2007 Oakland A's - No way Jose

[BichetteMan]

Thanks Jeep. It's nice to have an A's fan on board. I hope you enjoy.

June 3rd - June 12th 2008

We have a 9 game road trip this week. We start off in Boston with three with the Red Sox and then we head off for some interleague action. WE take on Philadelphia afor three and then head to the big apple to see the Mets for three. A solid week would be nice to start of June. Also I have to draft this week. We have been working hard. I will give my report on the draft and how we do at the end of the week after we play the Mets. I have a few guys on my list and we have a good pick at 10 overall.

June 3rd 2008
Oakland Athletics(37-16) @ Boston Red Sox(28-25)
A's 10 - Red Sox 2
WP: Joe Blanton (7-3)
LP: Josh Beckett (7-2)

We start the week off with a bang. My power guys lead the way as Bradley(9) and Swisher(12) both go deep. Bradley went 3-5 with 2 RBI and 3 runs scored. Swisher went 2-5 with 3RBI and 2 runs scored. Rookie Tony Abreu went 1-5 but had a 2 RBI triple on the day. Kottaras continues to impress in his major league tryout going 3-4 with an RBI. Joe Blanton pitched very well over 8 innings and gave up just 2ER on 4 hits.

The Indians lost their starting shortstop. Jhonny Perralta was hit on the hand by a pitch and fractured his finger. It will be in a splint for a few weeks and he will have to rehab it after the immobilization. Figure about a month.

June 4th 2008
Oakland Athletics(38-16) @ Boston Red Sox(28-26)
A's 5 - Red Sox 11
WP: Daniel Bard (4-2)
LP: Rich Harden (6-3)

The Red Sox come back and put up a couple crooked numbers. Rich Harden goes just 5 innings and gives up 4 ER. He struggled a bit against a very tough lineup. Bradley went 2-4 with an RBI. Nick Swisher hit a three run shot. Kottaras continues to perform with another 3-4 day including an RBI. On a side note I would never like to see Daniel Bard ever again. He has had our number since he dominated us in his first two major league starts last year.

June 5th 2008
Oakland Athletics(38-17) @ Boston Red Sox(29-26)
A's 4 - Red Sox 3 (10)
WP: Huston Street (3-0)
LP: Joel Pineiro (0-5)
SV: Chris Reitsma (1)

Mark Prior throws another gem. He goes 6 shutout innings gives up just 2 hits and strikes out 7 on the day. Unfortunately the bullpen couldn't hold it. A costly error at third by Cabrera led to two unearned runs off Chad Gaudin in the 8th and made the game 3-2. Then in the ninth Street allowed a leadoff double. He then struck out the next two batters but a single brought in the tying run and he blew the save. We didn't waste any time and took the lead in the 10th on Nick Swisher lead off homer. Thats how it stayed and Reitsma picked up his first save. Tony Abreu is a production machine at the plate and went 2-5 with a pair of RBI.

June 6th 2008
Oakland Athletics(39-17) @ Philadelphia Phillies(33-23)
A's 1 - Phillies 2
WP: Geoff Geary (2-3)
LP: Brad Halsey (3-4)

A nice pitchers duel here. Jason Windsor goes 6 innings and gives up 1 ER. The bullpen goes 3 innings and doesn't give up a run until Ryan Howard leads off the bottom of the tenth with a walk off homer. Nick Swisher has his power swing working as he goes deep for the 4th game in a row. Not enough though as we lose by a run.

The draft was today and we selected North Carolina Junior pitcher Brett McKie with the 10th overall pick. More details to come later in the week.

June 7th 2008
Oakland Athletics(38-18) @ Philadelphia Phillies(34-23)
A's 1 - Phillies 2
WP: John Stephens (3-0)
LP: Kiko Calero (1-2)
SV: Geoff Geary (9)

Not much here. Definintely was not a pitchers duel. The two starters combined to give up 13ER in just 5 innings. Joe Blanton had his share with 6ER in just 2 innings. Milton Bradley played superhero in the first two innings getting all 5 of his RBI on a pair of doubles. The only other RBI came from Kottaras who went 3-4.

St. Louis inks their ace Chris Carpenter to a deal today. They deal is reportedly worth 34 million over 4 years.

June 8th 2008
Oakland Athletics(39-19) @ Philadelphia Phillies(35-23)
A's 2 - Phillies 3
WP: Cole Hamels (6-2)
LP: Vin Mazzaro (5-1)
SV: Geoff Geary (10)

Vin Mazzaro puts in another solid start. He goes 6.1 innings and gives up just 3ER. He had his season high for strikeouts with 8 on the day. It wasn't enough though as the offense mustered just 2 runs. Those runs both came on solo shots and both by Milton Bradley.

Boston solidifies their lineup and backstop:

Boston sends:

Abe Alvarez P
Kris Johnson P
Scott Halliwell P
Felix Doubront P

Cincinatti sends:

Ronny Paulino C

Varitek has been struggling a lot this year and Paulino is a great player at only 27 years old. Boston gives up some young pitchers in the deal but I think they got a really good deal for Paulino.

June 9th 2008
An off day in New York. The guys had a little down time and took in the sights. We have a few young guys who haven't been to New York before so it was fun for them. Hopefully the rest will get them back on track and ready to beat the Mets.


June 10th 2008
Oakland Athletics(39-20) @ New York Mets(35-25)
A's 4 - Mets 3
WP: Rich Harden (7-3)
LP: Mike Pelfrey (4-4)
SV: Huston Street (17)

Rich Harden pitched well through 6 innings and let up just 3ER. He struck out 6 and the bullpen didn't allow a hit the rest of the way. Richard Hidalgo went 2-3 with 2RBI. Cabrera chipped in with a 2-3 day and scored 2 runs. Tony Abreu had a hit and RBI. Huston Street keeps rolling and picks up save #17.

June 11th 2008
Oakland Athletics(40-20) @ New York Mets(35-26)
A's 4 - Mets 3
WP: Mark Prior (7-1)
LP: Adam Bostick (3-4)
SV: Huston Street (18)

Mark Prior keep on riding his hot start. In this game he goes 6 innings and gives up 2ER. He only allows 2 hits and strikes out 5. Milton Bradley goes deep with a 2 run shot. Jack Wilson was hot in the game going 4-4 with an RBI. Hidalgo goes 2-4 with an RBI as well. Street keeps on dominating and gets his 18th save.

June 12th 2008
Oakland Athletics(41-20) @ New York Mets(35-27)
A's 2 - Mets 7
WP: Pedro Martinez (6-4)
LP: Jason Windsor (5-3)

Jason Windsor struggles again and gives up 6ER in just 4 innings. Milton Bradley has another good day going 2-4 with an RBI. Tony Abreu got the rest of the offense with a terrific 3-4 day and an RBI. Had to figure the Mets would get it going.

4-5 isn't what I am looking for but for a 9 game roadtrip I can live with it. WE come back home now and hopefully we can win more in Oakland. Milton Bradley has really stepped it up at the plate. Over the trip he went deep 5 times with a .475 average and 14 RBI.

[BichetteMan]

2008 Amateur Draft

1. Chicago White Sox - Tracy Lovering(SP) Mid to high 90's fastball to go along with curve and circle change. Great movement on pitches but poor control. Velocity will make up for lack of control in the short term. Doesn't have much endurance and will need to be stretched out a bit. Also a lefty which is always a plus.

2. Cincinatti Reds - Kevin Williams(RP) Projects as a reliever as a pro. Some say he was best pitcher in draft. Plus cutter and plus fastball, mid 90's, and slider that needs work. Gets the ball over the plate and has great movement and power on his pitchers.

3. Pittsburgh Pirates - Joe Mercer(SP) Another great pitching prospect. Has a high 90's fastball to go with a good splitter and curve that needs work. Has to work on his control but can pitch all day if needed. Strikeout to innings were nearly 2:1 during his high school career.

4. Washington Nationals - Roger Calagiovani(SP) Another flamethrower with a high 90's fastball. Relies on fastball but has a curve and change to mix in but both need lots of work. Decent endurance but will give good innings per outing. Control is good as he had a 7:1 strikeout to walk ratio.

5. Baltimore Orioles - Peter Wickham(SP) This has been a draft full of hard throwers and Wickham is no different. Has a high 90's fastball to go with 3 sub par pitchers(slow curve, splittter and 2-seamer). Control is decent and will need to be worked on. Can pitch a lot if needed.

6. Kansas City Royals - Keith Moore(SP) Another hard thrower. High 90's on the fastball but like most other prospects no other pitches to boast. He does mix in some interesting pitches with a sidearm curve, foshball and palmball. Good endurance and decent control.

7. Seattle Mariners - Paul Chesry(LF) First positional player selected in draft. Great contact to go with above average power. Has good speed and above average fielding ability. Probably only true five tool player in draft. Interesting note, was high school teammate of #1 overall pick Tracy Lovering.

8. Detroit Tigers - Sean Dasher(SP) Teams are certainly taking the hard throwers early and often. Dasher has the mid 90's fastball and three other pitches that need work. Decent endurance and control as well. None of these pitchers really have much difference between each other.

9. Colorado Rockies - Donovan Crank(2B) Best second base prospect by far. Has great speed and fielding. Contact is above average and power is not too big of a part of his game. High School coach said that he has never been hurt since he has known the kid. Look for him to make his move to the majors quickly because of the 2B situation on the Rockies.

10. Oakland Athletics - Brett McKie(RP) I decided to take the first dive of any team into the college ranks. A very good relief pitcher. Lefty who has great control and movement on his pitches. Throws a low to mid 90's fast and an average slider. Attended North Carolina where his ERA over 3 years was a low 1.82. Very hopeful that he will make a quick progression to the majors.

Oakland Picks

1(10). Brett McKie(RP) - See Above

2(40). Salvatore Torena(CF) - Another college kid, from central florida. Has great speed and almost perfect fielding ability. Only made 1 error in three years at central florida. Excellent contact and eye as proved by his .380/.502 line in junior year. Hits the ball with some pop which is shown by his 14 homers last year.

3(70). Jaime Bolea(RF) - High School prospect. Has decent contact and power to go with great fielding and speed. Projects to be a backup or starter at very best. Has the time to develop as he is only 18 years old.

4(100). Allen Williams(LF) - Two reason I selected Williams. First his power because he has the strength to go deep. The second was his eye at the plate. Only batted .294 in senior season but had a .486 OBP. This included 44 walks and only 15 K's in 44 games. I'd like to see him develop over time and be able to take over one of my corner outfield spots.

5(130). Rob Palacios(2B) - Average at all apects of the game. Has above average contact skills and fielding ability. I took him mosty for his versatility int he infield and at best he can be a utility infielder.

6(160). Dustin Tom(RP) - I was suprised to see him still up there in the 6th round. I had him pegged for 5th round. Has a high 90's fastball(the reason I selected him) but struggles to get the ball over the plate. That may have scared some away but I think out development guys can help him. Don't be surprised to see Tom make it to the majors as a sixth round pick.

I feel like I came out of the draft with some very good players. If they develop they could all potentially play roles with our team or as important chips in trade. I'm very happy with what I got.

[Walter]

BichetteMan, I think you did a good job with your draft. Good luck with it

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Uh oh, looks like you're starting to slide a little bit.

Nice draft, btw.

[BichetteMan]

Potato - Yeah it was inevitable. Pitching has leveled off a bit. Mayeb they can heat up again when it counts.

Thanks Walter I hope they all can develop. This year was more for the immediate future but last year was to develop 3-5 years down the road.

June 13th - June 19th 2008

After a tough time on the road we return home. We start with 3 against the Marlins and then 3 agsint the Nationals. This week should yield more a lot of wins if the team performs.

Kiko Calero has been struggling lately. I decided that Manny Delcarmen deserves a chance to show what he has on the big club. I sent Calero down to AAA and brought up Manny to take over Kiko's short relief role.

June 13th 2008
Florida Marlins(31-32) @ Oakland Athletics(41-21)
Marlins 6 - A's 7
WP: Manny Delcarmen (1-0)
LP: Micah Bowie (1-4)
SV: Huston Street (19)

Joe Blanton pitched poorly over his 5 innings. He gave up 5 runs, 4ER, and just didn't look like he was going to find it today. Luckily the bullpen was very good. Delcarmen goes 2 perfect innings to pick up the win because the offense came through late. Nick Swisher blasted a 3 run shot. Cabrera added a 3 run double as well. Goleski set the table well with 3-4 day including a walk and three runs scored. Street picks up save #19.

June 14th 2008
Florida Marlins(31-33) @ Oakland Athletics(42-21)
Marlins 1 - A's 4
WP: Vin Mazzaro (6-1)
LP: Anibal Sanchez (5-7)

A gem by Vin Mazzaro. He went the distance and gave up just 1ER. That included just 4 hits and only 1 walk to go with his 3 strikeouts. Mazzaro has been a very nice surprise this year. He is a groundball pitcher and I designed the infield to help him succeed and it is doing him a lot of good. Three home runs got the offense going. Cabrera and Kottaras both had solo shots. Bradley went 3-4 with a 2 run shot on the day. I spoke to Bob today and he decided to rearrange the roation. He will pitch Harden today because he is rested and will skip Windsor to make him the #5 guy. He has been struggling and we both want to see Mazzaro pitch more often.

The Red Sox offense took a hit today as David Ortiz injured his shoulder while sliding home. Ortiz will be out for a few weeks while the shoulder heals.

June 15th 2008
Florida Marlins(31-34) @ Oakland Athletics(43-21)
Marlins 2 - A's 4
WP: Rich Harden (7-3)
LP: Ricky Nolasco (6-3)
SV: Huston Street (20)

Rich Harden does his part and does it well. He goes 8 innings and gives up 2ER while striking out 7. A nice rebound from a few tough starts in a rwo from Harden. Dan Johnson got all the offense on a bases loaded double that brought all three men in. Miguel Cabrera added an RBI single to help out Harden. Street gives up a hit in the 9th but shuts the rest of the batters down for save #20.

After acquiring Ken Griffey Jr. last year in a trade the Marlins decided to release him today. He was batting .305 with 4 homers in 43 games this year. I think he was released because of his defensive liability. I saw Griffey as he was leaving the stadium and took the time to talk a bit with him. He said he still wants to play and that he knows he can still hit the ball. I personally have no doubt about that and told him to give me a call if he was looking for an opportunity. We shook hands and he went off on his way.

June 16th 2008

A nice off day at home to relax. I have been reviewing the minors and deciding on the reassingment of some of our prospects. We have some real good talent brewing in the minors and the future of the A's is looking real bright. The Nats come into to town today to start our series tomorrow.

Also today, Gary Sheffield keeps on hitting milestones and he passed 1500 runs scored today. Congrats Gary!

June 17th 2008
Washington Nationals(29-36) @ Oakland Athletics(44-21)
Nationals 3 - A's 7
WP: Mark Prior (8-1)
LP: John Patterson (4-5)

Mark Prior keeps rolling along. He goes 6.1 innings and gives up 3ER. He also strikes out 6 on the day. Prior is soooooo good! The offense did a great job too. Miguel Cabrera(6) and Nick Swisher(17) went deep in the game. Cabrera has been heating up and had a 2-3 day with 2 RBI in addition to his homer. Kottaras, Goleski, Johnson and Bradley all drove in a run as well.

June 18th 2008
Washington Nationals(29-37) @ Oakland Athletics(45-21)
Nationals 3 - A's 1
WP: Joel Hanrahan (5-8)
LP: Joe Blanton (7-4)
SV: Chad Cordero (13)

Joe Blanton pitched very well in this game. He went 8 innings and gave up just 3ER. He deserved to win but the offense just didn't show up. Jack Wilson was the only productive player with a 1-3 day to drive in the only A's run.

June 19th 2008
Washington Nationals(30-37) @ Oakland Athletics(45-22)
Nationals 4 - A's 5
WP: Brad Halsey (5-4)
LP: Jon Rauch (4-3)

Vin Mazzaro pitched well through his 7 innings. He gave up 4ER and struck out 7. The offense just caught up in the ninth to save Mazzaro from the loss. Johnson started the bottom of the ninth with a double and was singled in by Jack Wilson to tie the game. The in the bottom of the tenth Ryan Goleski walked and was sacrificed over to second by Bradley. Swisher then came up and singled him in for the game winning run. A very solid win.

Something interesting happened today when my phone rang. I picked up and it was Ken Griffey Jr.and as you could guess I was quite surprised to hear him call me. He told me that he liked how the team was comprised and thought he could help us. I had no doubt that Griffey could help us as a DH against righties. I told him I would be in contact with his agent. We took a bit to negotiate then signed him to a 1 yr deal for 4 million. I think he is going to help us with our power problem.

5-1 is exactly what the doctor ordered for the team. The pitching picked up the pace again led us to a very nice week. The offense needs to get bashing again as the power seems to have run out. Maybe we need to pay the electric bill!!!

[PotatoOfCouch13]

"It's never iffy if it's Griffey"

That's it! Sew up the pennant right now! I'm calling it on June 20: THE OAKLAND A's WILL WIN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE PENNANT!!!

Ken Griffey Jr. will help your offense immensly, and with Harden and Prior looking dominant and Mazzaro stepping up hugely, I don't see how anyone can touch you until the playoffs.

[BichetteMan]

Wow potato that is bold. I hope you are right!

June 20th - June 26th 2008

This week we are home for six more to end the homestand. WE have the Rangers coming in, who currently hold 2nd place in the division. Then the Giants come across the bay for a three game set. Another winning week would be great before we head out on the road. I also can't wait to see Griffey in this lineup. Bob decided to put him 5th when we face righties.

June 20th 2008
Texas Rangers(38-30) @ Oakland Athletics(46-22)
Rangers 6 - A's 2
WP: Robinson Tejeda (6-1)
LP: Jason Windsor (5-4)
SV: Eric Gagne (16)

Jason Windsor keeps on struggling. He goes just 4 innings and gives up all 6ER that the Rangers scored in the game. I might have to think about making a move here because Windsor just doesn't seem happy here in Oakland. Milton Bradley has the best day going 2-5 with both RBI in the game.

Griffey watch: 1-3, BB, 2K

June 21st 2008
Texas Rangers(39-30) @ Oakland Athletics(46-23)
Rangers 3 - A's 6
WP: Rich Harden (8-3)
LP: Omar Poveda (3-6)
SV: Huston Street (21)

Rich Harden does what he is supposed to do. He goes 7 innings and gives up 3ER. He also strikes out 8 batters in the game. Another fine job for Rich. Milton Bradley goes 3-3 with two runs scored. George Kottaras adds a 3-4 day including a homer and 2 RBI while scroing two runs. Jack Wilson adds a 3-4 performance while scoring the other 2 runs. Huston Street gets the save with a perfect ninth.

Griffey watch: 1-4, RBI

June 22nd 2008
Texas Rangers(39-32) @ Oakland Athletics(48-23)
Rangers 3 - A's 5
WP: Mark Prior (9-1)
LP: Brandon McCarthy (9-5)
SV: Huston Street (22)

Not the usual dominant stuff from Prior but he still gets the win. He went 5.1 innings and struck out 5 but had to exit the game because he had worked so hard in his time, 123 pitches. The bullpen backs him up well going the other 3.1 innings and giving up just one hit. Erubial Durazo got the offense going early with a 2 run shot in the third. The day belonged to another man in the lineup though. Ken Griffey makes his presence known blasting two solo shots in the game. Huston Street picks up save # 22 in another perfect ninth.

Griffey watch: 2-4, 2HR(589, 590), 2RBI

Moises Alou who went unsigned in the offseason has officially filed his retirement papers with the league office. A six time all star who amassed over 2000 hits and 338 career home runs. Moises will be missed!

June 23rd 2008

Another mid week off day for the guys to rest. Not too much to do today except some BP and fielding. I have been on the phone quite a bit lately. It seems as though I have a hot commodity down in the minors. Looks like I have some leverage with other teams when the deadline comes. Nice to know!

June 24th 2008
San Francisco Giants(29-43) @ Oakland Athletics(48-23)
Giants 7 - A's 6
WP: Matt Cain (4-8)
LP: Joe Blanton (7-5)
SV: Kevin Correia (1)

Joe Blanton doesn't pitch well here. He goes 6 innings but gives up 5ER. We came back in the game with some help from Miguel Cabrera. He went 2-4 on the day with a homer and 2RBI. Dan Johnson pitched in with a pinch hit RBI single. Swisher also had an RBI in the game. Duchsherer made a close 1 run game into a tougher 3 run game giving up 2 runs in the top of the ninth. Unfortunately we scored two runs in the bottom but fell just short.

Griffey watch: 1-5, R

June 25th 2008
San Francisco Giants(30-43) @ Oakland Athletics(48-24)
Giants 0 - A's 6
WP: Vin Mazzaro (7-1)
LP: Matt Morris (4-7)

Mazzaro dominates again. He goes 8 shutout innings and gives up just 2 hits. He strikes out 6 and walks just one batter. He has been amazing thus far this year. Miguel Cabrera has the big hit again. He goes just 1-3 but had a bases loaded clearing double to drive in 3 runs. Swisher was walked in just before that to drive one in. Swisher had 4 walks on the day. Were the Giants afraid of him or what?

Griffey watch: 0-4, BB

June 25th 2008
San Francisco Giants(30-44) @ Oakland Athletics(49-24)
Giants 3 - A's 6
WP: Jason Windsor (6-4)
LP: Noah Lowry (2-6)
SV: Huston Street (23)

Windsor bounces back and tosses a nice start. He goes 6.1 innings and gives up 3 runs but just 1ER. Jack Wilson(2) and George Kottaras(4) provide some power form the bottom of the lineup, both hitting solo shots. Cabrera keeps driving them in with another 2RBI on the day. Durazo comes into the lineup with a lefty on the mound and goes 1-4 with 2RBI. A nice way to end the homestand.

Griffey watch: DNP

4-2 is good enough for me. 9-3 total at home these two weeks is very good and will go a long way for the team and our goals. Griffey looks like a good pickup. We really just need his power.

[JeepGuy63]

It'll be nice to see Griffey hit #600 as an A.

GO A's!

[BichetteMan]

Me too Jeep! Maybe he can hit a few more than that too.

June 27th - June 30th 2008

We have a 4 game set at the Rangers and then I will do the monthly update for the team. This series is big because we can extend or at least maintain our lead in the west.

June 27th 2008
Oakland Athletics(50-24) @ Texas Rangers(41-33)
A's 6 - Rangers 3
WP: Rich Harden (9-3)
LP: Kevin Millwood (5-7)
SV: Huston Street (24)

Another superb performance from Rich Harden. He goes 7 innings, gives up 1ER and just 4 hits on the day. Rich also struck out 10 in the game. I really think Rich has settled into his ace role very nicely. Bobby Kielty had a monster day at the plate. He went 3-4 with a homer and 4 RBI. Cabrera and Wilson drove in the other runs on the day. Huston Street+perfect 9th=24th save.

Griffey watch: 0-3, BB, R

A trade today:

Kansas City sends:

Shane Costa LF

Minnesota sends:

Dave Shumaker LF
Bart Battams P
Eduardo Morlan P

Costa is a very productive player already. Minnesota definitely gets a lot stronger. KC gets 2 very good prospects and a borderline prospect. Morlan is already ready to make an impact for KC and Shumaker was Minnesotas first round pick in 2007. Minnesota wins now but KC has some future valubale assets. Imagine if just a few of the prospects KC receives in all these trades were to become something. They would be a great team -- wait they would probably just trade them. I think I am going to put his phone number on speed dial!

June 28th 2008
Oakland Athletics(51-24) @ Texas Rangers(41-34)
A's 1 - Rangers 0
WP: Mark Prior (10-1)
LP: Vicente Padilla (3-4)
SV: Huston Street (25)

Mark Prior is insane this year. He goes 8 innings and gives up 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 8 Rangers. I knew I needed to improve the pitching on this team and I tried to. This is beyond anything I could have imagined though. The lone run in the game came from a Kottaras single which scored Jack Wilson from second base. Street picks up save 25 as well.

Griffey watch: 0-4, K

June 29th 2008
Oakland Athletics(52-24) @ Texas Rangers(41-35)
A's 1 - Rangers 0 (12)
WP: Huston Street (4-0)
LP: Wes Littleton (0-1)

This team just finds ways to win all the time. A good game tossed by Blanton as he went 6 innings and gave up 3ER. Another start where he could have won but the offense didn't come until late. Miguel Cabrera went 2-6 on the day and had a key RBI single to tie the game in the 8th at 3-3. Then in the 12th inning Dan Johnson came into the game as a pinch hitter with men on second and third. He promtly put the ball in the gap for a 2 RBI double. Huston Street wrapped the game up with his second inning of work for his 4th win of the year.

Griffey watch: 1-5, R

June 30th 2008
Oakland Athletics(53-24) @ Texas Rangers(41-36)
A's 4 - Rangers 5
WP: Frank Francisco (1-0)
LP: Justin Duchscherer (0-2)

I very rarely say this but the bullpen let this game go. Mazzaro left after 6.1 innings and gave up just 1ER in his time. Delcarmen came in and looked good but got into some trouble. An error by Bradley didn't help and Delcarmen gave up 3R, just 1ER. The loss goes to Duchsherer in the 10th when Street allowed his inherited runner to score. On offense Cabrera went hit a two run shot. Jack Wilson had a power surge today belting two homers. Overall he went 3-4 on the day. A tough loss but a nice series overall.

Griffey watch: 0-4

Today was a tough day to be a veteran on the Reds. They released Damian Jackson, Julian Tavarez, Javier Lopez and Steve Trachsel. Hope these vets can find a job somewhere.

A very nice series against the Rangers in Arlington. We took 3 of 4. I noticed something interesting. The Rangers are selling out all of their games. I guess that is what winning a World Series can do for a franchise. I'd like to do that soon.

[BichetteMan]

JUNE 2008 REVIEW

A very solid month of June where we went 16-10. We extended the lead in the divison to 10 games. It seems as though we are running away with things here. Harden or Prior could have decent second halves of the season and still make a case for the Cy Young. Bradley has really stepped up his game this year and is currently 4th in the league in batting. I'm very happy with how the team is performing now. Also, even though Griffey has been cold lately I think he will still help us a lot in the second half.

American League Standings


National League Standings


League Leaders Batting


League Leaders Pitching


Oakland Batting Stats

2008 Batting             Team    G   AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR   BB    K   SB  CS    R  RBI   SLG   OBP
Goleski, Ryan             OAK   77  .274   307   84  13   5   3   46   73    8   4   61   27  .378  .371
Cabrera, Miguel           OAK   77  .277   300   83  19   0   8   39   78    3   0   43   47  .420  .367
Bradley, Milton           OAK   73  .344   294  101  23   3  13   36   47    6   1   52   54  .575  .413
Swisher, Nick             OAK   77  .273   289   79  13   1  17   54   76    1   0   51   56  .502  .398
Wilson, Jack              OAK   67  .274   230   63  15   0   4   17   33    2   2   36   23  .391  .320
Kielty, Bobby             OAK   63  .241   220   53  12   1   3    9   46    1   0   20   24  .345  .274
Kendall, Jason            OAK   50  .279   165   46   8   0   0   11   17    0   3   18   15  .327  .324
Johnson, Dan              OAK   47  .268   157   42  11   1   8   21   18    0   0   22   31  .503  .350
Kottaras, George          OAK   44  .279   154   43  13   1   4   15   32    0   0   23   24  .455  .341
Griffey, Ken              OAK   52  .273   154   42   8   0   6   12   32    1   0   20   26  .442  .324
Scutaro, Marco            OAK   43  .221   131   29   6   6   0   24   27    0   0   19   10  .359  .346
Hidalgo, Richard          OAK   37  .250   116   29   8   2   3    9   40    1   1   17   17  .431  .320
Abreu, Tony               OAK   26  .267   101   27   6   3   0    8   14    0   2    7    7  .386  .327
Durazo, Erubiel           OAK   42  .287   101   29   6   0   9   18   17    1   0   21   29  .614  .395
German, Esteban           OAK   30  .362    94   34  10   0   3    6   13    3   1   13   15  .564  .400
Perez, Antonio            OAK    5  .273    11    3   1   0   0    1    2    0   0    2    0  .364  .333
Castillo, Jose            OAK    2  .429     7    3   1   0   0    1    1    0   1    0    0  .571  .500
Brown, Jeremy             OAK    6  .167     6    1   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    1    1  .167  .167
Harden, Rich              OAK    2  .400     5    2   0   0   0    0    1    0   0    0    0  .400  .400
Windsor, Jason            OAK    3  .200     5    1   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    2  .200  .200
Mazzaro, Vin              OAK    1  .333     3    1   0   0   0    0    2    0   0    0    0  .333  .333
Prior, Mark               OAK    2  .000     2    0   0   0   0    2    1    0   0    0    0  .000  .500
Blanton, Joe              OAK    2  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000
Halsey, Brad              OAK   21  .000     1    0   0   0   0    0    0    0   0    0    0  .000  .000 

Oakland Pitching Stats

2008 Pitching            Team     IP   ERA    G  GS   W   L  SV    K   BB   R/9
Street, Huston            OAK   32.1  1.11   33   0   4   0  25   23    3  6.68
Delcarmen, Manny          OAK    5.2  1.59    4   0   1   0   0    6    0  3.18
Prior, Mark               OAK  107.1  2.26   16  16  10   1   0  110   34  8.64
Duchscherer, Justin       OAK   43.0  2.30   35   0   0   2   1   36    6  7.74
Mazzaro, Vin              OAK   78.1  2.41   11  11   7   1   0   62   36 10.34
Reitsma, Chris            OAK   24.1  2.59   18   0   0   0   1   11    1 10.36
Harden, Rich              OAK  107.1  2.93   17  17   9   3   0  109   43  9.81
Gaudin, Chad              OAK   42.2  3.80   37   0   3   3   1   28   10 10.13
Calero, Kiko              OAK   29.0  4.34   28   0   1   2   1   38    9 12.41
Halsey, Brad              OAK   39.1  4.58   23   2   5   4   1   26    9 12.36
Blanton, Joe              OAK  105.2  4.85   17  16   7   5   0   49   30 13.12
Windsor, Jason            OAK   82.2  5.99   15  15   6   4   0   62   32 13.83
Johnson, Steven           OAK    5.1 10.13    1   1   0   0   0    4    3 16.88 

[JeepGuy63]

Me too Jeep! Maybe he can hit a few more than that too.

Keep him healthy and there is no reason why he couldn't.

[dannymac910]

I'm really loving this dynasty. And now you get Griffey! This is getting exciting! Keep up the good work.

Oh and GO CELTICS!

[BichetteMan]

Yeah Potato. That is the truth. It's been his only flaw during his career. Griffey for 700 woo!

DannyMac - Good to have you on board. I'm trying to get this team to the WS. Celtics are taking home #17 tonight. Can't wait for the parade! I was only 1 when they won the last one and I'd love to see them do it again.

July 1st - July 3rd 2008

A quick update. A road series against the Tigers. They are not too good of a team and I would like to take 2 of these games.

July 1st 2008
Oakland Athletics(53-25) @ Detroit Tigers(36-41)
A's 7 - Tigers 4
WP: Jason Windsor (7-4)
LP: Jeremy Bonderman (5-4)
SV: Huston Street (26)

Two good starts in a row for Jason Windsor. Hopefully he can be consistent like this for a while. In this one he went 7.2 innings and gave up just 2 ER while fanning 8 Tigers. At the plate Cabrera went 3-5 with a homer and 3RBI. Unfortunately he tweaked his hamstring and he is going to have to sit for a few days while it heals. Bradley also drove a two-run shot out of the park.

Griffey watch: 1-5, RBI

July 2nd 2008
Oakland Athletics(54-25) @ Detroit Tigers(36-41)
A's 7 - Tigers 12
WP: Justin Verlander (7-8)
LP: Rich Harden (9-4)

Rich Harden started this game but he certainly didn't deserve the loss. He went 6 innings and gave up 3ER. Brad Halsey got all the damage giving up 8 runs in the game. Ryan Goleski set the table well from the top getting on base in all 5 plate appearance. He went 4-4 with a walk and 3 runs scored. Nick Swisher also had a very good day going 3-5 with a homer(18) and 4 RBI. Geroge Kottaras added a 3-4 day with a homer as well.

Griffey watch: 1-5, 2B

July 3rd 2008
Oakland Athletics(54-26) @ Detroit Tigers(37-41)
A's 2 - Tigers 0
WP: Mark Prior (11-1)
LP: Nate Robertson (4-8)
SV: Huston Street (27)

Prior just keeps on going strong. He goes 8 shutout innings, gives up 4 hits and a walk and strikes out 11 on the day. Just absolutely dominating stuff here. This team wouldn't be where it is without Prior. Nick Swisher provided all the offense with a 1-3 day including the two-run homer that won the game. Huston Street gets his 27th save of the season as well.

Griffey watch: DNP

[dannymac910]

Prior always seems to do good. I had him on my Padres team and he had a near Cy Young season, leading in wins and strikeouts.

[dannymac910]

Update please.