8-13, Game Notes

This team is sure more fun to watch when our young phenoms are pitching, huh? Our buzz might get killed tomorrow with the still-not-quite-right Erik Bedard on the hill, but for now, let’s just bask in the glistening beauty of another precious win.

• Michael Pineda was excellent yet again tonight, and while the A’s don’t boast one of the more potent lineups in the league, there were still five lefties out there that he had to deal with, and he worked through them rather easily. He continued to show excellent control, with 66 of his 98 pitches going for strikes, and he once again made good use of his explosive fastball. The off-speed stuff still isn’t quite where it needs t obe, but in the early going, he hasn’t given me any reason to believe he can’t continue to be successful.
• The Mariners lineup, while lacking significant punch, is maintaining it’s disciplined plate approach, drawing another seven walks tonight – two of them belonging to Jack Cust, and two more to Ryan Langerhans. Those two guys, in case you were wondering, have gaps between their BA and OBP of .142 and .224, respectively.
• Attempting to close the game out, Jamey Wright was less good tonight than he has been previously in 2011. This was not a surprising development.
• Milton Bradley exited the game in the third inning with apparent back spasms, no further word on this yet.