Kuzul

In a lot of ways, the Oakland Athletics have already had a very successful 2010.

The campaign isn’t over by any means—with more than 50 games yet to be played, anything and everything can still happen.

However, the A’s sit nine and a half games off the American League West pace set by the division-leading Texas Rangers. With the Texas in town for the weekend, they have a chance to shave some of that margin and they’d better.

Because they’re even further behind in the AL Wild Card race.

Granted, with the juggernauts out in the AL East, the playoff side door was probably never a realistic option.

Nah–it’s the pennant or bust.

Since the Rangers look to have a pretty firm grasp on the flag, Oakland’s hopes for contention are dwindling with every nine innings.

Nevertheless, the Elephants have shown a lot of pluck and resiliency over the course of the season. They started behind the eight-ball due to a minuscule payroll and then had their plight compounded by Lady Luck, who gave them only two flavors—bad and rotten.

Even so, the Green and Gold are treading water and posted a respectable 14-10 record in July, which was fourth-best in the Junior Circuit.

More importantly, there are plenty of silver linings that should give the franchise and its fanbase hope for the immediate future.

Begin Slideshow

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. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

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

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers has been officially placed on the disabled list retroactive to July 5 with a strained left oblique he suffered in the bottom of the third inning on Sunday. Fantasy baseball owners will greatly miss the 8-4 Gallardo with his 2.58 ERA and 9.83 strikeouts per nine innings.

Jordan Schelling of Brewers.com noted that despite being recently named to the National League All-Star team, Gallardo will not take part due to the injury. He will miss a minimum of two starts, and if all goes well, will be eligible to come off the disabled list July 20.  

In the meantime, if you need to fill the void left by Gallardo, or even Clay Buchholz, who was also recently sent to the disabled list, consider these ten options:

Begin Slideshow

It was pretty well known around here last season that I was not a fan of A’s righthander Trevor Cahill.

That wasn’t so much because I didn’t think the former top prospect had great potential. It was more due to the fact that Cahill wasn’t performing well and had completely ditched his best pitch, a big curveball.

Cahill throws five pitches: a four-seamer in the low-90’s, a two-seamer around 90 with unbelievable movement, a low-80’s changeup with excellent movement, the big curve, and a slider.

Last season, he essentially became a two-pitch pitcher, using the two-seam fastball and the changeup.

It didn’t work.

Cahill had a respectable 4.63 ERA, but his FIP was 5.33, he struck out just 90 batters, and he allowed a horrific 27 homers. 

Cahill’s struggles showed one thing: major league hitters can hit pitches with excellent movement if they know the ball is simply going to move down and to the right each pitch. Cahill didn’t understand that, and he just went fastball-changeup. He used his two breaking pitches just 10% of the time combined, and decreased their usage as the season went on.

Cahill entered the 2010 spring with a lot to prove. I was hoping he’d rededicate himself to his curveball, which scouts had praised as his best pitch while he was in the minors. I figured his hesitancy to throw the curve (just 2.7% usage in 2009) was the reason for his ineffectiveness.

Instead, Cahill announced that he had ditched his old curveball entirely and was working on a new curveball with a different grip.

Groan.

Cahill spent the spring trying to work on the pitch, but couldn’t do enough to win a rotation spot over five more deserving pitchers. He was on the DL to open the year and went to Triple-A when he was healthy.

Soon enough, after just two starts there, the injury bug hit the A’s, and they recalled Cahill.

Hoping to see this new curve in action, I was checking the pitch classifications for each pitch he threw in his first start.

He threw two curves and was was terrible as usual, allowing eight runs (six earned) in five innings, three homers allowed, and just three strikeouts.

In the next game, Cahill threw just three curves, and gutted through five decent innings.

His third outing saw five curves, and 5 2/3 passable innings.

And then, in his fourth start, Cahill unleashed the pitch, throwing it eighteen times. That start was his first quality start of the year, seven strong innings against the Angels on May 16.

Ever since then, Cahill’s been throwing the curve 10-20 times a game. He uses it once every eight or nine pitches.

Trevor Cahill is 8-2 with a 2.74 ERA.

The new curve Cahill throws has four more inches of vertical break and 4.5 more of horizontal break than the old one, so it certainly looks like a wise decision to go to this version.

More importantly, however, the curve, along with a revamped, bigger slider give Cahill weapons that break to the left. Batters can no longer sit on the two-seamer/changeup combo because the curve and slider are very good pitches. 

So the big change in his performance is not that the curve functions as Cahill’s out pitch (although it can), it’s that it makes his fastball and changeup better out pitches.

His strikeout rate has shot up over 1.5 K/9 to a passable 6.15, way up from the abysmal 4.53 of last season. Cahill’s increased fastball effectiveness has contributed to an increase in his groundball rate as well. He now generates grounders on 54.3% of opposing contact, up from 47.8% last year. He’s also allowed just five homers in his last 77 innings after allowing 27 last year and three in his first start this season.

Finally, Trevor Cahill has arrived. And thankfully, he’s got more than two pitches.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

This is a weekly focus on the hurlers that dominated their adversaries. These pitchers put up nasty numbers and made big league hitters wish they were playing T-Ball again.

1)    Edwin Jackson Ari

9 IP, 8 BB, 6 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

Edwin Jackson is yet another pitcher to join the list of no-hitters this year. He tossed 149 pitches against the Rays to put his name in the history books.

Jackson ’s outings leading up to his no-hitter weren’t spectacular. He was dragging around a 5.05 ERA before that night. The previous game against Detroit, he gave up nine hits in seven innings.

It would appear that fantasy owners aren’t biting on his recent success, either. He is only owned by 51.1 percent of owners with a slight increase of 2.5 percent in ESPN leagues. His current record of 5-6 and a 4.63 ERA isn’t exactly something that makes you jump out of your chair.

Much like Dallas Braden, the fantasy owners’ look at your total work and not one game.

He has posted a 1.62 ERA with two consecutive wins with 16 innings pitched in the last two weeks.

Regardless of his lack of success in the weeks prior, Jackson pitched a no-hitter and deserves the top spot for his performance last week.

2)    Chris Carpenter StL

8 IP, 3 H, 4 BB, 7 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

Carpenter took a line drive off his forearm and is listed day-to-day. He is still likely to make his next scheduled start.

He is currently 9-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He already has 100 strike outs in 116 innings pitched.

3)    Mariano Rivera NYY

5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 2 W, 0.00 ERA

Whenever there is talk about him getting old, he puts up phenomenal numbers. He was able to pick up two wins and sit down eight with strikeouts last week.           

Rivera has a 2-1 record with 17 saves and a 0.92 ERA for the season so far.

4)    Yovani Gallardo Mil

9 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 12 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

Gallardo is a killer on the mound. He was sitting down batters like an usher at a wedding.

He is 8-3 with a 2.56 ERA and 120 strike outs for the season.

5)    Carl Pavano Min

9 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

Pavano got the shut out victory after a grueling nine innings last week.

Pavano is one of the hottest players in fantasy free agency. His ownership sky rocketed by 26 percent in ESPN leagues.

He has a 9-6 record and has a nice 3.33 ERA with 59 strikeouts for the season.

6)    Jamie Moyer Phi

15 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 12 K, 2 W, 1.80 ERA

Moyer simply spot on last week with two wins and only a 1.80 ERA in 15 innings pitched.

The fantasy world still has no respect for Moyer. His ownership only jumped 5 percent to a total ownership of 12 percent in ESPN leagues. His high season ERA is keeping owners from taking a chance on him despite his recent success.

He is 3-0 for the last two weeks and touted a nice 1.96 ERA since mid-June.

He has a 9-6 record with a 4.30 ERA with 51 strike outs this season.

7)    Trevor Cahill Oak

7.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 10 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

          He has a 0.99 WHIP and is undefeated in June.

Cahill is fantasy baseball’s sexy waiver pick up with 35 percent increase in ownership in ESPN leagues.

He has a 7-2 record with a 2.88 ERA and 1.08 WHIP this season.

8)    Jon Lester Bos

15 IP, 11 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 15 K, 1 W, 1 L, 1.20 ERA

Boston has been bitten by the injury bug. With Beckett, Pedroia, Martinez, and Ellsbury on the DL it is amazing that they are nipping at the heels of the first place Yankees.

Lester’s performances on the hill would have a lot to do with their recent success.

Lester only allowed one run against the Giants in a complete game earning him the win with nine strikeouts.

He ended up with a loss despite a fantastic outing against the Rockies, giving up only one run.

He is 9-3 with a 2.86 ERA and 111 strikeouts for the season.

9)    Jake Peavy CWS

7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

In June, Peavy was excellent with a 1.75 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

He has a 1.23 ERA with 21 strikeouts in the last two weeks.

It would appear most of the fantasy owners who dropped Peavy during his early season struggles have picked him back up.

He is 7-6 with a 4.70 ERA and 91 strike outs.

10) J.J. Putz CWS

3 IP, 1 K, 2 W, 0.00 ERA

Putz pitched only three innings last week but was able to pick up two wins and a save. Bobby Jenks was on the shelf, but looks to be returning soon which would push Putz back into his set up role.

There is no reason to pick him up off waivers, as his fantasy value after this week will dwindle.

Putz is simply being recognized for the job he did while Jenks was away.

Honorable Mentions*

Roy Halladay Phi 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 W, 0.00 ERA

Gavin Floyd CWS 7 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K, No Decision, 0.00 ERA

Derek Lowe Atl 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 0.00 ERA

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Oakland Athletics have a few players that are deserving of an All-Star invitation, including Kurt Suzuki, Ryan Sweeney, and Andrew Bailey.

Despite how great all of these players are playing right now, Trevor Cahill is the most deserving of any.

The 22-year-old right-hander is from the Southern California area and should be returning there to represent the A’s in Angel Stadium. Cahill is 7-2 on the year with an impressive 2.88 ERA.

Of his 12 starts, 10 have been “quality starts,” and the team has won nine of the games started by Cahill.

Trevor Cahill has won his last six decisions, which is the longest winning streak by an A’s starting pitcher since Dan Haren in 2007.

Cahill is a laid-back guy who has very quietly put up a great season; hopefully the right people are taking enough notice that Cahill will be able to join Bob Geren in Anaheim.

With multiple players having good seasons, it is possible that the Oakland Athletics will have multiple All-Stars for the first time since 2004, when Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder were both selected.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Oakland Athletics were hanging tight in the race for the American League 
West division title. After the past two series where the A’s have lost five games out of six that were played, it has become clear the A’s need to make some major adjustments. 

That would involve making trades for a big time bat in the lineup. The only problem is, what self-respecting player would want to play for Bob Geren? This was shown by the most recent trade the A’s have made. 

Instead of getting a big bat from Arizona which has been rumored to be trading pretty much its entire roster, the A’s could only come up with Conor Jackson. No offense to Jackson, who’s a solid hitter, but he’s not the guy who’s going to be a savior for the A’s inept offense. 

Over the last few games there’s been countless times the A’s have had scoring opportunities and the A’s have come up empty each and every time. It hasn’t helped that manager Bob Geren has been shuffling the lineup since the arrival of Jackson either. 

In the second game against the Chicago Cubs, Rajai Davis was benched in favor of Ryan Sweeney in center field. Jackson was actually the leadoff hitter for the A’s. Davis was out of the lineup after going 3-5. 

Just inexcusable managing by Geren. To make matters worse, today’s game was lost because Geren took out Dallas Braden way too early from the game. 

That’s just icing on the cake for how Geren manages the A’s. He doesn’t know what it takes to win because every season the A’s have been nowhere near a playoff spot. This year has been a surprise and with the A’s strong starting pitching they should be able to remain close. 

The issue is, can the A’s bring in a bat to help with the offense? At this point there’s really no positives going for the A’s team. Their next series is against the St. Louis Cardinals and they will be facing Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainright.

Even if the A’s had one of the better offenses in the league, it’d be a scary matchup, but it’s much worse with the pathetic offensive lineup. 

At the end of the series against the Cardinals, the A’s could be easily suffering their fourth straight loss along with having lost eight of their last nine. Even at that point in the season the A’s chance at a playoff spot will be slim to none. 

Lack of confidence for such a young team and will lead to the young starters, specifically Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez, and Vin Mazzaro, to try to make the perfect pitches. 

The end of the season will be a disaster if the A’s can’t find a way to bring in more than just prospects. 

In 2008 the A’s traded Nick Swisher to the Chicago White Sox for Ryan Sweeney and Gio Gonzalez. While, Sweeney has been a solid player for the A’s he’s nowhere near the power threat that Swisher was. 

The most homeruns in a season by Sweeney has been six compared to Swisher who as an A hit a career high 35 in 2006. Gonzalez has come along very well for the A’s and has been one of the more consistent starters for the A’s but it took him some time to get to the big leagues. 

Dan Haren trade along with Connor Robertson for Chris Carter the A’s best power prospect, Brett Anderson, Aaron Cunningham, Dana Eveland, Carlos Gonzalez, and Greg Smith. 

Anderson has become one of the A’s best pitchers but is currently injured. Carter again is the best power prospect for the A’s but hasn’t shown the stick yet at Sacramento to be called up, Eveland is gone, Gonzalez is gone, and Smith is gone. 

Gonzalez showed promise for the A’s but was part of the trade that brought in Matt Holliday. Which, will go down as one of the worst trades that Billy Beane has made. 

Holliday was eventually traded for Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson, and Clayton Mortenson. Wallace is gone, and Peterson and Mortenson down in the minor leagues. 

Joe Blanton was traded for Adrian Cardenas, Matt Spencer, and Josh Outman. Only Outman has seen time in the big leagues and is currently recovering from major surgery. 

Question is where is the Major League talent being traded for? There hasn’t been much and a majority of the players are either in the minors still or have been traded away in parts of other trades. 

The common denominator is the clueless man managing the team, Geren! 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With Brett Anderson being on the injured list for most of the season, the Oakland A’s needed someone to step up to become the ace of the staff while Anderson recovered from his injury. 

All signs pointed to Dallas Braden as being the new ace of the staff.

The highlight of Braden’s success came on Mothers Day when he pitched a perfect game. Since then, Braden has struggled. 

Part of the problem has been the lack of run support for the perfect pitcher.

The other problem with Braden is that he doesn’t throw particularly hard and since he throws a slider only on occasion, hitters know that they are either getting a mid-to-high 80s fastball or a change-up that’s in the 70s. 

He’s made six starts as of tonight since the perfect game and has given up 44 hits, 21 runs (19 earned), and has gone 0-4 with two no-decisions in that span. 

Overall Braden has a 4-6 record, two complete games, one shutout, a 3.95 ERA, 81 hits given up, 38 runs (36 earned), 50 strike outs, and walked 14. 

Braden’s numbers aren’t bad but he hasn’t been pitching like an ace.

On the other hand, Gio Gonzalez has been pitching with greater poise and actually has become the most consistent starter on the staff for the A’s. 

Early in the season Gonzalez did have some struggles.

One issue that was noticeable with him was when he got in a little bit of a jam he’d lose his focus and would lose the strikezone. 

He’s been much better as of late in those situations.

Unlike Braden, Gonzalez possesses two above average pitches his slider and fastball. So, when Gonzalez needs to, he can blow a hitter away with a 95 mile-per-hour fastball whereas Braden would try to finesses his way through it and, because of that, he’s liable to give up bloop hits. 

Gonzalez in his last six starts has given up 34 hits, 15 runs (all earned), and has gone 3-1 with two no-decisions. 

Overall for the season, he’s got a record of 6-3, no complete games or shutouts, a 3.58 ERA, given up 60 hits, 29 runs (all 29 earned), and has 61 strikeouts to 32 walks. 

The key to Gonzalez being the ace of the staff came after two late losses in the first two games of their three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.

Gonzalez came through in a big way—throwing seven innings while giving up six hits, two runs, and struck out four while walking one. 

With Gonzalez pitching so well he has taken over as the ace of the young A’s pitching staff in Oakland.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Oakland A’s are currently in a battle between two other teams for the American League West title. The A’s have some things that they need to work out to even consider being in contention for the division.

So, here are the seven things the A’s must do in order to win the American League West division.

Begin Slideshow