Moneyball was a decent movie, but I couldn't bring myself to ignore two of the film's major shortcomings while I was watching it.First, the movie took way too many liberties with the true story that was outlined in Michael Lewis' book. It was a little too obvious that the story had been Hollywood-ified. Second, I couldn't help but wonder if the filmmakers ever stopped to look at what's been going on in Oakland in recent seasons. Moneyball was all the rage in 2002 and in a few of the subsequent years that followed. But by the time the film was released last ...
The Philadelphia Athletics won the 1914 American League pennant. Despite being highly favored in the World Series, they were swept by the "Miracle" Boston Braves. Facing financial problems caused primarily by the formation of the "outlaw" Federal League, Athletics' owner Connie Mack refused to match the offers the new league made to many of his stars, which resulted in a very different Athletics team in 1915. Philadelphia finished last with a record of 43 wins and 109 losses. Their statistics were amazing, but it was only the beginning. The Athletics used 55 different players, 27 of whom were pitchers. The ...
The A's have far exceeded expectations in 2012. They are 16-15, just 4.5 games behind the Texas Rangers and occupying second place in the AL West in what many analysts tabbed as a rebuilding year for the franchise.Oakland appears to be just as much in the hunt for a playoff seed as anybody at this point in the season, and with a farm system loaded with young talent, A's fans must be excited about what the future holds.But even though the current A's roster has seen some mild success on the field, there are still some gaping holes that need ...
Before A's fans start celebrating, they should take a look at some sobering numbers and consider the consequences.In 11 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Brandon Inge batted .234. Last year was his worst season when he put up a slash line of .197/.265/.283. At 34 years old, history tells us he won't become a better hitter, or suddenly "figure it out."He provides occasional pop, having two seasons with 27 home runs ('06, '09), but his strikeout counts in those two years are remarkably different. Inge struck out only 72 times in '06; three years later, he struck out 170 times.Before ...
It was a torrid start to the 2012 MLB season for Oakland Athletics outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. In the first six weeks of the season, Cespedes put up some impressive numbers considering he had only a little over a month of spring training to acclimate himself to American baseball.Despite his newness to opposing pitchers and defenses, elongated traveling schedules and road trips (as well as American culture), Cespedes was making an early case for Rookie of the Year candidacy, posting a .250 batting average with five home runs, 19 runs batted in and four stolen bases through April. However, Cespedes fever ...
After an emotional comeback win, the A's could not muster much against Toronto starter Brandon Morrow and lost 5-2 in the second of a two-game series.Tyson Ross looked better but still took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 5.2 innings. A's pitchers allowed three total home runs, and the hitters were stymied by Morrow, striking out 10 times in just six innings.Both A's runs were scored on RBI singles. First, Jonny Gomes singled in Cliff Pennington to make the score 2-1 in the fifth. Then Josh Reddick singled in Anthony Recker ...
The A's latest rookie sensation; Jarrod Parker got the start against the Blue Jays on Tuesday and produced how you would think any rookie pitcher would perform in his first appearance back at home after a great outing in Boston: mediocre. He lasted seven innings and threw 105 pitches (56 of which were strikes) and handed out five walks, struck out three and gave up four hits, including a two-run homer to Kelly Johnson in the top of the third. Is this what we can expect from Parker? Shaky starts and the random great ...
Welcome to the Bay Area, Brandon Inge. The A's rallied for five runs off of Toronto reliever Francisco Cordero—the last four coming on Inge's ninth-inning grand slam—and the A's defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3. Grant Balfour gets the win, although he struggled in the ninth again, giving up the lead in the top of the inning. Jarrod Parker, pitching for injured Brandon McCarthy, went seven innings, allowing two runs on four hits, but he did walk five batters. The A's fell behind in the third when Toronto's Kelly Johnson hit an opposite field, two-run home run off of Parker. That ...
After a solid 2011 campaign, Brandon McCarthy came into the 2012 season as the A's ace.He was their guy, the pitcher who would constantly go deep into ballgames while at the same time acting as an role model the younger pitchers could learn from.So far, so good. McCarthy has followed up his career year with pretty good numbers thus far.Possessing an ERA under 3.00 and a couple of wins, McCarthy appears as though he's headed towards another great season as a member of the A's.There are several concerns, however, that might make one wonder just how successful McCarthy can ultimately ...
The Oakland A's have been offensively abysmal up to this point in the season, yet still have managed an above .500 record and a second place standing.As the year is moving into May and baseball is moving into the thick of the season, the A's currently have just a .213 team batting average and have scored more than 5 runs just three times in their first 19 games. While their pitching staff has carried them with the third best ERA in the American League, they will not be able to keep pace in a tough AL West division without improving their ...