If it were not for a disastrous June where the Oakland A’s went 10-17, we might be talking about the A’s in a divisional race, and we could avoid the annual sell of this team shots for every July. At 48-47 this A’s team is doing pretty good, but they are in a division with the Rangers and Angels, and they find themselves seven full games out of the lead in the American League West. This team feels like one that is missing that little something to put them over the top, but General Manager Billy Bean is sure to be a seller at the trade deadline and the work on this team will start all over again.
They could possibly use some more offense as they have scored 401 runs, and as a team they are hitting .262. That number is 7th among the 14 American League clubs. They have collected 848 hits which can be broken down like this; 166 doubles, 22 triples (tops among the Al teams), and 63 home runs. That number is 12th in the AL and speaks to a lack of power on this club, and due to the stadium in which they play.
It seems to me that the A’s pitching staff is a little better than they get credit for. They have given up 387 runs and the staff ERA is 3.78. That is the second best staff ERA in the AL. Four of the six pitchers who have started games for this team have winning records, and that does not include Ben Sheets who is 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA. Their closer, Andrew Bailey, has converted 20 saves and has an overall record of 1-3 with a 1.56 ERA.
One of the big questions about t his team heading into 2010 was where would they find enough offense. It seems that they are still looking to answer that question as none of their regular nine starters is hitting better than .300.
Related Links:
• Oakland A’s news and notes • The Business of Major League Baseball •MTR Baseball.com
