Gold Heart Hall Of Famer Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 5,242	My math is completely wrong on my post above johnnyshaka's. Give me a few minutes to fix it as my response needs to change. EDIT: It's fixed now. Last edited by Green & Gold Heart; 06-23-2005 at 02:29 PM.