There is not a lot to say about today’s loss against the Cleveland Indians. Seriously, not a lot happened today. The team combined for six hits and one walk over nine innings and not one baserunner made it past first base. John Jaso was the only player to collect multiple hits tonight, going 2-4. The team “threatened” in the ninth inning when Yoenis Cespedes singled with one out, but that was quickly erased when he was caught stealing while Brandon Moss was batting.

Tom Milone was the one bright spot in today’s game, lasting seven innings and allowing only five hits, one unearned run, no walks and striking out five. I was impressed with Milone today, who normally struggles on the road, so maybe this a sign of things to come? Or maybe I am looking too much into one game. Either way, Milone will next face the Mariners in Seattle and hopefully by then, the team will have located their bats.

The one run that scored in tonight’s game was on an error, actually two errors, Carlos Santana reached first on a fielding error by Brandon Moss, he then advanced to second on a throwing error by Eric Sogard. He then reached third on a one-out single by Mike Aviles and crossed home on a sacrifice fly by Yan Gomes.

Josh Reddick did not play in tonight’s game due to wrist soreness, which may or may not have to do with him crashing into the wall in Houston, way back in April. It is believed that Reddick will land on the DL and no word on who will replace him if he does need to miss an extensive amount of time. Reddick has performed pretty poorly this season, posting a .152/.266/.250 slash line with a .241 wOBA and 48 wRC+ over 109 plate appearances. It’s possible this wrist injury explains his struggles, but I think we can all agree we hope to see the old Reddick return if he does, indeed, land on the disabled list.

Update: Susan Slusser reports that the A’s will place Josh Reddick on the DL and will call up Daric Barton in his place. Barton has played in 28 games for the Sacramento Rivercats this season and over 125 plate appearances has posted a .296/.432/.480 slash line with a .411 wOBA and a 142 wRC+. I may be in the minority here, but I don’t think this is a terrible move for the team to make. I assume this means Brandon Moss moves to right field, while Barton covers first. Defensively, he is good, and offensively, he could match (if not exceed) Reddick’s numbers this season.

Bad news first: Josh Reddick had to be pulled from the game in the fifth inning after slamming his arm into the wall going after a foul ball. As of right now we don’t have any idea how serious the injury is, but thankfully, if he needs to be out for an extended period of time, there is plenty of outfield depth on the team.

Anyway, the A’s beat the Astros by a final score of 9-3. The good news of the game is that, they are beating a team they should be beating. More good news for the A’s; after taking a ball off of his hand in the second inning, Brett Anderson stayed in the game and pitched a pretty decent game. The only trouble Anderson really came across was in the sixth, when he allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. He was able to get the first two outs via strikeout, but a throwing error by Jed Lowrie allowed two runs to cross the plate.  Pat Neshek relieved Anderson in the seventh and pitched one plus innings, allowing a triple and two walks while striking out two before being relieved by Jerry Blevins in the eighth. Jerry Blevins retired all three batters he faced, but allowed the runner at third to cross home on an RBI ground out. Evan Scribner pitched the ninth, also retiring all three batters he faced.

The A’s collected eleven hits today, and thanks to two doubles, three home runs and six walks, the A’s won this game easily. The biggest hit of the game was probably Chris Young’s 3-run home run in the fifth, which put the A’s up 8-0.  After seeing the first two games of the season, it’s nice to see the A’s bats come alive. The series against the Angels should be an interesting one and I am curious to see how the offense plays out this week.

Lines of the Day:

• Brett Anderson pitched six innings, allowed five hits, two unearned runs, walked two and struck out ten. This start was similar to his first start, just a couple less walks and a few more strikeouts. I don’t think we will be seeing many 10 plus strikeout games for Anderson this year, but I could be wrong.
• Jed Lowrie had another multi-hit game going 3-5 with a home run, a double and a single while driving in two runs. He now has three home runs on the season and five doubles.
• Coco Crisp also had another multi-hit day, going 2-4 with a home run, a double and a walk. He now has three home runs in his last three games and is 10-30 on the season with three walks.
• Brandon Moss quietly had a nice day going 2-3 with two walks and one RBI.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Josh Donaldson went 0-4 today with one strikeout. He is now 3-25 on the season with one walk and four strikeouts.
• Eric Sogard was also hitless today, going 0-3 with a HBP. He has struggled a bit at the plate himself this season, starting off the first week going 3-19 with with one walk and three strikeouts.

With the first week of the season over, it’s still really too early to be worried about anyone. Well, besides Josh Reddick who may have a broken arm. I am not worried about Yoenis Cespedes not hitting because it’s April 7th. I am not worried about Josh Donaldson or Eric Sogard for the same reason.

Update: Per the team, Josh Reddick’s X-rays were negative and he is listed as day-to-day with a sprained wrist. Big sigh of relief from everyone.

With today’s 6-3 win over the Astros, the A’s are now on a four game winning streak, two games over .500 and hold sole possession of first place in the American League West. I know, I know…it’s only the first week of the season, but it always feels good to say that.

I am not going to lie, this win came as a surprise to me. Outside of a solo home run by Coco Crisp in the fourth inning, the A’s really struggled against Bud Norris. It wasn’t until the lead off home run by Jed Lowrie in the sixth, that they really got the bats going. Following the home run, Josh Reddick reached on a fielding error by Ronny Cedeno and two outs later, Brandon Moss walked. With Josh Donaldson batting, Josh Reddick stole his third base of the season and Donaldson following with a single, which scored Reddick.  Derek Norris then followed up with a single of his own, scoring Brandon Moss. The last run scored on an RBI single by Eric Sogard. That inning was really the difference maker in the game.

Today was Bartolo Colon’s first Major League start since August 18th, and while he was wasn’t stellar, he was efficient. He pitched six innings, allowed eight hits, three earned runs, walked none and struck out two. (This is the first game this season that the Astros hadn’t struck out ten times or more by the way). He threw 83 pitches, 58 were for strikes and his one mistake was allowing a 3-run home run to Jason Castro. So like I said, not fantastic, but exactly what the A’s need him to do for the team.

The bullpen did their job; Sean Doolittle pitched a clean seventh, not allowing a base runner. Ryan Cook also pitched a clean inning in the eighth, he did not allow a base runner and struck out one. Grant Balfour collected his first save of the season, retiring all three batters he faced, while striking out one.

Lines of the Day:

• Jed Lowrie had another good day for the team, going 3-5 with a home run (his first of the season) and one RBI.  He is now 10-21 on the season with four RBI and four walks.
• Coco Crisp has continued to stay hot, going 2-5 with a home run, a double and one RBI.

Ugly Lines of the Day:

• Josh Reddick had a 0-5 day, but did reach base in the sixth on an error. He did, however, hit into an inning ending double play in the ninth.
• Yoenis Cespedes continued to struggle at the plate today, going 0-4 and striking out three times.

A year ago today I did my first Fantasy Baseball post and I recommended that you draft six A’s players for your team. I actually did pretty well, I think, as 4.5 of the players I told you to draft fared pretty well last season.  What I am trying to say here, is if you want to win, you’ll listen to me. (I kid).

If you’re anything like me you probably won’t draft an A’s player in fear of jinxing them (ahem… Jemile Weeks last season), but I know many of you like to get that one (or several) homer pick. This is strictly my personal opinion, and if you listen to me and I tank your season, I’m truly sorry.

Just like last season I am going off of standard leagues and using the following stats: BA, Runs, HR, RBI and SB for offensive categories and Wins, ERA, WHIP, Saves and SO for pitching categories. This is my once a year post where I pretend like batting average is an important stat, so enjoy it while you can:

Yoenis Cespedes: Last season he was a sleeper pick, this season I feel pretty confident about telling you to draft him. He had a .292/.356/.505 slash line and had 23 HR, 82 RBI and stole 16 bases. ZiPS projects a .273/.338/.452 slash line with 23 HR and 84 RBI. I tend to agree that Cespedes will not be a .300 hitter, but I do think if healthy, he could be a 30 HR player.

• What he’s good for: HR, RBI, a few SB

Coco Crisp: I hesitate to put him on here, but for deep leagues he might be worth picking up. Last season Crisp had a .259/.325/.418 slash line with 11 HR, 68 Runs and 39 SB. ZiPS projects a .263/.325/.400 slash line with 8 HR, 63 Runs and 32 SB. He has a history of injuries, so it’s hard to really gauge how his numbers will be, but like I said, he would not be a bad bench player for deep leagues.

• What he’s good for: Runs, SB, the occasional HR

» Continue reading “A’s Baseball: Fantasy Edition II”

THE A’S ARE BACK AT .500!!  It’s still spring training and the A’s are still playing games that don’t matter, but they do have a Cactus League Championship title to defend. This win comes against their division rival, Seattle Mariners, by a final score of 7-3.

Tom Milone started today’s game and went three innings, allowed three hits, no runs, one walk and struck out three. Milone has now pitched five innings this spring and has allowed zero runs on three hits and two walks and has struck out four. Hideki Okajima relieved Milone in the fourth and over one inning of work allowed a hit, a walk, no runs and struck out one. Sonny Gray was the only pitcher to allow runs in today’s game and he went two innings, allowed four hits, three runs (two earned), walked none and struck out one. Andrew Werner also pitched two innings today and only allowed two hits.

The offense was offense-y today, scoring seven runs on eleven hits and four walks. Hiro Nakajima had his first multi-hit game going 2-3 with a stolen base and RBI. He is now 6-20 this spring with an RBI, a walk and two stolen bases. Jed Lowrie hit his first home run of spring today, he went 1-2 with a walk, scored two runs and drove in two. He is 5-16 with five RBI and four walks this spring.

• Coco Crisp started in center field this lovely afternoon and went 1-3 with a strikeout. He is 5-12 with a double this spring.
• Josh Reddick played in right field and went 1-2 with a walk and one RBI.
• Yoenis Cespedes was the team’s designated hitter today and he went 1-4 with two strikeouts.
• Brandon Moss played at first base and went 0-3. He is 5-20 this spring, with one home run, two RBI and one strikeout.
• Chris Young played in center field today and went 1-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
• Scott Sizemore returned to the lineup today and went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout. He is 3-14 with two RBI, four walks and five strikeouts this spring.

The A’s are going to face the Mariners again tomorrow, except only this time they get to face the “real” team. AJ Griffin will be making his third start of the spring.

I will get the bad news over with first: the A’s lost a game today. Along with everyone else in the Cactus League, the A’s were not able to beat the Kansas City Royals. The Royals scored four runs in the first inning, which turned out enough to defeat the A’s, who only score two runs over nine innings. The final score of the game was 8-2.

Bartolo Colon did not impress in his second spring outing. He allowed seven hits and five runs over only two innings. He threw forty-eight pitches, thirty-two for strikes, did not walk a batter and struck out two. In two appearances this spring he has allowed twelve hits and eight runs over four innings while walking none and striking out six. I still think it’s entirely too early to be in any sort of panic mode with these players, but he has definitely not been enjoyable to watch so far.  Right-handed pitcher, Evan Scribner, also pitched in today’s game and went one inning while allowing two hits, no runs or walks and struck out one. Travis Blackley also pitched two innings; he did not allow a hit or a walk and struck out one. James Simmons was the only other pitcher to allow runs in today’s game, he pitched one inning and allowed four hits and three runs.

The offense wasn’t really there today, as the team only combined for two runs on nine hits and two walks. Grant Green was the only true stand-out player of the game, going 2-4 with two doubles.

• Daric Barton started at first base in this game and went 0-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
• Chris Young started in center field today and went 0-4. He is now 4-16 this spring with no walks and four strikeouts.
• Josh Donaldson played third and went 0-3 with a walk.
• Hiro Nakajima collected another hit today, going 1-3 with a double and strikeout. He is 4-17 with 9 strikeouts this spring.
• Michael Choice played right field and went 1-4 with a strikeout.
• Shane Peterson was in left field and went 2-4 with a strikeout.

» Continue reading “A’s Spring Training Games 11 & 11 1/2: One Loss, One Win”

Photo: Keith Allison

With today’s 13-5 win over the Los Angels Angels of Anaheim the A’s are sitting on a 5-5 record this spring. This is the first time since game two that the A’s are at .500 and they have also won three in a row for the first time in ten games. These numbers don’t really mean a lot until the real season starts, but a win is always nice even when it’s “only” spring training.

The five runs scored by the Angels today were only allowed by two pitchers; with Dan Straily allowing two and Ryan Cook allowing the other three. Straily started today’s game and went 2.1 innings while allowing four hits, two earned runs, no walks and striking out two. Over 3.2 innings this spring he has allowed six hits, four runs, one walk and struck out three. Chris Resop relieved Straily in the third and struck out both batters he faced. Sean Doolittle pitched a clean fourth inning while striking out the side. Ryan Cook allowed his three runs in one inning, allowing four hits and a walk while also striking out one. Jordan Norberto also pitched in today’s game and allowed only a hit.

The offense was what really won the game for the team today. They combined for fifteen hits, five walks, four doubles and two triples while going 9-14 with runners in scoring position. The biggest hit came from John Jaso in the fourth when he hit a bases clearing triple. He finished the game going 1-2 with a walk and three RBI.

• Adam Rosales started at second base today and went 0-2 with a walk. He is 4-11 this spring with four walks and two RBI.
• Josh Reddick started in right field today and went 1-3 with a double and an RBI.
• Yoenis Cespedes collected his first hit of the spring today and finished the day going 1-2 with a walk and two runs scored.
• Jed Lowrie was the starting shortstop today and went 1-3 with an RBI. He is now 4-14 with three walks and three RBI this spring.
• Josh Donaldson was the starting third baseman in today’s game and he went 0-2 with a walk. This spring he is 1-17 with four walks.
• Michael Choice stated in center today and went 0-2 with a strikeout. Shane Peterson replaced him in the sixth and he went 1-2 with a triple and an RBI.

Tomorrow is the first split-squad for the team; Bartolo Colon will face the undefeated Kansas City Royals while Brett Anderson takes on team Italy.

It wasn’t only the pitching that helped the team defeat the Colorado Rockies today, but it was what stuck out most to me today after yesterday’s loss. The final score in today’s win was 6-3.

Andrew Werner was the only pitcher in today’s game to allow any runs, he pitched the sixth and seventh inning today and allowed three earned runs on five hits and a home run. Tom Milone was today’s starter and he only allowed a walk over two innings, while striking out one. Pitching prospect, Sonny Gray, pitched two innings and allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two. Mike Ekstrom pitched a clean inning of work, allowing only a walk.

Most of the runs scored in today’s game came off of two home runs; Josh Reddick hit his first of the spring (a 3-run home run) and Brandon Moss hit his first as well (a solo in the fifth). The team scored their six runs on ten hits and five walks and went 3-9 with runners in scoring position.

• Coco Crisp returned to the lineup today and went 2-3 with a run. Michael Choice replaced Crisp in the sixth and collected another hit and RBI.
• Josh Reddick started in right field today and went 2-2 with a home run and three RBI. Michael Taylor replaced him in the sixth and he went 0-1.
• Yoenis Cespedes was the designated hitter today and he went 0-3 with two strike outs. He is now hitless in eleven at-bats this spring with four walks and two strikeouts.
• Seth Smith was in left field today and went 1-2 with a walk. He was replaced by Shane Peterson, who has had a great spring so far. Peterson collected two more hits today and is now 9-20 this spring with one home run and three RBI.
• Hiro Nakajima was the starting shortstop today and he went 0-1, was hit by pitch twice, stole his first base of the spring and scored one run.
• John Jaso was the catcher today and went 0-2 with a walk, a run and a strikeout.

The A’s will face the Colorado Rockies on Sunday and AJ Griffin will be making his second start for the team.

There really isn’t a lot to say about today’s game. I don’t think the A’s necessarily played terrible today, but they didn’t play well enough (to state the obvious). The A’s lost to the Chicago Cubs today to a final score of 5-3, dropping their spring record to 2-4.

Brett Anderson started today’s game and went two innings, allowed one hit, no runs, walked none and struck out one. Bartolo Colon relieved Anderson in the third inning and was the one pitcher who was hit the hardest today, having allowed five hits and three runs (only one earned) while walking none and striking out four. The two unearned runs were caused by an error by shortstop Hiro Nakajima.

As far as the offense goes, the team combined for nine hits, three walks and went 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Derek Norris hit his second home run of the spring (and second in two days) and Michael Choice hit his second double. Here’s some more stats from today:

• Both Hideki Okajima and Jordan Norberto pitched in today’s game. Okajima pitched one inning, allowed one hit, no runs, walked one and struck out two. Norberto pitched one inning as well, allowed two hits (a single and a double), one earned run, walked none and struck out three.
• Fellow lefty, Pedro Figueroa, also pitched one inning today, allowed two hits, one run and walked one.
• Hiro Nakajima started at shortstop today and went 1-3 with one strike out. Nakajima is 2-10 this spring with six strikeouts and one walk.
• Josh Reddick started in right field today and went 0-2 with a walk.
• Josh Donaldson started at third base today and went 0-3 with a strike out. Donaldson is 1-10 this spring with no walks and four strikeouts.
• Michael Choice continued his hot streak this spring, going 2-4 with a double and an RBI. He is now 7-14 with two doubles, one home run and five RBI.

In other A’s news, Bob Melvin announced that Brett Anderson was named the Opening Day starter earlier today. Anderson returned from Tommy John surgery last August and went 4-2 over six starts. In 35 innings he had a 2.57 ERA, 2.72 FIP, .272 BABIP and a 1 fWAR. There was really no question, as far as I am concerned, that he would get the Opening Day nod, so it’s no big surprise. The rest of the rotation will be; Jarrod Parker, Tommy Milone, A.J. Griffin and Dan Straily until Bartolo Colon returns from his suspension.

Tomorrow the A’s face the San Francisco Giants, Jarrod Parker will be the starter and will be making his spring debut. Along with Parker, Jerry Blevins, Ryan Cook and Sean Doolittle will also be pitching for the first time this spring.

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.