Beaneball

The A's just couldn't, as Ken Macha said after the game, come up with a big hit last night. The pitching was as strong as usual, even accounting for the Devil Rays's lack of baseball ability, because holding any "major league" team to three runs in ten innings is an accomplishment and should leave you with a chance to win the game. The Oakland offense early this year, though, looks a lot like it has in the recent past: inconsistent. It's four games, so don't take this as panic or even as a sign of things to come, but the early results are that 2005 is, so far, an extension of 2004. MVOP for 4/8: Mark Ellis, 1.3151, with three hits in five trips, including a base hit in the top of the 10th with Charles Thomas on second base. I didn't see the game, so I can't place any blame, but it's unfortunate that the A's couldn't score the runner from second with that hit. Maybe the Devil Rays score a run in the bottom of the inning anyway and we keep playing, but maybe the A's bring in Octavio Dotel instead and he blows Tampa away. Youneverknow. LVOP for 4/8: Erubiel Durazo, -3.0663, with a terrible game. He came up in a number of big spots and couldn't come through in any of them, going 0-5 for 7 men left on base. His bases-loaded double-play ground ball in the ninth is the lowlight of the season so far. MVP for 4/8: Justin Duchscherer, 0.8752, for two scoreless innings before allowing a runner to reach third at the beginning of the eighth inning. LVP for 4/8: Ricardo Rincon, -0.2514, for hitting the one man he faced with a pitch, putting runners on first and third with no outs in the eighth inning, a situation Juan Cruz wriggled out from under.

Standings

1. Marco Scutaro, Nick Swisher, Eric Byrnes, Mark Ellis -- 1

1. Erubiel Durazo -- 2
2. Mark Ellis, Bobby Kielty -- 1

1. Kiko Calero, Kirk Saarloos, Dan Haren, Justin Duchscherer -- 1

1. Barry Zito, Ricardo Rincon -- 1

Posted by jason in Baseball, Oakland A's at 09:48 | |

The list of who's been the most valuable and least valuable the most times thus far: MVOP:

1. Marco Scutaro, Nick Swisher, Eric Byrnes -- 1

1. Mark Ellis, Erubiel Durazo, Bobby Kielty -- 1

1. Kiko Calero, Kirk Saarloos, Dan Haren -- 1

1. Barry Zito -- 1

Posted by jason in Baseball, Oakland A's at 09:11 | |

The A's had a pretty impressive opening series against Baltimore, allowing just five runs over three games against a team that was supposed to have a very strong offense. Oakland was shut out in the first game, which is embarassing for two reasons: who gets shut out on Opening Day?; and who gets shut out by the Orioles? Some of the play-by-play stats for the series: MVOP (Most Valuable Offensive Player) of Game 1 (4/4): Marco Scutaro, 0.3103, on the basis of a 1-2 day with a double.' LVOP of Game 1 (4/4): Mark Ellis, -1.0477, with an 0-3 with 3 men LOB for the day. He was spared further ignominy (or a chance to redeem himself) when Keith Ginter pinch-hit for him in the ninth inning. MVP (Most Valuable Pitcher) of Game 1 (4/4): Kiko Calero, 1.1772, with a nice one-inning debut with the personal value pumped by having to get an extra out due to Mark Ellis's throwing error. LVP (Least Valuable Pitcher) of Game 1 (4/4): Barry Zito, -0.7726, with a mediocre start at best, though his last two innings were very nice and turned an awful day into a merely bad one. MVOP of Game 2 (4/6): Nick Swisher, 2.902, with two bombs. LVOP of Game 2 (4/6): Erubiel Durazo, -0.6225, despite getting on base twice. MVP of Game 2 (4/6): Kirk Saarloos, 3.2274, for shutting down the Orioles for six uneventful innings (the best kind a pitcher can hope for). LVP of Game 2 (4/6): Technically, there were three, as all three relief pitchers (Huston Street, Ricardo Rincon, and Octavio Dotel) pitched innings without giving up any runs, earning 0.5379 ARC for their efforts, but I refuse to award an LVP to a non-negative ARC-earner. MVOP of Game 3 (4/7): Eric Byrnes, 1.9169, for the big three-run homer. LVOP of Game 3 (4/7): Bobby Kielty, -1.1103, with an 0-4 with 3 LOB. MVP of Game 3 (4/7): Dan Haren, 2.2274, with a very solid 6-inning Oakland debut. LVP of Game 3 (4/7): No negative scores. The up-to-date totals are here. The team leader thus far is Kirk Saarloos, with the most valuable offensive player being Eric Byrnes.

Posted by jason in Baseball, Oakland A's at 00:03 | |