4-23-2006: vs Angels

The A's try to wrap things up on a positive note before heading on the road with Loaiza on the mound. Somehow the phrase "...with Loaiza on the mound..." does not instill confidence in me. But, with any luck, perhaps the A's abysmal offense will wake up today and score some runs. They can't rely on Swisher and Chavez forever. Eventually they too will slump.

Oakland:
Kotsay
Swisher
Chavez
Thomas
Bradley
Melhuse
Ellis
Johnson
Perez
(hey, did Macha read my last post? Ellis batting 7th, Kotsay leading off, it's about time he dropped Ellis down the batting order)

Angels:
Figgins
Cabrera
Guerrero
Anderson
Erstad
Izturis
Quinlan
Molina
Kennedy

I'm off to grab a bite to eat and watch the game. Loaiza's velocity was slightly up the last time he pitched, let's see if he has gotten his game back today, although I have my doubts.

Wrap:
I think this quote pretty much wraps up the A's:

Bases loaded, nobody out and the heart of the order coming up is an ideal situation for any offense --­ any offense, that is, except for Oakland's lately.

The A's rank dead last in the majors for team batting average. The team OBP is a lowly 0.300 and their SLG a measly 0.392. Simply, they stink right now.

Despite Swisher homering again as well as Bradley, they blew it in a key bases loaded situation in the 4th.

Loaiza left quickly before even completing 4 innings. His speeds registered between 75-85 MPH. The official word from the A's is that Loaiza is injured:

Neither did A's starter Esteban Loaiza, who was forced to leave after just 3 2/3 innings with what the A's described as "spasms in his left trapezius," a muscle linking the shoulder to the neck.

Hmm. If I were the person reporting this news, I would put it in quotes too. I have never heard of a muscle called the trapezius and am especially surprised considering one of the key reasons we got Loaiza is because he is a consistent innings eater who consistently pitches +200 innings per season. It's especially strange considering that both Macha and Loaiza fully expect him to make his next start. Call me crazy, but I think it sure is a convenient excuse to pull Loaiza in favor of Saarloos today. At this point, I think it's just a matter of time before Saarloos is starting again, even if just temporarily.

Look for Loaiza to go the way of Beane's other mistakes in the offseason (think Redman, Rhodes, etc). The only question is what price will he pay to get someone to take Loaiza and his bloated contract off his hands.