What's happened to the Oakland Billy Beanes?  They should still at least get a wild card spot, because they hold a pretty big lead there, but they have been slumping hard as of late.  They need to get their **** together.

Yeah. They're playing their worst stretch of baseball right now. Starting a series with the Angels on Friday. Key series for both teams.

 

 

Angel's Garrett Richards went down with left patellar knee injury.   Huge hit for the Angels as Richards was their staff ace this year. 

 

The injury could be anything from a dislocation of the knee cap or a tear of the patellar tendons or ligaments.  Won't know more until the MRI results come in.  I'm not an Angels fan but really hoping this isn't serious.

 

It's torn, he's out for the rest of the season (and then some).  Devastating blow to the Angels.

I caught the Rays/Tigers game on the radio yesterday. It was nothing less than epic. David Price returns to Tampa. His performance was masterful allowing only 1 hit and 0 earned runs and the Rays still won the game on a triple and a fielding error. It's everything I could have hoped for. The Rays win and DP still looks like the ace he is.

This Oakland meltdown is really irritating.

This Oakland meltdown is really irritating.

They have been shockingly bad over the last 3 weeks or so.

Curse of Cespedes.

http://youtu.be/N6ST4Q63s48

No, it isn't. Not shocking at all. They're just not as good as people think they are.   There's a reason why Oakland hasn't won a championship since the stupid 'moneyball'' crap started.

The Rays have shut down Smyly for the rest of the season. I was concerned until I read it was pitch count not injury. Plus there are only 17 games left and the AAA guys are coming as soon as Durham wins the International League Championship.

 

In other news the Marlins are going to make a serious pitch to lock up Giancarlo Stanton long term this off season. That will be interesting Hot Stove fodder.

 

Those guys are going to win the league?

Oakland's meltdown is now bordering on epic proportions.  They are in serious danger of completely missing the playoffs.  They need to get their **** together immediately or we may soon be comparing their collapse to that of the 2011 Sawx.  Maybe Billy Beane should comb the clubhouse for fried chicken and beer?

It's really bizarre.  I knew I didn't like the Cespedes trade, but it really seems like they've lost their mojo completely.  I hope they can figure it out, they still have the pitching.

 

 

The Giants clobbered the Dodgers this evening.  Hopefully they can get a win against one of their two aces this weekend.  The Dodgers are a weird club, they have a ton of talent, but they don't really seem like a team.  They do some terrible stuff on the field, really.  I like the chances against them if the Giants meet them in a series.

The regular season is coming to an end.  I'm not sure how I feel about the Giants.  They don't have the pitching depth that they did in '10 or '12.  They are going to face the Pirates in the Wild Card game, and I like their chances with Bumgarner on the mound.  That being said, he's the only ace, it's not like in years past where they had 4 pitchers going strong.  

 

Angel Pagan is out, so that's gonna hurt.  But Blanco, as he's done in the past, is hot at the right time.  It's an odd lineup, it is feast or famine.

 

The only thing I trust is the bullpen.  They've still got the rock solid guys that shut down everyone in the previous runs.    

Somehow. Somehow the A's squeeze into the playoffs. Sonny Gray put the team on his back and threw a shutout in game 162.

But, but, but I thought they were the 'best team in baseball'? The best team doesn't squeak in on the last day of the RS. L0L

But, but, but I thought they were the 'best team in baseball'? The best team doesn't squeak in on the last day of the RS. L0L

They were. Atleast until they lost 28 one run games this year. 25 of them seeminly occurring in the last 6 weeks.

Given that they faced adversity for much of the second part of the season, it will be interesting to see if the A's can turn that around and finally get a decent playoff run.

 

But honestly I don't consider anybody a playoff team until they have more than one game guaranteed.  I do like my Giant's chances of beating the Pirates, Wednesday will be exciting.  

"They were"

 

No. they never were.

As bad as the A's have been, if Lester shuts down the Royals tomorrow, the Cespedes trade is suddenly justified.  It will be interesting.

Royals vs. Athletics...worst Base ball match in the history of Base ball competition. Of all time.

 

I can not even.

That was a pretty crazy game.  What the heck happened to these bullpens?  They were both supposed to be super good.

Royals pinch runners v. A's catchers.

 

L0L Best team in baseball. L0L

Their collapse was beyond painful to watch. It hurt.

 

I stand by my statement though. Over that two and half year stretch, from 2012 to the end of July of this season, they were the quietly the best team in baseball. They won more games and had a greater run differential than any other team in MLB. They did it by fielding a flawed team of extreme platoon hitters, solid starting pitching, and undervalued middle reliever -all at bargain basement prices. Beane and Melvin have done a tremendous job.

Dang, it was 7-4 Billy Beanes in the 7th when I went to sleep.  I wasn't watching the game but I checked the score before I shut the computer down.  I figured it was pretty much a done deal at that point.  Guess not.

Edited October 1, 201411 yr by Keyrock