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Still in the Driver's Seat
Shards of what remain of Barry Zito and the rest of Oakland A's pitching staff are still being recovered after yesterday's 14-0 threshing at the hands of the Texas Rangers. We're certain the Arlington faithful are downright giddy about their latent power display, as well they should be.
This beating reminded everyone that there is-indeed--a real pennant race fomenting in the AL West. However, the Rangers should take a very hard look at the all-encompassing big picture scoreboard-the Athletics won that series by dominating the small things. And they beat Texas by going toe-to-toe with one of the best offenses in the American League. Moreover, the real battle was won in the trenches-through superior bullpen action, sans Joe Kennedy, Scott Sauerbeck and the rest of the DL boys, a smothering defense and timely hitting from Jay Payton, not through caveman-like hacking at off-speed pitches that Ranger batters have mastered.
The Athletics, with their crudely assembled line-up, made the critical plays when they counted most. For instance, Bobby Crosby goes on the DL, enter utility-man extraordinaire Marco Scutaro, to solidify the shortstop position and play like a wizard. And the guy is a rock! If you notice, not many ground balls get past the Scutaro-Chavez phalanx. Then, there is Jay Payton. Exactly! Who the hell is Jay Payton? He's only the guy whose been riding a 12-game hitting streak, batting over .330 since June 11 and smashing meaningful home runs to either tie a game or put the A's in the lead. He even smashed a 4-bagger off his greatest nemesis, Texas pitcher Kevin Millwood. But we digress.
In a heated pennant race, it's the infinitesimal things that matter most in the end. And for whatever reason, this point is totally lost on the Seattle Marines. One would think with their collection of big names and hot prospects, the mere mention of their arrival at a visiting airport would instill fear into an entire city. No such luck this year Mariner-fan! The Athletics walked into SAFECO Field and slapped a dog collar on them for three straight games. The entire time, Seattle Manager Mike Hargrove seemed to be gritting his teeth, all the while looking heavenward for answers to fall from the sky while sucking on Maalox tablets between innings. If anyone is keeping score, the Athletics did it through the basics again: stalwart pitching, defense and timely hitting, and with a very modest payroll to boot. On paper, the Mariners should be mopping up the Athletics with high-priced mashers like Richie Sexson and Adrian Beltre serving as the twin-engine battering ram. Unfortunately for the Mariners, the best they can look forward to is Ichiro getting over 200 hits (again!) and where to spend the off-season ice fishing. Their brand of baseball appears to be predicated on the shadings of talent and ability, and with a significant lack of heart and, for lack of a better term, balls. The A's simply had their way with Seattle, and it was embarrassing to watch. The Mariners did nothing on the field to show they wanted to win a game, let alone an AL West title. Thus, they belong where most teams do after giving up in August-on the scrap heap of pretenders.