Although it didn't come out in the order I had predicted, the A's still finished the week with a 4-2 record good enough to put them in a tie atop the AL West with the Texas Rangers at 22-21.  Oakland ended up sweeping the Mariners but then went on to drop 2 of 3 to the Giants.

In game 1 of the Seattle series, Oakland came out swinging, scoring 12 runs on 16 hits, and went on to win 12-6 as Joe Blanton once again upstaged King Felix, giving up only 2 runs over 7 innings.  In game 2, Barry Zito continued his hot streak as he went 7 innings while giving up no runs.  In game 3, the A's got another solid pitching performance, this time coming from Kirk Sarloos and the bullpen.  Sarloos went 6 2/3 innings while giving up only 1 earned run.

In comes Barry Bonds and the media fiasco.  In game 1, Dan Haren came out and shut down Bonds and the Giants as he threw 8 innings of shutout ball and Huston Street came in to earn the save with a perfect 9th.  In game 2, Barry got 714 in his first AB and the Giants went on to win 4-2 with 2 runs off of Kiko Calero in the top of the 10th.  The A's bats remained quiet as they lost 6-0 in game 3 as Matt Cain threw a one hit shutout.

What I liked last week:

---  Oakland starting pitching dealing.  No Oakland starter, with the exception of Joe Blanton in the final game of the Giants series, went fewer than 6 2/3 innings and gave up more than 2 earned runs in any start last week.  With the Oakland offense still struggling and with all the injuries, the starters will need to pick up the slack and they did a wonderful job last week.

---  Team getting a little healthier.  Eric Chavez and Frank Thomas were both back in the lineup to finish the week.  Their bats were sorely missed during their dry spell last week and with games vs. offensive powerhouses (CWS and TEX) this week, their bats will be a welcome addition.  Also, both Esteban Loaiza and Rich Harden are starting to throw off the mound again with Loaiza being a little ahead of Harden in terms of returning to Oakland, both are at least a couple of weeks away.

---  Bats getting a little warmer.  Mark Kotsay led the way last week as he went 10 for 25 (.400) and Jay Payton wasn't far behind as he went 9 for 23 (.391).  Even Dan Johnson started to hit a little bit as he went 4 for 14 (.286) in the 4 games he started in last week.  As the bodies continue to heal the weather continues to heat up, I expect the A's bats to do the same.  These guys all have track records that suggest they are better than this and it's only a matter of time before the start hitting like they can.

What I didn't like last week:

---  Other than the fact that Kendall was in the lineup for 5 of the 6 games last week, tere wasn't too much that I didn't like.  I thought we played well and just ran into an unlucky game in game 2 vs. the Giants and an outstanding pitching performance in game 3.  Our bullpen may have let us down in game 2 vs. the Giants but they have been pretty steady overall considering all the injuries they have sustained.  Ellis did not play on Sunday and although they say he's day-to-day, that's a concern.

Up next for the A's:

Today they continue their marathon of 20 games in 20 days as they travel to Chicago to face the White Sox for a 3 game series followed by trip to Arlington for a 4 game series against our division rivals, the Texas Rangers.  This is going to be a tough week for the A's as both the White Sox and Rangers are playing well but I expect the A's to take both series'.  I expect Zito to win both of his games this week and I expect Haren to win his in game 3 vs. the Sox.  As for the Rangers, I still don't believe that they are contenders so I think the A's take that sereis.  How's 5-2 for the week sound?  See you guys next week.

Week 5 started off great as the A's took 3 of 4 from the Angels and Indians.  Then they decided to leave their bats in the dugout as they dropped 2 of 3 to the Devil Rays.  They ended up going 4-3 last week and currently has a 16-15 record which leaves them a half game behind the AL West leading Rangers.

In game 1 of the Angels mini-series, Zito threw a gem (7.2 innings, no runs) while Justin Duchscherer picked up his 2nd save of the season as the A's won 1-0.  In game 2 of the series, the A's bats came alive as they scored 6 runs in the 9th inning and went on to win 10-3.  They got a decent start from replacement Brad Halsey (5.1 innings, 3 runs) while receiving HR's from Eric Chavez and Bobby Crosby.

In game 1 of the Indians mini-series, A's pitching got rocked as they gave up 14 runs on 18 hits.  Dan Haren gave up 5 runs on 11 hits over 5.2 innings and the bullpen didn't do much better as they gave up 9 runs on 7 hits over 3.1 innings.  In game 2, the A's got their revenge as they pounded the Indians, 12-4.  We got a got start out of replacement Kirk Sarloos as he went 5 innings and gave up only 1 run and we supprisngly didn't hit any HR's on the way to scoring 12 runs.

In comes Tampa Bay and away go our bats.  We scored a combined 6 runs in the 3 game series and that is the sole reason we dropped 2 of 3 to them.  In game 1, we got a good outing from Joe Blanton as he went 7 innings and gave up only 3 runs but lost 3-1 as no one could get a clutch hit, we had 11 hits but also stranded 13 runners.  In game 2, we got an early Christmas present in the form of an Aubrey Huff error in the bottom of the 9th that allowed Jay Payton to score the winning run.  Zito once again had a nice outing as he went 7 while giving up only 1 run.  In game 3, we got HR's from Mark Ellis and Frank Thomas but that was not enough as we lost 3-2.  Halsey came out and did a good job, throwing 5.2 innnings allowing 3 runs of which only one of those were earned.  However, the two unearned runs were due to an errant throw by Halsey himself.  That error turned out to be the difference as the A's were once again unable to get a clutch hit,  they had 10 hits and stranded 12 runners.

What I liked last week:

---  Barry Zito looking like the Barry of old.  In two starts last week Zito threw 14.2 innings while only giving up 1 run.  He lowered his ERA from 5.93 to 4.07 in those 2 games.  With all the injuries to the pitching staff, Zito will need to continue to step up and pitch well.

---  Nick Swisher still swinging a hot bat.  He went 9 of 24 (.375) last week with 6 runs and 4 RBI.  He is currently on a 8 game hitting streak.  With the Oakland offense struggling as mightily as it is, they need all the help they can get.

---  Eric Chavez still in a groove.  Chavy went 8 of 27 (.296) last week with 3 runs, 6 RBI, and 1 HR.  He and Swisher must continue to carry the load as the offense tries to regain its health.

---  Huston's back!  He made 3 appearances, threw 3 innings while striking out 2, and did not give up a run.  He did not get a save in any of those games but having him back is a tremendous boost to this struggling ballclub.

---  Taking both game vs. the Angels.  All the teams in the AL West are struggling at the moment and only 3 games separate the top 3 teams so each and every game will be important come playoff time and taking 2 of 2 from a dvision rival is always a good thing.

What I didn't like last week:

---  Dropping 2 of 3 to the Devil Rays.  We cannot afford to lose to teams that we are supposed to beat.  We very nearly could have been swept by them had it not been for the Huff error in the bottom of the 9th.  The main problem was driving in runners as we were able to hit the ball (we averaged 2 hits per game) but were unable to drive in runs (averaged 2 runs per game and stranded 33 runners over the entire series).

---  The Oakland offense.  Every single regular, besides Chavy, Swisher, and Kotsay, are batting under .250 (and Kotsay is not too far above that mark at .263).  We are batting a league worst .236 and that's just unacceptable!  Guys need to start picking it up or else changes should be made sooner rather than later.

Up next for the A's:

The A's have their first day off in two weeks on Monday, which is much needed with all the injuries to the team.  On Tuesday, they start a three games series in Toronto followed by a 3 game series in New York aginst the hated Yankees.  I expect, as I always do, the A's to take both series' with a possible sweep coming in Toronto.  Haren and Blanton need to pitch well and the offense HAS to get better.  See you guys next week.

Week 4 went almost as predicted by the DJ.  I had predicted if we beat Millwood in Game 1 of the Texas series, we would go on the sweep both series'.  Well, with the way things have been going of late, I'll take 4 of 5.  The A's are back at .500 and are now 12-12 and a half game behind the Rangers.

In Game 1 of the Rangers series, the A's got a solid effort from struggling Joe Blanton and the bullpen.  Blanton gave up 2 runs over 6 innings and the pen didn't let them get anymore.  In Game 2, Barry Zito had another rough outing giving up 5 runs over 6 innings but the A's had a chance to win the game.  The A's tied the game up scoring 2 runs in the top of the 9th and then for some strange reason, Ken Macha puts in recent callup Chad Gaudin to face the heart of the Texas lineup in a tied game in the bottom of the 9th when Joe Kennedy, Kiko Calero, and Justin Duchsherer were all still available.  Of course, Gaudin gives up the winning single to Hank Blalock moments later.  Nice move Macha.  We won Game 3, but at the same time we may have lost BIG as Rich Harden left the game with what they said was back spasms but we now know that he will be out for 3-6 weeks.

Onto Kansas City, where we had won 9 straight entering the series.  In the opener, Dan Haren came out and pitched like the Dan Haren of old, allowing 2 runs over 8 innings.  In Game 2, thank god the rains came as we were trailing 6-1 in the 3rd after Esteban walked 6 in the first inning and failed to make it through the 2nd.  The game is rescheduled for a double header in August.  In Game 3,  the bats came alive as the A's pounded out 13 runs and Chavez and Swisher each had HR's again.

What I liked last week:

---  We beat the teams we are supposed to beat.  In my opinion we are a better team than the Rangers and good teams beat the teams they are supposed to beat and we took care of business in KC, as usual.

---  Chavez still swinging a hot stick.  Chavy went 6 for 20 (.300) with 2 HR's last week.  With the offense still struggling a bit, he and Swisher will have to continue to carry the load.

---  Jay Payton picking it up.  Payton went 6 for 18 (.333) with 5 runs last week.  With Milton Bradley hurt, Payton will be having a lot more AB's and we need his bat in the lineup.

---  Dan Johnson is no longer slumping!  He went 11 of 19 (.368) with 2 HR's and 2 big 9th innning hits in the Texas series.  If he keeps hitting like this, he will be moved up in the order and that is something I think is needed for this lineup.

---  Stepping in for Street.  3 different A's got saves last week (Duchscherer, Kennedy, and Sarloos).  Street should be back this week and his replacements did well in his abscence.

What I didn't like:

---  Rich Harden hurt again.  Our ace is out 3-6 with a back strain.  We've got a pretty tough schedule this month and not having Harden take the ball every 5th day will hurt.

---  Esteban Loaiza, where are you?  Velocity is still not there and he has lost control, not a good combination.   With Harden on the DL, he needs to straighten things out quick.

---  Macha's decision making.  I did like that he put in Gaudin in the bottom of the 9th of a tied game against the heart of the oreder for Texas.  If you read my blog from last week, you know that I also blame Macha for Houston Street's recent injury.

Up next for the A's:

The A's have a full week with 2 games at Anaheim followed by 2 games at home vs. Cleveland and 3 games vs. Tampa Bay.  These two games against the Angels are BIG, as we are a half game ahead of them at the moment, because any seperation we can get from them is great whether its achieved in May or September.  I see another good week coming as the only tough pitchers we face are John Lackey in Game 2 of the Angels series and Scott Kazmir in Game 1 of the Devil Rays series.  I'm expecting to come out of this week with at least 4 wins and would be extremely disappointed with anything less than that.  See you guys next week.

Well A's fans, it was another bad week.  We went 2-4 this week, losing 2 of 3 to both the Tigers and the Angels.  We are now 8-11 on the year and 2 games back of both LA and Texas.

We actually won our first series opener of the year as Esteban Loaiza gave up 3 runs over 6 innings and the pen did the rest.  In game 2, Blanton blew up again allowing 8 runs in 4 1/3 and Kenny Rogers owned us as usual.  In game 3, we got a gem from Barry Zito who allowed one run over 7 innings only to be for not as Justin Duchsherer, filling in for injured Houston Street, could not close the game giving up 3 runs in the top of the ninth while only getting one batter out.

Onto Anaheim.  We won the series opener again.  This time getting a solid outing from Rich Harden, 3 runs over 8 innings, and Kiko Calero finished things off in the 9th.  Games 2 and 3 were both close but we lost by pretty much getting dominated by a single guy from the Angels as Garrett Anderson went 4 for 4 with a HR in game 2 and Vlad Guerrero went 2 for 4 with a HR and 3 RBI in game 3.

What I liked last week:

---  We won both series openers.  That sets the tone for the series and eventually our pitchers will get back to what they're capable of and we will start winning series' again.

---  Swisher still swinging a hot bat going 6 for 17 (.352) with 4 home runs.  The average may just be a hot streak but the power is for real folks.

---  Zito's strong performance against Detroit.  7 innings, 3 hits, and 1 run.  We need these starts from him.

---  Another good outing from Rich Harden.  8 innings, 5 hits, and 3 runs.  He didn't have his best stuff, only 2 strike outs, but he still managed a win.  This kid is special.

What I didn't like last week:

---  Houston Street getting hurt.  Now this is something that really ticked me off and I could go on for a long time about this but in my opinion Ken Macha messed up.  He threw Street in a game that didn't matter and then he was called upon in the next 4 games which I think is what caused the strained pectoral.  Now I may be wrong about this, but for a team that is expected to win it all, our closer does not need to get into game just "to get some work."

--- Joe Blanton still getting rocked.  I know he started slow last year but here's to hoping he figures it out soon.

---  Justin Duchsherer not the answer for the 9th inning.  Houston Street may be available as early as Tuesday so hopefully this won't be an issue.

---  Oakland bats still cold.   The Big Hurt, Milton Bradley, Mark Ellis, and Mark Kotsay are all still struggling.  I can live with Kendall not hitting as I think he is the most overpaid player in the game.  Now I'm not one to criticize Billy Beane very often but how can we be paying this guy $11 million a year?  Anyways back to the bats.  We have faced tough pitching so far so hopefully the bats heat up soon.

Up next for the A's:

The A's head out on the road this week as they have 3 games at Texas and at Kansas City.  These games are extremely important as I don't think the A's can afford another single digit wins in April.  With that said, if Joe Blanton can get the win tonight against Kevin Millwood I think the A's can sweep both series and we should be starting May with a 14-11 record and hopefully be atop the AL West.  Also, our bats should start heating up with games at Arlingotn and against the lowly Royals so we shouldn't have the worst average in the AL when this week is through.  See you guys next week.

After a good showing in Week 1, the A's reverted back to their old ways and are looking at another slow start.  They headed into the week at 5-2 and came out 6-7.  They got swept by Minnesota and dropped 2 of 3 to Texas.

In the first series at Minnesota, the A's once again lost the series opener.  Dan Haren got shelled and gave up 7 runs in 6 innings and that's all she wrote.  In game 2, it was much of the same with Esteban Loaiza giving up 6 runs in 4 innings.  What do you know?  In game 3, another Oakland starter got lit up.  This time it was Joe Blanton giving up 7 runs over 6 innings and to top it off Jay Witasik sprains his ankle on the final play of the game and will be out for at least a month.

Everyone was glad that the series with Minnesota finally ended and they were heading home to start a 9 game homestand.  No one plays better at home than Oakland and no one owns the Rangers like Barry Zito, guaranteed win right?  Wrong.  Zito gives up 5 early runs and the A's once again drop the series opener.  In game 2 we got "the man" Rich Harden on the mound and with a little help from the offense, we finally get a win.  In game 3, Dan Haren gives a fantastic performance giving up 1 run over 8 innings only to hand the ball over to Houston Street with a 2 run lead in the ninth and he blows the save.  I couldn't believe it.  Now we're 6-7.

What I liked last week:

---  Eric Chavez still on fire.  He went 8 for 22 (.363) with 3 HR's.

---  Nick Swisher heating up and out of the 8 hole.  He went 10 for 25 (.400) with 3 HR's.  The most important thing is that he is now using the opposite field, something that he has been working hard on in recent weeks.

---  Rich Harden the stopper.  Riding a 4 game losing streak, Harden came in and got us a win.  It's extremely important to have a guy who can do that although I don't think this staff will be having very many losing streaks.

---  The Big Hurt picking it up.  He went 5 for 17 (.294) with 2 HR's in 5 games over the past week.  With Chavez heating up, it will be important for Frank to provide the protection that Chavez needs to see good pitches.

---  Milton Bradley finding his stroke.  He went 9 for 23 (.391) with 2 HR's.  It's important for him to get off to a good start so that the fans don't give him any heat because we all know he doesn't need to face any more controversy.

What I didn't like last week:

---  Esteban Loaiza still looks like a bust.  4 IP, 8 hits, 6 earned runs, 4 walks, and 2 K's.  That line is not what you expect out o####uy getting $6 million this year from a cash strapped team.  The rumor is that his velocity is not where it needs to be and it should get better the more he pitches.  Let's hope so.

--- Houston we have a problem.  Houston Street has not made it through the final inning of 2 of his last 3 outings with the last one being a blown save.  I have no idea what's wrong but I'm not too worried as I think his stuff still looks pretty good.  They say it's because of his participation in the WBC but we'll see.

---  Mark Ellis' slow start.  He went 0 for 13 and only played in 3 of the 6 games.  Macha gave him the days off so that he could find his stroke.  Hopefully this works as he is scheduled to start in the opener tomorrow.

---  Dan Johnson finally gets a hit!  Johnson can home and got his first hit of the year.  I thought being back in Oakland and getting his first hit might spark something but instead he goes 1 for 13 last week and remains in his slump.  Plain and simple, we need this guy to hit.

---  Finally, Bobby Crosby in the 3 hole.  he went 6 for 24 (.250) last week and is currently hitting .229 with just 1 home run.  I don't know about you, but that is not the kind of production that I expect out of my number 3 hitter.  Get him out of there Macha.  This is what I want to see:  Kotsay, Bradley, Chavez, Thomas, Swisher, Crosby, Johnson, Kendall, Ellis.

Up next for the A's:

The A's continue their homestand with games against the hot hitting Detroit Tigers and the division rival LA Angels of Anaheim.  The pitching better find whatever it is that is missing because if not, they're in for another rough week.  I expect all the pitchers to bounce back this week and for the A's to take both series'.  See you next week, hopefully with a winning record.

I know it's only been a week and there's a long way to go before this season is anywhere near over but I can't help but be impressed with the way that the A's have started their season.  You must remember, this is coming from a fan that saw his team trade 2 out of the 3 "aces" from a staff that led the team to 4 straight playoff appearances and then went on to start the season 17-32 with no hopes of seeing the playoffs anytime soon.  So when my team wins both series' in the first week, one from the always hated Yankees and the other a four game series vs. the division rival Mariners, it doesn't get better than that.

What I like about those wins was the way in which we won those games.  The season couldn't have gotten off to a worse start after watching Barry Zito get shelled while lasting only 1.1 innings against the team that we truly hate.  Losing 15-2 on Opening Night in your home stadium is not a confidence booster for a team that many pick to go all the way this year.  As soon as that game was over, all the haters came out saying how the A's couldn't handle the pressure of being expected to win and how they still can't compete against the big market teams and how even if they get to the playoffs, it will be like previous years and they will not make it out of the first round.  Pleeeaaassseee, it was one bad game and over the next two nights that A's proved it was just that.  They won the next game 4-3 with a solid outing from, a guy whom I think will win the Cy Young this year, Rich Harden and solid pitching from our relief pitchers (0 runs in 1.1 innings).  The third game was a statement game in which the A's showed off their improved offense and won 9-4.  The two "controversial" offseason pickups (Frank Thomas and Milton Bradley) came up big, each driving in 3 runs a piece as the pitching was once again solid, giving up only 4 runs to the potent Yankee lineup.

After taking 2 of 3 from the Yankees, it was onto Seattle for a 4 game set against division foes the Seattle Mariners.  Once again, the A's dropped the series opener as the other key offseason pickup (Esteban Loaiza) struggled in his first start.  In game 2, all the hype was surrounding King Felix Hernandez making his first start of the season but Joe Blanton was the one people were talking about after the game as he threw 8 innings of 2 hit ball.  In game 3, it was more of the same as Barry Zito and 3 other Oakland pitchers combined for a 1 hit shutout of the Mariners.  In game 4, it was Harden's turn as he gave up 1 run over seven innings while striking out 8.  With that, the A's have won their first two series' and have gotten off to a 5-2 start.

What I liked so far:

---  Oakland dropped both series openers but came back to win the rest of the games in the series showing their solid makeup.

---  Harden looks healthy and Oakland won 3 out of the 4 games in which Bobby Crosby missed due to a cut finger.  A big deal was made about the A's needed Crosby to win last year which I think was blown out of proportion.

---  Eric Chavez getting off to a hot start batting with 3 home runs and 6 RBI over the first 7 games.  He is a notorious slow starter so getting off to a good start is extremely important to him.  He tried something a little different in prepartaion for the season this year which it seems to be working and I expect a big year out of him.

---  The bullpen looks very strong as the three key setup men (Kiko Calero, Justin Duchscherer, and Joe Kenedy) along with their closer (Houston Street) have yet to give up an earned run in 14 innings of work.  This pen is deep and gives manager Ken Macha a lot of options late in the game.

What I didn't like so far:

---  I'm concered with Esteban Loaiza's first start as I feel we overpaid for him.  However, I think if he reaches 200 innings, no matter what his record may be at the end of the season, he did his job by keeping the bullpen fresh.

---  I'm concered with the slow starts of Milton Bradley (.217 avg), Frank Thomas (.091 avg), and Dan Johnson (.000 in 19 ABs).  These 3 guys will be key run producers for the Oakland offense and when the pitching struggles, these guys will need to pick it up.

Up next for the A's:

This week they head out to Minnesota for a 3 game set vs. the Twins and then return home for a series vs. division rivals the Texas Rangers.  I expect the A's to take both of these series' as well as both the Twins and the Rangers are struggling right now.  I'll be back next week with another week in review.