Thank God! Great games from Ausmus and Biggio tonight. BTW, this is only game one of the series, but it has more posts than the entire White Sox series I think.
Berkman once said on the 610 morning show that Brad was fearless or had no conscience or something like in 3-0 counts. So not totally surprised by that.
I sure hope they can use this win to try and string something together. The Astros need to put together a run here before the All Star break. I want them to buyers and not sellers come the second week in July.
Well, better represent my A's since this matchup happens only every 3 years. This was one exciting game and I suppose I should be pissed that the A's didn't score in the 9th with our 3-4 hitters up but it was a huge surprise to even be in that situation. I know Lidge has issues but Kotsay's been struggling since coming off the DL and he capped off a +80 point BA day with that homer. Really, this team is very resilient, overachieving so far with their DL problems and disappointing bullpen. Give credit to the Astros as Lidge had a silver lining and Ausmus swung at that 3-0 gimme to win it. Oh and striking out 18 times doesn't help. Joe Blanton starts tomorrow and all I can tell you is he's looking for better luck this time around as he was the losing pitcher in the 1-0 loss to Boston where Curt Shilling nearly had a no-hitter (yay Shannon Stewart). And I know you guys like to knock Ausmus but at least your catcher isn't the highest paid player on the team and is just under the Mendoza line
Yup, but A's fans are just as surprised (and thankful as well). Of all the starters, Harden is the only one who is consistent with his history (the DL). Haren is the reason Zito wasn't re-signed (and being super overpaid) and even though he is very good, he's the best pitcher in the AL right now. Gaudin is biggest surprise, replacing Harden and now he is suddenly an All-Star candidate. Kennedy replaced Loaiza and all anyone expected out of him was to last 5 innings a start. Blanton has become more than just an innings-eater and our 5th starter, DiNardo, has an ERA on par with Haren's. It adds up to the best ERA in the AL. It also means that these guys are playing well over their heads. Eventually they'll come down to earth but A's fans are crossing their fingers that when it happens, Harden/Loaiza/Bradley/Duke/ Street/Piazza all get healthy.
It would make sense for a budget team like the A's to do this but I don't believe they do. The A's play it very close to the vest with pitch counts. Art Howe/Ken Macha definitely isn't Dusty Baker. The A's were also very hesistant pitching their Big Three on short rest, even in the playoffs. I remember against the Yankees, they elected to pitch Cory Lidle rather than start Mulder on short-rest. Mulder did break down with the A's but nobody is really sure what his problem is. I'm not real sure his demise is purely due to injuries. Scouts have always been worried about Hudson's small frame and dependence on off-speed stuff. Zito's numbers are actually consistent with last season but with that big contract, they look horrible. Near the end, the Big Three was more hype than substance and the A's were smart to not overpay.
Absolutely was mechanical. Tried to overthrow, left side flew way open, arm dragged, you could tell what was going to happen before the ball left his hand. "I was surprised," manager Phil Garner said of Lidge's mistake. "He's been throwing so well. But he has to stay on task and stay within himself. He got overamped and tried to make a superhuman slider, when he only had to throw a nice one. He flew open, and when he does that, his arm drops down, the ball goes up and it doesn't have much on it." He made a bad pitch, he was awesome the rest of the inning. He'll be fine. Bork need props in this thread. Dude was dealing.
Richard Justice just said: Lidge is edgier now. You think he can't deal with the pressure? Bull...he's been pitching for his career for the past 6 weeks. That's a pretty good point, even if I am reluctant to admit RJ's good points. EDIT: he is also giving Purpura huge props (can i say that?) for holding on to Brad Lidge in the minors when other teams would have given up on him. said with all his injuries, he was looking to go back to school to pursue a regular career. and purpura went to him with rob nen's bio saying, "you can be a great closer." of course, tomorrow he'll tell us how bad purpura is and how he must be fired immediately.
