August 1, the Dog Days of Summer are upon us. School, (yuk!) is right around the corner and so is the football season (yeah!). August 1 also means the baseball postseason is right around the corner, and teams with hopes and visions of grandeur now must hunker down for the remaining 60 games or so.
The A's sit in a great spot, leading by 4 games over the Rangers. The Rangers may be feeling their own dose of magic as they swept the Angels the last 3 days all on walk-off homers. Ideally the Halos can return the favor next week when Texas visits the Magic Kingdom! The Rangers have a unique matinee make-up this afternoon with the Diamondbacks. A win moves them to a mere 3 1/2 games behind the Green and Gold, and the A's would feel that Texas heat breathing down their collective necks. I know it only represents one game in the standings, but the difference between a 3 1/2 game lead and a 4 1/2 one, seems pretty big. Regardless, the Rangers visit Oakland for 3 important games this weekend. If you want to beat the heat and like Fireworks, I recommend the opening game of the series on Friday Night. Adding to the intrigue of the series, neither team will have their ace as Bartolo pitched last night, and "Yu" is pitching this afternoon in Arlington.
As I wrote earlier this week, the A's offense is really scuffling. Donaldson has not homered after the All Star break; Reddick has a sore dome after Lowrie banged into him as both were chasing a ball on Tuesday. Reddick is great defensive right fielder, but his .219 batting average and sub .300 OBP (On Base Percentage) just isn't getting it done. Reddick not only has a powerful hose in right field, but he gets such a great jump on balls hit his way. Cespedes went yard on Monday, but he too, is still producing well below his 2012 levels. Seth Smith was recently in an 0 for 30 streak, I mean that defines s t r u g g l i n g! Scoring runs is directly linked to the lead off man, and right now Coco is in a funk. His average too has dropped under .250. Coco has a reputation for being moody and streaky, and right now he seems to be in a funk. The A's ignitor, Coco needs to cause havoc on the base paths to spark his team. Speaking of funk, 4th outfielder Chris Young has a current batting average of .192. Yikes.
Clearly it is time for the A's to make a choice, and the choice is Michael Choice. (That's a lot of choices for one sentence!) Choice currently has a slash line (batting average/on base percentage/slugging percentage) of .308/.398/.469, including 14 homers and 73 rbi's. Choice was the A's top draft pick 2 summers ago, and it appears now is the time to see what this "Kirby Puckett" prototype of player can do. The A's need a spark offensively, and Choice is the guy. (Pitcher Sonny Gray is next in line, but we can save that topic for another day.)
If the MLB playoffs were today, here is who is in in the American League: Boston, Detroit, Oakland, while Tampa and the surging Nick Swisher led Inidans would have one heck of a Wild Card Game. The Orioles are right behind the Indians.
In the National League, the Braves, Pirates and Dodgers would be in with the Cards and Reds in an all Midwest, all clad in red, do or die affair. The Wild Card match-up are just so juicy, I believe eventually the play-in will eventually expand to a best of 3 format.
Flipping the remote:
*Oh A-Rod, what a mess you have dug yourself into. The Golden Boy about to take a mighty tumble!
*Looks like Bartolo will be spared in BioGate as he served his suspension last season, and the first 5 games of this season. That collective, "whew" was from the Kelly Green and Ft. Know Gold Nation!
*Speaking of "Athletics Nation," there is a great article on the AN website about Charlie Finley and the history of the A's. It is a well done piece. Recently I have been thinking it is too too bad that way back when, Charlie O and the Al Davis didn't somehow unify their forces. The City of Oakland missed an opportunity to make upgrades for two of the most storied--yet unglorified--franchises in professional sports. Yes I realize this is dreaming, but oh what if A's had a new stadium, and O.Co had been renevated for football. It would have been extremely interesting to be in a room with Charlie O, and Mr. Davis.
*In touch with your Female Brain Sports Side? The Ladies British Open is underway!
*KNBR 680's Bob Fitgerald posed an interesting question: why not move the fences in a little at AT@T park? In particular he was speaking of center field and Triple's Alley. This is indeed a novel notion, and I have to admit, I am a little curious what Giants followers think of the idea? Everyone knows that gals and myself dig the long ball!
*Here is just a little more love for the Gigos. (By the way, Gigos my sincere, heartfelt, loving, warm and nurturing term for SF Giants fans.) When I watched the Fresno Grizzlies earlier this year the two players that stood out were Bret Pill, and Roger "buy me a a vowell" Kieschnick. The ball jumped off their bat in Fresno, and ideally it will do the same in S.F.
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