Oakland A's 2015 Season Thread

[ratenstein]

Ratenstein.....I like your enthusiasm about talking about the A's with fellow fans. I've come here many times and posted and just never hand anyone post things. But I checked today and at least you have. The A's are looking great right now! 5 straight wins against our division! We have the 2nd best starting rotation in baseball, and now our bullpen is finally starting to clean up their mess. Our offensive production is better than previous years so if everyone can finally get back on the right page, which I believe they are starting to do, then we could take this division by game 162. At least a wild card. But I don't see the Astros holding onto 1st place all year.

Agree on the Astros. I assume it'll be the Angels because I hate them more.

But yeah, it was good to get this sweep. Up next is the Royals, so if the A's do well here, hopefully Beane will hold off on dealing guys like Kazmir or Zobrist until he thinks he absolutely has to, or maybe makes a move that can still help the team on the field as opposed to just a prospect.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Agree on the Astros. I assume it'll be the Angels because I hate them more.

But yeah, it was good to get this sweep. Up next is the Royals, so if the A's do well here, hopefully Beane will hold off on dealing guys like Kazmir or Zobrist until he thinks he absolutely has to, or maybe makes a move that can still help the team on the field as opposed to just a prospect.

What have I been saying? Hahaha.

The more time passes the more it looks like this team could really make some noise during rest of the season. They are looking more and more like the 2012 team every passing day, and I don't see an equivalent to the 2012 Texas team on top for us to chase.

The Astros look really vulnerable. They are relying on a lot of youth in the lineup, and the league will figure those guys out. Their rotation has already started to falter, and Dallas Kuechel's peripheral stats (BABIP is the biggest indicator here) say he is in line for a major regression. His K/9 and BB/9 numbers are each a little worse than last year, as is his GO/AO ratio. So why the sterling ERA? Because his BABIP this year is .234, way down from his career average (was over .300 entering this year).

Anaheim has Trout and an aging Pujols. Weaver has been regressing for 4 years now (started with his K/9 plummeting in 2012 and has continued with his H/9 and WHIP numbers getting worse every successive year). They don't have a reliable, established ace in that rotation and that offense and bullpen can't carry a middling rotation. TBH, Trout is the only one in that lineup who really looks dangerous. Keep Pujols from hitting the long ball and he won't hurt you (not a great average or OBP).

Texas is the team I actually find most intriguing. Major injuries to their rotation all year and yet they have still hung around. They were only 3 games behind the Astros entering our series with them. When Hamilton returns from the DL (and I'm assuming Gallo gets sent back to AA or AAA) their lineup will be getting a huge boost. Moreland and Fielder are hitting well (though both are riding .350+ BABIPs) and Beltre will likely turn it around as the Texas air continues to heat up. Their rotation is pretty weak, but I think Derek Holland is expected back before too long and should give them a boost.

All-in-all, I think the AL West is still wide open and could be ours for the taking.

 

[ratenstein]

Yeah, I hear what you're saying and none of the division is on fire right now anyway. Angels are the hottest right now I guess with the couple wins over the M's.

It's too bad the A's flamed-out against KC in this series. It was nice to look at the standings and see another team in last place for a change. I don't feel bad about this series. It didn't feel like they were totally outmatched; they did have their chances against the best team in the AL.

Up next is more interleague shit.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Great start to the Rockies series. This team just loves to keep me guessing. If they had pulled two of three or a sweep against the Royals I would have said it is getting really close to a safe bet to expect a 2012 repeat... but then they got swept. And then, instead of tucking their tails and rolling over against the Rockies, they come right back and win in convincing fashion. Jury is still out on this team.

Great start by Graveman again and the offense looked really good. Bummer that Burns lost his 16 game hitting streak though.

 

[ratenstein]

Good win for Hahn also as he gets back to .500. I guess it didn't matter that Gray missed his start as the A's bats didn't produce. But A's win 2-3 from a team they should beat.

Semien with errors in the 2 wins, no error in the loss. If that holds true, all he has to do is keep F'ing up and the A's will be back in first in no time.

Up next it's the M's and another chance to climb out of the cellar.

 

[ratenstein]

Ok, so that didn't happen.
A's split the series with the M's and stay in last.

The game 4 loss, where you had the A's out-hit the M's, hit a homer, no errors, and have the bullpen give up not even a hit in 3+ innings was a bit of a surprise. Former A's Seth Smith hands Bassitt the loss.

On the plus side, Graveman and Kazmir were both pretty f'ing lights out in their starts. Hopefully Gray is back soon.

Up next, the A's hit the road for a series with NYY

 

[ratenstein]

After getting back to .500 on the road with a win to open the series, the A's drop the next 2 to the Yanks. Hopefully Kazmir will be ok. Up next is CLE in the final series before the All-Star game.

 

[ratenstein]

The A's go into the break taking 2-3 from CLE, with All-Stars Gray and Vogt winning the 3rd game of the series. Gray's 10th win a 2-hit shutout.

One way or another 1st place will be a half game lead for either LAA or slumping HOU.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Houston's slump cam, as expected. I didn't quite expect it to come so quickly or hit them so hard though. I thought the A's recent slump would have us completely out of it, but with the Angels as the apparent team to beat having so many holes... 8.5 games is definitely not impossible to overcome.

 

[ratenstein]

It's good that no one else is running away with it.
I think the Angels will be the most likely to feel they have to win it after what's gone down been manager and GM. But hey, hopefully they flame-out and Scioscia gets shit-canned.

 

[ratenstein]

1st series of the 2nd half in the books with a series win over MIN. Tough luck for Gray and not much hitting by the A's in the opener. But after that, I'm not sure which was more impressive, the rally to an extra innings win after the blown save by Clippard, or the 14-1 win today where they hung the L on castoff T.Milone? And good series for waiver pickup J.Smolinski by the way.

So A's end the day tied with SEA once more. Up next Graveman goes up against his old club as TOR comes to town..

 

[Isaiah4110]

I'd like to take credit for that rally in game 2. My brothers and I were at the game and began taking steps (rally hats, etc.) to encourage a rally late in the 9th inning and again in the bottom of the 10th. Lol.

 

[ratenstein]

Kazmir dealt to Houston,
For 2 minor leaguers.

 

[Isaiah4110]

Looks like they could be pretty high ceiling guys. The pitcher may run through the minors pretty quickly.

 

[ratenstein]

I'm unfamiliar with Mengden and Nottingham until now.

Well we still have a week to go before the trade deadline. They were right about Kazmir, and they've been saying Zobrist. I wonder how many moves Beane makes.


For the Beane scorecard in this series, we saw Graveman give up 3HR's and lose, Lawrie went 2-11 with a BB, and Donaldson went 5-13 with a BB, 3 RBI, a HR and 2 Errors.
I read a good article about Franklin Barreto recently though.

 

[ratenstein]

A's winless since the Kazmir trade get swept by the hated team across the bay. 2 more 1 run loss games... the fucking pitcher hits a HR...Really, that's how you're going to lose? And then to Hudson... Would've been cool if they'd called up Zito instead of Bassitt to have the duel with Hudson instead of watching Graveman lay another egg this time around. I am really impressed with Bassitt though so far.

 

[ratenstein]

The unloading continues. Zobrist dealt to KC for 2 prospects.

 

[Isaiah4110]

And Gray and Reddick go out and make a statement to the rest of the team that they should still keep playing. It's not time to roll over and give up on the season. Playoff chances may be gone, but I believe this team can still get to .500.

 

[ratenstein]

Well, most of the team decided they should keep playing... unfortunately, the same cast of bullpen rejects that have doomed us all year, didn't get the memo and stunk it up again. Thankfully Gray pitched a CG so those clowns couldn't blow it for him too. But yeah, a good couple of games by Reddick.

 

[ratenstein]

After dropping the first 2, the A's come back to earn a split with CLE. They didn't hit much in the series, and the only starter to get a win was the newcomer Brooks, but the starting pitching was great giving up only 5 ER in 28 innings. Likewise, the bullpen was also good in 9 innings giving up only 1 ER on Mujica's loss.
I wondered how the bullpen would recover from the loss of Ryan Cook to Boston.
Seriously, what happened to that guy?