Losers Lose
The A’s got wacked by the White Sox yesterday and when I heard that was their 5th straight post season loss I lqtm. “Stupid A’s,” I mused. Then Minnesota lost and I head that was their SEVENTEENTH post season loss in a row. WTF????? I was certain that was a mistake. But nay, it was accurate. How does a playoff team loss 17 times in a row at anything?
Once again, mlb blew it. They were the only sporting event going yesterday, they had 4 games and they still ran all 4 on top of each other. Manfred is incompetent.
Barn is on fire today. EIGHT games! Woo Hoo let’s go!!!!!!
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
I mean five consecutive post-season losses by the A’s is something, and I too thought the 17 by they twinkies had to be wrong. That is just fucking crazy.
I know they are gonna get their asses handed to them, but I am pulling for the Brewers. My daughter dated and lived with a guy years ago, who at that time was the pitching coach for Sacramento State. He is now the minor league coach for the Brewers (floats between all their sites, etc.). Great guy. Even though things did not work-out between him and my daughter, we stay in touch. But it would be funny as hell (however unlikely) to the Brew oust the bums. Outside of that, I will always have a soft-spot for the Cards, as they were my childhood team.
I think it’s one those unbreakable records…
Agree. That is just mind-boggling. In 17 playoff games, how can a team not win ONE…
Do you recall a certain manager who pulled his starter after six in the WS a few years back…and the bullpen blew it up? Rocco Baldelli pulled Maeda (pitch count, most likely) after six with all of TWO hits given up. Guess what happened after that?
A’s offensive numbers took considerable drop this year, and their big 3 Olson Chapman Semien were main culprits. Last year A’s were in top 5 for most categories as team, runs OB Slug OPS.
this year 8th for runs 12th for slugging 10th OPS.
Semien went from .848 OPS down to .679, BA dropping from .285 to .223.
Chapman OP dropped less than that .848 to .812,
Olson unbelievably dropped BA from .267 to .195 OPS from .856 to .734.
these were guy that carried them last year and all hit 30+ bombs. this year 31 total btw them in 60 games.
grumbling too over Melvin…Luzardo 23 yr old kid curious choice to start game 1 and he didn’t have it, gone early put his team in 3-0 hole giving up couple bombs. Still A’s didn’t even have a hit or baserunner into 7th.
Semien is FA and Olson Chapman both arb eligible. Semien 2019 got lot of MVP votes and all 3 are excellent defensively. Gotta wonder how much A’s will fork out $$$ to keep them off season.
and the thing that is craziest, when you make the post season you have to have a fairly decent team. We’re not talking about the ’88 Orioles who lost 21 in a row. Although now I’m rooting for the twins to break that record….
Watching Pablo’s last season here got me to wondering about couple other larger former 3b now converted to full time 1b/DH. Sano of Twins, listed at 270, from San Pedro de Macoris in the DR and Vlad Jr. on Toronto listed at 250. Sano had bit of off season .757 OPS for otherwise explosive team.
Vlad Jr. hit 2 triples this season and I saw one of them–he busted his way into it. 21 yrs old as opposed to Sano who is 27.
Twins have a cool team hope they can get off schneid and make Series go distance. If they can hold off Stros/Sox take out A’s, that would be cool matchup in next round I think. As would Tampa and Yanks.
Do these games count?
ha oh yeah. Whoever wins it all will be World Series champs, just like in other playoff bubble major sports. Players I’m sure will say in this environment it’s even tougher than regular season.
What? No asterisk?
the “2020” in the title will say it all
Wasn’t listening to ESPN broadcast during A’s game but Flemming was doing game and apparently made much mention lack of crowd noise hurt the A’s. This is theme that’s been repeated by local writers–despite A’s often not drawing well during regular season games, playoff one at home would draw 50 thou, loud and boisterous.
Kinda funny home teams all lost except Tampa–crowds make any difference at all or Flems talking out side of his neck? Twins did have few hundred there in stands.
A’s are 8-13 in home playoff games since 2000. Even more damning, they’re 0-5 at home in decisive Game 5’s, and 0-1 in their lone Wild Card home game (last year vs. Rays). Excuses, excuses . . .
yes exactly. You would think players at home yard would be more comfortable, especially since Coli has pen mounds in foul territory and huge foul ground all around.
Twinkies are 0-8 in home playoff games since ’04, so that’s almost half of the 17-game playoff losing streak.
I’ve attended a’s PS games. The drums and flags and soccer horns are there but a huge % of fans of the other team are there too. Or local Giants fans just interested in a cheap PS experience. Nothing like the loud PS games I’ve attended at China Basin. I think Fleming was only being polite. I thought he was good yesterday. Mendoza (that is her name?) was not. The Sox are a helluva team. They’re now 15-0 this year vs LH starters.
Font designers will be busy all winter on their new asterisks.
That’s a good point, Flav, about the TV schedule. Using my East Coast bias EST, it should’ve been something like: 1 p.m. (Tampa), 4 p.m. (Minnesota), 7 p.m. (Cleveland), 10 p.m. (Oakland).
Pads starting Paddack tonite as they will be without Lamet and Clevinger in STL series. Giants hit 3 HRs off Paddack who gave up 5 earned and couldn’t finish 4th inning last week here. Crawford Flores and Yaz all took him deep–last game Giants won.
I remember the 1988 Orioles started the season off by losing 21 straight games!!
They fired manager Cal Ripken Sr after he started 0-6, pretty quick hook by management
and was replaced by Frank Robinson who said what the hell I can do better then that, and proceeded to
go 0-15 as the Orioles ended up at 54-108..
Then the best start I remember was the Detroit Tigers back in 1984 who went wire to wire and won it all after starting the season 35-5 they were on fire 🔥 and no team could touch them. Howdy Doody Darrel Evans was the 1st basemen after playing with the crappy Giants before coming over to Detroit and winning a W/S ring in his 1st year with them.Another ex Giant on that team was Dave Bergman who had a lot of key hits for them through out the year and postseason..
that’s a pretty solid recall you got there, Kat
Oh man could u imagine if the Giants could somehow lure Chapman away( hey he already rips the orq for no fan support, I don’t believe he’s overall happy there) the guy doesn’t just win gold gloves he wins platinum gloves voted the best fielder in baseball!! The right handed hitting punch he would supply is just what the doctor ordered for this club..
Reds – Braves locked in a pitching duel. I have no strong feelings on this series.
Hey Chi even if the Brewers don’t get it done there’s always the possibility of your growing up team the Cardinals taking on the Dodgers if they get past San Diego who look alittle vulnerable right now..
Agree, Kat.
Twins mgr. Baldelli unable to give update on why dynamic OF Buxton unable to play today, not good sign. Replacement OF flew out with2 outs bases loaded in first inning.
Twins hit 91 HRs, only ChiSo 96 and Yanks 94 hit more. Yet they were only 10th in runs scored as they had issues getting on base. 10th in BBs 10th in BA.
Defensive issues on IF cost them yesterday too. Maybe with late inning lead, our old buddy Adrianza gets PT.
Curious, did the Braves add the Panda to their roster because of his tomahawk swing?
Bauer 7 shutout innings with 11 Ks, looks like he stayed away from the drones.
Reds running themselves out of runs.
the lack of offense so far in this post season is astounding. Today, 15 innings played so far, 1 total run. And in two of those games the wind is blowing out like a motherfucker
So you’re saying we had a chance?
Lulz 😂
Melanoma pitches a scoreless inning go figure?
Worse then a smelly diaper for the Giants, now had a good year with the Braves..
Speaking of playoff losing streaks, Reds are currently at 3, haha.
It’s real extra innings!
Yeah MacDog back to real baseball for extra innings!
Like Tom Hanks said to Pvt Ryan…Earn it !!
So bush league having a runner at 2nd base to start extra innings..
Freeman goes down bottom 11, after Acuna pops out swinging at 3-0 pitch leading off. Ozuna Ks Braves have K’d 20 times, 2 hits 36 ABs. yikes
Ah, I had forgot they revert back to real baseball for extra innings (no beer league softball bullshit with each half inning starting with a runner on 2nd).
Reds pissed down there leg in the top of 12…runners at the corners, no out…no runs…
Twins magical frustrations continue !
Eliminated with now 18 straight playoff losses!
Mr.MVP Freddie Freeman says:I’ve played enough innings and ends it!
Amazing in baseball when in baseball a journeyman pitcher Chris Bassitt (31) can turn it around and be your Ace and shutting out Whitesox’s powerful LU..
Like Vogey?
Yeah like Vogey, though Bassitt’s cheese 🧀 is a lot faster. But both bulldogs for sure..
So the last PS series the Twins won was the 2002 div series when they eliminated the Moneyball a’s. I remember that day. Few hours later the Giants beat the Braves to take their PS back to Atlanta. The 49ers won at the Stick. There were very few cars on the roads of the Bay Area that Sunday afternoon.
oh F Golds goes yard first pitch he sees from Paddack 2-0 STL.
Now 4-0, great start, Pads.
Maybe Pads are all hype?
After taking a huge shit in his Paddack, it ain’t working for Chris and I’m saying the Padres go down in 2 to the Cards..
Uh-oh, here come the Marlins.
huh Cards IF tommy Hedman coming back to homefront. Played HS ball at LaJolla Country Day where his Dad coaches before 3 yrs at Stanford.
Pads Cronenworth missed bomb over CF fence by inches winds up at 3b with triple.
What a horrible strike 3 call vs. ChiSox’s Mazara, would’ve been walk and tying run up with 1 out.
Fish take first game against the cubbies. There is a guy here, Jim, who stops in at our drinking table occasionally. His grandma was a huge cub fan, so he is too. Fucking guy is annoying as all hell. I am heading to the brewery to do football picks…hope he shows up, so I can ride his ass about the cubs losing.
Give him hell Chi!!
Sure was and the Whitesox’s dugout is barking venom at the umpire surprised he didn’t throw someone out..
Trivia question, saw this in Chron today:
Yasmani Grandal (who just homered again today) and Jose Abreu were 5th and 6th Cuban born hitters with post season HR. The list includes 2 others who played for the 2 local Bay Area teams. Who were they?
Cespedes has to be one.
I’m having trouble remembering anyone other than Livan who played for the Giants.
yes. Didn’t have full list but there are 2 more.
good question
Tito? Don’t know if he homered in the ’71 playoffs.
yes Chuck exactly.
Pads mgr. finally gets tired of watching Paddack throw BP. 2 and 1/3 innings 8 hits (3 doubles and bomb) 5 earned and leaves runners on 1b and 3b.
Xoot is right but there are also 2 more.
ChiSox making A’s sweat, bases loaded 2 out in 9th.
Hendrix threw 50 pitches, my god Melvin rode him hard, can’t believe he could throw tomorrow!
Now Diekman walks in a run, holy shit !
The A’s just survived wow what a struggle, but there still alive..
Tony Oliva?
As a Cuban, not on a Bay Area team.
WTF was the question again?
yes HRs hit for bay area teams by Cuban born player, 2 others besides Cespedes.
I had to look it up. That’s whatcha call a trick question. Good one though.
1/4 trick, I think.
Reading the Flap with all these games in progress is an entertaining and instructive experience. You learn a lot. You put the puzzle together through the comments here as clues and cues. It’s a gestalt, if I may use that word (calm down, it’s not political tho’ it is German). The amount of recall here, and the statistical tsunami to back it up, is nothing less than stunning. Also, by the comments alone a reader feels the tides and tensions of those games in progress. Thanks.
if i miss the end of a game I wake up in the morning and just go read the end of the Flap to see how it turned out. The joy and/or angst is easy to feel and understand what happened even if it’s not clear the specifics of what happend.
Pads have a chance to get back in this if their pitchers can put up some zeroes, and there’s a start.
Tito Fuentes? Don’t remember if he hit a homer in the ’71 playoffs.
Or if he’s Cuban
ha yes to both born in Havana.
Stan Javier? Hell I don’t even know if he’s Cuban?
My pick to win it all, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays destroyed the Bluejays 8-2 to eliminate them behind a Grandslam HR by Renfroe..
No to Stan Javier.
Other one beside Tito Fuentes (and as Xoot said Yoenis Cespedes) is Jose Canseco, also born in Havana.
I always think of Cuban players as those who came up in the Cuban leagues. So Jose C who came to the USA at age one is a stretch for me. But it’s a fact I always forget. Tito Fuentes was the last Cuban player to come here to play before the Cold War embargo changed everything. Great recall by Chuck.
I was surprised at that too re: Canseco.
Pads making this interesting cut it to 6-4. Big AB for Tatis Jr. in 6th.
Tito! Wasn’t sure if he was from the DR or Cuba.
Man those Damm Yankees down 4-1
3-2 count and here comes the heater
and Gio Urshela sent it half way up the bleachers for a Grandslam
and a 5-4 Yanks lead against the Indians..
i root against all things Cleveland. FUCK Cleveland.
Anyone see Pads ninth? Machado hits one hop rocket to SS DeJong who guns him down. Next up Hosmer line drive DeJong makes leaping grab. Then Myers hits one to CF wall and is robbed with another leaping grab.
Wasn’t gonna happen with that kinda D from STL, say baseball gods.
Brewers pitcher is pitching scared.
Brewers guy Vogelbach looks like the fat kid on every t ball team, magnified to the tenth degree.
I don’t know what it but the Brewers uni’s look snazzy to me they really pop..
Vogelbach rumbles for a double! He was listed at 325 — in HS.
I have always liked the Brewers logo, the mitt, the ball, the m, the b. I am still getting used to the trucker hat look.
Yeah they could still work on the Barney’s smoked brats lids they’re wearing..
Brad Handjob, what a goddamn chickenshit choker.
No wonder the Indians suck, they got a bunch of ex-Padres.