2007 Oakland A's - No way Jose

[BichetteMan]

Re-signings

There aren't too many tough decisions this year. I have a lot of budget space to work with and not many expiring contracts. I hope to re-sign on of my guys and get a key free agent or two.

First up is Erubial Durazo. He was looking for 3yrs/4M per. He is a solid backup and fill in typ guy who hit .275, 19HR, 77RBI last year. I offered 2yrs/3.2M per and he accepted. A nice short term deal for a 33-year old veteran who can still hit a bit.

Next up is my key re-sign. Milton Bradley was seeking 5.4M per year over 5 years. I started with an offer of 4 years and 4.25M per. He rejected and I offered 4 years at 4.8 per. He refused that offer and I thought I was going to lose him but he came back with 4 years at 5M per year and I accepted his deal. I really needed to sign Milton. He was a very solid defender who excelled at the plate last year and was my only all-star.

Hiram Bocachica was up next. He wanted 850,000 for one year. I really didn't want him on my team. We parted ways.

Last expiring contract belonged to mid-season signee Brandon Puffer. I offered 650,000 against his 800,000 and he accepted. Can't have too much pitching depth.

Free Agency

Not too many big fish this year. Good news is I have lots of money to spend and there is only one fish I want to catch. He is the number 1 free agent and it has been on my radar all year. I was just waiting to see if he re-signed and he didn't.

Miguel Cabrera was the #1 guy on the market this offseason. I am nearly 20M under my budget and I decided to make a splash. Miguel has a few friends on my team and I went hard and quick with him. I was hearing rumors that the Twins were trying to land him and I couln't let that happen. He was looking for about 13M per year for 4 years. I upped the years to 5 and offered 10.25. He immediately rejected but countered with a 5 year deal at 11.75M. I countered his offer with 11.3M over 5 years and he accepted. A very quick negotiation. I am very happy about this signing. My offense needed some pop and average, he has both, and the defense he brings at third and in the outfield is excellent. I can't wait to see him on opening day. A definite cornerstone for my franchise for years to come.

I also added a new starter to my rotation with the signing of Mark Prior. He has had a few tough injury seasons the last few year but I think he could be a solid #3 or #4 guy for my club. He cost me 3.3M per year for 3 years. Not too much risk there for the upside he has at only 27 years old.

I added a new bullpen guy to the mix. I signed Chris Reitsma to a 3yr/950,000 deal. He has excellent control but not much velocity. I think he can help out a bit.

I made a late signing this year and went after a reserve outfielder. Richard Hidalgo has excellent power and is a decent fielder. He got little to no interest for two weeks on the market and I decided to give him a 2yr/$1.8M contract. I think he can be a useful player off my bench or starter if an injury come my way.

Thats all I wanted to do. I landed 2 pitchers and 2 position players. Landing the youngest and best free agent was nice. Now I hope it can translate onto the field next year.

[BichetteMan]

I'd like to send a few league notes out:

At age 38, Sammy Sosa has decided to leave the game. Sammy had a hall of fame career with 598 HR and 1607 RBI. You will be missed Sammy!

Craig Biggio decided to call it a career as well. Biggio had one of those Hall of Fame careers and fell just short of a major milestone walking away with 2947 hits. Bye Bye Craig!

Some Free Agent destinations:

Minnesota makes a lot of moves and signs

Curt Schilling P
Mike Maroth P
Livan Hernandez P
Mark Buehrle P
Adam Dunn P
Roger Clemens P

All in all it was about 25-30 million in payroll spent.

Bartolo Colon went from Los AngelesA to Texas. Jumped ship from the second place team to the division winner and got 4M per.

Other than that there weren't too many big money signings. Adam Dunn was second to the 11.3M I gave to Cabrera. Dunn got 9.2M.

The Season Award ballots are in and the Winners are:

AMERICAN LEAGUE (2007)

Cy Young Johan Santana (MIN)
Player of the Year: Justin Morneau (MIN)
Rookie Of The Year: Alex Gordon (KCR)

Gold Glove (P): Chien-Ming Wang (NYY)
Gold Glove (C): Ramon Hernandez (BAL)
Gold Glove (1B): Mark Teixeira (TEX)
Gold Glove (2B): Placido Polanco (DET)
Gold Glove (3B): Alex Gordon (KCR)
Gold Glove (SS): Michael Young (TEX)
Gold Glove (LF): Frank Catalanotto (TEX)
Gold Glove (CF): Alexis Rios (TOR)
Gold Glove (RF): Ichiro Suzuki (SEA)

NATIONAL LEAGUE (2007)

Cy Young Ben Sheets (MIL)
Player of the Year: David Wright (NYM)
Rookie Of The Year: Dan Ortmeier (SFG)

Gold Glove (P): David Bush (MIL)
Gold Glove (C): Josh Bard (SDP)
Gold Glove (1B): Todd Helton (COL)
Gold Glove (2B): Aaron Miles (STL)
Gold Glove (3B): Scott Rolen (STL)
Gold Glove (SS): David Eckstein (STL)
Gold Glove (LF): Aaron Rowand (PHI)
Gold Glove (CF): Andruw Jones (ATL)
Gold Glove (RF): Ryan Church (WSN)

Nothing for any players on my team. We'll change that this year!

Thats it for the offseason. See you in the spring.

[BichetteMan]

2008 Oakland Athletics

Team Overview

Starting Lineup

1. Ryan Goleski - CF
2. Milton Bradley - RF
3. Nick Swisher - 1B
4. Miguel Cabrera - 3B
5. Erubial Durazo - DH
6. Bobby Kielty - LF
7. Marco Scutaro - 2B
8. Jack Wilson - SS
9. Jason Kendall

Bench

• Esteban German - IF
• Antonio Perez - IF
• Dan Johnson - 1B
• Jeremy Brown - C
• Richard Hidalgo - OF

Starting Rotation

1. Rich Harden
2. Jason Windsor
3. Mark Prior
4. Joe Blanton
5. Steven Johnson

Bullpen

• CP - Huston Street
• SU - Chad Gaudin
• Short - Justin Duchsherer
• Short - Kiko Calero
• Middle - Chris Reitsma
• Long - Brad Halsey

I hope this team can perform a bit better than last year. It will only take a little turnaround both offensively and on the pitching side to compete in the AL WEST.

******************************************************************************** *******************************

I was walking around at BP and feilding practice at the Colisseum and I ran into Rich Harden. We started chatting about the season ahead.

RH: Hey Dan whats going on?

DC: Nothing much Rich. Just checking out the guys. I think we have a chance to be pretty good this year.

RH: Me too. I really want to get back to the top of the division. I feel like I can lead us there.

DC: That makes me feel good Rich. I'm really hoping you can step it up this year and win a bunch of game for us. We have a lot of young guys who are going to be looking to you for some guidance. You have been on this pitching staff the longest.

RH: I understand. I want this team to be great and I love the guys. I'm going to give my all every game.

DC: Good Rich I can't wait to see you take the mound. If we get the offense I expect you could win 20 this year.

RH: I'm just going to take it one game at a time. Try to stay healthy.

DC: Thats all I want Rich. We'll get to where we want if you do that. I've got to run Rich I have some calls to make but I'll be there to see you pitch agsinst the Rangers. Good Luck Rich.

RH: Thanks Dan. I'll see you later.

I can't help but feel that Harden is going to have an excellent season. That perfomance at the end of last year gives me a lot of hope.

[BichetteMan]

April 4th - April 10th 2008

We start the season at home. We face off against the defending World champs, the Texas Rangers, for three games. Then the Tigers come into town for three. I hope we can start the season off well and get into a groove. Taking down Texas would be a nice start.

April 4th 2008
The field is ready and Texas is in town. Opening day is tomorrow and the excitement is building. The local papers are projecting us for 2nd place behind Texas who has the same team plus Bartolo Colon. I hope we can surprise some people. Rich Harden will go tomorrow and we need him to set the tone for the season ahead of us.

April 5th 2008
Texas Rangers(0-0) @ Oakland Athletics(0-0)
Rangers 0 - A's 2
WP: Rich Harden (1-0)
LP: Brandon McCarthy (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (1)

Rich Harden starts off the season with a great game. He goes 7 shutout innings and gives up just 1 hit. He gave up 5 walks but was never in danger of giving up a run. He also struck out 9 batters including the side in the first. Huston Street picks up his first save pitching a perfect ninth. On offense, Kendall and Scutaro drove in the runs from the bottom of the lineup. Just what we need, great pitching and timely hitting.

An early season trade:

Cincinatti sends:

Ramon Martinez SS
Ron Belliard 2B
Matt Treanor C
Luis Terrero CF

ChicagoA sends:

Brian N. Anderson LF
Erik Lis 1B
Erik MacSporran 2B

Not too sure why some of these trades happen. Cincinatti gets the bext player in Anderson. Luis Terrero is a decent outfielder and should be on the big club for the White Sox. Cincinatti get the best here.

April 6th 2008
Texas Rangers(0-1) @ Oakland Athletics(1-0)
Rangers 2 - A's 4
WP: Jason Windsor (1-0)
LP: Kevin Millwood (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (2)

Jason Windsor pitches really well in his season debut. He goes 7.2 innings and gives up just 2ER. A nice way to start is season. Huston Street gives up a hit in the ninth but still picks up his second save. The offense was led by Nick Swishers two run homer and Marco Scutaros solo shot. Milton Bradley also went 3-4 with and RBI.

April 7th 2008
Texas Rangers(0-2) @ Oakland Athletics(2-0)
Rangers 1 - A's 9
WP: Mark Prior (1-0)
LP: Vicente Padilla (0-1)

This is exactly how I need the starting pitching on my team to perform. New guy Mark Prior mirrors the two prior starters and goes 7.1 innings and gives up just 1ER. He let up the run on a solo shot and struck out 5 in the game. The other new pitcher on my staff Chris Reitsma goes a perfect 1.2 innings to close out the sweep of the Rangers. Nick Swisher powered the offense going 2-4 with a homer and 4 RBI. Miguel Cabrera got his first hit in an Oakland uniform with a 2 run double. Milton Bradley also went 3-3 with an RBI on the day.

April 8th 2008
Detroit Tigers(1-2)@ Oakland Athletics(3-0)
Tigers 4 - A's 7
WP: Joe Blanton (1-0)
LP: Chad Durbin (0-1)

The starters continue to perform very well. He goes 7.1 innings and gives up 4ER. The 7 inning mark is what I hope all my starter can do and they all have been doing it so far. My bullpen has been spotless so far. Gaudin and Street are perfect in the 8th and 9th to close out the game. Nick Swisher has been absolutely on fire to start the season. He went 3-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBI. What a start. Milton Bradley also went deep with a solo shot. Goleski set the table nicely and ate the dinner going 2-4 with 2RBI and 2 runs. Another nice win.

April 9th 2008
Detroit Tigers(1-3)@ Oakland Athletics(4-0)
Tigers 8 - A's 10
WP: Chad Gaudin (1-0)
LP: Jeremy Accardo (0-2)
SV: Huston Street (3)

My #5 starter rookie Steven Johnson doesn't perform as well as the rest of my rotation. But because of the offense he left after 5.1 innings with an 8-6 lead. Kiko Calero struggled in his first appearance. He gave up 2ER in his 1.2 innings. Gaudin held the game where it was in his perfect innings and we took the lead in the bottom of the eight. Huston Street pitches a perfect ninth inning for his 3rd save. Durazo led the offense with a 2 run homer. Nick Swisher keeps producing going 2-4 with 2 RBI. Another very solid win for the team.

Something of a big trade:

Cincinatti sends:
Aaron Harang P
Alex Gonzalez SS
Jon Knott LF
Daryle Ward 1B

Pittsburgh sends:
Blaine Neal P
Ronny Paulino P

Cincinatti send away their ace. Harang wasn't happy and was making a lot of money. Paulino is a very good and relatively young catcher who will help the Reds pitching staff. I think the Pirates got the better player but the Reds definitely made out in the deal.

April 10th 2008
Detroit Tigers(1-4)@ Oakland Athletics(5-0)
Tigers 7 - A's 8
WP: Brad Halsey (1-0)
LP: Zach Miner (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (4)

Rich Harden pitched very well again but got robbed of a win. He went just 6 innings and gave up 4R, only 1ER. An error by Marco Scutaro allowed a big inning to happen in the 4th where the Tigers scored 4. Harden was excellent in every other inning. The offense was led by Kielty who went 1-3 with a 3RBI double. Milton Bradley went deep and had 2 RBI on the day. The story of the game was in the 8th when we were leading 6-4 and Brad Halsey came into the game. He allowed the first two batter to reach base. He then go two outs but Magglio Ordonez took him dee and took the lead 7-6. That was short lived however because Dan Johnson pinch hit in bottom half with a man on. He blasted a homer over the left field fence to take the lead 8-7. Huston Street came in and pitched a perfect frame to pick up his 4th save.

WOW. 6-0 is better than I could have hoped for. This is a very solid start to the season. The offense looks explosive and the pitching has been very solid. I'm very happy with the team right now.

[BichetteMan]

April 11th - April 17th 2008

We take this travelling circus on the road to Texas for three games and then off to Anaheim for three with the Angels. To start the season 6-0 is amazing. We just have to keep it up. If we can have a really good April I think it would do a lot of good for the confidence on this team. As long as the starters go 6-7 innings per start I don't see why not.

April 11th 2008
Oakland Athletics(6-0) @ Texas Rangers(1-5)
A's 3 - Rangers 2
WP: Jason Windsor (2-0)
LP: Kevin Millwood (0-2)
SV: Huston Street (5)

Can you believe it? 7-0. Jason Windsor tosses a great game and goes the magic 7 innings that I have been talking about. In those 7, he gives up 2ER and 6 hits. Nice Job. Gaudin has been lights out early in the season and gives up 1 hit in 1 inning pitched. Huston Street shuts the door with a perfect ninth for his 5th save. Street has given up just 1 hit in 6 innings of work this year. On offense Bradley and Wilson drove the runs in. Miguel Cabrera has been hitting better going 2-3 with a walk in the game.

A couple trades today:

Cincinatti sends:

Kevin Millar 1B
Eli Marrero C
Blaine Neal P

San Francisco sends:

Kevin Frandsen 2B
Brian Bowles P
Steve Kline P
Dusty Bergman P

San Francisco gets a decent reliever in Blaine Neal. Cincinatti gets a potential 2B of the future in Frandsen. They also get the edge.

Kansas City sends:

Mike Sweeney 1B
Horacio Ramirez P
Dewon Brazleton P

San Diego sends:

Bobby Hill 3B
Heath Bell P

San Diego gets a decent hitter in Sweeney and two average pitchers. Kansas City gets an above average reliever in Bell. I'll give it to KC because of Bell.

April 12th 2008
Oakland Athletics(7-0) @ Texas Rangers(1-6)
A's 8 - Rangers 6 (12)
WP: Huston Street (1-0)
LP: Kevin Walker (0-1)

This is getting crazy. 8-0. Mark Prior doesn't pitch very well but the team still pulls it out. Prior goes 5 innings and gives up 5ER. The bullpen holds tight and gives up just 1ER the rest of the way. That is 7 innings of 1 run ball. I like the effort. Huston Street picks up the win pitching in a perfect 12th inning. Erubial Durazo was the hero at the plate with a 2 run homer in the 12th. He went 2-4 with a homer 3 RBI and 2 runs scored overall. Dan Johnson continues to impress off the bench. Today he cleared the loaded bases with a double. He is 2-2 on the season with a homer and 5RBI.

The game says goodbye to one of the best today. John Smoltz, who spent nineteen season with the Atlanta Braves, retired today. He won 200 games in his career and had a nice 3.37 career ERA. Smoltz was very versatile and had 157 Saves in his career as well. See you in the Hall John!

April 13th 2008
Oakland Athletics(8-0) @ Texas Rangers(1-7)
A's 5 - Rangers 4
WP: Joe Blanton (2-0)
LP: Rick Bauer (0-1)
SV: Huston Street (6)

Absolutely ridiculous. 9-0. Joe Blanton goes 8 innings and gives up 4ER. Not an exceptional start but good enough to win. If you leave the eight with a lead it is an almost guaranteed win. Street came in for a perfect ninth and his sixth save. Dan Johnson has a good day going 2-4 with a homer and RBI. Nick Swisher stays hot going 3-5 with an RBI. This is getting crazy. Undefeated through 9 games.

April 14th 2008
It almost seems like a bad thing to get a day off. This team is too hot for time off. I hope we can take all the games we play in Anaheim this weekend. This team has been performing well above expectations and I am thrilled. Mazzar will be meeting up with the team to take Steven Johnsons place for a couple starts. Johnson tweaked a quad and will be out for a week or so. Vin has the major league experience from the end of last year and has been abusing minor league batters this year.

Congrats to Troy Glaus on hitting his 300th Home Run!

April 15th 2008
Oakland Athletics(9-0) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(6-3)
A's 6 - Angels 0
WP: Rich Harden (2-0)
LP: John Lackey (0-3)

We decided to allow Rich Harden to go because he had 5 days rest. He was dominant. He went 8 shuout innings giving up just 4 hits and 1 walk. He also struck out 9 batters. An ace like performance. Dan Johnson continues to tear up the opposing pitcher. He goes 1-2 with 2 more RBI. Ryan Goleski went deep for the first time this season. 10-0. Again WOW.

April 16th 2008
Oakland Athletics(10-0) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(6-4)
A's 5 - Angels 3 (12)
WP: Huston Street (2-0)
LP: Justin Speier (0-1)

Totally unreal. I really don't know how this team is doing it. Maybe solid starting pitching like Jason Windsor going 7 innings and giving up just 1ER. He looked to be headed for a win but Chad Gaudin struggled for the first time this season and let the Angels tie the game at 3. It stayed that way til the top of the 13th when we scored two to take the lead. Huston Street gets the win after going the 11th and 12th and giving up just 1 hit. Milton Bradley was the hero in the 12th knocking out a 2 run shot. He was 3-5 on the day with that homer and 3 RBI. Goleski also hit a homer and went 2-4 with an RBI. 11-0 WOW.

Congrats to Ian Kinsler of the Rangers who hit for the cycle tonight. He went 5-5 with 3RBI as well.

Also to Barry Bonds. He drove in his 2000th run of his career! Congrats Barry!

April 17th 2008
Oakland Athletics(11-0) @ Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(6-5)
A's 4 - Angels 3
WP: Mark Prior (2-0)
LP: Kelvim Escobar (1-1)
SV: Justin Duchscherer (1)

I've been saying this for a couple games now but WOW. Mark Prior goes 7 innings and gives up 2ER and fans 7 Angels. A very solid performance after he struggled his last time out. Bobby Kielty provided the offense on a 1-4 day with 2 RBI. The bullpen scuffled a bit in the ninth but Duchsherer came in and shut it down. 12-0. Can't beleive it!

This team has been unreal these first two weeks. Close games, Blowouts, Extra innings...It doesn't matter they are winning. I love this team. My pitching has really been stepping up and when they don't the offense pulls it out. JUST WOW!

Side Bar:I have been playing this game for a long time and have never had a team do this. I am really excited. Every time I sim the games, or watch Hardens starts, they win. Maybe they can go 162-0 lol.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

I've had 12-game winning streaks in the past, but I've never started the season off this hot.

Outstanding start. I know their's been some talk about a perfect season in the General Discussion forum, perhaps it'll happen sooner than we think...

I'm pulling for you! Let's go A's!

[BichetteMan]

Potato - Yeah I have had winnings streaks but to start the season was incredible. I was expecting a .500 team this year. I couldn't be happier. An undefeated season would be ridiculous lol

April 18th - April 24th 2007

We have a few short two game series against the Mariners and Indians at home. After that the Angels come in for 3 to end the week. We have won 12 games to start the season. This is amazing. I hope we can run the table this week. If not, we can set ourselves up for an awesome April.

April 18th 2008
Seattle Mariners(8-5) @ Oakland Athletics(12-0)
Mariners 3 - A's 5
WP: Joe Blanton (3-0)
LP: Jarrod Washburn (1-2)
SV: Brad Halsey (1)

We keep the streak going and get #13. Joe Blanton pitches very well over 7 innings and gives up 3ER. Another quality start leads to another win for the team. The top four in the lineup do the damage again. Goleski, Bradley and Cabrera all drive in 1 run. Swisher drives in 2. The team has tied the major league record for most consecutive wins to start a Major League season. They are tied with the '82 Braves and '87 Brewers. Let's do it one more time boys!

April 19th 2008
Seattle Mariners(8-6) @ Oakland Athletics(13-0)
Mariners 2 - A's 9
WP: Vin Mazzaro (1-0)
LP: Miguel Batista (1-2)

Vin Mazzaro dazzles going 8 innings and allowing just 2ER. This game was never in question as the team scored 3 in the second and 4 in the third. The bottom of the lineup did the damage. Jack Wilson went 3-5 with 2 RBI and Jason Kendall went 2-5 with 2RBI. A new MAJOR LEAGUE RECORD. The Oakland A's have won their first 14 games of the season, the first time this has ever been done. Now I just hope it can carry on and translate into a late October appearance. It is a nice record but I hope they are playing this hot when the playoffs roll around.

Today Ivan Rodriguez padded his hall of fame resume collecting his 2500th hit. Congrats Ivan!

Also today Scott Rolen scored his 1000th run of his career. Way to go Scott!

April 20th 2008
Cleveland Indians(9-5) @ Oakland Athletics(14-0)
Indians 2 - A's 5
WP: Rich Harden (3-0)
LP: C.C. Sabathia (1-2)
SV: Huston Street (7)

Had to figure the streak was going to continue. Rich Harden pitched decently. He went 5.2 innings and struggled a bit but worked out of most of the jams. He allowed only 1 ER and fanned 8 Indians. Miguel Cabrera had a good day going 3-4 with his first homer in an A's uniform and 2RBI. Milton Bradley also went deep in the game. Nick Swisher keeps producing and gets another 2 hits and 2RBI. Huston Street gives up just his third hit of the year but still picks up his 7th save. 15-0. This has to end soon. Hopefully not but I'll be realistic.

April 21st 2008
Cleveland Indians(9-6) @ Oakland Athletics(15-0)
Indians 7 - A's 6
WP: Fausto Carmona (2-1)
LP: Kiko Calero (0-1)
SV: Fernando Cabrera (3)

And it comes to an end. What a great start to the season. Jason Windsor becomes human and gives up 4ER in just 5.2 innings. That was enough to keep us in the game and we had a lead going into the ninth, 6-5. In the ninth, Calero was trusted to bring the game home but he faltered. He allowed a hit and then a two run homer to let the Indians take the lead. Johnny Peralta put up a herculian effort in hitting for the cycle with two home runs. He had 5 RBI and led the Indians to victory over my undefeated team. Richard Hidalgo had the hit to put us up 6-5 with a 2 run double. Bradley and Cabrera both collected 3 hits in the game.

Congratulations to Vladimir Guerrero who collected his 2000th hit today. Congrats Vladdy!

A big player moved his residence today:

Tampa Bay sends:

Carl Crawford LF

ChicagoA sends:

Olmedo Saenz 3B
Mike Macdougal P
Hans Macneil RF
Lucas Harrell P

Chicago gets the best player here and unless Harrell and Macneil develop they make out like bandits. Crawford is one of the best young LF in the game. He has power, average, speed and fielding ability.

April 22nd 2008
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(8-8) @ Oakland Athletics(15-1)
Angels 3 - A's 2 (10)
WP: Scot Shields (2-0)
LP: Chad Gaudin (1-1)
SV: Francisco Rodriguez (4)

A pitchers duel here. Mark Prior goes 8 innings and gives up just 2ER. He has been performing very well this year and I just hope he can stay healthy. Cabrera and Swisher drove in the runs for the A's. We lose our second in a row after winning the first 15. I hope we can rebound in the next game.

April 23rd 2008
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(9-8) @ Oakland Athletics(15-2)
Angels 2 - A's 4
WP: Joe Blanton (4-0)
LP: Jered Weaver (2-1)
SV: Kiko Calero (1)

Another very good start from Joe Blanton. He goes 8 innings and gives up 2ER. I like how Blanton has rebounded from his poor 2007 season. To think he was on the block at the deadline last year and I just didn't get enough quality offers for him. I'm happy about that now. Erubial Durazo leads the offense with a pinch hit two run home run. Goleski drives in the winning run on a double in the 6th.

A trade today:

Kansas City sends:

Tyler Lumsden P
Jimmy Gobble P

Colorado sends:

Willy Taveras CF

Kansas City gets a nice speedy CF. Colorado gets an established reliever and a reliever who could develop into a very nice player. Time will tell on this trade.

April 24th 2008
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim(9-9) @ Oakland Athletics(16-2)
Angels 2 - A's 5
WP: Vin Mazzaro (2-0)
LP: Joe Saunders (1-2)

I thought Vin Mazzaro might be headed back to the minors after his few starts but I think I will keep him here. He puts in a quality start going 7 innings and giving up 2ER. Bobby Kielty and Dan Johnson go deep for the A's to lead the offense. Bradley and Swisher stay hot and collect two hits each. A nice way to finish off the week.

To this point in the season the only losses on my team have been credited to the bullpen. My starters have been as solid as they can be. The offense has been hitting in a timely manner. This all adds up to 17-2 record to start the season. I imagined this year would have been similar to last year but I hope the team can keep it up. I want to bring the A's back to World Series contenders. They may have been making the playoffs every year before I got here but they weren't really October contenders.

[Red Sox Fan 734]

16-2! Great job

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Joey Gathright and Willy Tavares in the same outfield? How can you get doubles against KC now!?

15 wins to start the season: simply amazing. Who'd have thought that Miggy Cabrera and Mark Prior could make such a difference for a .500 ballclub from a year ago?

About time that Harden pitch to his potential, huh...

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

16-2 is quite the start! Do you think you can keep it up, or do you think its just an early season anomaly?

[BichetteMan]

Red Sox Fan - Thanks I'm going to try an keep it going!

Potato - Yeah gonna be tough to get those doubles but KC still stinks lol...I wanted Miguel and since I got rid of Chavez last year it made lots of sense. Prior has stepped it up--keeping my fingers crossed for injuries. Yeah 0.68ERA through 4 starts for Harden--he gave me 37 starts last year which was surprising for his ijnury history.

Dawg - Yeah, very surprising. We will probably come back down to earth, hopefully not though. I just couldn't believe they kept winning every time I simmed the games!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

I wouldn't expect you to continue a pace quite this insane, I guess what I meant was do you think you can play at a high level all season and win the west or wild card?

[BichetteMan]

April 25th - May 1st 2008

What a start to the season. 17-2 is amazing! I think we will come back down soon, maybe as soon as this week. We have to go to New York and that is always a tough place to play especially against a talented Yankees lineup. Hopefully the pitchers can keep it up. Off day and then New York for three and Chicago for three.

April 25th 2008

Oakland Tribune staff writer Joe Stiglich approached me yesterday after the game for an interview. I asked him if today would be a good day and he agreed. He said he wanted to do the interview in a Q&A style. This is how it went:

Joe Stiglich: Today I will be talking to second year Oakland Athletics GM Dan Coleman. The A's have started this season off very hot winning 15 in a row to start the season and currently sit at 17-2. Dan, did you expect this team to win this many games so soon?

Dan Coleman: Well I believe this team can win every game it plays. To be realistic you don't ever think you're team can win 15 in a row and especially to start off a season. This has been an amazing ride. I came into the season expecting to compete for the division but not pull away so quickly. I must say I am quite proud of the squad so far.

JS: We all know about your signing of star free agent Miguel Cabrera. He has been struggling to start the season batting only .220 with one home run and just 10 RBI in 19 games. Many people are criticizing the move, expecially since you spent 11.3 million per year. Obviously the rest of the team has been performing with the quick start record wise. Do you think you made the correct move?

DC: Obviously I believe I made the right decision. Cabrera is a great young talent who will contribute to this teams success for many years to come. He is just a part of the whole. It takes a whole team to win in this league. One man cannot do the job all by himself. I beleive I have put the pieces in place to compete in our division and in the league as a whole.

JS: Rich Harden has been excellent from the last month last year and all the way though the first three weeks of April. What changes have you seen in Rich? Also how has that affected how he is performing on the field?

DC: To begin, Rich is a born leader. His only problem was that his body wouldn't allow him to be on the field to lead the way. It is very difficult to lead a team when you are on the DL. We have worked with Rich and we believe he is going to be healthy long term. I have had many conversations with Rich and have assured him that he is this teams ace and will be for as long as I am running this organization. Rich has all the tools to be the anchor of this pitching staff for many years. I think he has the confidence to be the leader of the A's for the rest of his career.

JS: How about some of the young talent on this team? Can you give us a rundown of some of the guys you plan on using? We have already seen Ryan Goleski and Vin Mazzaro at the major League level, who else can we expect?

DC: For the time being I think our roster is essentially locked. Goleski has been struggling a bit with his contact but we are working on that. His production has been exceptional from the top spot. Vin Mazzaro is a very effective groundball pitcher. I have sought out an excellent defensive infield to help my pitchers and Mazzaro has benefited a lot from this. As far as call ups we have second baseman Kevin Mellilo at AAA who is developing very nicely. He is batting a hefty .457 through about 16 games with some solid power and good defense. With no offense to Marco Scutaro, who is a natural third baseman, I believe we need to upgrade offensively at second. Marco has been struggling at the plate but since we have been so hot to begin the season we have the time to let him straighten it out.

JS: Do you truly think your team can continue on this type of pace the rest of the year? What do you think the rest of this season holds for the A's?

DC: Well obviously we are not going undefeated, we lost our first game already. I do think we can win the division. I feel strongly that we can compete with any team in this league. My lineup is strong and my pitching staff is strong. My coaches have a common goal and seem to be heading in the right direction. As long as everyone keeps giving one-hundred percent effort everyday I think we can win a lot. Obviously we need to avoid the injury bug as well.

JS: Well thank you Dan and good luck the rest of the way. I hope to talk to you again soon.

DC: Thank you Joe. I will see you later.

April 26th 2008
Oakland Athletics(17-2) @ New York Yankees(11-8)
A's 3 - Yankees 2
WP: Brad Halsey (2-0)
LP: Luis Vizcaino (1-1)
SV: Chad Gaudin (1)

Rich Harden continues pitching well. He goes 6 innings and gives up 2ER while striking out 6. Harden put himself in a good position to win but ran into Chien-Ming Wang who went 8 shutout innings. Too bad for him that Luis Vizcaino had a tough time in the ninth giving up 3 runs and the lead to the us. Durazo did the job with a 2 RBI pinch hit double to tie the game. He was then knocked in by a Jack Wilson single. Chad Gaudin shuts the Yankees down in the ninth for his first save.

April 27th 2008
Oakland Athletics(18-2) @ New York Yankees(11-9)
A's 11 - Yankees 9 (10)
WP: Brad Halsey (3-0)
LP: Luis Vizcaino (1-2)

A slugfest in the bronx. The Yankees did the job early scoring all their runs within the first 5 innings. Jason Windsor struggled through 3.2 innings and gave up 7ER. The offense did the job in the game. Nick Swisher and Miguel Cabrera both hit home runs. Goleski went 2-3 with 3 walks and 3 runs scored to spark the offense at the top of the order. Durazo and Hidalgo both had pinch hits and an RBI on the game. Hidalgo had the go ahead RBI double in the 10th to take the lead.

April 28th 2008
Oakland Athletics(19-2) @ New York Yankees(11-10)
A's 3 - Yankees 2
WP: Mark Prior (3-0)
LP: Scott Proctor (2-2)
SV: Huston Street (8)

Another squeaker, another win. Mark Prior has been great so far this year. Today he goes 6.2 innings and gives up just 1ER. He gave up just 4 hits and fanned 9 batters. Nice start for Mark. The offense was all Nick Swisher who went 3-4 with 2 home runs and all 3 RBI. Swisher has been key for us so far this year. We swept the Yankees at Yankee stadium. This season just seems to get better and better every game.

April 29th 2008
Oakland Athletics(20-2) @ Chicago White Sox(7-15)
A's 5 - White Sox 4
WP: Joe Blanton (5-0)
LP: Justin Edwards (0-2)
SV: Huston Street (9)

We win another close one. Joe Blanton was crusing through 7 innings giving up just 2ER. He struggled in his next 1/3 of an inning and gave up 2ER, total 4ER, and the bullpen came in to do the job. Street shut down the White Sox and got his ninth save but was shaky giving up a hit and walk. Durazo did the job on offense going 3-4 with a homer 2RBI and 2 runs scored. German also went 3-4 on the day with an RBI.

April 30th 2008
Oakland Athletics(21-2) @ Chicago White Sox(7-16) (10)
A's 5 - White Sox 6
WP: Andrew Sisco (1-1)
LP: Chad Gaudin (1-2)

The bullpen gave away this game. Vin Mazzaro ptiched well through 6.2 innings giving up 3ER. The bullpen gave up 3 more ER over the next 3.1 innings with Gaudin giving up the game winner in the 10th. Bradley and Cabrera had good days at the plate. Bradley went 2-4 with a homer and 2RBI. Cabrera went 3-5 with a homer and 2RBI. Esteban German also had a solo shot on the day.

Chris Young of Arizona is a special hitter. He proved it the other night as he hit for the cycle. This is the second time he did this, the last time being last August. Congrats Chris!

Boston takes a hit to the lineup. Dustin Pedroia was injured when he was spiked in the knee on a pivot for a double play. He will be out for about 2-3 weeks.

May 1st 2008
Oakland Athletics(21-3) @ Chicago White Sox(8-16)
A's 5 - White Sox 6
WP: Javier Vazquez (2-3)
LP: Rich Harden (3-1)
SV: Bobby Jenks (4)

Rich Harden struggles for the first time this season. He gives up 5ER in just 4 innings. I'm not too worried. The White Sox have been hot and they only got to him in 1 inning for all 5 runs. I'm sure he will bounce back in his next start. Dan Johnson led the offense with his 4th home run. German stays hot and goes 2-4 with an RBI.

Another two game losing streak but I can't complain with the teams record at 21-4. Still a very good week at 4-2 on the road for the week. This team is real solid and I hope they can keep it up for a while to pull away in the division.

[BichetteMan]

League Review April

American League Standings


National League Standings


League Batting Leaders


League Pitching Leaders


Team Review - April

Oakland Batting Statistics

2008 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Goleski, Ryan             OAK   25  .230   100   23   5   0   2   16   21    1   0   20   11  .340  .342
Cabrera, Miguel           OAK   25  .232    99   23   7   0   3   10   28    0   0   12   14  .394  .313
Bradley, Milton           OAK   25  .323    99   32   8   0   5   14   17    2   0   19   18  .556  .405
Swisher, Nick             OAK   25  .351    97   34   7   0   7   16   23    0   0   19   26  .639  .439
Kielty, Bobby             OAK   24  .219    96   21   4   1   2    4   19    0   0   12   12  .344  .257
Kendall, Jason            OAK   25  .295    88   26   4   0   0    5    9    0   2   11    8  .341  .333
Scutaro, Marco            OAK   23  .200    80   16   3   2   0   12   17    0   0    6    4  .288  .312
Wilson, Jack              OAK   21  .271    70   19   5   0   0    7    8    2   1   15    7  .343  .333
Johnson, Dan              OAK   18  .274    62   17   6   1   4   10    8    0   0   11   11  .597  .365
Durazo, Erubiel           OAK   14  .342    38   13   4   0   4    7    4    0   0   10   13  .763  .444
German, Esteban           OAK    8  .471    17    8   3   0   1    0    1    1   0    2    3  .824  .471
Hidalgo, Richard          OAK    6  .375     8    3   3   0   0    1    3    0   0    0    3  .750  .444
Perez, Antonio            OAK    3  .143     7    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .143  .143
Brown, Jeremy             OAK    3  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .000 

Oakland Pitching Statistics

2008 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Street, Huston            OAK   13.1  0.00   13   0   2   0   9    8    2  5.40
Duchscherer, Justin       OAK   15.0  0.60   12   0   0   0   1   14    2  5.40
Harden, Rich              OAK   36.2  2.21    6   6   3   1   0   41   16 10.80
Gaudin, Chad              OAK   13.2  2.63   13   0   1   2   1    7    3  7.90
Prior, Mark               OAK   34.0  2.91    5   5   3   0   0   35   13 10.06
Mazzaro, Vin              OAK   21.2  2.91    3   3   2   0   0   16   10 10.80
Blanton, Joe              OAK   37.2  4.06    5   5   5   0   0   16    7 13.62
Windsor, Jason            OAK   30.2  4.70    5   5   2   0   0   21   16 14.97
Calero, Kiko              OAK    9.0  5.00   11   0   0   1   1   14    2 11.00
Halsey, Brad              OAK   12.1  5.11   10   0   3   0   1    7    4 12.41
Reitsma, Chris            OAK    3.1  5.40    3   0   0   0   0    1    0 13.50
Johnson, Steven           OAK    5.1 10.13    1   1   0   0   0    4    3 16.88 

The team has obviously looked real good. Mark Prior has been the key free agent addition. He has pitched better than I could have expected and has been one of the major reasons for the teams success. Nick Swisher has really stepped up at the plate. He usually has a very low batting average but at .351 he doing exceptional. That goes along with his 7 HR and 26 RBI which makes him the offensive MVP of April for the A's.

[BichetteMan]

May 2nd - May 8th 2008

We have the Mariners on the road and then we come back hom for three with the Twins. Two teams that have been performing well this season. Let's keep the success going boys!

May 2nd 2008
Oakland Athletics(21-4) @ Seattle Mariners(14-11)
A's 14 - Mariners 7
WP: Jason Windsor (3-0)
LP: Jarrod Washburn (2-3)

Jason Windsor struggle a bit in the game. He did manage to go 5.1 innings but gave up 6ER. The offense took him off the hook scoring 7 early runs off Washburn and then beating up the M's pen for 7 more. Ryan Goleski went 4-6 with 3RBI. Erubial Durazo went 2-5 with a homer and 3RBI. German also had a big day going 2-5 with 3RBI as well. A very solid effort by the offense.

Manny Ramirez joined an elite club today. Manny blasted his 500th home run of his career. See you in the Hall Manny!

May 3rd 2008
Oakland Athletics(22-4) @ Seattle Mariners(14-12)
A's 8 - Mariners 0
WP: Mark Prior (4-0)
LP: Miguel Batista (1-3)

Mark Prior continues to pound the strike zone and dominate batters. He goes 8 shutout innings and strikes out 10 Mariners. A very nice performance! The offense does its job again. Dan Johnson crushes a Grand Slam in the 3rd. Esteban German has another good game 2-4 with a homer. Bradley also picks up 2 hits and 2RBI on the day.

May 4th 2008
Oakland Athletics(23-4) @ Seattle Mariners(14-13)
A's 2 - Mariners 4
WP: Cha Seung Baek (5-0)
LP: Joe Blanton (5-1)
SV: J.J. Putz (9)

Joe Blanton suffers his first loss of the year. He ran into a very hot Baek whos is absolutely dominating this year. Blanton went 6.2 innings and gave up 4ER. Joe has been very solid so far this year. Bradley and Johnson drove in the only runs for the A's.

May 5th 2008

An off day for the team. Not too much going on. The team can use a little rest because the Twins are coming in tomorrow. They have a very good lineup and pitching staff. It should be a very good series.

May 6th 2008
Minnesota Twins(20-9) @ Oakland Athletics(23-5)
Twins 7 - A's 5
WP: Pat Neshek (1-0)
LP: Brad Halsey (3-1)
SV: Joe Nathan (7)

Rich Harden has another tough start. He allows 5ER in the first inning. He only went 3 innings because he threw too many pitches. Rich has been looking very good but has had a couple bad innings. The offense came back and had a chance to win the game but the Twins showed why they are one of the best teams. Erubial Durazo hits another bomb, his 6th of the year. At the top of the order, Goleski goes 3-5. Nick Swisher reached based in all 4 plate appearances with 2 hits, 2 walks and 2RBI.

May 7th 2008
Minnesota Twins(21-9) @ Oakland Athletics(23-6)
Twins 4 - A's 11
WP: Jason Windsor (4-0)
LP: Mark Buehrle (5-2)

Jason Windsor has been having a bit of a rough time lately. He gives up 4ER in just 5 innings but the offense helps him out. Goleski starts the offense from the top going 2-2 with 3 walks. Durazo continues crushing the ball and hit his 7th homer of the year, a two run shot. Esteban German has another solid game going 4-5 with 4RBI. Swisher continues producing and drives in 2 on the day.

Edgar Renteria picked up his 2000th hit today. He is definitely on his way. Congrats Edgar!

May 8th 2008
Minnesota Twins(21-10) @ Oakland Athletics(24-6)
Twins 2 - A's 3
WP: Mark Prior (5-0)
LP: Livan Hernandez (4-2)
SV: Huston Street (10)

Mark Prior continues to pitch exceptionally. He goes 6.2 innings and gives up 2ER. Both of the runs came in the first and then he shut the Twins down and pitched no hit ball until he left the game. Prior struck out a bunch again fanning 8 more today. Goleski goes 2-4 with an RBI. Bradley and Kielty collect the other RBI's. Jason Kendall has a good day going 3-3.

4-2 is all I can ask for. If we can consistently have weeks like this we will have no problem accomplishing our goals this year. The next two weeks are going to be tough so the team needs to keep it going. Also, Joe Blanton has been feeling ill. So with the off day this week Vin Mazzaro will pitch tomorrow on a full five days rest and Blanton will skip this turn in the rotation.