They’re not trendy pick, but A’s win again
The Mariners were the chic pick in the American League West, the focus of a Sports Illustrated spread because of their dynamic defense, a team to be reckoned with after acquiring Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman and Milton Bradley.
The A’s reckoned with them, all right, and the scoreboard proved it. Capped by Thursday’s 6-2 victory, the A’s won three of four games, collected 40 hits to the Mariners’ 26 and overcame an Opening Night error-fest to open a season 3-1 for the first time since 2004.
“Can’t play too much better than this,” starter Brett Anderson said after scattering three hits and issuing one walk in six scoreless innings. “Can’t have a better team win.”
Click here to read the full article – By John Shea of San Francisco Chronicle
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Good, not-so-good moments for A’s
Offseason imports don’t pan out, but rookie hurlers emerge
The idea behind bringing Matt Holliday, Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera and Nomar Garciaparra aboard was to give the previously anemic offensive enough juice to make the kids on the mound relax a little.
Things didn’t quite work out that way.
Holliday never got on track offensively and was traded in July, as was Cabrera. Giambi was even worse, his once-prolific bat making less noise than his creaking 38-year-old body. Only Garciaparra finished the season with the team, but his chronic calf condition limited him all year, turning him into a high-profile pinch-hitter.
A’s general manager Billy Beane doesn’t regret his attempt to expedite his rebuilding of the team by adding the aforementioned foursome, though. He still said the notion was sound, and so does Garciaparra.
“In my experience,” says the veteran infielder, who will again consider retirement this offseason, “when a pitcher feels like he has some room to make a few mistakes, he doesn’t make as many.”
Rookie left-hander Brett Anderson, one of the pitchers Beane was trying to protect, doesn’t quite buy that line of logic, insisting that all pitchers should take the mound in every inning trying to put up a zero and worry not about whatever the offense it up to.
Click here to read the full article – By Mychael Urban of MLB.com
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Calm Mortensen pitching for his 2010 fate
SEATTLE — The past few months have been a head-spinning experience for A’s right-hander Clayton Mortensen, but you’d never know it from observing his clubhouse interactions.
A 24-year-old rookie, he is to hyper what former A’s outfielder Eric Byrnes is to calm. There’s an economy of movement about Mortensen, who was acquired in the four-player trade that sent Matt Holliday to St. Louis in July.
“Pretty mellow dude,” A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki said of Mortensen, who’ll make his final start of the season Wednesday in the middle game of a three-game series against the host Mariners at Safeco Field. “All of our young guys are pretty mellow.”
Maybe not all. Lefty Gio Gonzalez is the first to admit there’s a little spaz in him. But Mortensen, who was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on Sept. 4 for his second stint with the A’s, fits right in with fellow even-keel rookies Trevor Cahill and Brett Anderson.
Whether he’ll fit in among them in the 2010 starting rotation is an issue that won’t be resolved until next spring at the earliest, but he’s been solid since the most recent recall, going 2-2 with a 3.97 ERA.
“Like a number of young guys this year, he’s getting a nice opportunity to show what he can do at this level,” Oakland manager Bob Geren said. “We’ve seen him pitch very well, we’ve seen him struggle a little bit, and that’s what you typically see with rookie pitchers. What’s important is that the talent is there. That’s obvious. The fact that we traded for him tells you what we think of him.
“What’s going to happen next year? Who knows? But every time you take the mound in a Major League game is a chance to put yourself into the picture.”
Click here to read the full article – By Mychael Urban of Mlb.com
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Suzuki receives Catfish Hunter Award
During his time as an ace right-hander for the A’s, Jim “Catfish” Hunter was known as someone who carried more than his share of the load.
Current A’s catcher Kurt Suzuki can certainly identify with that, and so Wednesday’s announcement that Suzuki was selected by his teammates and coaches as the recipient of the 2009 Jim “Catfish” Hunter Award seemed fitting.
Suzuki, who likely will lead American League catchers in games started for the second consecutive season, and Hunter, who twice threw more than 300 innings and eclipsed the 250-frame mark in six other seasons, would have made quite the battery.
Click here to read the full article – By Mychael Urban of MLB.com
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A’s bullpen promises bright future
The A’s will have plenty of question marks heading into Spring Training 2010, but there won’t be much uncertainty surrounding the constitution of their bullpen.
Heading into this week’s series against the Rangers — the second of three games is scheduled for Tuesday — Oakland’s relievers were sporting an American League-best 3.57 ERA, and every key member of the unit is expected back next season.
Even better for the cost-conscious club: They’ll return on the cheap.
All-Star closer Andrew Bailey, right-hander Brad Ziegler and left-hander Craig Breslow aren’t yet eligible for arbitration, and top setup man Michael Wuertz is a year from free agency.
Click here to read the full article – By Mychael Urban of MLB.com
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