The A’s announced today that they have re-signed RHP Bartolo Colon to a one-year, $3-million (plus intensives) contract.

Colon pitched in 24 games for the A’s in 2012 and posted a 10-9 record with a 3.43 ERA.  Over 152.1 innings Colon posted a .286 BABIP, a 3.43 FIP and a 2.4 fWAR. Most impressive was his control, only allowing 23 walks (1.36 BB/9 rate) and a 3.96 SO/BB ratio.

Colon missed the last month of the season after he was suspended for violating the MLB drug policy.  He is currently pitching in the Dominican Winter League and was taken to the hospital last week after getting hit in the jaw with a line drive, but according to his agent he is “fine”.

I don’t necessarily think this is a bad signing, as we learned earlier this season, you can never have “too much” pitching.  I am not sure what effect this will have on the resigning of Brandon McCarthy, but I am thinking very little at this point.

I know I am late with the news, but just in case you have been living under a rock for the past three days, Josh Reddick won the Gold Glove award winner on Tuesday.  Reddick is the first outfielder on the A’s to win since 1985 and the first player on the A’s to win since 2006.

In other late news:

• On Tuesday both Joey Devine and Dallas Braden both cleared waivers and both elected free-agency.  Both pitchers missed the 2012 season due to injuries.
• MLB Trade Rumors listed the 2013 top 50 Free Agents, listing Stephen Drew at number 24 and Brandon McCarthy at number 32. They predict that Stephen Drew will head off to Boston and McCarthy will stay in Oakland.

If you missed the first half of the day you can see it here.

The second half of the day we got to talk with Farhan Zaidi (the A’s director of baseball operations).

The first question asked was one that most fans have wondered, what does the future look like for former first round draft pick Grant Green?

“The reason we drafted Grant and one of the reasons we still feel great about him is a prospect of his hitting ability.  I mean you have guys, as somebody that does a lot of our analysis, I know you look a lot at how a guy’s minor league stats translate to the major league level, major league equivalence, which you guys are all familiar with and I’m sure. You know there are some guys who talent kind of just exceeds or projects past what you get on those MLEs.  If you look at what Grand did in Triple-A this year versus what he did in Double-A, he cut his strikeouts down a lot, his numbers were up accross the board and I think that was more in line from what, more in line which what we were expecting out of him then what we saw out of him in last year’s Double-A.  So you know he can hit and we are just trying to figure out defensively A. Where he would be an asset to the team and B. How to fit him into our needs. 

There’s sort of two different levels of prospects, there’s guys in A-ball and below where you just want them to be where they’re most comfortable or where their value is maximized and then you have guys that are in Double-A, Triple-A when you really have to start looking at your big league depth chart and say “where is this guy going to play from?”. And you know with Grant, we’re sort of trying to answer the latter set of questions.  I mean it’s becoming more immediate and he’s the guy that can go to camp with us next year and have the chance to make the team so right now I couldn’t tell you what position he is going to play or how he fits in, but the fact that he’s moved around this year has really given us a lot of options, which is always a good thing.”

When asked about whether or not it was a strategy to pick up former top prospects:

“I wouldn’t say it’s a strategy with guys like that. When there’s a guy that we liked at some point, whatever that point was, we try to evaluate why we like them, how they might look different now and how they might do with a big league opportunity if they got it.”

Regarding Brandon Moss he goes on to say:

“Then he came in to big league camp and was and was our best hitter and we started saying this may just be a case where something just clicks with guy.  That’s sort of where, as an analyst, you sort of have to throw whatever 2012 projections you have made for Brandon Moss out the window because guys do change, something clicks for the guys.  At that point you sort of need to update your priors about a guy, there’s no one formula for how to do that.

» Continue reading “A’s Blog Day: Part II”

Thanks, Jerry!!

Athletics:  6  Angels:  5

I’d say that last night’s game was the scariest of the season so far.  I’d say most of these games are “must” wins at this point, but last night was a MUST win for the A’s.  The A’s needed to gain ground on their division rival before the next two games, as they have to face two pitchers they have struggled with in the past.

The A’s got on the board first again, this time a Yoenis Cespedes hit a solo home run to give them the lead in the second.  The Angels took the lead immediately after when Vernon Wells hit a 2-run home run to put the Angels up 2-1.  The A’s retook the lead in the fourth on Brandon Moss’ 2-run home run (his second home run in two days).  In the same inning, Josh Donaldson and George Kottaras followed with back-to-back singles and Stephen Drew hit a sacrifice fly, putting the A’s up by 2.

The Angels cut their lead down to one after a Torii Hunter home run in the seventh.  The A’s scored two more runs in the top of the ninth, which ended up being the most important of the game.  Cliff Pennington singled with two outs and Coco Crisp came up and drove a ball to right field, thanks to bit of fumbling by Hunter, both Pennington and Coco himself scored.  The play would later be ruled as a triple and an E9.

With a 3-run cushion Grant Balfour came in to save the game.  Balfour has been good for the A’s since he took over at the closer spot, having only allowed 3 runs over the last 10 outings (and no blown saves).  Last night he was not at his best, to say the least.

Grant Balfour walked Chris Iannetta to lead off the inning.  He then walked Mike Trout. Torii Hunter came up and singled and Iannetta scored, cutting the lead to only 2 runs.  Balfour then gave up a single to Albert Pujols and Trout scored and the A’s saw their lead cut to just 1 run.  Then with runners on first and third and no outs Jerry Blevins came in to replace Grant Balfour.

Blevins was put in a tight spot, he needed to record three outs without letting the runner on third cross the plate to tie the game.  That’s exactly what Blevins did.  The first batter he faced was Kendrys Morales and he got him to strike out swinging.  The following batter, Howard Kendrick, hit a 2-1 sinker right to Josh Donaldson who threw out Peter Bourjos (who was pinch running for Pujols) at second and then Cliff Pennington threw out Kendrick at first.  It was Jerry Blevins second career save and the first of this season.

Dan Straily, who made his first start since August 16, did pretty well tonight.  The last time he faced the Angels he allowed four home runs to them, tonight his only two hiccups were the two home runs he allowed to Wells and Hunter.  Through 6.2 he allowed 7 hits, 1 walk and struck out 8.  Pat Neshek tried to record the final out of the seventh, but an error by Stephen Drew put the runner on first and Sean Doolittle came in and relieved Neshek.  Doolittle did record the final out and pitched a clean eighth.

In other good A’s news, Brandon McCarthy was released from the hospital yesterday after having surgery 6 days prior.  Hopefully he will be able to resume baseball activities within a few months.

According to a press release by the team, starting pitcher Brandon McCarthy underwent surgery last night after being hit in the head by a line drive.

A CT scan revealed that McCarthy had an epidural hemorrhage, a skull fracture and a brain contusion.  The two hour surgery was performed to relieve pressure on his brain and to stabilize the fracture.  A CT scan performed today showed that the hemorrhage has subsided and McCarthy has been described as alert and stable.

Billy Beane has released a statement:

“Our first concern is Brandon’s health, and we are heartened to learn he has shown progress in his recovery after surgery,” A’s vice president and general manager Billy Beane said in a statement. “We are glad to report he is stable, awake and alert. The team will provide further updates as they become available in the coming days. We would ask members of the media to respect the privacy of Brandon and his family during this time.

“As we travel to Seattle today, Brandon remains in everyone’s thoughts as we wish him a speedy recovery.”

After hearing this news I was heart broken.  As much as I love baseball, this is much bigger than the game.  I wish nothing but the best to Brandon McCarthy and his family and I hope for a speedy recovery.

Angels:  7  Athletics:  1

Yes, the A’s were swept by the Angels today, but a loss like this means very little when one of the players on the team gets hurt.

Brandon McCarthy left today’s game in the fourth inning after he was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of Erick Aybar.  I did not witness the incident, nor do I care to see it, but from what I understand it was pretty scary.  McCarthy dropped to the ground after the hit and after a couple of minutes he was able to stand up and walk off of the field on his own.

He did not lose consciousness at any point, which is good news, but was taken to the local hospital to be examined further.  There are no updates as of right now, but we should know more later on tonight.

Before he left the game McCarthy allowed 5 hits and 3 runs over 3.2 innings, he walked 1 and struck out 3.  Travis Blackley relieved him after he left the game and allowed only 1 hit and 2 walks over 3 innings while striking out 2.

The Angels opened it wide open in the ninth after Ryan Cook lead off the inning with a walk to Peter Bourjos, he then gave up a single to Erick Aybar and a fielding error by Derek Norris loaded the bases with no outs.  Grant Balfour came in to relieve Cook and almost immediately walked in a run.  He got Mike Trout to strike out, but then gave up a 2-run single to Torii Hunter.  Jim Miller then came in to replace Balfour, he struck out Albert Puljols and then the Angels decided to kick us while we were down and Maicer Izturis stole home to score their 7th run of the game.

The offense was pretty much non-existent today, they combined for only 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 13 times.  Their only run came in the third inning off of a RBI single by Seth Smith.

Like I said earlier, it’s hard to even be upset by this loss.  Of course I wanted them to win, but McCarthy’s health is much more important at this point.

Sadly, one month from today the regular season will be coming to an end.  The last time I checked in with the A’s we had just reached the All-Star break and the A’s were at .500 and were 9 games back from Texas.  My prediction was far off stating:

At this point in the season the A’s are expected to be sellers rather than buyers and if this is true, I don’t see the A’s being able to maintain a .500 record let alone a winning one.

Looks like I was wrong again.

Where They Are Right Now:

The A’s have a 33-15 record since returning from the All-Star break.  They are back in second place and 3 games behind the Texas Rangers,  5 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and 12 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

Rather than sell the A’s added to the team, acquiring RHP Pat Neshek, C George Kottaras and SS Stephen Drew.

They are currently the lone holders of the first wild card spot, 2 games ahead of Baltimore and 3 1/2 games ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays.  For the first time since 2006 the Oakland Athletics are playing meaningful baseball in the month of September.

» Continue reading “Checking In With The A’s: One Month Left”

Athletics:  20  Red Sox:  2

I think the score speaks for itself tonight.

The A’s combined for 19 hits, 20 runs, 5 home runs, 4 doubles,  2 walks, and 4 strikeouts tonight.  They faced seven Red Sox pitchers and only one of the seven did not give up a run to them (Junichi Tazawa).

Every player reached base tonight via walk or hit.  The only player to not collect a hit was Coco Crisp, but he walked and scored in the seventh.

It was a big night for Brandon Moss, who went 4-5 with a home run, 2 doubles and 4 RBI against his former team. Josh Reddick, also a former Red Sox, went 2-5 with a double and a grand slam, his first of his career.  Keeping up with the former Red Sox theme, George Kottaras went 3-5 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Josh Donaldson also had a home run in tonight’s game.  He was 1-4 with a home run before he was pulled from the game with a strained right hip flexor.  The injury does not sound serious and he is considered day-to-day.  Brandon Inge is expected to be called up tomorrow and should take his place at third base for now.

Brandon McCarthy lasted 6.1 inning tonight, he allowed 8 hits, 1 home run, 2 runs, no walks and struck out 1.  McCarthy seemed to struggle a bit tonight, needing 107 pitches to make it through a little over six innings.  Pedro Figueroa, who was recalled from Sacramento earlier today for Jim Miller, finished the seventh inning and also pitched the eighth inning, he allowed a hit and a walk.  Evan Scribner closed out the game and he did not allow a baserunner.

Athletics:  4 Rays:  2

The first inning of this game turned out to be huge for the A’s.  In fact it was the inning that essentially won the game for them. Coco Crisp lead off the game with a double and the following batter, Stephen Drew, hit a single moving Crisp to third.  Yoenis Cespedes then popped up to record the first out of the inning and Seth Smith struck out swinging to record the second.  With Steohen Drew running on the 3-2 count, the catcher tried to throw him out at second, but instead, air mailed the ball and Coco scored from third.  Chris Carter then came up to bat and hit his 11th home run of the season and put the A’s up 3-0.

The A’s tried to add on more runs, Josh Reddick singled and Josh Donaldson was hit by a pitch, but George Kottaras struck out to end the inning.

Brandon McCarthy was shaky at first, allowing 2 walks, 2 hits and a hit by pitch through the first two innings. He loaded the bases in the second with no outs, but was able to get out of it by only allowing one run on a sacrifice fly.

The following inning Seth Smith got the run back when he hit his twelfth home run of the season to lead off the inning. The A’s would not score for the rest of the game.

McCarthy calmed down after the second, only allowing 2 more hits (a double and a home run) while walking none through the next five. His strike out total was seven today, he walked two and gave up four hits and two runs.

Sean Doolittle pitched the eighth, he did not allow a base runner and struck out two. Grant Balfour pitched a clean ninth, struck out one and record his fourteenth save of the season.

A’s Extras:

• The slumping Josh Reddick was moved down to the sixth spot today, he went 3-4 with a double.
• Coco Crisp also had a big day, going 3-4 with two doubles.  He did get caught stealing in the seventh.

(photo: KellyK/flickr)

The A’s end their road trip with a 3-game series against the Kansas City Royals (49-65).  The A’s last faced the Royals in June and lost 2 out of 3 in Kauffman Stadium.

Tuesday 5:10 PM PST: (RHP) Jarrod Parker (7-6) Vs (RHP) Jeremy Guthrie (1-3)

• Jarrod Parker last pitched over a week ago against the Anaheim Angels.  He lasted 6.2 innings and allowed 4 runs on 9 hits, 1 walk and struck out 6.  This will be Parker’s first career start against the Kansas City Royals.
• Jeremy Guthrie is coming off one of his best starts, if not his best start of the season.  He threw 8 shut out innings against the Chicago White Sox and allowed 5 hits, walked none and struck out 6.  Guthrie faced the A’s once earlier this season when he was with the Colorado Rockies, he allowed 7 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks over 5 innings while striking out 5.

Wednesday 5:10 PM PST: (RHP) Brandon McCarthy (6-3) Vs (LHP) Will Smith (3-4)

• Brandon McCarthy will be making his second start for the A’s since returning from the disabled list.  In his last start against the Chicago White Sox he lasted 6 innings and allowed 6 hits, 3 runs, walked 1 and struck out 4.  McCarthy has faced the Royals twice this season and has allowed 14 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks while striking out 6 over 12 innings.
• Will Smith had a nice outing against the Baltimore Orioles in his last start.  Over 7 innings he allowed 6 hits, 2 runs, walked 3 and struck out 5.  Will Smith will be making his first career start against the A’s on Wednesday.

Thursday 5:10 PM PST: (RHP) Dan Straily (0-0) Vs (RHP) Luke Hochevar (7-10)

• Dan Straily was shaky in his last outing, allowing 4 home runs to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Over 4.2 innings he allowed 8 hits, 5 runs, walked 1 and struck out 5.  This will be Straily’s first career start against the Kansas City Royals.
• Luke Hochevar was not great in his last start against the Baltimore Orioles.  Over 5.1 innings he allowed 7 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks while striking out 2.  He has once this season and allowed 5 hits, 6 runs, 3 walks and struck out 3 over 4.2 innings.

Keys to Success:

The two rookies, Jarrod Parker and Dan Straily, are going to have to have a couple of bounce back starts for the A’s in order for them to have any success in this series.  Scoring runs early would be helpful, especially if the two are still a little off.