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=== Sizzlers ===
Unlike in Japan, Chone Figgins swung the bat with authority. On his line drive single, check his leading hip, his golfer's lean into the hitting area, and especially --- > the way his bat hits his back on the followthrough. When Dr. D saw the bat come through like that, he's like Tigress. THAT was pretty hard core.
The melodrama here is always about the level of enthusiasm. Drayer asked Figgins about the game after and he's all like, "I tolja, when I got that phone call that I was gonna lead off, what I was gonna do..."
So do it. :- / Tonight he definitely did.
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Nomar gave us quite the game at shortstop. Tucking the lead shoulder, loading way up on the ball, he crushed a double into the power alley and smoked another fastball down into the LF corner. Ryan was Right. On. Everything. The ball looked like a volleyball to him.
For those wishing to dream ... you could always hope that he's acclimating to the AL. He did hit .292 with authority for St. Louis in 2007.
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Dustin Ackley had three hits: one to LF, one to CF, and one to RF. Just 'cause he wants 30 dings does not mean he's going to forget how to hit.
Oh yeah. And one of his outs was crushed, 8' off the ground but it still held up for Reddick hustling over to the RF line. Usually that ball is two or three bags.
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Justin Smoak hit balls to LF, CF, and RF, and best of all he caught a 3-2 tease pitch from Brandon McCarthy juuuuuust outside. He took it. Ball four. Excellent stillness, grasshopper.
SSI can sense the storm on the horizon...
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Kyle Seager wins our Flying Fickle Finger of Fate for his game-breaking two-out RBI. It was a four-hop seeing eye ground ball that, two yards either way, was a double play ball. And we'd have never noticed Kyle Seager tonight, as we never noticed Jesus Montero because his frozen rope to RF happened to hit Reddick.
wn a lotta teams, but the M's put some serious Yankee/Red Sox footage to his keister and knocked him outta the chair. The way they beat a #1 starter, throwing great, 13 hits? Good on yer. That's the stuff we saw in Arizona.
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=== Fizzlers ===
In spring training, Michael Saunders was using that 60-oz. bat to hit in the batting cage and it was keeping his knees real quiet. Now, they're opening way up again. He had a long double to CF and that's great. But I don't like the way his compactness is unraveling.
I don't say it's the gospel truth. I'm just telling you what I look at.
On the other hand, Geoff Baker reports that Gutierrez is down another month because, says Wedge, "He didn't have a spring training." So Mickey gets a month to win the job.
Hey Geoffy, could you ask for us whether Saunders is still swinging with the 5-lb. bat every day? The knees and followthrough aren't tight like they were in March.
EDIT TO ADD that the comments in this thread have some interesting technical back-and-forth about the lead knee and toe, starting with Malcontent's post. And thanks for the traffic Geoff. - Dr D
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Jesus Montero has nuttin' to worry about, honey. He lined one hard to RF for a sac fly and is staying well within himself. Balls will start falling.
You compare Montero now, to Smoak last year, and the state-of-mind is quite the contrast. Montero just looks born to play hardball.
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=== FIZZLERS: Rotation ===
Felix pole-axes the A's again on Saturday. But then it is 4 ugly games in Texas and the Rangers get absolutely no Felixes, Fisters, Bedards or Pinedas. Looks like a cruel overmatch.
Meanwhile, K-Pax with 5.2 innings, 0 runs and 10 strikeouts? Three months on, he'll have a 1+ ERA, and everybody will go "Great! He learned something!"
Um, no. Three months on, everybody will have grokked what James Paxton is. That's all. Meanwhile, we get the Texas Rangers and we got yer four verrrrry comfortable starting pitchers right here, Nelson.
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The 7th year of club control is understandable. It just ticks me off to pull the magazine out of my rifle before I wade through the water after the alien.