Chicks Dig Moneyball is now Athletics Supporter

This is my last post here at Chicks Dig Moneyball, as I've been invited to join the Sports Cartel blog network and blog at Athletics Supporter. I'll be posting all my A's rants and raves there from now on, so come by and check it out!

Thanks for your support!

A's 6, Blue Jays 4

Good Joe made an appearance tonight, for the second start in a row. Good Joe is a good thing for the A's, because Good Joe is likely on the trading block this winter. The more we see of Good Joe, the more likely Good Joe will net us some nice prospects in a trade.

Sure, Good Joe could be an A next year. But the fact that Billy was actively shopping him over the deadline means something. The fact that it's August 21 and the A's are under .500 means something. If Good Joe continues to be Good Joe, it could mean something.

But enough speculation - let's talk about Jack Hannahan. He will probably be one of those "Remember that guy?" guys in a few years, but for now, I'm enjoying watching this guy come out of nowhere and get his shot. He won that game last night for Good Joe with his three-run homer. Marco Scutaro may not be happy about his lack of playing time, but with the state of the team as it is, it makes sense to play Jack every day.

Today Dan Haren takes on the recently red-hot Dustin McGowan. Can Dan keep his grib on the Cy Young award or will it continue to slip away?

Go A's!!!!

Royals series review

Well that certainly wasn't the series outcome I expected going into a home series against the Royals with a four-game winning streak.

Granted, these Royals are better than the usual Royals. These Royals aren't even the AL Central cellar-dwellers. That honor goes to the White Sox... the team the A's swept going into this series. But these Royals are still supposedly worse than the A's.

I definitely had my hopes up too high for Dan Meyer. Really, my hopes were so high he probably couldn't even see them with the naked eye. His performance was pretty ugly, and it got him a ticket straight back to Sacramento the next day.

Chad Gaudin was next, and after having his first good post-All Star break start his last time out, he was back to his yucky form, giving up five runs in six innings and watching his ERA climb to 4.25. By season's end, we're going to look at his 2007 line and forget that he was a potential All Star back in July.

At least Lenny DiNardo was able to keep it from being a sweep. Really though, what the hell was that? Eight innings and one run? That is something good pitchers do, not "I was claimed off waivers right before spring training" guy. We'll take it, but we're not going to understand it.

The A's are on their longest flight of the season tonight, as they have to fly from Oakland all the way to the Great White North. This is what Rev. HaloFan likes to call the road trip of "concrete hell" (or something to that effect), as after three games in Toronto, the A's get a four game series in Tampa. At least Mark Kotsay is already on the DL this time.

Go A's!!!

A's 8, White Sox 5

Have I mentioned before that I heart Kurt Suzuki? Well, I'll say it now - I heart Kurt Suzuki.

I'm rooting for this guy big time. I would love to see him as the starting catcher in 2008. It's his job to lose, really, but he needs to continue to put up the numbers to support his case. I was a little worried when he struggled early on after the Kendall trade, but he's been hitting well of late, and he's got his average back up to over .250 and his OPS at a respectable .780.

The three-run walk-off home run he crushed yesterday helped matters as well.

So after the nice three-game sweep of the White Sox, the A's now have a (gasp!) four game winning streak! Tonight we try to keep it going as Dan Meyer gets the ball against the Kansas City Royals.

That's right, folks. Mission: Justify the Hudson Trade begins now. Of course, Huddy is currently a Cy Young candidate in Atlanta, so it's going to take a lot more than one good game by Meyer to justify it. Still... Go A's!!!

A's 3, White Sox 2

I had a dream last night that the A's lost a game 71-56. Maybe it's because I went to bed before last night's game started, and I knew Joe Blanton was on the hill.

But luckily the good version of Joe showed up, and another rookie drove the final nail in the coffin as Kurt Suzuki gave the A's a permanent lead with a two-run homer in the seventh inning.

Also of note was the fact that Huston Street worked the ninth in a one-run game. That's a save opportunity, folks, and save the game he did. It's nice to have our real closer back.

Today Dan Haren goes for the sweep in an afternoon game. I know it's just the White Sox, but a sweep would be definitely be nice.

3-2

That's how the A's have gone since I blogged last. That's not bad at all, considering four of those five games were against the mighty Detroit Tigers.

Let's talk about a few things:

Jack Cust - I have been extremely wary of Cust's success this season, even when he was tearing it up back in May. I mean really - this guy has been a minor league lifer. Surely the league will figure him out. And I was right - he's gone through his ups and downs, as I've watched his at-bats with a critical eye. But I'm ready to give Cust his due props. Here we are on August 15, and he is far and away the A's offensive hero. He leads the team in every category that has to do with hitting the ball a long way. The question is, can he keep it up in '08? He has definitely secured the DH job for next year already. Let's just see if this late bloomer can make something resembling a career now.

Jack Hannahan - Who? He was the A's starting third baseman last night against the White Sox, and looks to play more games there with Eric Chavez out. Fine with me - there's really no reason to not give the guy a shot. The A's traded for this Detroit minor league veteran Monday likely for this reason. There is far less reason for Marco Scutaro to be playing third right now, so it was a good move.

Esteban Loaiza - It sounds like he's on the way back and could possibly start Friday against the Royals. I know he's been out all year and he's probably super excited to come back, but I have absolutely zero excitement for this news. It's almost disappointment really, because I want to see Dan Meyer.

The A's host the White Sox again tonight as Joe Blanton tries to suck less than he did last time he pitched.

Go A's!!

Mission: Justify the Hudson Trade

I know I haven't blogged since the Tigers series began - hosting company from out of town will do that. But this is just too important of a piece of information to not blog about NOW.

The A's have called up Dan Meyer.

That could mean nothing, but it could mean a lot. If you recall, Meyer was the big-time prospect the A's received for Tim Hudson. But the injury bug bit this kid hard and he hasn't amounted to much. That is, until now. He's put up some nice numbers in Triple-A and now he's got the chance to see how that will translate to the major league level.

So, there is still time for the Hudson trade to be justified, and it all rides on Meyer. I've got my hopes up for this one.