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Hello again A’s fans, it is Jordan here. Times certainly are tough for our Oakland Athletics right now. They have gone into a complete tailspin since they dropped the last game of the series in Oakland against the American League leading Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who seem poised to challenge for another World Series title. The A’s have dropped 21 of their last 24 games, and are quite frankly getting tougher and tougher to watch. It is tough to take some positives out of this almost month-long struggle, but we as fans must at least try, right?

Let us start from the roster side of things, think of this as a blog entry version of our side session. The Big Hurt Frank Thomas has been activated and is back in the cleanup spot, Wes Bankston and Brooks Conrad had a bit of a shot at the Big Show, and did not really impress, and A’s fans got to witness yet another young piece of our organization, Gio Gonzalez (another piece from the Dan Haren trade. He made his debut on this past Wednesday afternoon in Toronto, a game in which the A’s fell 5-1, suffering yet another sweep, this time at the hands of the Toronto Blue Jays and Gonzalez starts tonight against Tampa Bay, and Eric “Made of Glass” Chavez has been shut down for the season with shoulder surgery. With Big Frank back in the fold, A’s fans at least have some at-bats to really look forward to watching in a game, Frank brings some much needed pop to a soft-hitting lineup. Frank is old, but still can hit when he gets his pitch, so hopefully he can help rejuvenate this team and help them get some more wins. With Gio Gonzalez aboard, he joins Carlos Gonzalez (no relation), Dana Eveland, and Greg Smith up on the big club as members from the Arizona trade in this offseason. The other two members of the system that the A’s acquired, Chris Carter (not the wide receiver) and Aaron Cunningham are playing pretty well in AA, with Carter crushing the ball from the power side of things, but needs to pick up his average if he wants to be a part of the Big League club in the next few years. Cunningham has played well, hitting for a nice average, and producing runs fairly consistently. Dan Meyer (pictured) has also made a move up into the rotation. I see the Eric Chavez injury and season ending surgery hopefully being a point of the organization looking at life without Chavy. This in my opinion should be the end of the Chavez era in Oakland, and hope that Billy Beane feels the same way. I see this as a positive if it goes down the way I hope it does, and all of these things that I have mentioned are positives in my mind.

When the team is not winning, fans begin to lose interest, and only the hardcore A’s fans can stomach watching them play. I do still urge the fans in the Bay Area to continue to support the team, and roll with the punches right now. I hope everyone understands that the plan all along for 2008 was to be a rebuilding year, and we are seeing the growing pains right now. The team overachieved the entire first half of the season and gave fans hope. I still believe that the hope should be there, just hope for the future. I have said all along that I believed this team would be a third or fourth place team in ’08, and was very surprised by their solid start. This baseball season though, as we all well know, is a marathon, and teams must be consistent for a span of six months (162 games) to earn the right to fight for a championship. The A’s do not yet have the horses to do so as of right now. I did say that after the non-waiver trade deadline, I wanted the A’s to have made more moves, perhaps moving Bobby Crosby, Huston Street, or Eric Chavez (which was near impossible), in order to build for the future. A name that was moved at the deadline that I coveted from the Los Angeles Dodgers system was Andy Laroche, who was traded to Pittsburgh in the Manny Ramirez three-way blockbuster deal. The Dodgers had gone and picked up Casey Blake to play third for them on their run towards a divisional title battle with the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they had the emergence of another third base prospect, Blake DeWitt, who right now, they see as their third baseman of their future, thus making Laroche expendable. It was rumored that Los Angeles was interested somewhat in Bobby Crosby and heard rumors of their mixed interest in Huston Street. Shoulda, woulda, coulda though, as my friend Charles would say are your three best friends, and it didn’t happen so it doesn’t really matter. I do love the Joe Blanton deal that went down thogh, and am excited to see the prospects we received in the next few years. With Chavez possibly moving elsewhere (fingers crossed) the A’s need to move forward with a plan for the left side of the infield in the future, especially at third. I don’t really see Crosby sticking around either.

I am a very frustrated fan, as no one likes to watch their team consistently lose, but keep the faith everyone, this team is set up for a good future as long as a few more good moves are made. If you would like to weigh in on any of my opinions or thoughts, we would love to hear them, so feel free to post your comments under this entry, to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185 and leave a voicemail message that will be played on our next show. I am coming back from vacation in the next few days, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for our next episode.

That’s how I see it…Let’s Go Oakland!

Hey what’s up A’s fans, this is Charles with a recap from this weekend’s series against the Red Sox. This was yet another rough series for the A’s, who were swept in Boston by the new look Red Sox.

On Friday night the Red Sox beat the A’s 2-1 in 12 innings. Justin Duchscherer started for the A’s and pitched 6 innings while yielding one earned run on five hits. For Boston, Tim Wakefield pitched 6 and 1/3 innings and gave up no earned runs as neither starter factored into the decision. Jed Lowrie had a big night going 2-4 with both of Boston’s RBI, including a single to win the game in the 12th. In Jason Bay’s debut he finished 1-3 with 2 runs scored. For the A’s, Jack Cust supplied a solo home run in the 8th inning which only delayed the inevitable. Mike Timlin pickled up the win with one inning of work, while Allan Embree took the loss by giving up an earned run in 2/3 of an inning.

On Saturday the A’s were assaulted by the Red Sox by a 12- 2 margin. Dana Eveland had a porous outing by pitching 2 innings and giving up 9 earned runs. Following this outing, Eveland was optioned back to AAA, and Dan Meyer was called up to take his place. Jon Lester opposed Eveland and picked up the win by pitching 7 innings and giving up 2 earned runs. Emil Brown had a two run home run for the A’s, while Jed Lowrie had another great night by going 2-3 with 3 RBI as the A’s lost 12-2.

Sunday morning was anything but easy for the A’s who lost 5-2 to finish up a disappointing series. Dallas Braden pitched 3 1/3 innings and gave up 4 earned runs, while Dice K pitched 6 innings and gave up 2 earned runs and recorded 8 strikeouts. The game featured a rain delay and another weak effort by the A’s offense. Daric Barton hit a two run home run for Oakland while Jed Lowrie went 1-3 with 3 RBI. It’s not often when a single player outperforms an entire team however, that  was the case with jed Lowrie in this series. The A’s will look to bounce back as they head up north to the second best country in the world to ace the Blue jays.

In the four game series in Toronto, Greg Smith(5-10, 4.04) will start for the A’s on Monday night against Roy Halladay(12-8, 2.85). Tuesday night, Sean Gallagher(4-4 4.11) will face Canadian native Scott Richmond(0-1, 5.06). On Wednesday, Justin Duchscherer(10-7 2.33) will face Shaun Marcum(5-5 3.57). the series will conclude on thursday when a pitcher to be named will face A.J.. Burnett(13-9 4.57). Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great week and remember to live smooth.

Earlier this afternoon, the A’s continued their rebuilding process by sending their “ace” at the beginning of the ‘08 season to Philadelphia in exchange for three minor league prospects. Blanton, the A’s Opening Day starter, was struggling this season in Oakland, as he had been very inconsistent with his (5-12) record and a 4.96 E.R.A. The haul of prospects that the A’s pulled back in this deal were second baseman Adrian Cardenas (the second ranked prospect in the Phillies’ system according to Baseball America before the season’s start), AA level pitcher Josh Outman, who was the fourth ranked prospect, also according to Baseball America, and is (5-4) with a 3.20 E.R.A. , and outfielder Matt Spencer who is hitting .249 this season at Class A Clearwater. Cardenas is just 20 years old, Outman is 23, and Spencer is 22. All three of these players will be sent to the A’s farm system, and with Blanton vacating the starting rotation Gio Gonzalez may be called up into the rotation, but no decision has been made yet. I (Jordan) feel like this was a good move for Beane to make at this time, because he is continuing to make it clear that he is in full rebuilding mode. I respect that he is sticking with his guns from the offseason. There will be more on this, and the Harden trade in our next episode of Athleticscast. Please make sure you all weigh in on these roster moves by emailing us at hosts@athleticscast.com, by calling us at 415-691-6185, or by posting your thoughts on this page. Take care, and Let’s Go Oakland!!!!

Today the Oakland A’s traded right handed starter Rich Harden, and Chad Gaudin in exchange for outfielders Eric Patterson, Matt Murton, pitcher  Sean Gallagher and minor leaguer John Donaldson. This marks the end of the Harden era and further signals the A’s desire forego competing this year for a chance to make the playoffs next year. Stay tuned, more to come.

Baseball America is reporting that the A’s and 16-year old Michael Inoa of the Dominican Republic have agreed to a contrat with a $ 4.25 million signing bonus. This kid is 6 foot 7, and at 16 has been clocked at 96 mph on his fastball, but is regularly about 91-93 mph. He is supposed to have an excellent curveball and a “dirty” splitter. It is nice to see the A’s continue to build their farm system, and this kid has me excited for the future. He is projected as a 1 or 2 starter potentially, and with our already good amount of young arms in the rotation and on the farm, things look good for the future as far as pitching is concerned.

Hey what’s up A’s fans, this is Charles here with another series recap. This week the A’s traveled to Arizona for an interleague matchup against the talented Diamondbacks where they lost two out of three.

On Tuesday the A’s pummeled the D-backs 15-1 in what was Brandon Webb’s worst start of the year. Justin Duchscherer cruised through 8 innings of work while only giving up 1 earned run. Brandon Webb stumbled through 3 1/3 innings while surrendering 7 earned runs. Mark Ellis had a huge day going 3-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI, while Rajai Davis also tacked on a homer run and 3 RBi on a 2-2 night. Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez each had a home run and two RBI, while Carlos Gonzalez, Kurt Suzuki and Cust each had an RBI. 

On Wednesday the Diamondbacks returned to favor by beating the A’s 11-1. In his first start against his former team, Dan Haren pitched 7 strong innings while giving up one earned run. For the A’s Joe Blanton was awful in his 3 innings as he gave up 8 earned runs. Kurt Suzuki went 2-4 and recorded the only RBI for the A’s while multiple D-backs had big nights. Chris Young had a three run home run, Stephen Drew had a two run home run and Dan Haren had a 3 run double to open the game wide open as Arizona took game 2 of the series.

In the rubber game of the series on Thursday, Arizona beat the A’s 2-1 to take the series. Greg Smith started for the A’s and pitched 5 innings and gave up one earned run, while Doug Davis pitched 6 innings for Arizona and gave up 1 earned run. Jack Cust had a bloop RBI single that landed on the fair line to score the only run for the A’s. Chris Young went 2-2 with an RBI, while Justin Upton went 2-3 with the the game winning home run in the 8th to lead Arizona to the win. 

Following the series loss to Arizona the A’s head back to Oakland to face the surprising Florida Marlins for a three game series. On Friday night former Sacramento King Mark Hendrickson(7-5, 5.74 ERA) will face Rich Harden(4-0, 2.53 ERA). Saturday night will bring a matchup of Ricky Nolasco(7-4, 4.35 ERA) and Dana Eveland(5-5, 3.56 ERA). The finale on Sunday will feature Andrew Miller(5-5, 4.87) and Justin Duchscherer(7-4, 2.08 ERA). Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great weekend and remember to live smooth.

After losing a series against the Yankees, the A’s traveled across the bay where they completed a sweep of the Giants. The A’s were able to combine good pitching with timely hitting to start another winning streak. Lets begin with Friday nights game which featured throw back jerseys worn by the Giants.

Greg Smith started for the A’s against former A’s ace and former Cy Young award winner Barry Zito. Smith had a shaky start but picked up the win for the A’s as he pitched 5 innings and gave up one earned run, which was scored by Omar Visquel on a steal home. Zito lasted 5 and 2/3 innings and gave up 4 earned runs. Daric Barton had a nice game at the plate going 2-3 with an RBI. Jack Cust also tallied 2 RBI, while Chavez and Ryan Sweeney each had an RBI as the A’s beat the Giants 5-1. Fans were also treated to a moment of comic relief as the sprinklers went off in the infield during the bottom of the 9th inning. That would be the only laughs the Giants fans had during the weekend.

On Saturday the A’s beat the Giants once again this time by a 4-0 margin. Rich Harden had another strong outing for the A’s pitching 6 innings and not giving up a run. Matt Cain started for the Giants and lasted 7 innings while giving up three earned runs. The A’s scored two earned runs with the help of Jack Cust and Daric Barton who each had an RBI. The A’s scored their additional two runs on wild pitches to complete a 4-0 shutout. 

The A’s completed the sweep of the Giants on sunday with a 5-3 win. Dana Eveland started for the A’s and picked up the win after throwing 6 2/3 innings and giving up one earned run. Kevin Correia started for the Giants and took the loss after a 5 1/3 inning 5 earned run outing. Eric Chavez had a great game going 3-4 with 2 RBI, and Carlos Gonzalez, Bobby Crosby, and Daric Barton all had one RBI for the A’s. Randy Winn, Brian Bowker, and Benji Molina supplied the runs for the Giants in a losing effort. Street came in and picked up another save for the A’s, his 13th of the season. With the series sweep over the Giants the A’s now head to the desert for a three game series against the D-Backs.

Tuesday night Justin Duchscherer(6-4, 2.20 ERA) will start for the A’s against Brandon Webb(11-2, 2.73). On Wednesday, Joe Blanton(3-9, 4.23 ERA) will oppose former A’s ace Dan Haren(6-4, 3.41 ERA). The series will conclude on Thursday with Greg Smith(4-5, 3.62) facing fellow lefty and Cancer survivor Doug Davis( 2-3, 3.99 ERA). Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great week and remember to live smooth.

Hey what’s up A’s fans this is Charles here with another series recap. This weekend the A’s traveled to Texas where they lost yet another series against the Rangers. With a new look group of A’s, the downward spiral continued beginning on Friday night.

On friday the A’s lost 3-1 after Kevin Millwood went 6 innings and gave up one earned run to pick up the win. Justin Duchshcerer picked up the loss after pitching 6 innings and giving up two earned runs. Carlos Gonzalez made his major league debut for the A’s starting in center field and went 2 for 3 with the lone A’s RBI. Bobby Crosby also had a nice day by going 2-4 in the losing effort. Brandon Boggs had a big day for Texas by going 2 for 3, with 3 RBI.

Saturday brought another losing effort as the A’s lost to Texas 8-4. Sidney Ponson picked up the win for the Rangers, pitching 7 innings and relinquishing 4 earned runs. Joe Blanton picked up the loss after tossing 6 innings and giving up 6 earned runs. Josh Hamilton had another strong performance hitting a three run big boy. Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Frank Catalanotto each had four hits. Eric Chavez had a good day at the plate going 3 for 4, Travis Buck also had a nice day going 2-4 with 2 RBI. Jack Hannahan added the other two RBI for the A’s but it paled in comparison to Texas’ eight runs. 

It looked as if the A’s would be swept in Texas after a rough start, but a 9 run 7th inning for the A’s helped them to a 13-8 win. Greg Smith struggled for the green and gold lasting 5 innings and surrendering 7 earned runs. With the A’s down 7-4 in the top of the seventh, the A’s bats took it to the next level. In the inning Carlos Gonzalez had an RBI double, Kurt Suzuki then had a walk that brought home a run. Following the walk Hannahan hit a two run double, Crosby had a 2 run single, Cust hit a two run home run and Mark Ellis hit a solo home run to cap off the nine run seventh. Chad Gaudin picked up the run after an inning of relief as the A’s salvaged one game in the series.

As this historical week in politics comes, the A’s return home to face Detroit in a three game series. The A’s killer and former Oakland pitcher Kenny Rogers will oppose Rich Harden on Monday night. On Tuesday the “D-Train” Dontrelle Willis will make his return to his hometown to face Dana Eveland, and Justin Duchscherer will face off against Nate Robinson to complete the three game series. Make sure to email us at hosts@athleticscast.com or call us at 415-691-6185. You can also have your voice heard by posting a message to this blog. Go A’s! Have a great week and remember to live smooth.

Hello again A’s fans, it’s Jordan here, and wanted to mention the fact that the A’s have made a whole lot of roster moves before the series in Arlington. Eric Chavez is back (and played in yesterday’s 12-0 blowout loss against Toronto), as is Travis Buck, who will bat leadoff tonight, Kiko Calero is back in the bullpen, where he will be joined by Brad Ziegler, and we will all get to see the Major League debut for Carlos Gonzalez, (doubled in the third inning in his first career at-bat) who is batting eighth tonight. Hopefully the new blood will help the team stay above water. With these moves, Frank Thomas, Mike Sweeney, Ryan Sweeney, and Joey Devine are all placed on the DL. Also, Lenny Dinardo and Kevin Melillo were designated for assignment.

Let’s go Oakland!!!

Hey A’s fans, I would like to apologize for the fact that there is a slight delay on the blog entry, and this week’s episodes. This is finals week for both Charles and I, and it is pretty stressful. I’d also like to congratulate Charles on graduating this week. As soon as we get some time, which will be at some point this week, we will get an episode and blog up. Thank you for understanding, and go A’s! It has been a tough stretch, as the A’s have lost nine of their last eleven, but hopefully they can turn it back around.