SB Nation - Craig Breslow

All Ex-Twins Team, 2009

Jesse — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:09:33 -0000

More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

2008 Roster
2006 Roster

For the second year in a row I tried to put together a full 25-man roster, and while I made the cut this team has some pretty big holes. Generally it's old, which is surprising, and there's going to be some pretty bad defense in places, but if any of the three outfielders get hurt there's nobody to be a fourth outfielder. Luckily, none of the guys on this team have to play a single game.

Without further ado, your batting order:

Name	Pos	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	'09 Team	With Twins
Jason Bartlett	SS	.320	.389	.490	14	66	Rays	'04 - '07
Luis Castillo	2B	.302	.387	.346	1	40	Mets	'06 - '07
Garrett Jones	RF	.293	.372	.567	21	44	Pirates	2007
Torii Hunter	CF	.299	.366	.508	22	90	Angels	'97 - '07
Casey Blake	3B	.280	.363	.468	18	79	Dodgers	'00 - '02
Randy Ruiz	1B	.313	.385	.635	10	17	Blue Jays	2008
David Ortiz	DH	.238	.332	.462	28	99	Red Sox	'97 - '02
A.J. Pierzynski	C	.300	.331	.425	13	49	White Sox	'98 - '03
Craig Monroe	LF	.215	.287	.354	3	16	Pirates	2008

All in all that's not a bad offensive lineup. According to Baseball Musing's Lineup Analysis tool, this offense would blow last year's out of the water: 5.741 runs per game, or about 930 runs over the course of a full season. Even with Jones and Monroe being stone defenders in the outfield corners, those runs are going to make up the difference.

The tool also insists that all of the best lineups would have Monroe hitting 8th and Castillo 9th, while a vast majority of the best lineups still have Bartlett leading off, but they also have Ruiz batting cleanup with his massive OBP and SLG in limited time.

Your bench? Outfielder-less. Henry Blanco of the Pirates is your catcher, followed by a trio of infielders: Cristian Guzman (Nationals), Adam Everett (Tigers) and Juan Castro (Dodgers).

Next up? Your starting rotation:

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
Johan Santana	13-9	3.13	166.2	146	46	Mets	'00 - '07
Matt Garza	8-12	3.95	203.0	189	79	Rays	'06 - '07
Kyle Lohse	6-10	4.74	117.2	77	36	Cardinals	'01 - '06
Livan Hernandez	9-12	5.44	183.2	102	67	Mets/Nationals	2008
Sidney Ponson	1-7	7.36	58.2	32	25	Royals	2007

I want you to know that I seriously considered going with a three-man rotation, a three-man bench, and then having a nine-man bullpen, but the reality is that even the bullpen pickings get a little thin once you get six or seven deep. As far as other starters I could have considered, there aren't many guys out there right now. Carlos Silva? Absolutely not.

Last season saw Santana, Lohse and Garza as the top three in the rotation as well. Moving onto the bullpen, last year I had Balfour closing, but this season I'd probably tab Hawkins.

Name	W-L	ERA	IP	K	BB	'09 Team	With Twins
LaTroy Hawkins	1-4	2.13	63.1	45	16	Astros	'95 - '03
Craig Breslow	7-5	2.60	55.1	44	18	Athletics	'08 - '09
J.C. Romero	0-0	2.70	16.2	12	13	Phillies	'99 - '05
Joe Beimel	1-6	3.58	55.1	35	19	Nationals/Rockies	2004
Grant Balfour	5-4	4.81	67.1	69	33	Rays	'01 - '04
Eddie Guardado	1-2	4.46	38.1	20	15	Rangers	'93 - '03, '08

Even in limited time, Romero is still managing to escape at least the appearance of damage in spite of some unnerving peripherals. Like the bench and the back of the rotation, this one of this team's weaker spots.

If injuries weren't a factor, how would this team fare over a season? Would an offense like this be able to keep this team afloat with the help of a strong 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation? Or would those unproven bats pair up with some older arms to bring the team's fortunes crashing to earth?

Guys who have made the team each of the three years: Pierzynski, Blake, Ortiz, Beimel, Romero and Hawkins.

Poll

How would this team fare?

They could compete for a division title

169 votes

Probably a .500 team

322 votes

Bottom dwellers, for sure

181 votes

672 votes | Poll has closed

Wednesday a.m. Rangers things

Adam J. Morris — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:06:17 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

3 months ago: Texas Rangers right fielder Nelson Cruz reacts to striking out against Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Brad Ziegler in the seventh inning of a baseball game in Arlington, Texas, Tuesday Sept. 15, 2009. The Ahtletics won 6-1. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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If this team isn't done, it is at least on life support.

There were two plays that jumped out at me last night, that seemed to epitomize the problems with the 2009 Rangers. The first was in the 4th inning, after the bloop off of Doug Mathis that David Murphy dove for and just missed. The next batter singled into center field, and with the runner from first going on contact with two outs, he was easily going to make it to third base. Marlon Byrd came up throwing, though, and as a result, the batter was able to advance to second base. Instead of runners on first and third, there were runners on second and third.

The second was in the bottom of the 5th. Texas had runners on second and third, and after Nelson Cruz popped out, David Murphy came up against the lefty Craig Breslow with two outs. Breslow got behind 3-0 on Murphy, but on the 3-0 pitch, Murphy swung and popped up to shallow center, ending the inning.

This team seems, to often, to have a tendency to play dumb baseball -- to, out of frustration or desperation, too often be overly aggressive in the field or at the plate, as if each player feels like he has to do everything himself. The Byrd play didn't ultimately make a difference in the game, and the Murphy 3-0 popup probably didn't, either...but those two plays seem to symbolize the problems this team has from the mental side of things.

Evan Grant notes that the Ranger offense has had chances in the past three games, when the team has scored a total of one run, but hasn't capitalized.

Jeff Wilson says yesterday was one of the team's worst games of the season, and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Michael Young's return was intended to provide the team with a spark, but that didn't happen.

Gil LeBreton says the end is near for the 2009 Rangers.

Josh Hamilton won't be back in the lineup until this weekend, and Kevin Millwood won't be back on the mound until Monday, at the earliest, with Derek Holland getting the start on Sunday instead.

Meanwhile, Dustin Nippert is getting the start today.

Davis does it again, leading A's to another win deep in the heart of Texas

Flashfire — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:49:55 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

He fast. He good. A's win again. Coincidence? I think not! By the way, Rajai Davis is faster than an unladen swallow. It's true.

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The Rajai Davis Show, which is currently the longest-running form of entertainment in Northern California, continued with a road performance tonight in Arlington. Runnin' Rajai led the way, reaching base all five times he stepped to the plate (FC, BB, 1B, 1B, 1B). He further filled up the stat sheet with a run, four RBI, and he went one for two on his stolen base attempts. As a direct result of his efforts the A's claimed a 6-1 win over the slumping Texas Rangers who, while they finally scored a run on a David Murphy homer, couldn't muster anything else against Edgar Gonzalez (4 IP), Craig Breslow (2), Brad Ziegler (2/3), Jerry Blevins (1/3), Michael Wuertz (1) and Andrew Bailey (1).

Davis is now batting a season-high .314 and has pushed his OPS past .800. What more can be said about the job he's done since becoming a regular? Cliff Pennington pitched in with two more hits including his first Major League triple, continuing his solid play as the A's have now won seven of their last nine to reach twelve games under .500 for the first time since August 17. Adam Kennedy and Daric Barton both had a hit and two walks.

Elvis Andrus had a 16-game hitting streak snapped and Brandon McCarthy only lasted two batters into the fourth, throwing 80 pitches. With both starters exiting before the end of the fifth, the game started to drag on with numerous pitching changes but it's easier to take when the A's win. Boston also won again and Texas has now lost three games in the wild card standings in the last three days.

The only real bad thing about tonight's game was 13 strikeouts by A's hitters, including Jack Cust's fourth Golden Sombrero of the season. That matches his total from last year and it was the tenth time of his career, all with the A's. Given his role on the team it may come as no surprise that when he strikes out that many times the A's struggle to win. They'd lost all eight times he did it in the past before winning their last two (7/11 in Tampa Bay being the first), which both happened to be games in which Davis played a big part in the victories - that time he replaced Ryan Sweeney and hit a tying homer to go with a single and stolen base. I think the point here is now the Oakland offense has become well-rounded enough (relatively speaking) that they can still put some runs on the board even when Cust has a game like this.

A quick recap of other organizational news:

Pacific Coast League Championship, Game 1: Memphis leads 1-0 in the top of the 8th with two out and two on after Chris Carter struck out looking. Travis Buck is about to pinch-hit and Memphis is making a pitching change.

Texas League Championship, Game 1: NW Arkansas had their way with Midland, winning 11-5 after the RockHounds scored four in the bottom of the 9th. They committed five errors, which makes it hard to win.

Kendry Morales Tatters the A's Bullpen, Undoing Tomko's Bid to Go 3-0

louismg — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:27:48 -0000

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

Are you kidding me? I got that guy out! And you know we're doomed if you don't call this right! Don't you? Argh!

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When Brett Tomko walked off the mound with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, the A's had a 6-1 lead, and all signs pointed to his coasting to a calm evening in the dugout while chalking up his third win in as many decisions in Oakland. But the Angels had other ideas, scoring 10 unanswered runs, largely on the back of a huge 5-5 night from Kendry Morales, who posted 2 home runs and 2 doubles as part of his 6 RBI night for the Halos.

The bottom of the 7th started off ugly, when Adam Kennedy made a throwing error to open the inning. And it got worse. Bobby Abreu was called safe after being tagged, while in the air, by Craig Breslow, who was beside himself when the umpire, already unloved by the A's dugout, completely missed the play. With Breslow out, Ziggy came in and rapidly the game got away. A 2-run Guerrero single made it 6-5, and after Rivera singled, the aforementioned Morales hit a three-run shot to make it 8-6 Angels. Aybar tripled and Kendrick, up for the second time in inning, singled him in to make it 9-6. All told, it was a 7-run 7th.

While livid over the first base umpire's blatant miss, following his smugness during a previous argument with Scott Hairston, a single play doesn't usually plate 7 runs. Okay. It never does. The game got away because of sloppy defense that opened the door, and an extremely hittable bullpen, which later included Jay Marshall and Santiago Casilla, who both gave up a run, to make the Angels score a solid 11 runs, and spotting them a 5-run lead.

At this point, with Tomko's sharp start long since forgotten, the A's did what they have often done this season - tease us into thinking there might be a chance, scoring one in the 9th to make it 11-7, and bringing the tying run on deck. But that's as close as we would get.

Unlike some other blogs (Rhymes with "Stale-O's Seven"), we won't be doing a Blame of the Game. What's the point? But any time you give up 10 unanswered runs to your division rival, you deserve to lose. Tomko did all he could, showing the A's that he is a legitimate starter, but there was no stopping Morales tonight, and this game is best forgotten as quickly as possible.

Could it be...? No, it can't be... OMG it really is! It's a Minor League Update!!!

grover — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 -0000

Hello again.

Work called me away for a while and it’s been tough getting back into the groove of things. For those who don’t know, I’m a wildland fire fighter and August got a little busy for those in my career field. So when I disappear again for a couple weeks just remember… I envy your access to in-door plumbing.

Anyways, I want to focus this week’s minor league update on the 40 man roster and the options that are going to have to be decided upon in the coming months. Why do this now instead of waiting until September 1st? The topic tickles my fancy, that’s why. As I seem to have (once again) misplaced my Cap o’ Omnipotence I’m forced to resort to basic logic and common sense reckoning to try and deduce the future roster.

That’s right… none of what I’m about to tell you is guaranteed!

The way I see it, there are 28-29 spots on the future 40 man roster all but guaranteed. On the pitching side, Brett Anderson, Andrew Bailey, Jerry Blevins, Dallas Braden, Craig Breslow, Trevor Cahill, Joey Devine, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Gray, Jay Marshall, Vin Mazzaro, Clayton Mortensen, Josh Outman, Henry Rodriguez, Michael Wuertz and Brad Ziegler all seem certain to have jobs in the Oakland organization next year. That’s 16 pitchers of varying combinations of success/cheapness/options that aren’t going to be released just to make room on the roster. (There’s a pretty good chance that Outman will open next season on the 60-day DL, opening up an additional spot on the 40 man.) Santiago Casilla and Edgar Gonzalez are both arbitration eligible next season but neither pitched so well that the A’s are going to be eager to give them big pay raises, which could mean either or both players could end up as trade fodder or possibly even released. Dana Eveland is still on the 40 man roster as well, but his poor performance led to a demotion that will keep him from seeing any arby money next season. Unfortunately, Mr. Eveland’s suckitude forced the A’s to use his last option this season; meaning he can’t be stashed on Sacramento’s roster next season without first passing through waivers. Chances are Eveland isn’t going to be one of the 5 best SP candidates for the A’s come Opening Day 2010 and as a lefty with a pulse he’d probably get snapped up by some other team desperate for pitching. Therefore, I think this is good-bye to Mr. Eveland.

As it just so happens, it looks as if the A’s are going to need maybe 3 openings on the 40 man roster just to protect some arms that should attract a lot of interest in the Rule 5 draft. Pedro Figueroa hasn’t advanced past High-A ball but he’s a lefty with a low-90’s fastball. Brad Kilby is another lefty who’s put up back-to-back quality campaigns in Sacramento’s bullpen. Fautino De Los Santos is still trying to bounce back from 2008 TJ surgery but he wouldn’t last long if the A’s made him available for the Rule 5 draft. Jason Ray is in the same boat but I don’t think there’s much risk of someone grabbing him and keeping him on a 25 man roster all season.

There’s also a chance the A’s might be interested in bringing back Brett Tomko or Justin Duchscherer next season. Dan Giese should be fully recovered in time for next season; maybe the A’s are still interested in him as a swing man type. Plus, guys like Sam Demel and James Simmons could be knocking on the door next season and they’d need a spot on the 40 man to do so. Like I said, I could see 3-4 spots going to the guys I just listed and we haven’t even looked outside the organization to find help.

The hitting side of things is even more in flux.

Kurt Suzuki, Landon Powell, Eric Chavez (who?) Mark Ellis, Daric Barton, Travis Buck, Aaron Cunningham, Rajai Davis, Scott Hairston, Ryan Sweeney, Jack Cust, Tommy Everidge, Cliff Pennington and Gregorio Petit have spots on the 40 man roster. (Although I’m not sure if Petit has another minor league option available to him in 2010… if someone has a conclusive answer I’d appreciate hearing it.) C Anthony Recker is the most prominent bat in the A’s system that would be eligible for the Rule 5 draft this winter and I’m not sure if the A’s would consider his departure to be a great loss. So any Recker fans out there can protect him on their 40 man lists, but I’m thinking the A’s leave him off the protected roster. Chris Denorfia and Eric Patterson are both out of options, so if they aren’t in Oakland come Opening Day there’s a good chance they’ll be playing for another organization in 2010. I can maybe see Patterson as a back-up at 2B and in the outfield but I’ve got to squint and angle my head to one side to see it. I think it’s more likely that the A’s will try to bring back Adam Kennedy to serve as a deluxe back-up option/veteran mentor type.

The real twist comes when you consider the minor league bats that the A’s have in AA or higher that aren’t yet on the 40 man roster. Sean Doolittle, Adrian Cardenas, Josh Donaldson, Corey Brown, Chris Carter and Brett Wallace highlight the next wave of Oakland offense… which could be much more refreshing than the current ripple in the still waters we’ve experienced as of late. Yet again we haven’t looked outside the current organization to determine if maybe there’s another bat to be had.

So bring back Kennedy, add the newbies and you’re looking at 38-39 players on the 40 man roster before the Rule 5 draft. Does anyone see any glaring omissions?

Until the next time...

Bloody Sox Laundry - 8/19/09

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 04:15:08 -0000

More photos » by Darren Calabrese - AP

Was it a slump? Is this game just a fluke? Is Papi getting hot? Is he done for good? Papi's the perfect summary for today - lots of questions, not too many answers.

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At least the offense knows their way around Toronto. Maybe Beckett and Papelbon can ask our friends for some help - it appears they don't mind answering questions from Sox:

Fading Jays Look to Play Spoiler Down the Stretch - NESN.com

Tom Dakers of [SB Nation blog] Bluebird Banter joined us to answer a few questions about the Blue Jays, as they host the Red Sox for the final team this season.

Now for some more confusing stuff - for one, how much did the man most of us consider baseball's version of Satan make off the poor kids who sold their soles to him? For that answer, look here:

What Was Boras' Commission For First Round Signings? - The Biz of Baseball

Of course, it's not like Boras is selling livestock. If you thought he was, maybe you should study up on the type of contracts these kids are agreeing to:

Quick Primer On Major League Contracts - U.S.S. Mariner
Dave Cameron gives us the rundown of how the contracts the draft picks agreed to work. Highly recommended, especially if you're going to discuss it with other fanbases or want to know when to go FJM on a TV network.

Unfortunately, today created a lot more questions than answers. How many more names from the Red Sox are going to be revealed from the PED tests of years past? When will some of our injured players come back? Who's going to be in the farm system for the next few years? We'll see what we can resolve after the jump.

Oakland’s Jack Cust calls Mitchell Report ‘a joke,’ wonders why Red Sox players weren’t named - projo.com
And... there's why we don't want him, Randy. In addition to the whole "swing hard at everything, even if you're on defense" thing.

But seriously, I get that there was a huge lack of Red Sox names from the Mitchell Report. Chances are George Mitchell didn't exactly do the most impartial investigation, but is that really the first thing that a player jumps to when he's accused? Not defending his name, by proving he never used any sort of PEDs (including those that don't turn up on tests but could be found by asking around), but accusing the investigation of finding names only in places where it didn't hurt the investigator's interests?

Time for some more science! I'm sure you've all heard about the investigations that are delaying international signings (it was in the Laundry a few days ago) - they're all about establishing that the prospects are who they say they are. This is done through several techniques, but DNA testing is one of the more reliable tests, just like in establishing an identity of a crime suspect - until now:

DNA Evidence Can Be Fabricated, Scientists Show - NYTimes.com

With fabricated blood or saliva, "you can just engineer a crime scene," said the lead author of a new study.

Aside from the other problems, this could make the international prospect market a lot less reliable. If the middle men are/were willing to lie about a prospect's age before, why wouldn't they be willing to manufacture the DNA necessary to pass through the investigation? The MLB's going to have a very difficult job ensuring that they aren't being duped, in my opinion. I hope I'm missing something obvious here that will make this seem a lot less troublesome.

Speaking of panicking - I'm sure you've all glanced at the comments on the mainstream media sites that make you want to chug arsenic. Fortunately, there are a few who have the comedic ability to make this a laughing matter; the perfect example can be found here:

Fun With Panicked Commenters - Center Field

But the Globe commenters aren’t alone- in the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Rangers, the commenters at the Herald have also joined in to help create a giant tizzyfest. Some people (erroneously) look at those comments and assume they are an accurate barometer of what all Red Sox fans are thinking. They are not. What they are, however, is an excellent source of comedy. Let’s take a look, shall we?

Of course, not everyone has the patience to write a funny piece when faced with the crazed fans. Some people get fed up quickly and turn to anger to make a point:

Enough With The Pink Hat Whining - Sox vs. Stripes

The idea that because Boston is currently just a game out of the wild card spot they should fire their most successful manager ever...how stupid are you people? And by "you people" I mean the entitled pink hats that think a team should win a title every year. Well, this sounds like it's going to end well.

Good to see that we're all on the same page of the results-based analysis vs. process-based analysis. *sigh* I'm not saying we should kick Theo off the team bus on our way back to Fenway - I'm just saying that there is legitimate reasons for fans to be concerned with how Tito's running the team. Cue the calm people telling us how Tito's one of the best managers, blah blah blah - there's still tons of room for improvement.

Onto another position that needs some improving - umpires.

Measuring the umpire’s effect on the game - THT Live
Awesome use of Gameday's Pitch F/X data by Nick/vivaelpujols to find some interesting data for umpires, pitchers, and their "gift rates."

Umps don't just affect a single game, they can change a series if they eject a player after, say, a confrontation at the mound between a hit batsman and the bean-ball pitcher.

Baseball errs with lax penalty on pitchers who take aim at hitters - The Boston Globe

The time has come to look hard at the policy of Major League Baseball with regard to pitchers who deliberately throw at the head of batters and the managers who order them to do so. As the 89th anniversary of the death of Ray Chapman at the hands of a pitcher has just passed, it is important to remember how soft Major League Baseball has been on this life-threatening practice.

Of course, you can't force a team to change their opening day lineup, so that's usually a good indicator of the best a team has to offer (before the trades and waiver wires start up).

Historical Opening Day Lineups - The Remy Report
Cool tool to see who was starting at each position on Opening Day each season.

But which players will be filling those spots in a few years? (programming note: USG's 2013 series has just started)

The Sox New Prospects - Fire Brand of the American League

With the conclusion of the 2009 MLB Rule 4 Draft signing period, it is time to look at the Sox final bounty. Listed below are the Sox' top 10 picks and their respective signing bonuses.

But that's not the only place to get young talent - as mentioned above, teams are going to be looking at the international market closer than ever. Good to see the Sox are still picking their kids at will, seemingly:

@SoxProspects

Confirmed: #RedSox sign Venezuelan 16yo LHP Richardo Betancourt and Brazilian 16yo RHP Iago Januario. Latter is club's first Brazilian.

Those kids won't help us much this season or next though - the injured guys will.

Dings and dents - Extra Bases

Tim Wakefield threw another bullpen session before the game, and Victor Martinez caught him. It's still hard to say when Wakefield will return. Manager Terry Francona said "there's a pretty good chance" Wakefield will make a rehab start Friday in Pawtucket, adding that Wakefield's nerve injury in his back will likely require surgery at some point.

Get well soon Wake. Something mentioned but kind of passed over in the article: Vic caught Wake's side session - does that mean he'll be getting less starts at catcher than Varitek? And who will either be responsible for? Based on yesterday's game, this article poses a good question:

Will Beckett Miss Varitek? - Full Count

I'm sure they'd be better with more time working together, but Vic seems to have Buchholz and Wake on his list already - could he handle Beckett along with the crazy young kid and the knuckler? Feel free to tell us they're major leaguers, Sandy.

And finally, some stuff that will make you feel better:

Former Sox pitcher Craig Breslow: 'The Smartest Man in Baseball' - projo.com

Drew's Clues - Surviving Grady

Journey with us, friends, as we venture inside the mind of J.D. Drew Friday's ninth inning comeback win in Texas.

Alright, that's all I've got. You know the drill - find story, make link, post comment. Don't be afraid to start a subthread for any topics that may come up during the day, whether in this post or not.

It's reunion time in Oakland

Poseidon's Fist — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:01:32 -0000

More photos » by Chris O'Meara - AP

Arguably the two most dangerous Athletic bats are former Rockies. But neither have been Oakland's best hitter to date.

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The storyline of this series goes without saying. It is MLB's only primary green team vs. the only team that wears purple. Oh wait - we don't even wear purple anymore. Right - that whole Matt Holliday/Carlos Gonzalez/Huston Street bit.

There's not a whole lot to say on that front. It will be the first time the trio play their former team - more of an event for Holliday and Street, who were both celebrated for years as premium players for their former clubs. Street has become a solid if not fantastic closer while Gonzalez furthers his reputation as a possible AAAA player.

As for Holliday, he is still working uphill from that terrible start. His wOBA is lower than every year in his career, including his rookie year, and his OPS+ only exceeds that same 2004 campaign. So it's not JUST being away from Coors. His OPS has not reached .900 and his average have not reached .300 once this season. He is currently on an 18-game, 64-AB homerless drought. He has actually had a worse offensive season than the Rockies' fifth outfielder if you compare Fangraphs offensive value.

Oakland got off to a miserably sluggish start like Holliday - and the Rockies. On June 1, the A's were actually one half game worse (19-30) than Colorado (20-30), but like the Rockies, June brought a bit of a surge. Bob Geren's club reeled off seven straight at the beginning of June to bring them within four games of .500, but they have lost 10 of their last 15 to drop back to earth.

The Rockies last played the Athletics June 18-20, 2006, when they outscored the A's 15-3 at Coors Field. However they haven't played in Oakland since being swept in 2001. In fact, the Rockies won their first ever game in the Coliseum in 1997 thanks to a dominant start by Roger Bailey, yet they have lost all seven games there since. The A's are only 3-8 at Coors Field though, so it evens out to a 9-10 Rockies record all-time vs. Oakland.

Colorado is now 8-4 in interleague play; Oakland is just 5-10 with a modest 17-17 overall home record.

The Rockies absolutely must win this series against an inferior team. After dropping a series in Anaheim in which they outscored the Angels, they can't afford to head to Dodger Stadium needing a sweep for a winning road trip.

Athletics Nation is Oakland's SBNation blog, actually the oldest among us all. In case you missed it in the offseason, here's a classic view on the Matt Holliday trade from AN from January.

Oakland Athletics (31-40, L2, 4th, 8.0 GB)

Friday-Sunday: 3-game series at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

The Bats: D-

Bob Geren has toyed with the lineup to a great degree trying to spark some offense. Suzuki could bat second, pushing Cust, Holliday and Giambi down one spot. OFRajai Davis (.240/.309/.340), C Landon Powell (.182/.258/.364) and IF's Daric Barton (1-for-14, 2B) and Nomar Garciaparra (.254/.274/.390) fill out the bench.

This is my best guess on the lineup, which is just outright terrible (the guess and the lineup):

LINEUP

Avg

HR

RBI

OBP

SLG

wOBA

Adam Kennedy - 2B
.298

6

24

.368

.474

.369

Jack Cust - RF
.227

13

37

.313

.421

.323

Matt Holliday - LF
.269

8

39

.367

.423

.352

Jason Giambi - DH
.205

10

37

.341

.384

.326

Kurt Suzuki - C
.278

4

27

.325

.400

.320

Orlando Cabrera - SS
.243

2

25

.289

.313

.264

Bobby Crosby - 1B
.190

3

17

.291

.306

.275

Ryan Sweeney - CF
.254

2

18

.315

.320

.289

Jack Hannahan - 3B
.191

1

8

.273

.304

.262

That lineup features your worst offensive 3B and 1B in MLB, plus the 2nd worst shortstop, only to 2007 NL MVP (*cough cough*) Jimmy Rollins. The Rockies can field a lineup with a better offensive player at all nine positions (even left field!) except second base - by wOBA anyway. Speaking of which, utilizing that, this lineup has two solid above average hitters (Kennedy and Holliday), three a bit below average (Giambi, Cust and Suzuki), one very below average (Sweeney) and three don't belong on the field, let alone an MLB starting lineup (Cabrera, Crosby, Hannahan).

Overall, the Athletics have the lowest batting average in the majors (about Torrealba level), the 6th least runs scored, 6th least HR, and are dead last in wOBA at .299. I know I know, sample size. But I can't resist pointing out their team wOBA is 8 points worse than Ubaldo Jimenez'.

Should we treat their lineup like nine Ubaldo's? Obviously not. They get a significant disadvantage playing at the Coliseum, but still, their roster OPS+ is just 82, worse than every Rockie except Quintanilla, Gonzalez and Atkins. Any way you slice it, this is a terrible offense. Those big offseason additions of Cabrera, Holliday, Giambi and Garciaparra have done very little.

The Arms: C+

The Rockies draw the top two Oakland's starters. Gone are the days of the big three, but Dallas Braden and Trevor Cahill are still solid young arms with upside. Brett Anderson's scheduled start tonight has been pushed to Monday due to biceps inflammation, so Braden and Cahill will each move up a day; both have an ERA+ of over 112. Vin Mazzaro moves into Sunday's spot - the 22 year old righty has been impressive in five starts this season. Rookie Andrew Bailey has stepped in to be a dominant closer in place of Brad Ziegler, who still gets an opportunity now and again.

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Andrew Bailey	4-1	2.23	1.04	50	18

Overall, the club has an 97 ERA+, which is a tick below average, but some of the deadweight pulling that stat down are not on the roster or won't be starting in the series.

The team is 13th in ERA (13th for starters, 15th for relievers) and 11th in FIP (15th and 2nd), so despite lacking big names, the Athletics continue to put forth an above average staff. Other arms Bob Geren leans on in the pen include Michael Wuertz, Russ Springer, Santiago Casilla, and Craig Breslow.

The D: C-

The A's have a UZR/150 rating at 1.6, slightly better than average. They 50 errors (8th in MLB) and are 8th worst in fielding percentage. That washes out to a slightly below average defense.

The Ballpark: Pitching Park

The multi-year park factor is 93, giving a pitching advantage over the last few years equivalent to the offensive advantage at Coors the last few years. This year, it is at 97, mirroring Coors' migration to average, so it is still as much of a pitching park as Coors is a hitting park this year.

Probable Pitchers:

Tonight, 8:05 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jason Hammel	4-3	4.41	1.50	46	17

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Dallas Braden	5-6	3.26	1.29	62	25

Saturday, June 27, 7:05 pm MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Jorge De La Rosa	3-7	5.85	1.51	82	36

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Trevor Cahill	5-5	3.68	1.34	41	33

Sunday, June 24, 2:05 MDT

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Aaron Cook	7-3	4.00	1.33	46	30

	W-L	ERA	WHIP	K	BB
2009 - Vin Mazzaro	2-2	2.56	1.07	20	8

Dallas Braden and Trevor Cahill have each thrown 7 consecutive quality starts, though Oakland is only 7-7 in those games. Vin Mazzaro has four QS's in his five starts this season - in his only non-quality start, he allowed four runs to just miss the qualification. Andrew Bailey has been unscored upon in 10 of his last 11 outings. Ryan Sweeney is 6 for his last 17 and Orlando Cabrera has a .855 OPS in his last 6 games.

Matt Holliday is 12 for his last 58 (8 singles and 4 doubles) for a .208 average since June 7. He only has two more home runs than Adam Kennedy this season. Jack Cust is only 4 for his last 24, Bobby Crosby just 1-for-10 and Jason Giambi has scratched out just three hits in his last 15 trips.

Pitcher Josh Outman (best name for a pitcher ever) is on the 15-day DL with an elbow injury. Dan Giese (elbow) is on the 60-day DL, as are four very prominant names on the roster: 3B Eric Chavez (back), 2B Mark Ellis (calf), and pitchers Joey Devine (elbow) and Justin Duchsherer (elbow). The elbow epidemic in Oakland is killing them.

Poll

How will be rebound from consecutive losses in Anaheim?

We won't. This team is fragile and is affected by streaks too much in both directions. We'll struggle to hit in the Coliseum and get swept.

3 votes

The doubt is there, and we manage to win just one game, probably while outscoring Oakland for the series

11 votes

A solid road series win against a mediocre home team and terrible offense sounds reasonable

53 votes

Matt Holliday doesn't get the Monforts' green, but he does match his uni with envy after watching his former club sweep his struggling team.

20 votes

87 votes | Poll has closed

Bison wins Barn Burner at the Ravine

Phil Gurnee — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:23:56 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

The Beard does double damage tonight. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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A pitching duel between two young talented left-handers turned into a barn burner at Chavez Ravine when inexplicably Ramon Troncoso left his cape in the bullpen and gave up four runs in the top of the eighth to turn a 2 - 0 Dodger lead into a 4 - 2 deficit.

Michael Wuertz had pitched a perfect 7th but he was not as lucky in the eighth. Without missing a beat the Dodgers started their comeback in the bottom of the eighth behind a double by Furcal, followed by a single by Blake to close to within one. The A's brought in lefty Craig Breslow to face Loney who worked the count full before squeezing out a walk on a borderline pitch bringing up the Bison with two on and one out. The A's countered with their best relief pitcher in Andrew Bailey and the duel was on.

Ball one. Swing and a miss. Ball two, just missed. Base hit to right field but Bowa holds Blake at 3rd leaving the bases loaded for Andre the A killer. A weak ground ball to 2nd was all he could muster but when Kemp took out Cabrera the tying run had crossed the plate. 4 -4, leaving 1st and 3rd with Martin up. The worse hitter on the team in June had a chance to make amends. Alas, it was not meant to be as he lined out to LF, leaving the score tied at 4 - 4 headed to the top of the ninth.

Broxton came in and gave up a single but kept the score tied giving the Dodgers a chance to give him his 7th win against no losses but they could not muster any offense against Bailey. To the worries of the crowd Mota came in to pitch the 10th but the worries were unfounded. For over a month now, Mota has been pitching great in low leverage situations and this was the perfect time to see if he could continue that hot streak in a high leverage situation. Mota was the vintage 2003 model in the 10th, and shut down the A's.

The A's countered in the 10th with Brad Ziegler who entered the game not having given up a run in nine interleague appearances. Orlando Hudson started the Dodger 10th with single through the hole at shortstop. Casey Blake then hit a slower bouncer over the pitchers mound that the normally sure handed Orlando Cabera fumbled leaving runners at 1st and 2nd with James Loney due up. Loney leads the team with 44 rbi's but Joe Torre asked him to bunt and of course he was unable to do so, leaving him down in the count 1 - 2. Loney then hit into a double play filled with controversy. At first Loney had been declared save when Giambi came off the bag but 1st base umpire Adrian Johnson decided to ask for help from the home base umpire Ted Barrett who said that Loney had been tagged. So with two out and Hudson on 3rd base the A's decided to pitch to Matt Kemp and the Bison made them pay with his 3rd hit of the game giving the Dodgers their league leading eighth walk-off win and their 13th victory in their last at bat.

Clayton Kershaw pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against three walks. He struggled with his pitch count but the bottom line is that he kept the runs off the board. Ramon Troncoso failed for the first time since Manny was suspended as Giambi and Crosby took him deep. He was due for a game like this as those home runs were the first he's allowed in 43 2/3 innings. Cory Wade got the last out of the 8th inning keeping the Dodgers within striking distance and that is all they needed. Also can't forget to mention the good work Belisario did getting us from Clayton to Ramon.

The Dodgers first two runs came on run scoring doubles by Blake and Loney and that was the extent of the offense until they mounted their comeback in the 8th.

With that victory the Dodgers are now a season high 21 games above 500 and continue to have the best home record at 24 - 9. Also nice to see they are now 4 - 3 in interleague play. 6 - 1in extra inning games this year and 15 - 5 in one run games with a sterling 12 - 1 mark at the Ravine.

Part of the fun at the Ravine tonight was the rousing ovation the crowd gave recently recalled career minor leaguer Mitch Jones in his first major league at bat. He worked the count to 3-2 before striking out but his knee's had to be knocking with 41,169 fans cheering every pitch. Even as he walked back to the dugout after the strike out he got a nice ovation. Classy fans tonight.

Nomar pinch hit and got a mixed reaction. To tense a game to give him the ovation that he might have gotten if he'd just been announced as a starter or came up in the first inning.

Casey Blake now has a modest seven game winning streak and is hitting .393 during that streak.

Thursday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:07:51 -0000

More photos » by Pat Sullivan - AP

Bill Hall, pictured here after his first of four strikeouts last night, is getting another chance to hit righties.

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Some things to read when enough is enough.

We're only a few hours removed from Bill Hall's three pitch strikeout, his fourth of the night, that ended the Brewers' ninth inning rally in Houston last night. With the K, Hall's batting average against righties in 2009 fell below .200, but Ken Macha says he let Hall stay in last night and will start him against a righty today because he promised Hall an opportunity in Houston. With Mat Gamel waiting in the wings, this could be Hall's last chance to prove he belongs in the lineup everyday, and it comes against Roy Oswalt.

Meanwhile, after Hall was allowed to bat in the ninth last night, Brewed Sports is ready to throw Ken Macha under the bus.

Earlier in last night's game, Astros manager Cecil Cooper made a mistake on his lineup card that cost him the first out of the game. Jose de Jesus Ortiz, not Cooper's biggest fan in the first place, took another opportunity to blast Cooper's managerial style and communication with his team.

Rickie Weeks had successful surgery to anchor the tendons in his wrist yesterday, and will be in a splint or long cast for the next two months. The recovery time from surgery would suggest Weeks could be healthy enough to play in September, but the Brewers have more or less ruled it out.

Meanwhile, we continue to discuss options at second base. The Indians are looking to deal Mark DeRosa, but want big-league ready pitching in return, and the Brewers don't have a lot of that hanging around, unless the Indians would accept someone like Tim Dillard or Seth McClung. As of this writing, 62% of voters in this poll would prefer the Brewers stick with internal options. Casey McGehee started at second and went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk last night.

Alcides Escobar is learning to play second as well. Right Field Bleachers has a look at what it would take for Alcides to be a league average second baseman.

Frank Catalanotto is one step closer to the big leagues today, as he's reporting to Huntsville to get some work in the outfield. He's expected to be evaluated and could join the Brewers in a week to ten days.

On rankings and whatnot:

The Sporting News ranked Ryan Braun 32nd in their list of baseball's top 50 players. Braun was the only Brewer on the list.
MLB FanHouse moved the Brewers up from 8th to 4th in their power rankings.

Is having a stranger stick their fingers in a rather sensitive place your idea of a fun pregame activity? If so, the Brewers would like to invite you to get a prostate exam at Miller Park.

Around the league:

A's: Claimed pitcher Craig Breslow off waivers from the Twins.
Braves: Infielder Omar Infante broke a bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch, and could miss up to 2 months.
Phillies: Claimed pitcher Steven Register off waivers from the Rockies.

There's a new Jake Peavy rumor out there this morning, and for once it has nothing to do with the Cubs: Buster Olney is reporting a "strong possibility" that Peavy could be traded to the White Sox for a package including middle infielder Gordon Beckham.

Of course, now that I'm leaving Iowa they'll fix it: MLB owners are meeting this week and are scheduled to discuss the blackout policy.

That's all I have for today, unless you wanted to read about John Smoltz's wedding, Keith Foulke in Newark or a Met fan getting stuck in a toilet.

Drink up.

Do the Twins have the worst bullpen in baseball?

Jon Marthaler — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:00:13 -0000

We Twins backers are all rather frustrated with the state of the bullpen; the late-inning guys have lost three games in a row, and have generally been awful this season. But how bad are things, really? Is the Twins bullpen as bad as we think, by the numbers - and in comparison to the rest of the league?

+ Test #1: Losses, saves, and blown saves.

Minnesota's 'pen has blown seven saves this year, but that's only good for a tie for seventh. The Nationals relievers have blown an astonishing 11 save opportunities - which is especially impressive, given that Washington has only six saves on the year.

Unfortunately, there are two other teams with just six saves - and Minnesota's one of them. Joe Nathan is 6-8 in save opportunities this year, and the rest of the bullpen has blown five other games. This 46% conversion rate is third worst in the majors, behind only Houston (41%) and Washington (35%).

Speaking of blowing games, the Twins bullpen has lost six games - but that's not even close to the Nationals (11 losses) or the Angels (10 losses, including seven blown saves.) Minnesota is tied for ninth.

+ Test #2: OPS Against

On-base percentage plus slugging percentage is a pretty good stand-in for run production. It would make sense that the bullpen with the worst OPS against is therefore the worst in baseball.

Here once again, it's hard to beat the Nationals bullpen, which has an OPS against of .849. Houston is second-worst at .842. The Twins, though, are right in the running; their OPS against of .824 is seventh-worst in the big leagues.

Other candidates for "Worst Bullpen in the American League" also emerge, including Cleveland (.838 OPS against, 7/15 in save opportunities), and the Yankees (.837, 7/12).

+ Test #3: Fielding-Independent Pitching

Forgetting about defense for a second, we look at pure pitching statistics, using the sabrematrician's favorite, FIP. And as you might expect, the same candidates fall out on the bottom of the league: New York (5.87) is worst, followed by Texas (5.62) and Houston (5.47). Cleveland is fourth-worst at 5.39, but then comes our Twins at 5.31. (They're even worse than Washington, which is at 5.19).

+ And so, our best conclusions from the numbers...

The numbers don't lie: The Twins bullpen is terrible on a number of levels. They can't hold a lead, nor can they get anybody out.

That said, things are worse by far in Washington, and probably in Houston as well. And fans in Cleveland and New York have reasons to be miffed as well.

Of course, a look at the standings probably would be enough to anger those fans: Cleveland and Washington are in last place. Houston is barely ahead of the Pirates. And the Yankees are 4.5 games back... and would be much worse off, if it weren't for three games against Minnesota's relievers.

And so, our conclusion: the Twins do not have the worst bullpen in the major leagues. But it's close.

LINEUP	Avg	HR	RBI	OBP	SLG	wOBA
Adam Kennedy - 2B	.298	6	24	.368	.474	.369
Jack Cust - RF	.227	13	37	.313	.421	.323
Matt Holliday - LF	.269	8	39	.367	.423	.352
Jason Giambi - DH	.205	10	37	.341	.384	.326
Kurt Suzuki - C	.278	4	27	.325	.400	.320
Orlando Cabrera - SS	.243	2	25	.289	.313	.264
Bobby Crosby - 1B	.190	3	17	.291	.306	.275
Ryan Sweeney - CF	.254	2	18	.315	.320	.289
Jack Hannahan - 3B	.191	1	8	.273	.304	.262