Fremont Bound

The Athletics got a nice outing out of Josh Outman yesterday and he came an out short of getting through the sixth.  He gave up two runs on five hits and one walk with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.  Santiago Casilla also had a nice game with two shutout frames.

Travis Buck had three RBIs and a triple.  Ryan Sweeney was the lone A with a pair of hits.

Dallas Braden gets the nod today.  Spring training is winding down folks.  The real games start soon.

After losing the last three games, the Oakland Athletics finally fell in sync. Everything was there. Jack Cust homered twice in the 9-1 victory and pitcher Dana Eveland allowed just three hits in the first game of his career. That’s right, he lasted nine innings. All Rays Manager Joe Maddon could say is “We couldn’t do anything against them.”

7 Days

10 Runs Scored

5 Losses

1 Win

Wow.

The A’s have certainly been struggling. And judging by the fact that the team has allowed opponants to score no more than four runs in a game all week, I think it’s fair to blame the hitting. Here’s where things get complicated. In all six games, the A’s have had about the same amount of hits as the other team. It’s just a matter of converting those hits into runs. The team starts a three game series tonight against the Devil Rays, and they should be able to turn this around.

Chad Gaudin did a great job. The pitcher lasted seven innings for the A’s, giving up only four hits and zero runs.

This was good for Oakland, who only scored three runs on five hits. Those hits included a Mark Sweeney homerun AND additional RBI and run. Sweeney took part in all three of Oakland’s runs.

This boosts Gaudin’s record to 2-1 and the team’s record to 13-9, still tied with the LA Angels for first in the AL West. The team will face Minnesota one last time before heading to Seattle tomorrow.

With exactly one week til the first game if Oakland’s 2008 season, the question asked is are they ready? Or, more precisely, are they healthy? It’s no doubt that they have made an impression during spring training, going 15-5 and 5-4 on the road. It’s great that that the team is off to such a good start, including the seven game winning streak that may only grow.

There’s no doubt about the talent of the team, only their stamina. Can the team bounce back from 2007’s losing season? I don’t think that season opener against Boston (7-10) will be a good indication. The answer can only be determined as the  season plays out. Some of the team’s key players, including Joey Devine, Fernando Hernandez, Chad Gaudine, Eric Chavez, and Carlos Gonzalez have all reported various injuries that may or may not impact the future of the team.