Game #79: A's 6, Padres 5

June 29, 2006 | A's @ San Diego

As you know, Thursdays are a busy day for me. So if the A's are playing a day game, I'm likely to miss it. But then...

Start of tanner buffer: Thu Jun 29 17:27:35 2006
[15:30] tanner: nail biting time.
[15:30] wella: sup
[15:30] wella: i came back from a meeting and a conf call
[15:30] wella: last i saw it was 3-3 in the 7th
[15:30] wella: what's it now?
[15:30] tanner: now it is 5-3 oak
[15:30] tanner: bottom of ninth
[15:30] tanner: street on
[15:30] tanner: man on first no out
[15:31] tanner: two walks!
[15:45] wella: what's happening?
[15:45] tanner: well..
[15:45] tanner: street walks the first two guys.
[15:45] tanner: gets a ground ball and they can't turn a double play
[15:45] tanner: so first and third one out
[15:45] tanner: then it appears that they pick off the runner on first
[15:46] tanner: but...
[15:46] tanner: DJ drops the ball
[15:46] tanner: so now second and third one out
[15:46] tanner: strike out
[15:46] tanner: then they intentionally walk Brian Giles
[15:46] tanner: bases full
[15:46] tanner: and a single by JOsh Bard ties it up
[15:47] tanner: and now Trevor Hoffman is pitching
[15:49] wella: it's over...
[15:50] tanner: ???
[15:50] wella: i'm just saying... this game is lost
[15:50] tanner: no way
[15:50] wella: i'm ready to throw in the series and let the padres have it
[15:50] tanner: how dare you
[15:50] tanner: :>
[15:51] tanner: this is a good test
[15:51] wella: san diego has been bad karma all around
[15:51] wella: let's just get it over with, go home and start afresh w/ the homestand
[15:51] wella: we can't win 'em all
[15:51] tanner: we need this one.
[15:51] tanner: we have been playing poorly
[15:51] tanner: we should have one this one but we stumbled
[15:52] tanner: but if we pull it out it washes all of the bad play away
[15:52] tanner: come home, get some home town love, and kick some butt
[15:52] tanner: go out and have some beers wiht Eric Byrnes
[15:52] tanner: it'll be great
[15:52] wella: my, you're a happy camper
[15:53] tanner: it beats the alternative
[15:53] wella: yes, MY alternative: wallow in self-pity
[15:53] wella: but i wanna do it anyway
[15:54] tanner: then you will be pleased to see we went down on 11 pitches
[15:54] tanner: i missed swicher actually getting a hit
[15:55] tanner: Ron Flores is in.
[15:55] tanner: What could possibly go wrong?
[15:55] tanner: our sixth pitcher of the evening
[15:56] tanner: at least rob schneider look-alike mark bellhorn popped out on a 3-0 count
[15:56] tanner: his teammates should beat him senseless for that
[15:59] tanner: the padres go out on 9 pitches
[15:59] tanner: they are intimidated by Ron Flores
[15:59] tanner: your boyfriend Mike Rouse is due up 2nd
[15:59] tanner: he will hit a home run to win the game
[16:00] wella: ooh... that's a tantalizing idea
[16:00] wella: dare I open up Gameday?
[16:00] tanner: sure
[16:00] tanner: get ready for inning 11
[16:02] tanner: payton retired on one pitch
[16:02] tanner: now pitching Jon Adkins
[16:02] tanner: i guess hoffman only has 10 pitches in him
[16:03] tanner: no out recorded
[16:03] tanner: music to my ears
[16:06] wella: is it over yet?
[16:06] wella: tell me if the news is good or bad
[16:06] tanner: top of the 11th
[16:06] tanner: your boyfriend doubled
[16:07] tanner: one out.
[16:07] wella: Swish seems to be on a downswing of sorts
[16:17] tanner: kendall makes an out of some variety
[16:18] tanner: not exactly
[16:18] tanner: kendall singles
[16:18] tanner: rouse is thrown out at home
[16:18] wella: NOOOO!
[16:19] tanner: he stopped to admire his reflection in Ron Washington's glasses
[16:19] tanner: he was thinking... i don't really think I look like Ashton Kutcher
[16:19] tanner: but if she says it... it must be true.
[16:21] wella: yeah, not ashton kutcher
[16:21] wella: maybe not anyone
[16:22] wella: but he is cute :-)
[16:22] tanner: mike rouse is his own man
[16:22] wella: yesss...
[16:24] tanner: ron flores retires the side on 8 pitches
[16:24] tanner: ho-hum
[16:30] tanner: swisher and chavez strike out
[16:31] tanner: ron flores is actually batting for himself
[16:31] tanner: they are not going to unleash Antonio Perez on teh Padres just yet
[16:31] tanner: unlike possible all-stars chavez and swisher, flores acutally makes contact
[16:31] tanner: he grounds out to the catcher
[16:35] tanner: he is the chaing kai shek of baseball
[16:38] tanner: ron flores retires the padres on 6 pitches
[16:38] tanner: *yawns*
[16:38] tanner: he even gave up a single
[16:38] tanner: flores has thrown 23 pitches in 3 innings
[16:41] tanner: dan johnson strikes out
[16:42] wella: BTW since i'm not able to watch the game, i just might use the transcript of our conversation for the blog entry :-)
[16:42] tanner: jay payton swings at the first pitch he sees and grounds out
[16:43] tanner: Wella's boyfriend strides up the plate.
[16:43] wella: again?
[16:43] wella: we've gone thru the lineup already?
[16:44] tanner: it's true.
[16:44] tanner: btw...
[16:44] tanner: Antonio Perez owns the 14th inning
[16:45] tanner: i feel sorry for the Padres if they don't score in the bottom of the 13th - cuz this game is ovah!
[16:46] tanner: flies out to CF
[16:46] tanner: btw... Jason Kendall stole two bases
[16:46] tanner: even Chavez got into the act
[16:47] tanner: maybe we didn't notice that Piazza wasn't catching
[16:52] tanner: i am not a fan of National League baseball
[16:52] tanner: but i am excited now because Chan Ho Park is pinch hitting for Alan Embree
[16:52] tanner: that is real quality baseball
[16:53] tanner: i would be more interested to see the A's bring Kotsay into pitch
[16:53] tanner: but i think we will have to wait a few more innings for that
[16:53] tanner: Ron Flores is not fazed by Korea's finest hitting pitcher and he wraps up another inning in 11 pitches
[16:54] tanner: after the fact but... Park was hitting 360 in 25 at bats
[16:55] wella: Chan Ho Park? I thought they were playing in Petco Park.
[16:55] wella: (ha ha! my weak little joke)
[16:55] tanner: Wooooooooo!
[16:56] wella: honestly, a few years ago I thought Chan Ho Park was a stadium in the NL
[16:56] tanner: btw... Flores pitched two innings last night too
[16:58] tanner: scutaro walks
[16:59] tanner: kotsay sacrifices scutaro to second
[16:59] tanner: so we need a base hit from kendall or swisher
[16:59] tanner: btw...
[17:00] tanner: the choices for next pitcher are ugly...
[17:00] tanner: either gaudin or duchscherer
[17:00] tanner: both of whom threw 25 pitches last night
[17:01] tanner: kendall hit by pitch
[17:02] tanner: swisher hits into a fielder's choice
[17:03] tanner: first and third and it is up to chavez
[17:03] tanner: intentional walk to get to Antonio Perez
[17:04] tanner: To repeat myself... Antonio Perez is known in the Domincan as Senor 14th inning
[17:04] tanner: padres pticher scott cassidy must know this
[17:04] tanner: as he starts him with three straight balls
[17:05] tanner: perez lets him have a strike
[17:05] tanner: foul for strike two.
[17:05] tanner: at this point i can't help but root for Antonio and his 082 batting average
[17:06] tanner: WALK!
[17:06] tanner: Perez drives in a run!
[17:06] tanner: U-S-A!U-S-A!U-S-A!U-S-A!U-S-A!U-S-A!
[17:06] tanner: *stands up on desk and dances*
[17:06] tanner: *checks to see if anyone is looking*
[17:07] tanner: i am pretty sure you get fined in the team kangaroo court for walking an 082 hitter with the bases loaded
[17:10] tanner: DJ is up to 12 pitches in his at bat
[17:11] tanner: a 14 pitch out.
[17:11] wella: re: DJ -- he has to make up for that dropped ball
[17:12] wella: that started all of this
[17:12] tanner: too late.
[17:12] wella: ugh
[17:12] tanner: thankfully the A's saved Antonio Perez for the perfect moment
[17:14] tanner: Chad Gaudin comes in to wrap it up!
[17:15] tanner: 1 out.
[17:16] tanner: san diego singles
[17:17] tanner: vinny castilla singles on a ground ball to marco scutaro
[17:17] tanner: this is where gameday fails us
[17:18] tanner: i can't imagine vinny castilla hitting an infield single
[17:18] tanner: it does not compute
[17:19] tanner: three outs are in the books
[17:19] tanner: but i can't tell how
[17:19] tanner: ok... Brian Giles lines out to Mike Rouse at 2nd
[17:19] tanner: Rouse tosses to Scutaro to double off Mike Cameron and the A's win the game.
[17:20] tanner: Outstanding.
[17:20] tanner: Now take a shower.
[17:20] tanner: get on the plane.
[17:20] tanner: and in the words of a terrible manager...
[17:20] tanner: "let's pound some Budweisers!"
[17:20] wella: you were right, i was wrong. we could win this game.
[17:21] tanner: ye of little faith
[17:21] wella: :-)
[17:21] tanner: ironic isn't it
[17:21] wella: oh don't go rubbing it in now!
[17:22] tanner: that's not my style.
[17:22] tanner: :-I
[17:24] tanner: that's the ball game folks.
[17:24] tanner: your three stars of the game...
[17:24] tanner: 1. Ron Flores
[17:24] tanner: 2. Jay Payton for getting multiple hits and hitting an actual home run
[17:25] tanner: 3. My write-in candidate for the all-star game, Antonio Perez
[17:25] tanner: later.
[17:25] *** "tanner" signed off at Thu Jun 29 17:25:53 2006.
End of tanner buffer: Thu Jun 29 17:27:35 2006

(Game experience: Checked ESPN-MLB on my cell once, heard less than two minutes on the radio, but mostly relied on Tanner Boyle's updates)

A's record: 42-36 | streak: W-1 | well-A-meter: