disarcina

well, the fact that Beane has NOT had playoff success sort of proves the point I was making above. Moneyball, the book (and it's been a while since I've read it, perhaps 10 years) starts with Beane pacing below the stands in the Oakland Coliseum during a playoff game (which the A's lose -- and Beane saying his Moneyball method -- this was before it was called that -- 'doesn't work in the playoffs') The very, very successful part of Beane I referenced above is that he has taken if not a small market (there's varying opinions on whether the East Bay/ Bay Area is a 'small market') then a low budget like small market team to be competitive year after year with a payroll sometimes less than half the size of the teams the A's are competing against. Beane, in the book, states he tries to keep the team competitive to the All Star Break and then in the second half combs the waiver wire and inquires of other teams trying to pick up several players to shore up some weaknesses for the second half -- in this approach, he's been stellar over the years -- no doubt about that. and then, there's the playoffs and the A's either haven't been there or when they make it there, have not fared well........ that's why the Lester for Cespedes deal is something new for Billy Beane -- and if the A's make the playoffs and it looks like they will, if they win the Wild Card play in game, they could be real tough but will need to get some great pitching because their offense post - Cespedes doesn't do much and certainly they're not manufacturing runs these days.

The Cespedes trade was very un-Beane like. I think there is going to be some bad news for Cespedes this off-season. despite that, what Beane did here was something he has NOT done before (and he pretty much admits it) -- Moneyball (the book) talks about how Beane plays to stay competitive the first half of the season and then makes deals to improve the team down the stretch the second half -- he's been very, very successful with this -- but he admits -- that approach is focused on the second half of the season and NOT the playoffs.....hence the second half team he builds is not a team built for a playoff run. With the deal for Lester, he's made a deal for the playoff run and despite the post-Cespedes funk the A's fell into, chances are they are still going to make the playoffs and now the A's have a rotation that matches up pretty well.........if they win the Wild Card game, they are in the ALDS and off to the races --- still without their offensive spark plug, Cespedes, though.......

tomorrow's games may be critical to the pennant races/ wild card stuff/ home team advantage stuff but there will be only ONE story in baseball coverage tomorrow. now batting, the shortstop, number 2, Derek Jeter, Jeter number 2.

Kansas City Royals would like to thank Wade LeBlanc and the Angels.........

nice comments by Wade on the post game show here.

we've got, what? four games left. one vs. Oakland and then THREE against a Seattle team that has been really tanking this week. we might get the M's in Seattle after they've been eliminated from W/C contention -- the fans will be in a foul mood (or a football mood, anyway) and the M's will be demoralized. so we could get to 100 wins.

97 wins. not pretty necessarily but we will take it. Light 'er UP!!!!

Dunn........he's like fifth or something on the ALL TIME MLB strike out list...........I know he's in the top ten. good thing he's retiring this year or he could move to the top.

SoCalKid -- that is so true.....the other night that Texas / A's game the bottom of the 8th and then the top of the ninth took about an hour..........something like SIX pitching changes. it was tough to sit through......... and then the Commissioner's office in one of Bud's swan song efforts announced this week a schedule of meetings for the "Pace of the Game" committee........ great........they should hold their meetings at A's games..........

Game day thread becomes MLB final week thread when it's pennant chase time........!

well it's really over now.....Angel Pagan is done for the year -- he was the heart and soul of what little offense the Giants had this year...... Well, Trout skies out -- at least that is an improvement over the K's.

C'mon Trout -- let's NOT have a 4 K night.........

Dodgers 4, Giants 2 FINAL. Dodgers clinch a tie for the division title tonight and tomorrow is day game vs. Giants -- Kershaw pitching for Dogs -- game over.

In LA -- 4-2 Dogs , two outs in the TOP of the ninth......if Giants lose this game, the NL West title race is pretty much over.

Smith's performance was weak and he had poor command of his pitches......so there's no excuse BUT...... is this ump's balls and strike calls the past inning just horrible....... I've been half watching the game and switching back and forth between the Giants/ Dodgers game (4 to 2 Dogs, Turner hit 2 HRs for the Dogs and now its Jansen on in the bottom on the 9th) so hard to say if the ump's calls have been this bad all game -- of course, Halos were swinging and missing badly at Gray's pitches through the first six plus innings.

geez. tough to watch. love this ump's strike zone....... calls piches over the plate balls and ones outside strikes...... Smith escapes......barely.

man, he seemed to be in slow mo on the way to second there -----got a decent jump.......what happened?

Campana going 2-0 I, think

Campana in to pinch run........wheels on the bases.........like it.

swung at a really high pitch.........

I think they did the right thing in pulling LeBlanc.......if they kept him in and then he ran out of gas -- everyone would say -- ah, they should have pulled him. LeBlanc may be vying for a spot starter/ long relief pen role for the post-season roster.

got him........you know Grilli has his moments.......... and he did pitch pretty well for us when he first came over -- and do I have the sequence right? He came over before we got Hutson Street, right?

same pitch.

nasty pitch there -- didn't miss the plate by much,

need a GIDP here.