The A's come into this weekend four-game set coming off their first series sweep of the season. Is it the tonic that might send the A's on one of their trademark charges up the standings, or was it simply the case of playing a club -- Tampa Bay, naturally -- that might as well have a "SWEEP ME" sign stuck to the back of their road uniforms this season? I actually think it might be the latter. When was the last time the Jays played a four-game set at Oakland where none of the starting pitching matchups looked particularly daunting?
* General: The A's endured a terrible 7-20 May ... While starting pitching was once the hallmark of the A's' excellence, the two wins by Danny Haren and Barry Zito over Tampa Bay this week ended a 25-game stretch where the A's starting rotation went -- brace yourself -- 1-16 with eight no-decisions ... The club has a dreadful .655 OPS against righthanded pitching ... Defensive positioning has been a concern for the A's ... Erubiel Durazo is on the DL with elbow tendinitis ... Octavio Dotel recently got a third opinion that yes, he is battling tendinitis himslef ... Victoria's Rich Harden (strained oblique) has started long-tossing again, as has Chad Bradford (herniated disc) ... Kiko Calero is wrapping up a rehab assignment and may be activated this series ... Expect small crowds this weekend ...
* Mark Kotsay: Oh boy ... Drove in the winning run on Monday night in the bottom of the 11th, leading to a celebration of joy and relief as the A's snapped their eight-game losing skid in a game that featured a ninth-inning comeback ... Stays down on the ball nicely, and thus is less susceptible than many lefthanded hitters to lefthanded breaking stuff ... Good-looking level swing, and he likes the ball up ... Doesn't reach outside pitches well, as he puts a similar swing on most pitches ... Can be frozen at the knees ... Fine range in centre ...
* Eric Chavez: His sleeping lumber has yet to awaken this season ... Pull hitter who prefers pitches on the inner half ... That said, he's been chasing up and away this year, to his detriment ... Pound him away with fastballs and off-speed down and in, where he'll chase ... Striking out at a very high rate ... Still has fabulous reactions at third ... Is 8-for-16 (.500) all-time against Josh Towers ...
* Bobby Kielty: Old friend back to his lefty-mashing ways ... Fastball hitter that can drive pitches on the outer half of the plate, especially from the right side ... Pulls pitches away, but hits them well ... From the left side, doesn't recognizes pitches as well ... Batted righthanded against Hideo Nomo this week, feeling he could see the ball better as a righty against the crafty veteran. He says he's not going to hit righthanded full-time, but perhaps he should consider it ... Prone to misplays in left ...
* Kirk Saarloos: Three-quarter-arm delivery ... Low-80s slider that he struggles to control ... Two-seam fastball runs in the high 80s, and he runs it in on righthanded hitters ... Usually around the plate, but isn't able to blow it by anyone. The Jays sometimes struggle with guys like this ...
* Juan Cruz: The A's are so thin in the bullpen that Ken Macha has to regularly rely on this struggling righty ... Always goes from the stretch, but does not have an easy delivery ... Throws a two-seamer in the upper 80s, and has struggled to locate it. It doesn't move too much, and Cruz gets into trouble when it starts out over the plate ... Control has been a huge issue for one of the key components of the Hudson-to-Braves trade ... Good downward action on his slider ... Hits the upper 90s with his four-seamer, which he likes to dare righties to reach for away ...
* Seth Etherton: Comes straight over the top ... Unimpressive fastball, which is high-80s and straight as an arrow ... Likes to work around the fringes of the strike zone, encouraging hitters to chase (especially up) ... Admittedly relies on his command ... Throws slow low-70s palmball with lateral movement ... Had an incredibly scary week, as his newborn son Duke was suffering from an acid reflux disorder that caused him to stop breathing just three days after birth. Duke is apparently "doing really well now," and the club has been accommodating with Etherton as he's paid regular visits to his wife Summer and Duke in southern California ...
* Eric Byrnes: The fiery Byrnes has become a fan favourite ... Keeps his hands high and very loose at the plate ... Stays closed on his swing ... Likes the ball on the outer half of the plate, or anywhere in the zone above the belt ... Chases down and away, where his head comes flying off the ball ... Struggles especially mightily with breaking stuff away ...
* Dan Johnson: The reigning PCL MVP collected his first big-league hit on Sunday ... Lefty hitter with a very open stance, almost like Luis Gonzalez, but he closes up as the pitch is coming ... Quick, level swing ... Seems to like the ball out over the plate ... Will go the other way with outside pitches ... The hole in his swing appears to be up and in ... Frozen by lefthanded breaking stuff ... Physically resembles Byrnes ...
* Jason Kendall: Awkward stance where he leans over the plate with very little flex in his knees ... Likes the ball down in the zone, where he takes effective golf swings ... Tough to strike out, but not hitting the ball hard either ... Can be jammed ... Does not like the ball up ... Cleveland ran wild on his arm last weekend ... No longer a base stealing threat himself ... Hits without batting gloves ...
* Huston Street: Having a terrific rookie campaign ... From the full wind-up, takes a pronounced step back with his left leg, even moreso than Doc Halladay ... Tries to backdoor lefties with his low-90s two-seam fastball, with excellent tailing action ... Somewhat prone to issuing walks ... Nasty slider that he throws away to righties ... Ponderous from the stretch and can probably be run on ... Lou Piniella complainted about Street's penchant for going to his mouth ...
* Joe Blanton: Pudgy righty has quick delivery from the stretch ... Throws a slow, mid-70s curve that he has to keep down ... Two-seam fastball in the high 80s ... Opponents seem to have figured him out, and he'll need better movement and location from his breaking pitches to get back on track ... Tries to get hitters to go up the ladder ... ERA and stuff both reminiscent of Etherton, at least from what I've seen of late ... Posted a 1.75 ERA in his first four starts, but has been saddled with an 11.16 mark over his last five ... His slider can break sharply downward when it's working ...
* Bobby Crosby: Finally returned from his Opening Week broken ribs, and the A's have won all three games with him in the lineup ... Stays down on breaking pitches well ... Can drive the ball the other way and seems to be thinking right-centre since his activation ... Can be tied up down and in ...
* Nick Swisher: The centrepiece of the draft described in Moneyball ... Big leg kick as a timing mechanism ... Seems less comfortable from the right side, where he can't lay off junk away ... Balance seems off as a righty, and his hands seem to be too low and too tight to his body ... Good power to all fields from the left side, where he has a long but level swing ... Athletic but erratic in the outfield; he over-commits on tough plays and often concedes an extra base by refusing to play it safe ... Separated a shoulder earlier this season on one such kamikaze play ... Rare switch-hitter who throws left ...
* Keiichi Yabu: Unusual delivery reminiscent of a more fluid Hasegawa ... Nasty low-80s slider with sharp downward motion, but he has hung it on occasion. Still, it's his definite out pitch ... Throws a fastball right around 90 mph ...
* Danny Haren: Lanky ex-Cardinal pitched much better on Tuesday ... Mid-90s fastball with an easy overhand delivery ... Does not hide the ball well during his windup ... 12-to-6 slider in the low 80s, and often winds up in the dirt ... Likes to work righties in on the fists ...
* Scott Hatteberg: "Pickin' Machine" remains selective at the plate and uses the whole field ... Good bat control and usually makes contact ... After two years of fairly even splits, he's struggled against lefties this year ...
* Mark Ellis: Likes the ball in and seems to be seeing the ball well ... Has been waiting for his pitch ... Struggles with outside heat ...
* Britt Reames: Paired with Blanton in the D-Rays' absurd 10-run first inning last week ... Left the ball way up in the zone, and doesn't have the stuff to get away with it ... Big overhand curve that can freeze unsuspecting hitters. It's his invariable two-strike pitch ...
Sure, Billy Beane has had some awful luck, with injuries and/or poor play plaguing most of his talent. But on the field, the A's have been full value for their sorry last-place standing; the club is 7-9 in one-run games and 7-15 in games decided by four or more runs (they were 5-15 before the visit by T-Bay). The club struggles mightily to hit righthanded pitching, fields an unquestionably subpar starting rotation (at least until Rich Harden returns), and has a badly depleted bullpen. The A's can creep back into contention with simultaneous returns to health and form from most of the roster, but to assert that they definitely will is by no means obviously true.
This week's Scout features a big-league debut of a minor-league star, a fading rookie and a starting pitcher with more important things on his mind.
On to the Advance Scout!* General: The A's endured a terrible 7-20 May ... While starting pitching was once the hallmark of the A's' excellence, the two wins by Danny Haren and Barry Zito over Tampa Bay this week ended a 25-game stretch where the A's starting rotation went -- brace yourself -- 1-16 with eight no-decisions ... The club has a dreadful .655 OPS against righthanded pitching ... Defensive positioning has been a concern for the A's ... Erubiel Durazo is on the DL with elbow tendinitis ... Octavio Dotel recently got a third opinion that yes, he is battling tendinitis himslef ... Victoria's Rich Harden (strained oblique) has started long-tossing again, as has Chad Bradford (herniated disc) ... Kiko Calero is wrapping up a rehab assignment and may be activated this series ... Expect small crowds this weekend ...
* Mark Kotsay: Oh boy ... Drove in the winning run on Monday night in the bottom of the 11th, leading to a celebration of joy and relief as the A's snapped their eight-game losing skid in a game that featured a ninth-inning comeback ... Stays down on the ball nicely, and thus is less susceptible than many lefthanded hitters to lefthanded breaking stuff ... Good-looking level swing, and he likes the ball up ... Doesn't reach outside pitches well, as he puts a similar swing on most pitches ... Can be frozen at the knees ... Fine range in centre ...
* Eric Chavez: His sleeping lumber has yet to awaken this season ... Pull hitter who prefers pitches on the inner half ... That said, he's been chasing up and away this year, to his detriment ... Pound him away with fastballs and off-speed down and in, where he'll chase ... Striking out at a very high rate ... Still has fabulous reactions at third ... Is 8-for-16 (.500) all-time against Josh Towers ...
* Bobby Kielty: Old friend back to his lefty-mashing ways ... Fastball hitter that can drive pitches on the outer half of the plate, especially from the right side ... Pulls pitches away, but hits them well ... From the left side, doesn't recognizes pitches as well ... Batted righthanded against Hideo Nomo this week, feeling he could see the ball better as a righty against the crafty veteran. He says he's not going to hit righthanded full-time, but perhaps he should consider it ... Prone to misplays in left ...
* Kirk Saarloos: Three-quarter-arm delivery ... Low-80s slider that he struggles to control ... Two-seam fastball runs in the high 80s, and he runs it in on righthanded hitters ... Usually around the plate, but isn't able to blow it by anyone. The Jays sometimes struggle with guys like this ...
* Juan Cruz: The A's are so thin in the bullpen that Ken Macha has to regularly rely on this struggling righty ... Always goes from the stretch, but does not have an easy delivery ... Throws a two-seamer in the upper 80s, and has struggled to locate it. It doesn't move too much, and Cruz gets into trouble when it starts out over the plate ... Control has been a huge issue for one of the key components of the Hudson-to-Braves trade ... Good downward action on his slider ... Hits the upper 90s with his four-seamer, which he likes to dare righties to reach for away ...
* Seth Etherton: Comes straight over the top ... Unimpressive fastball, which is high-80s and straight as an arrow ... Likes to work around the fringes of the strike zone, encouraging hitters to chase (especially up) ... Admittedly relies on his command ... Throws slow low-70s palmball with lateral movement ... Had an incredibly scary week, as his newborn son Duke was suffering from an acid reflux disorder that caused him to stop breathing just three days after birth. Duke is apparently "doing really well now," and the club has been accommodating with Etherton as he's paid regular visits to his wife Summer and Duke in southern California ...
* Eric Byrnes: The fiery Byrnes has become a fan favourite ... Keeps his hands high and very loose at the plate ... Stays closed on his swing ... Likes the ball on the outer half of the plate, or anywhere in the zone above the belt ... Chases down and away, where his head comes flying off the ball ... Struggles especially mightily with breaking stuff away ...
* Dan Johnson: The reigning PCL MVP collected his first big-league hit on Sunday ... Lefty hitter with a very open stance, almost like Luis Gonzalez, but he closes up as the pitch is coming ... Quick, level swing ... Seems to like the ball out over the plate ... Will go the other way with outside pitches ... The hole in his swing appears to be up and in ... Frozen by lefthanded breaking stuff ... Physically resembles Byrnes ...
* Jason Kendall: Awkward stance where he leans over the plate with very little flex in his knees ... Likes the ball down in the zone, where he takes effective golf swings ... Tough to strike out, but not hitting the ball hard either ... Can be jammed ... Does not like the ball up ... Cleveland ran wild on his arm last weekend ... No longer a base stealing threat himself ... Hits without batting gloves ...
* Huston Street: Having a terrific rookie campaign ... From the full wind-up, takes a pronounced step back with his left leg, even moreso than Doc Halladay ... Tries to backdoor lefties with his low-90s two-seam fastball, with excellent tailing action ... Somewhat prone to issuing walks ... Nasty slider that he throws away to righties ... Ponderous from the stretch and can probably be run on ... Lou Piniella complainted about Street's penchant for going to his mouth ...
* Joe Blanton: Pudgy righty has quick delivery from the stretch ... Throws a slow, mid-70s curve that he has to keep down ... Two-seam fastball in the high 80s ... Opponents seem to have figured him out, and he'll need better movement and location from his breaking pitches to get back on track ... Tries to get hitters to go up the ladder ... ERA and stuff both reminiscent of Etherton, at least from what I've seen of late ... Posted a 1.75 ERA in his first four starts, but has been saddled with an 11.16 mark over his last five ... His slider can break sharply downward when it's working ...
* Bobby Crosby: Finally returned from his Opening Week broken ribs, and the A's have won all three games with him in the lineup ... Stays down on breaking pitches well ... Can drive the ball the other way and seems to be thinking right-centre since his activation ... Can be tied up down and in ...
* Nick Swisher: The centrepiece of the draft described in Moneyball ... Big leg kick as a timing mechanism ... Seems less comfortable from the right side, where he can't lay off junk away ... Balance seems off as a righty, and his hands seem to be too low and too tight to his body ... Good power to all fields from the left side, where he has a long but level swing ... Athletic but erratic in the outfield; he over-commits on tough plays and often concedes an extra base by refusing to play it safe ... Separated a shoulder earlier this season on one such kamikaze play ... Rare switch-hitter who throws left ...
* Keiichi Yabu: Unusual delivery reminiscent of a more fluid Hasegawa ... Nasty low-80s slider with sharp downward motion, but he has hung it on occasion. Still, it's his definite out pitch ... Throws a fastball right around 90 mph ...
* Danny Haren: Lanky ex-Cardinal pitched much better on Tuesday ... Mid-90s fastball with an easy overhand delivery ... Does not hide the ball well during his windup ... 12-to-6 slider in the low 80s, and often winds up in the dirt ... Likes to work righties in on the fists ...
* Scott Hatteberg: "Pickin' Machine" remains selective at the plate and uses the whole field ... Good bat control and usually makes contact ... After two years of fairly even splits, he's struggled against lefties this year ...
* Mark Ellis: Likes the ball in and seems to be seeing the ball well ... Has been waiting for his pitch ... Struggles with outside heat ...
* Britt Reames: Paired with Blanton in the D-Rays' absurd 10-run first inning last week ... Left the ball way up in the zone, and doesn't have the stuff to get away with it ... Big overhand curve that can freeze unsuspecting hitters. It's his invariable two-strike pitch ...
