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As the July 31st trading deadline passed with a flurry of excitement over the last week, it was all quiet on the western front. Specifically, in Oakland. The unusual and abnormal lack of movement was the focus: for a change, the A’s did not trade away their players—veteran starters or minor league prospects. This is surprising news for the organization, because traditionally around this time of the season, the Athletics rid their roster of salaries and stock up on loads of minor leaguers.

The difference this year for Oakland is that they are amazingly not in last place, and surprisingly visible, albeit quite distantly, in the playoff picture. Another reason is that Oakland’s shelves are currently filled with an inventory of broken players, a result of some offseason gambles that, of course, did not pan out.

The Oakland organization only has a meager amount of money, and every year GM Billy Beane basically uses that tiny wad of cash to bet on the potential productivity of old veteran players for the upcoming baseball season.

The difference between Beane and other baseball GMs is that Beane makes giant bets with a small bank account, hoping that he hits the lottery somehow. Sometimes he buys just one almost insignificant scratcher; and other times he can afford a boatload or two of tickets. Either way, because it is Oakland, these gambles end up busting, and ultimately the entire season does, too.

As usual, this past offseason, Beane took some big risks on some aging, oft-injured veterans. And thus, the 2010 season has resulted like many of the years in the past decade for the Athletics: crapping out. The A’s re-signed starter, Justin Duchscherer, to a one-year contract, after he spent the 2009 campaign battling back  hip injuries and, even more seriously, a bout with clinical depression. It wasn’t a large sum, but given that Duke had to get both his body and mind healthy, it was still uncertain if he could resume being their ace again. He began the season in the starting rotation, and within two months was done for the season with hip surgery.

Another long-time Athletic was given another chance to play out this season, at a lofty $12 million. Chavez, who hasn’t been healthy the last four years, is the one player who has remained in Oakland during the Moneyball era, when scores of stars were traded or left as free agents. As the sole survivor—the one that Oakland chose to keep—he was down to his last chance to be relevant again. The A’s even sent Jack Cust to the minors and kept Chavez as the permanent DH. Soon after Duchscherer was injured, Chavez went down, and it seems as though his baseball career has as well.

The biggest surprise, however, was the signing of Ben Sheets, who had just come off of serious, career-threatening elbow surgery. Sheets was given a whopping $10 million for one year, which, for Oakland, is like going into the high-stakes poker room. They banked on him providing some experience and stability; but he, too, flamed out, hurt his arm, had surgery, and is done for the year. The A’s tend to borrow a veteran player for the first half of the season, and if (and when) they are out contention in the division, they deal their recent acquisitions for more young talent. Last year Jason Giambi, Orlando Cabrera, and Matt Holliday were examples of that philosophy.

This season, Sheets was considered to be trade bait, but after he hurt his arm, he wasn’t even able to be exchanged for any prospects. What a tremendous disappointment that turned out to be.

The Athletics’ have used the disabled list so many times—and currently have so many players on it—that they couldn’t even offer anybody for a potential trade.

Travis Buck and Ryan Sweeney are nice players and all, but they could have been swapped for fresh pitching prospects if they weren’t out for the year with injuries. Even Conor Jackson, who the A’s actually acquired to boost their offense, is injured with no imminent return. The list continues with players who could have been traded away if they weren’t on medical leave already.

It is apparent that Beane and the Athletics’ evaluate talent differently than they used to a few years ago when they annually shopped for long-ball, high-OPS players. But with a roster of small-ballers, it has become clear that the A’s need to gamble in order to compete for a playoff spot. As a result, they have to engage in a “high risk, high reward” approach.

This season, that philosophy has backfired. While they are a scrappy team who can eke out some wins and do some really exciting things, they are too dependent on some big gambles in order for them to be successful for the entire season. Hopefully at the end of the year, Beane will play at the smaller tables and gamble less. Or maybe the A’s will avoid gambling altogether.

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It’s a little too soon to think about the offseason, but with the injuries mounting for the Oakland A’s it’s only a matter of time before the rosters expand. Then the A’s will be  looking at what the roster maybe like for the 2011 season. 

With that being said what players are likely to stay? What players are likely going to be gone? I’ll start with the infielders and finish with the relief pitchers. 

The catcher position is the most stable position for the A’s with Kurt Suzuki signing a four year contract extension. Landon Powell is a solid backup behind Suzuki, he was behind the plate when Dallas Braden’s threw his perfect game. 

At first base this is where it gets interesting especially if the A’s aren’t in striking distance of the Texas Rangers. It’s almost certain that Chris Carter will be called up when the rosters expand to 40. 

Carter is the future of the A’s and is the power bat the A’s have been desperately seeking since Frank Thomas left as a free agent after the 2006 season. The problem is that the A’s have Daric Barton at first base. 

Which, could mean that Barton’s expendable or that he’s going to be asked to switch positions either to third base which he has some experience playing when he was in the minors or to the outfield. 

Second base Ellis should remain the starter, he doesn’t strike out much, can hit for power and is outstanding on defense. 

For shortstop the job still remains Cliff Pennington as the A’s really don’t have much depth at the position. 

Kevin Kouzmanoff’s at third base is a great defensive third basemen, but isn’t truly a middle of the order hitter which the A’s need. The A’s could certainly send him in a package deal in the offseason. 

A player that will likely remain on the A’s roster for his versatility and his hustle is Adam Rosales who played in the outfield and all four infield spots.

In left field for the A’s Rajai Davis will continue to split time at all three positions, his speed is a definite boost to the club and he’s been rather durable since arriving in Oakland. 

Coco Crisp in center signed only a one year contract with a club option, but the A’s will more than likely buy out his contract and hope to sign him for less or if he decides to go somewhere else Davis could return to his more natural position of center field. 

In right field is Ryan Sweeney who should be recovered from his knee injury could still be out of a job. With Michael Taylor starting to hit in Sacramento, Sweeney could be traded in the offseason depending on his health. 

Backup outfielders include Matt Watson, Matt Carson, Gabe Gross, and Jack Cust. Out of the four only Cust should remain with the A’s especially if Carter and Taylor can show they can hit at the Major League level once they are called up. 

The starting rotation will be interesting thanks to a plethora of young talent for the A’s. 

Brett Anderson and Trevor Cahill will be at the top of the rotation, Dallas Braden will be third, Gio Gonzalez fourth, and Vin Mazzaro fifth. Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some trades involving the A’s young pitching. 

In my opinion Gonzalez and Mazarro are expendable and either one could be used in a trade involving Barton, Sweeney, or Kouzmanoff. For the A’s in Sacramento there’s Clayton Mortenson and Tyson Ross, but more importantly coming back from injury is Josh Outman. 

What was supposed to be the strength of the A’s in 2010 was the bullpen, but instead it was a weakness. Michael Wuertz struggled and I could see him being traded during the offseason. Jerry Blevins had been struggling but has been better as of late, Brad Ziegler continues to struggle and could be moved as well. 

Relievers like Cedric Bowers, Henry Rodriguez, and Ross Wolf need to start being used a little bit more as the season progresses to build up their confidence and show what they can do at the big league level. 

Bowers is 32 years of age but since he’s left handed he has a fit in the Majors, Rodriguez is the youngest he has a dominating fastball he needs to work on locating his offspeed pitches, and Wolf is 27 with not much experience yet. 

Andrew Bailey and Craig Breslow have been the only consistent relievers the A’s have had all year. 

Rodriguez should be a setup man in 2011 if he can find his command, Bowers will more than likely begin the year in Sacramento, same can be said for Wolf. Coming back from injury Joey Devine who will find a spot in the bullpen. 

Looking at the players currently on the disabled list. Eric Chavez should retire, Travis Buck will either be released or find his way back to the minors, Conor Jackson should be with the A’s in 2011 as a fourth outfielder and backup first basemen, John Meloan will begin in Sacramento, Justin Duchscherer will be released, and Ben Sheets will not be resigned either. 

So, the players likely staying for the A’s are Suzuki, Powell, Ellis, Pennington, Rosales, Davis, Jackson, Bowers, Rodriguez, Wolf, Bailey, and Breslow. 

Likely out include: Barton, Crisp, Gonzalez, Mazarro, Wuertz, Ziegler, Buck, Chavez, Duchscherer, and Sheets.

Coming back from injuries: Devine, Outman, and Sweney.

What will be interesting is if the A’s do make any trades during the offseason and what kind of players will they get in return.

Here’s what a possible lineup for the A’s could look like for next year:

1. Davis, CF

2. Jackson, LF

3. Taylor, RF

4. Carter, 1B

5. Suzuki, C

6. Cust, DH

7. Barton, 3B

8. Ellis, 2B

9. Pennington, SS

Utility:

1. Rosales

2. Powell

3. Corey Wimberly

4. Carson

The Starting rotation would look like this:

1. Anderson

2. Cahill

3. Braden

4. Mortenson

5. Outman/Ross

Relivers: 

1. Bowers

2. Blevins

3. Jon Hunton

4. Devine

5. Rodriguez

6. Breslow

7. Bailey 

This lineup doesn’t take into account free agency or who the A’s could possibly get in a trade, so the offseason for the A’s could be big because they have plenty of young pitching talent and a few players that could attract some interest. 

But, the biggest fix of all for A’s fans should be the firing of Bob Geren and hitting coach Jim Skaalen. 

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After losing two of three in Arlington to the division-leading Rangers, the Oakland Athletics need to shift their focus from winning the American League West to having their first winning season since 2006.

The Oakland Athletics went into Texas playing their best baseball of the season. They had won nine of the past 11 games, four straight series, and were seven and a half games out of first.

The Texas series was huge for the Athletics, and they were unable to come away with the series win. Although they only fell to eight and a half games back, they also lost Andrew Bailey due to injury.

The Athletics’ disabled list seems to multiply by the week, and with the A’s appearing as if they will remain silent at the trade deadline, it is time for them to concede the AL West and focus on finishing above .500

While this would normally mean the A’s should be sellers at the deadline, Billy Beane has been adamant that he wants to keep his team in tact, and build continuity for the future.

This is a good sign for A’s fans who have grown accustomed to new faces every year,  because of Beane’s tendency to acquire as many young prospects as he can get his hands on.

If the A’s can finish 2010 strong, build continuity together, and use the off season to get healthy, there will be a lot of promise in 2011.

Oakland still needs a power bat before they can be considered a legitimate threat to win the division, but the team appears to finally be heading in the right direction.

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This day came a little earlier than I supposed it would. Ben Sheets’ season is now officially over. Possibly his career. Twice at the quarter season and half way points, I have given Sheets an overall grade. Now, instead of having two more reviews, I am forced to give my final one with his season ending surgery.

Sheets plans on having flexor-tendon surgery, mostly so that he can pitch again if he would like to; but he stated: “If I came back, I would have to feel a lot better.” (San Francisco Chronicle).

He will most likely miss all of next season, and there is a good chance he could be done permanently.  The infamous Dr. James Andrews did his prior surgery on his injured tendon in his arm.

Now let’s get to the review:

Sheets, the 6’1”, 222 pound starter was 4-9 this season with a 4.53 ERA. The league average is 4.15.

He started 20 games this season and had seven no decisions. He had 116 innings pitched this year which was his second lowest of his career (88 in 2006 was lowest). Sheets was 1-1 against his division with four no decisions.

All of these factors are mixed in with his $10 million contract which equals out to $2.5 million dollars per win. I am not trying to be too hard on Sheets—who undoubtedly went out and pitched hard, but the wins just aren’t there.

He was getting quite consistent to end the year as he didn’t allow more than four Earned Runs after a May 2nd debacle where he gave up 9 runs to the Blue Jays. That meant over his last fourteen starts, he has left his team in the game, just not been able to get run support.

With all of this taken into account, he can’t be given a high grade, since he just didn’t step it up in the games when needed; but still became effective to a point as the season progressed. The season ending injury realistically has to hurt his grade overall.

Season Ending Grade: C

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The Oakland A’s came in tonight’s game against the American League West division leading Texas Rangers, but yet again the A’s were burned by a pitcher being left in a game too long. 

Vin Mazzaro didn’t have an easy time with the Rangers lineup. At one point Michael Young, Vladimir Guerrero, and Josh Hamilton combined to go 6-6. The telling stat though is the fact in five and a third innings Mazzaro gave up 12 hits! 

What really makes for A’s fans disgusted with Geren was the fact that in the sixth inning the A’s rallied from a 4-1 deficit to a 4-3 deficit. The big clue for Geren that Mazzaro needed to be relieved was the fact that starting the bottom of the sixth inning he had already given up nine hits. 

It wasn’t like the bottom of the fifth inning was a breeze for Mazzaro either. He did a great job pitching out of a jam and for a 23 year old that should have been enough for him to keep his confidence for his next start. 

That inning saw Young double, Josh Hamilton single moving Young to third, Guerrero then hit into a double play scoring Young, and Nelson Cruz struck out swinging. It says something about Mazzaro being able to get out of a jam like that when facing the Rangers potent lineup. 

Instead Mazzaro of course was allowed back out. The first batter was David Murphy and Mazzaro did a good job of getting ahead of him, but Murphy worked the count a little more to his favor and hit a hanging slider way out to right field. 

After the homerun Mazzaro should have been relieved, it wasn’t like the A’s didn’t have anyone up in the bullpen in case Mazzaro got into trouble. The next hitter was Mitch Moreland and he got a pitch that he just missed hitting out to center field. Another sign to Geren that Mazzaro was done. 

Still, he was left in to face Joaquin Arias who hit a slowly hit ball toward Cliff Pennington. Instead of charging the ball Pennington waited to receive the ball and use his arm to get Arias, but he beat out the throw by Pennington. 

Was Mazzaro taken out of the game after Arias got on? Nope. He was left into face Taylor Teagarden, it was understandable that maybe just maybe Mazzaro would be able to get Teagarden because coming into the at-bat he was hitting .034 on the season with no homeruns and no RBI. 

Well, Teagarden finally got a pitch he could hit and he drove the ball out for a two run shot to make the game 7-3. Any momentum the A’s had from getting with in one run was still there because when Murphy hit his homerun the A’s were still within two runs.  But, when Teagarden launched his two run homerun any thought of making the game interesting was gone. 

Tonight was just another perfect example of why Geren needs to be fired immediately. 

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A goal of many baseball fanatics is to visit all 30 Major League Baseball ballparks. Some claim this accomplishment separates the genuine baseball enthusiast from the fair-weather fan.

People who have traveled the United States in pursuit of this ambition speak of three types of stadiums.

1.      The classic ballparks:

These include Fenway Park, and “The Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field. Home of the Green Monster, Fenway was built two years earlier that Wrigley, in 1912, and is the oldest venue used by a professional sport steam in America. The locals claim that it is “America’s Favorite Ballpark,” however, that assertion must be taken with grano salis, as they also believe America runs on Dunkin’ Donuts.

2.      The new era stadiums:

The new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, which replaced the old Yankee Stadium (1923) and Shea Stadium (1964) in 2009, are most often mentioned. AT&T Park (2000) in San Francisco , Minute Maid Park (2000) in Houston , and Target Field (2010) in Minneapolis would also fall into this category. All of these parks are primarily used for baseball and have been designed in ways that make them unique.

3.      The multi-purpose stadiums:

Better known as the cookie cutter parks, these venues often serve both a football and a baseball team. Despised by baseball aficionados and casual fans alike, the cookie cutter stadiums usually are built for the local football franchise and adapted for baseball.

After the Twins moved out of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome this year, the Florida Marlins and the Oakland Athletics became the only two teams that play in a football stadium.

In 2012 the Marlins will move to Miami and play in a stadium with a retractable roof. When the Marlins leave Sun Life Stadium—formerly Joe Robbie Stadium, Pro Player Park, Pro Player Stadium, Dolphins Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, and Land Shark Stadium—it is only fitting that they will change their name to the Miami Marlins (surprisingly the name Marlins was not auctioned off to the highest bidder).

This leaves the Oakland Athletics as the only major league franchise to play in a multi-purpose stadium.

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, which was constructed in 1968 and was renovated in 1996, is home to both the Raiders and A’s.

Located in industrial Oakland, across a barb-wired bridge from the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station, the Coliseum features shallow pools of water in the corridors, an inaccessible upper deck that has been tarped (located on what the locals call Mount Davis), and box seats in the outfield that are blocked off by the same silver material people put in their automobile’s windshield to keep the California sun from making their vehicle’s interior miniature inferno.

However, this dilapidated venue is an important destination for baseball enthusiasts. It may not be as historically significant as Wrigley Field or as visually stunning as AT&T Park, but within it the genuine baseball fan can witness first-hand the untold story: the plight of the small-market baseball fan in today’s MLB .

The A’s are a storied franchise with nine World Series titles and avid niche fanbase in sunbathed California. In Oakland the team has won three World Series in a row, from 1972-74, and won again in 1989. Mark McGuire, Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Barry Zito, and Tim Hudson have all donned the green and gold during their careers. In production is Moneyball, a film interpretation of a book of the same name that articulates strategies implemented by A’s General Manager Billy Beane that kept his small-market team competitive.

However, the glory days of the A’s have become something of the past. Beneath Mount Davis fans have hung a sign that says “Don’t Take Our A’s.” The Coliseum, which used to fill to its capacity of 35,000 at the turn of the century, now barely draws a crowd of 10,000 on a Friday night.

If this historic baseball franchise is going to be revived, baseball enthusiasts must become aware of the A’s situation and, regardless of where they come from and which team they support, understand that professional baseball needs reform.

Small-market teams like the A’s build their teams through the draft and then, when the team becomes competitive, they sign free agents to give their team an edge. Currently the MLB draft is flawed in that big-market teams are able to spend more money on top-notch prospects—who receive bigger paydays than proven MLB stars before they don the cap of a professional team—and small-market teams end up drafting less talented players with a higher selection because they cannot afford to invest a giant sum of money in a player who has yet to play in the MLB.

With a reform in the MLB draft small-market teams like the A’swill be able to compete with big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox that have enough money to rely on MLB-proven talent acquired through free agency to fill out their rosters.

In turn, Athletics fans in the East Bay must lobby for their team to build a new stadium. When the Twins, a storied small-market franchise like the A’s, moved into Target Field this year they were able to increase their payroll, re-sign homegrown players like Joe Mauer and Denard Span, and compete for top free agents like Cliff Lee.

There are some people who consider teams like the A’s, Kansas City Royals , and Pittsburgh Pirates minor league teams that feed big-market franchises like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Angels . If Major League Baseball is truly major league baseball, all 30 teams must be able to compete for a title, regardless of where they are located.

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“I could ask the Phillies to keep me on to add to my statistics, but my love for the game won’t let me do that.” —Mike Schmidt

It’s always refreshing for a Hall-of-Famer like Mike Schmidt to know when the time’s right to hang up the spikes.

To that point, the majority of Schmidt’s days were spent at baseball’s hot corner, where he established himself as one of the all-time greats, winning three MVPs and 10 Gold Glove awards.  However as “Father Time” began to set in, Schmidt realized his best days were behind him and he could only regress moving forward on the diamond. 

What I admire about Schmidt is he had the courage to let go of the familiar before his game became unfamiliar to what fans were accustomed to seeing. For that and so many other reasons, the Philly faithful hold him dear to their hearts, because he always gave his very best to the team, city and fans.

Now, Eric Chavez’s career numbers cannot hold the jockstrap of Schmidt’s Cooperstown-worthy numbers.

However, both players were cornerstones for their respective ball clubs and their tenures marked an era that saw their franchises go through roller-coaster rides of highs and lows.  Although Chavy seemed to experience nothing but the lows over his last few seasons in Oakland.

Chavez is only 33, but “Father Time” caught up with him earlier than A’s fans (or GM Billy Beane) would have preferred.  He’s a quality human being, but further jeopardizing his post-baseball health for another shot as the A’s DH would be crippling, not only to his body, but to every person that ever revered Chavy over his 13-year career.

The solution is simple, retire so people don’t forget what an intrinsic role he played during the inception of Oakland’s Moneyball era.

Still, the question is more complex. How should Chavez be remembered in Oakland?

Once the A’s drafted Chavez with the 10th overall selection in 1996, word spread like Bay Area traffic that Oakland possessed baseball’s next great third baseman. 

He was closely compared to future Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones, because his arsenal included power, speed, and sparkling defensive ability.  Yet, his career path has closely resembled that of Scott Rolen and Troy Glaus.  Great, promising talents whose career numbers were debilitated by on-going, lingering injuries. 

(Although both Rolen and Glaus have found the Fountain of Youth and a resurgence on contending ball clubs in 2010.)

Chavez debuted in 1998, and by the turn of the century he had established himself as the A’s everyday guy, hitting 26 bombs in his second full season. 

Batting .333 in a losing effort to the Yankees during the 2000 ALDS, the future looked bright for the precise, silky-smooth  infielder out of San Diego. 

In 2001, he blasted onto the national scene, winning his first of six consecutive Gold Gloves.  Also, Chavez belted 32 bombs in a already power-loaded A’s lineup, featuring Jason Giambi, Miguel Tejada, Jermaine Dye, and Johnny Damon. 

For his efforts down that season’s stretch, Chavy was the American League Player of Month for September, which resulted in the franchise’s first back-to-back postseason appearance since their run of three straight World Series appearances from 1988 to 1990.

From 2000 to 2005, Chavez had his best numbers.  He was a notoriously-slow starter, but after the All-Star Break he fired on all cylinders heading on through Game 162, continuing a constant theme of Oakland second half surges.

Note: This might help explain why Chavez was never selected for the Mid-Summer Classic in his career. 

In 2004, Chavez inked a six-year, $66 million contract extension with the Green and Gold, locking him up through his 32nd birthday.  He was the lone player from the Moneyball A’s to sign a lengthy extension, meaning Billy Beane had done his homework and calculated Chavy as the greatest all-around value for the small-market club.

Looking back, Beane didn’t strike it rich with the long-term investment. However, Chavez was the right player to retain from those highly-entertaining, overachieving A’s squads.  He was a five-tool athlete that  never received strong suspicion from MLB officials linking him to any steroid scandal.

Though his best years were during the peak of steroid abuse, Chavez’s averages never really changed.  He just stopped developing.  The only argument for possible PED use would have been his proneness to injury since the start of stricter testing policies.  Plus, he played with multiple, noted juicers during his career.

In the end, the statistics back up Beane’s decision, because Chavez’s numbers through 2005 suggested he had great value for Oakland’s trend-setting, numbers-crunching management system. 

Today, front office personnel, scouts, and baseball nerds have fallen in love with WAR player ratings, which is a formula for calculating a player’s value in terms of wins for his team. 

From 2001 to 2005, Chavez placed in the American League’s Top 10 WAR ratings for position players, averaging a 5.8 rating per season.  Also, he consistently ranked in the league’s top five for infielder putouts, assists, range factor, and fielding percentage through 2007.

Note: If Chavez retired tomorrow, he would finish with the sixth-highest fielding percentage in MLB history.

The point is Eric Chavez is the longest tenured player on the A’s roster, standing the test of time in Beane’s buy low, sell high system. However, the injuries to his body (neck, shoulder, spine) definitely hindered his numbers and cramped his free-flowing style of play.

Obviously, Chavez never lived up to his contract’s expectations, but the swagger he brought to the ballpark was undeniable and fun to watch everyday. 

The memories of his highlight-reel glove will always triumph his career in the batter’s box, but Chavez often delivered against the top teams in crucial moments when the A’s were making potential playoff runs (just ask Mariners and Angels fans).  

And isn’t that what we want out of our athletes?  That they seize the big moment when it‘s presented to them.

Eric Chavez had a subtle flair and coolness on those A’s “Animal House” teams, but he should be remembered for his clutch performances during a memorable, exuberant stretch for Athletics’ fans everywhere.

It’s time Chavy. Go gently into the night.

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Bob Geren’s legacy as manager of the Oakland A’s will always be his legendary incompetency. No manager in Major League history is as clueless at using their bullpen as Geren has been.

Tonight illustrates a perfect example of how Geren can destroy the confidence of a young pitcher. Henry Rodriguez came into the ballgame to face Paul Konerko in the top half of the eighth inning, and Rodriguez did his job keeping the game close at 3-1. 

Rodriguez’s biggest problem has been his wildness. So, getting the last out in the eighth inning could have been a huge boost to his confidence, especially knowing that he came in during a key situation and was able to retire the All-Star Paul Konerko. 

Instead, Geren kept Rodriguez in the game. It wasn’t like the A’s bullpen wasn’t rested, considering the A’s had an offday yesterday. There were plenty of choices that Geren had to use in the ninth inning. The list includes Craig Breslow, Ross Wolf, Michael Wuertz, or Brad Ziegler. 

The A’s again paid for another mistake by Geren. Rodriguez was wild in walking the first man he faced in Carlos Quentin, and because Rodriguez has a big leg kick it made it extremely easy for the White Sox to steal on him. 

Andruw Jones pitch ran for Quentin and he stole a base rather easily. Mark Kotsay had a tremendous at-bat against Rodriguez but then again, this isn’t is the minor leagues and hitters aren’t going to be blown away by a high 90s fastball. 

Kotsay served the ball into left field for a single, Jones stopped at third. Brent Lillibridge ran for Kotsay and easily stole second. A.J. Pierzynski followed that up with a single right up the middle driving in both runs. 

After giving up that hit Rodriguez finally settled in striking out the next three batters, but not until the damage was done. Two runs that pushed the lead to 5-1 and with Mark Buehrle in complete control the game was over before the bottom of the ninth even began.

With a 3-1 lead the White Sox had at least the A’s could have made something of the game, but instead Geren threw in the white flag by keeping Rodriguez on the mound. 

It would have been much better if Geren had removed Rodriguez from the game after he induced the ground ball hit by Konerko because it would have built his confidence up and then gradually Rodriguez could be put into the game to pitch an inning. 

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Several times in 2010, I’ve used this space to lament the unfortunate trajectory on which the Oakland Athletics’ season seems to routinely find itself. If it’s not injuries derailing an otherwise smoothly steaming train, then it’s…well….

No, it’s pretty much been injuries every time, all the time.

The latest A to bite the dust has been Ryan Sweeney, who’s gone for the year. The right fielder had been a valuable splinter, posting a .294/.383/.725 line while making strong contributions with his glove and arm. With only a pair of big flies, the power Sweeney typically flashes in batting practice hadn’t translated, but the 20 doubles were a nice consolation prize.

Alas, the 25-year-old finally succumbed to right patella tendinitis and had surgery to relieve the issue at the cost of the ’10 campaign.

When Oakland officially placed Sweeney on the disabled list, it marked the 18th time the club had occasion to use the shelf. Only the Boston Red Sox have had their hand forced more times by Lady Luck and their payroll is more than triple that belonging to the Elephants, i.e. the Sawks have the depth of roster and pocket to withstand a whole lotta punishment.

The A’s do not.

Or so it would seem on paper.

Most of Oakland’s key pieces have missed significant time—Brian Anderson, Dallas Braden, Trevor Cahill, Coco Crisp, Justin Duchscherer, Mark Ellis, Conor Jackson, Kurt Suzuki, Sweeney, and Michael Wuertz.

Even Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Bailey have needed a little extra pine time to stave of sincere boo-boos.

By my count, the only vertebrae of the team’s backbone to escape the injury bug completely have been Daric Barton and Gio Gonzalez.

Nevertheless, Major League Baseball’s little engine that could started play on Friday a game over .500 and in third place in the American League West. Better yet, the Green and Gold has ripped off five wins in six games since Sweeney’s last appearance, which coincided with the finale before the All-Star game.

The Athletics came out of the break with a sweep of the lowly Kansas City Royals in Missouri and then returned to the Bay Area to take two of three from those banged up Beantowners.

Now, the first-place Chicago White Sox come to town to kick off a stretch of 15 contests that will match los Atleticos against front-runners 12 times (six tete-a-tetes with both the Pale Hose, who lead the AL Central, and the Rangers).

Given the M*A*S*H unit Oakland is currently fielding and the elite competition that the schedule’s about to deliver, nobody would blame the squad if it slipped over the edge and into the abyss.

But, considering the long odds already bucked by the team, nobody should be surprised if it emerges from the other end of the nightmarish tunnel no worse for the wear.

It would be a surprise, however, if the MLB radar were to catch the Athletics’ ironic season on one of its sweeps of the Show.

Even in their home market, the A’s don’t exactly cast an enormous media shadow.

The lads are streaking, they’re facing a big money bully, it’s Doggie Day at the Oakland Coliseum, the temperature is just right for baseball by the Bay, and—as if that weren’t enough enticement—Bleacher Report’s own Matt King sang the National Anthem (quite well, I might add).

Yet the paid attendance was only 15,105 and I’d say at least a third of those decided on rosier plans for the evening. Such as the Aerosmith concert playing next door at the Oracle Arena.

That’s the local love.

So you know the national profile is substantially smaller.

Nope, ESPN ain’t gonna come calling unless the Oakland Athletics manage to wrestle first place out of the Texas Rangers death-grip. With the acquisition of Cliff Lee and Oakland’s disabled list only getting longer, those prospects are slim and none.

And slim’s plane is taxiing for takeoff.

Which means it’s very likely that the A’s impressive show of resolve will continue to go unnoticed.

What a shame.

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In a move that has been anticipated for a while, the Oakland A’s have locked up catcher Kurt Suzuki for the foreseeable future.

The A’s and Suzuki agreed to a four-year, $16.25 million contract on Friday. There is a vesting option for a fifth year based on games played. Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has the breakdown of the contract:

Suzuki gets $600,000 this year with a $150,000 signing bonus; $3.4 million in 2011; $5 million in 2012; and $6.45 million in 2013.

The club holds an option for $8.5 million in 2014, with a $650,000 buyout, but there is also the vesting option that kicks in for that year if Suzuki plays in at least 118 games in 2013…an option worth $9.25 million.

At 26 years old, I think this is a good deal for Suzuki and the A’s. Here is where Suzuki ranks amongst all major league catchers over the last three calendar years:

Games: Fourth (415)

HR: Fifth (37)

OPS: Fifth (.729)

WAR: Fifth (6.8)

While the last couple of years haven’t been the best time for offensive catchers, Suzuki does rank towards the top of most offensive categories.

I would say he has been solid, yet unspectacular for the A’s over the course of his career.

Suzuki joins pitcher Brett Anderson as players the A’s have locked up for the next four years.

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