It didn’t take long, folks.
Bottom 1, batter 1… 1st pitch from Didier Fuentes… Lawrence Butler strokes one to deep RCF. The ball takes an odd bounce off the fence-top, scoots away from Braves OFs Eli White & Stuart Fairchild, and Butler jets around the bases for an inside-the-park HR. 1-0 A’s…
Batter 2… 1st pitch from Fuentes… he hits Jacob Wilson directly on the left wrist & Wilson comes out of the game. The inside heater hitting bone sounded all-too-solid. One on…
Batter 3… on a hanging 2-2 slider, Brent Rooker slams HR #19 over the LF fence. 3-0 A’s…
Batter 4… on a 3-2 pitch, Nick Kurtz draws a walk. One on…
Batter 5… Langeliers pops out. Hallelujah.
Batter 6… Fuentes Ks Soderstrom on a nice splitter. Two away.
Batter 7… 1st pitch from Fuentes… Max Muncy (the other one) cranks an inside fastball high over the LF fence that may have reached Rancho Cordova by now. 5-0 A’s.
Oh, it’s gonna be like that?
The 2nd inning wasn’t much better for Fuentes: Single, walk, single… based loaded, no outs. Tip-toeing thru the carnage, Snitker brought in the newly signed Jesse Chavez, who immediately struck out Rooker. (Welcome, back Jesse!) But then, ahem, Nick Kurtz crushed a grand slam to deep right-center. (Eat up those innings, Jesse.) 9-0 A’s.
Yeah, it’s like that… and that’s the way it is.
Not a whole lot more to say about this one. For the A’s, Butler hit another homer (off Chavez), this one clearing the fence. The Braves’ lone tally came from Eli White’s solo blast. In truth, this early-round-knockout of a game reminded me of the 1986 Mike Tyson/Marvis Frazier fight… over in less than a minute.
The Bravos scraped six hits, all off starter Jeffrey Springs, who went 6 IP for the win. The A’s bullpen, which entered the game w/ a 5.75 ERA, gave up nada – 3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K. Braves backup SS Luke Williams tossed a position-player goose-egg in the 8th inning (w/ one K).
This year the Braves are oh-for-California, to the tune of 0-11 – a 4-game sweep in SD, 3-game sweeps in LA & SF, and now this Sactown abomination. If you wanna make it sting a little more, that’s 13 losses in a row in Cali, if you count last season’s brief WC series in SD.
And now at 39-51, prepare for the Bryce Elder Experience.
It’s like that… and that’s the way it is.
Huh!
Had been asleep for an hour by the first pitch like an old fogey. I take it we didn’t win.
Snit… Is that you?
This may be the worst team since the 80s. Whoever thought it was a good idea to give Fuentes 3 starts needs to be fired TODAY. And FWIW, I don’t even care about the losses that came in his starts.
Alex Anthopoulos, come on down!
Just take a blowtorch to baseball ops as far as I’m concerned. The brains of the operation have bailed; the flotsam and jetsam remains.
Was just thinking this is the worst team (as currently constituted) since ‘88. I think only the Rockies are currently worse in all of MLB. I would be surprised if we win 65 games, which means going 26-46 for the duration. It is crazy to think this team could actually end up with a worse record than the post-teardown squads of a decade ago.
Worse yet, we could be a 65-win team with a totally barren minor league system.
More Bad News Dept.: In my frenzied haste to finish up my game wrap last night, I neglected to mention that RAJ was scratched from the game, due to “lower back tightness.”
Didier Fuentes sent back to Triple-A, Nathan Wiles promoted to take his spot in the rotation.
Headed to Yankee Stadium tonight. The Yanks are debuting a promising starting pitcher by the name of (I shit you not) Cam Schlittler. That is all.
Thoppy did this.
Run differential just dropped below zero. This team isn’t as bad as its record, but if they can’t start hitting to make up for the pitching injuries, it’s gonna be an ugly season.
Enough Bryce Buffer?
recapped.