Difference between revisions of "User:RahalMccall69"
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| − | + | Last weekend, the Oakland A鈥檚 rolled into Anaheim for a key four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels looking to <a href=http://www.alportico.net/page.php?sale=True-Religion-Trapper-Hat>Wholesale True Religion Jeans</a> make a statement as contenders for Major League Baseball鈥檚 top prize. They left Sunday night having made a statement all right, but one polar opposite from that intended. | |
| + | The Angels swept the A鈥檚 in the series, but worse than the result was the way it unfolded 鈥?the A鈥檚 were outscored 18-4 over the four games, and suffered through one stretch of 29 consecutive innings without posting a run. | ||
| + | Sunday afternoon, A鈥檚 general manager Billy Beane right-handed pitching prospect Nolan Sanburn for 34-year-old, left-handed hitting veteran slugger Adam Dunn. | ||
| + | An immediate impact | ||
| + | Dunn made his presence felt with his first at-bat, delivering a towering two-run home run to spark the A鈥檚 to a 6-1 victory over fast-closing divisional foe Seattle. His 461st career home run gave A鈥檚 fans hope that the A鈥檚 can rekindle the heat back into their bats after a two-month offensive slump. | ||
| + | Tale of two halves | ||
| + | The A鈥檚 tore through the first half of the season, pairing clutch hitting with almost flawless pitching. Going into the All-Star Game, the A鈥檚 had a plus-145 run differential, fourth-best of any major league team heading into mid-summer break since 1940. | ||
| + | That was then, this is now. Since the break, the A鈥檚 are averaging just 4.28 runs per game, down almost half a run, and of late, they鈥檝e been worse than that. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Missing Cespedes? | ||
| + | The easy diagnosis is the A鈥檚 miss the bat of left-fielder , traded to Boston the end of July for pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes. After <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Louboutin-Rollerball>Louboutin Rollerball</a> all, Cespedes is batting .275 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 28 games with the Red Sox. | ||
| + | But, the A鈥檚 are slumping up and down the lineup. Only All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson is on a hot streak, and his bat alone won鈥檛 lift the production of slumping Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, and Derek Norris. To add injury to insult, centerfielder and club catalyst Coco Crisp is out of the lineup with a recurring neck injury. | ||
| + | Going forward | ||
| + | No way the A鈥檚 can expect Dunn to magically find the fountain of youth and produce like he did 鈥?from 2004 through 2008, Dunn nailed 40 or more home runs for five straight seasons. Before his single game with the A鈥檚, Dunn was batting .220 with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Chicago White Sox. | ||
| + | However, Dunn does bring power from the left side of the plate, and he will force pitchers to respect his ability to change the game with a single swing. The pitching staff will keep the A鈥檚 in games early. If the A鈥檚 can find their clutch hitting from earlier in the season, they can make another run at the Angels through September. | ||
| + | Entering Tuesday鈥檚 game with the Mariners, the A鈥檚 sat . But the A鈥檚 host the Angels for a big three-game series toward the end of the month. They might be cutting it close, but it鈥檚 possible the A鈥檚 might be in yet another <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Christian-Louboutin-Boston>Christian Louboutin Boston</a> wild, down-to-the-wire finish for the A.L. West crown. If so, they鈥檒l look back at the acquisition of Adam Dunn as the key in-season move. | ||
| + | Photo Credit:聽 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty | ||
| + | The following two tabs change content below. | ||
Revision as of 03:11, 25 September 2014
Last weekend, the Oakland A鈥檚 rolled into Anaheim for a key four-game series against the Los Angeles Angels looking to <a href=http://www.alportico.net/page.php?sale=True-Religion-Trapper-Hat>Wholesale True Religion Jeans</a> make a statement as contenders for Major League Baseball鈥檚 top prize. They left Sunday night having made a statement all right, but one polar opposite from that intended. The Angels swept the A鈥檚 in the series, but worse than the result was the way it unfolded 鈥?the A鈥檚 were outscored 18-4 over the four games, and suffered through one stretch of 29 consecutive innings without posting a run. Sunday afternoon, A鈥檚 general manager Billy Beane right-handed pitching prospect Nolan Sanburn for 34-year-old, left-handed hitting veteran slugger Adam Dunn. An immediate impact Dunn made his presence felt with his first at-bat, delivering a towering two-run home run to spark the A鈥檚 to a 6-1 victory over fast-closing divisional foe Seattle. His 461st career home run gave A鈥檚 fans hope that the A鈥檚 can rekindle the heat back into their bats after a two-month offensive slump. Tale of two halves The A鈥檚 tore through the first half of the season, pairing clutch hitting with almost flawless pitching. Going into the All-Star Game, the A鈥檚 had a plus-145 run differential, fourth-best of any major league team heading into mid-summer break since 1940. That was then, this is now. Since the break, the A鈥檚 are averaging just 4.28 runs per game, down almost half a run, and of late, they鈥檝e been worse than that.
Missing Cespedes? The easy diagnosis is the A鈥檚 miss the bat of left-fielder , traded to Boston the end of July for pitcher Jon Lester and outfielder Jonny Gomes. After <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Louboutin-Rollerball>Louboutin Rollerball</a> all, Cespedes is batting .275 with four homers and 25 RBIs in 28 games with the Red Sox. But, the A鈥檚 are slumping up and down the lineup. Only All-Star third baseman Josh Donaldson is on a hot streak, and his bat alone won鈥檛 lift the production of slumping Josh Reddick, Brandon Moss, and Derek Norris. To add injury to insult, centerfielder and club catalyst Coco Crisp is out of the lineup with a recurring neck injury. Going forward No way the A鈥檚 can expect Dunn to magically find the fountain of youth and produce like he did 鈥?from 2004 through 2008, Dunn nailed 40 or more home runs for five straight seasons. Before his single game with the A鈥檚, Dunn was batting .220 with 20 home runs and 54 RBIs for the Chicago White Sox. However, Dunn does bring power from the left side of the plate, and he will force pitchers to respect his ability to change the game with a single swing. The pitching staff will keep the A鈥檚 in games early. If the A鈥檚 can find their clutch hitting from earlier in the season, they can make another run at the Angels through September. Entering Tuesday鈥檚 game with the Mariners, the A鈥檚 sat . But the A鈥檚 host the Angels for a big three-game series toward the end of the month. They might be cutting it close, but it鈥檚 possible the A鈥檚 might be in yet another <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Christian-Louboutin-Boston>Christian Louboutin Boston</a> wild, down-to-the-wire finish for the A.L. West crown. If so, they鈥檒l look back at the acquisition of Adam Dunn as the key in-season move. Photo Credit:聽 Thearon W. Henderson/Getty The following two tabs change content below.
