matt hollidayHolliday is finally gone. In one of the most predictable moves of the season, the Oakland A’s finally traded big bat Matt Holliday to the St. Louis Cardinals. The A’s have been a small name team for the last 20 years or so.

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Friday: Colorado Rockies 4-2 Athletics

Saturday: Rockies 11-9 Athletics

Sunday: Rockies 3-2 Athletics.

Ouch. Not a great weekend, this one. Sure, the Rockies are a decent side, and have been on quite the hot streak since they replaced their manager, but still. They looked like they were in a different class to the Athletics. They’ve now lost five in a row and are on the ropes.Before we get on to these games, some bad news. Josh Outman, one of the few bright sparks in the season so far, has been placed on the sixty day disabled list; He might also need to have Tommy Johns Surgery on his elbow. This procedure, which involves replacing damaged ligament, is pretty well established now, with a reasonable success rate, but it would take twelve to eighteen months for him to recover from. The A’s injury problems go on… and on… and on. Sigh.

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Monday: Giants 1-5 A’s

Tuesday: Giants 4-1 A’s

Wednesday: Giants 6-3 A’s

Did you know that the Giants have the third best record in the National League? Whilst many of us expected them to have a reasonably competitive season behind their stellar starting rotation, I don’t think anyone expected this; in the second week of the season, ESPN had them ranked forth from bottom of their power rankings.So that’s nice to see.

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Friday: A’s 7-5 Padres

Saturday: A’s 6-3 Padres

Sunday: A’s 1-4 Padres

So, last time I started out by ragging on the Giants a little for not sustaining their success against the rest of the AL West. Well, clearly that worked, because they went out and swept the Rangers. The Rangers have now lost four on the bounce, and their bats have gone quiet; hopefully this marks the start of their traditional midsummer slump. The Angels, on the other hand, have won seven out of the last ten, and although they dropped two to the Dodgers, they’re looking good as the all star break comes up. It looks as if the AL West will be decided on what trades these two teams can put together. Can Texas acquire more pitching?

Obviously, the A’s could win twenty in row… hm.

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Tuesday: A’s 4-5 Dodgers

Wednesday: A’s 5-4 Dodgers

Thursday: A’s 2-3 Dodgers.

Before we get into this a bit more, I just want to say thanks, San Francisco Giants. Thanks for playing really well and sweeping the A’s, and then forgetting all about that and losing against the Angels. Great stuff, yeah? Way to help a struggling team out. Still, Holliday is available. Say, that Cain guy is pretty decent, I hear?

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Friday: A’s 0-3 Giants

Saturday: A’s 2-5 Giants

Sunday: A’s 1-7 Nate Schierholtz

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Monday: Twins 3-4 A’s

Tuesday: Twins: 10-5 A’s

Wednesday: Twins 6-3 A’s

Thursday: Twins 3-4 A’s

So, the streak ended at seven. And then fire came down from heaven, the earth opened up and swallowed the stadium, and prohibition was brought back in. Wait, what? That was all a dream? But the seven game winning streak still happened, right? Right. So, it seems that when the A’s play some teams that are not terrible, the occasionally loose. They were well beaten on Tuesday, with their five runs not coming until the bottom of the ninth (at least they made Nathan work a little, at least.). On Wednesday, too, the twins were dominant. I was at the game, and as the wag behind me put it when Joe Nathan came out for the ninth “The A’s have as much chance of scoring tonight as I do”.

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First Round

1. Washington Natnals -  Stephen Strasburg (RHP)

2. Seattle Mariners – Dustin Ackley(1B/OF)

3. San Diego Padres – Donovan Tate (OF)

4. Pittsburg Pirates  - Tony Sanchez (C)

5. Baltimore Orioles – Matt Hobgood (RHP)

6. San Francisco Giants – Zack Wheeler (RHP)

7. Atlanta Braves – Mike Minor (LHP)

8. Cincinnati Reds – Mike Leake (RHP)

9. Detroit Tigers – Jacob Turner (RHP)

10. Washington Natnals – Drew Storen (RHP)

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Friday: Orioles 1-9 Athletics

Saturday: Orlioles 4-9 Athletics

Sunday: Orioles: 0-3 Athletics

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Monday: Athletics 2-6 White Sox

Tuesday: Athletics 5-0 White Sox

Wednesday: Athletics: 5-3 White Sox

Thursday: Athletics 7-0 White Sox

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