That’s five straight and a series win versus the Orioles.

The game was looking like another blowout, something similar to last night’s 9-1 victory, that was until Bob Geren decided to manage again. With a nine-run cushion heading into the seventh inning and Trevor Cahill (tonight’s starter) at a comfortable 91 pitch mark, Geren chose to make a move to the bullpen because there were men on first and third nobody out. The move back-fired (once again) and Cahill was stuck with two earned runs. Two more scored and the 9-0 lead was now 9-4. What more can be said about Bob Geren. Has this guy ever heard of playing through adversity?

Aside from what I’m calling sabotage, things went well for the A’s tonight. Cahill pitched like a veteran and the offense continued to get runs on the board. However; If I could give out an error to someone tonight it would obviously be Geren, he would inherit three of the four runs scored for his misuse of the bullpen (your welcome Ziegler and Breslow, Bailey your still the man).

Cahill’s night was awesome, two runs (one earned because of manager) on six hits in six-plus innings of work. Cahill (3-5) struck out five and walked none.

The A’s offense pounded out 13 hits tying an Oakland-record with 8 doubles. Jason Giambi drove in three with a two-out bases clearing double down the right-field line. Adam Kennedy and Orlando Cabrera each drove in two apiece, Cabrera had a three-hit night. Kennedy, Matt Holliday and Rajai Davis each had two-hit nights.

Five straight and they’re playing the Orioles again tomorrow boys, only 7 1/2 back of Texas and rolling.

Green and Gold and doubles galore!

Offense check, Pitching check.

That’s what we all expected coming into this season, three-run homers, and good pitching. The A’s took the first game of the series versus the Baltimore Orioles 9-1, backed by a solid pitching performance by Dallas Braden.

Braden was the lucky recipient of a bunch of runs, all nine in the first five innings and Braden didn’t look back. Braden evened his record on the year (5-5) and struck out a career high seven in seven innings of work. He gave up one run on just five hits, a solo shot to right off the bat of Baltimore outfielder Luke Scott, who is extremely hot right now. Has anyone noticed Braden’s tattooed-right index finger? Rollie Fingers esk. and he uses it extremely well I might add.

Braden was a little unhappy when Bob Geren removed him after the seventh inning with only 102 pitches. Braden began showing up Geren by doing pull-ups in the dug-out. Gotta love it!

The offensive onslaught began with six first-inning runs. Jack Cust hit a three-run home run to center (must of been the new haircut), Aaron Cunningham drove in two with a single up the middle, scoring Suzuki and Giambi. The final run of the inning came from the least likely Athletic, Rajai Davis, his first of the season on a line-drive-single to right. The final blow came in the fifth, a enormous three-run home run to center. To trade or not to trade, that is the question.

Geren must be loving these wins, heck, he probably thinks he has a lot to do with it. Four straight is nice, but Geren, it wasn’t you man, in fact your still very much on the hot-seat.

Go Green and Gold!

The A’s put up two runs on five hits, two hits and both RBI’s coming off the bat of Matt Holliday’s two-run blast to left. It wasn’t enough as they fell to the Chi-Towner’s from the south, 6-2. Two runs isn’t going to cut it. Coming into tonight’s game, opposing pitcher Gavin Floyd had a six-plus ERA . The A’s probably did him a favor and reset his season as they have done with several struggling pitchers this season.

Trevor Cahill started things off a bit shaky with some first inning walks but calmed down quickly and lasted 52/3 innings surrendering only two runs. Cahill (2-5) allowed only three hits, walked two and struck out three. No one can say these young guns (Cahill, Outman, Anderson) haven’t pulled their own weight given the circumstances, the offense however is not. Six of the nine starters tonight have .250 or below averages which obviously won’t cut it.

The Holliday watch has begun, if he continues to get hot will the A’s receive a bounty of prospects or was the deal to aquire him (C-Gon. Street, Smith) too much? If the A’s can aquire one solid prospect I won’t complain, conisdering the former haven’t panned out anyway.  Or would you guys prefer a type-a amount of picks next year? This team is obviously built for the future, I wonder what Mr. Bean has in mind…

So goes Travis Buck, making it 10 times the A’s used the DL this year according to Slusser of the SfGate. How excited can we get when Cunningham gets the starting nod but Petit is sat over “can’t handle an off-speed pitch” Hannahan. Even if it’s a righty pitching.

Maybe Geren is taking a turn for the better, his previous philosophy-I recall-was to put the recently called guys in the lineup immediately? Sorry guys, I’m still in the denial phase.

I’m calling it, the A’s put up seven runs tonight but give up nine. Any takers?

The good news is the A’s finally held onto a win to beat the Diamondbacks 6-2, the bad news is manager Bob Geren is still making random moves with his pitching staff. Back to this issue in a minute.

Josh Outman was fantastic once again, lasting 7 2/3 innings while allowing only four hits. Outman (2-0) walked five and didn’t strike out a batter. His ERA on the season now stands at 3.12, best among A’s starters. Outman lasted just long enough for his offense to come around as the A’s were being shut out up until the sixth when they struck for three to take the lead. Landon Powell hit his first ever Major League home run and almost failed to get around the bases, and Jason Giambi hit another home run, his fifth on the season.

Back to Geren.

Two things that surely tell us that Geren has screwed up lately were his decisions with his starting pitcher, and bullpen usage.

First: Starter Josh Outman was already over the 100-pitch mark after the seventh but Geren chose to leave him into the eight, should he have done this a little earlier in the season the A’s might have not lost some of those heart-break games.

Second: The bullpen needed some rest of course, and thankfully Outman was allowed to surpass the 85- pitch mark, but the question here is why Ziegler came into close tonight and not last night? Last night he came into the game in the seventh, today the ninth? I’ve never seen this before, not even with a closer by committee based bullpen.

Anything to add guys?

7-6 A’s.

Ryan Sweeney, AKA. mr. clutch, the savior, did it again. What else can be said for his amazing, meaningful web-gems. Sweeney, with two out in the bottom of the ninth, up one run and the tying run at first, made an all-out diving catch which would have been the game-tying double off of BJ Upton’s bat.

Now Geren. Geren, Geren, Geren

He almost blew it again. Luckily Brett Anderson came away with his first career win.

With one on and nobody out in the seventh inning, starting pitcher Brett Anderson was pulled after throwing 80 pitches, the result? Nailbiting for all of us, as releiver Michael Wuertz gives up two hits and a run, but was bailed out with an inning ending doulbe-play, at home, I might add.

It sure looked like the A’s offense was facing a stud-pitcher, Cy-young in the making, however, they weren’t. They faced a guy who basically has two pitches-fastball (not overwhelming), curveball (good)- and those two pitches have produced mediocre results so far this season. That is, until he faced the Oakland Athletics.

The A’s (13-22) lost 13-4 to the Tampa Bay Rays. The A’s offense managed nine hits, two hit games coming from Jack Cust, Adam Kennedy, and Travis Buck.

Notables:

Orlando Cabrera hit his second home run in as many days and Jack Cust hit a meaningless two-run home run in the eighth to give him six long balls on the season.

The pitching was again, horrendous and it looks like more changes will be made soon, as starter Sean Gallagher gave up seven runs (all earned) on THREE hits, FIVE walks, and one strike out in 2 1/3 innings. Replacement, and recently recalled pitcher, Gio Gonzalez allowed four earned runs on six hits, THREE walks (yep, more walks), six strike outs in 3 2/3.

My favorite moment of the game was manager Bob Geren’s bullpen, speciffiocally Gio Gonzalez. Remeber that game in Seattle where the A’s blew the lead in the 13th? The one where the bullpen seemed to be running with their heads cut off? Well, it happend tonight with GIo Gonzalez. Bob Geren, “get Gonzalez up…wait sit him down, no up..” How about you, Bob Geren, sit down!

A’s 7, Royals 2.

After a night filled with runs galore on Tuesday, Wednesday was shaping up to be the opposite, as the A’s had only a 2-1 lead going into the seventh, but a couple of walks, an error, and some pure capitalization by the Oakland offense led by jack Custs’ bases-clearing-double with two outs, and the A’s were back on the board in a big way, make it 7-1! The only (meaningless) remaining run was  Mike Jacobs solo-shot off Andrew bailey in the ninth.

What seemed to be another Bob Geren moment in the making surfaced in the seventh when the transparent- nerves of the manager brought him out of the dugout fast, as he like many A’s fans, were in need of another win, went to the bullpen.

78 pitches and a lead-off walk and Geren removes starting pitcher Josh Outman, what faith Geren has, however; Outman did (1-0) have his most efficient outing of the season, allowing only one run in six-plus innings of three-hit ball, striking out four and walking two. Funny how a manager can seem so worried one night about an overused bullpen and another night, remove his starting pitcher after only 78 pitches, one more time, what faith. At least it ended up as a win. Outman was good tonight.

A’s record, 13-18, five games back of the first place Rangers,

The A’s are in a major rut, losing their fourth in last five games 3-2 to the visiting Texas Rangers, bringning thier season record to a horrific 9-16.

The A’s pitching did their job with spot-starter Dan Giese going 52/3 innings, while limiting the potent Ranger offense to three runs on eight hits, no walks, and three strike outs. The bullpen backed his outing, allowing only one hit in 31/3 innings.

Again the man on offense tonight was Kurt Suzuki, driving in both runs with an two-RBI double in the fourth. Jack Cust had three singles but they were not enough as the A’s had only one extra-base hit, Suzuki’s double.

An interesting note for those who have negative feelings towards A’s manager Bob Geren:

Opposing Manager Ron Washington had the choice of going with his closer, who had pitched in the last two games, up by one, or going with another reliever on more rest, in the bottom of the ninth. He chose his closer, regardless of his last two apperances. As we know very well by know Geren chose not to use his best reliever, resulting in a loss, Washing tonight? A win.

Chomp on that, Geren needs to go.

I still can’t get off of this topic, you know, Geren’s managing.

You have to love hearing from those so called “not available” pitchers for example Wuertz, telling reporters after last nights game, he felt fine physically. If I was a writer and I saw what had happened here, I’d be all over it, but so far there are no writers with the cohones to do so.

Supposedly the Mariner broadcasters were so confused as to what Geren was doing with his bullpen (you know, the musical chairs bit ) that they had someone run into the A’s press-box to find out. Great now it’s a circus for others to enjoy.

Just had to let offf some steam, continue on with your days, and hope we never see Eveland or Geren again.