The A's used a couple of timely hits in the first inning en route to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Brandon McCarthy pitched seven shutout innings in his first start since June 7th to win his sixth straight decision. Ryan Cook pitched the ninth, inducing a game-ending double play from Dodgers first baseman James Loney to notch his fourth save.In spite of the fact that the A's walked a season-high 10 times, they would not score for the final seven innings of the game, going 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. But it did not matter because ...
Oakland A’s first baseman Brandon Moss has come out of nowhere to slug six home runs in 11 games since June 6th. Only Minnesota’s Trevor Plouffe, with seven, has more home runs over that span. Should you buy into this power surge and add him to your fantasy lineup? In those 11 games, Moss is hitting .278 with ten runs and eleven RBI. On top of the six home runs, Brandon has hit three doubles, as nine of his ten hits have gone for extra bases, giving him a bloated 1.211 OPS. Moss is hitting just .200 against left-handed pitching, ...
Brandon Moss, though far from a "prospect," has been a welcome surprise to the Oakland A's offense in the past two weeks.The 28-year-old has hit six home runs and 11 RBI in just 11 games with the club, most of those starts.What follows are five more A's prospects who could be called up from the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats at some point this season to give the A's lineup a boost.Begin Slideshow
When it comes to Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff and spending money on his organization, he's essentially the polar opposite of what George Steinbrenner was. According to USAToday.com, the Oakland A's currently have the second-lowest payroll in the MLB at about $55 million for the 2012 season. The New York Yankees are nearly quadrupling that total with $197 million spent on this season alone.This is exactly why it becomes so vital for the Oakland A's to cultivate homegrown talent within their organization.Right now, Oakland has five standout prospects that may be able to make an impact as soon as they ...
Yoenis Cespedes hasn't even completed his first season in Major League Baseball—heck, he hasn't even been healthy enough to play the last few weeks—but he's already the face of the Oakland Athletics organization. What does it take to be the face of the franchise? The first and largest attribute is talent. Longevity helps, but in many cases youth still rules. Take Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals for example. Ryan Zimmerman is an incredible athlete and has been with the team longer. Still, Strasburg is more widely recognized. The same can be said for Troy Tulowitzki over Todd Helton in Colorado ...
The Raiders' season can go in a variety of different ways depending on a variety of different scenarios—some anticipated and others unanticipated.Expectations are high, but all the change in Oakland leaves a lot of unknowns that could significantly impact the outcome of the season.As many fans believe, the Raiders are going to be a surprise team. The defense is going to improve to average and the offense is going to explode.As many more fans around the league believe, the Raiders are going to struggle. The team lacks depth and the new schemes don't fit the personnel.Both could be true, depending ...
Despite outhitting San Diego six to five and having multiple chances, the A's could not rally as former Oakland closer Huston Street struck out Jemile Weeks with runners on the corners to preserve a 2-1 victory. San Diego avoided the sweep while ending Oakland's five-game winning streak. Bartolo Colon took the loss, allowing a run on a single hit while striking out two in two innings before leaving with an oblique injury. The A's bullpen was solid, only allowing a single run in the remaining seven innings, but it was costly as Ryan Cook's wild pitch allowed pinch runner Logan Forsythe ...
The Oakland Raiders should not listen to any talk about letting Terrelle Pryor start over Carson Palmer.There is absolutely no doubt that Pryor has a tremendous upside, but the Raiders have a proven quarterback coming into his second season in the silver and black.Not only that, but they are paying him $43 million over four years.Pryor is locked up until 2014, as well. So, if anything does go wrong with the former Bengal star, Pryor will be there. And he's only 22 years old, Panther QB Cam Newton is older than he is.He has time—there should be no rush to ...
As the Oakland Raiders concluded their offseason program on Thursday, June 14, there has been a lot of speculation as to where they are at and what will happen when they take to the field on September 10, 2012 and beyond.According to Adam Schein of FOX Sports, "the Oakland Raiders will finish in last place this year." He goes on to correctly state, in my opinion, that this season will be the "most impressive and important since Rich Gannon led the Raiders to the 2003 Super Bowl."While Schein got a few things right, his opening statement couldn't be further from the truth. ...
For years, the Oakland Athletics have had one of the worst offenses in baseball.The 2012 A's have not reversed that trend, ranking at the bottom of the American League in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, while sitting just above Kansas City in runs scored.The only reason the A's aren't dead last in runs is their prowess on the base paths; Oakland leads the AL with 51 steals.However, the A's bats have been red-hot as of late: They are second in the AL with a .283 team average in June, and first in on-base percentage and slugging percentage.Over the ...