I did manage to see an A’s game at the Oakland Coliseum before the installation of Mt. Davis and at the time, I remember thinking, “Wow, their stadium is so much nicer than the Giants’.” Of course, the Giants had my heart so it didn’t matter… but all my friends were A’s fans.
So, the reason I’ve had a chip on my shoulder during this whole ordeal — that, hopefully, prevents John Fisher from ever being seen in public again — is because a very small and ugly man has hurt some very dear friends of mine. Baseball teams might be considered a public good by the public, but we also understand that that’s a wish upon a star.
The truth that’s uglier than John Fisher is that baseball teams are a moneymaking enterprise for the people who own them. Literally nothing more than that. And however they choose to shake the money loose is their prerogative. If it takes hurting individuals and communities and the reputation of a sport, so be it. Everybody has signed up to understanding the bottomless pursuit of money. The sequel to Moneyball will be about extracting value until something that was once loved is simply a husk.
As the Giants try and flail at the third Wild Card, it’s important to remember that the human element exists beyond keeping customers interested in and paying money to see a team for all six months of the season. Healthy or not, people form connections to these players and the team. Baseball being on practically every day for half the calendar year is like a background companion through the journey of life. For a lot of A’s fans, that journey was ended because their companion was murdered.
Larry Baer & co. helped dispose of the body, of course, and have been more than happy to do it. Losing the Oakland A’s to Sacramento and then Las Vegas is sadder yet. Just because of the heat indexes, it’s like John Fisher is burning ants with a magnifying glass — for fun! So, if everybody’s a little on edge this weekend, and I wouldn’t blame them. I’m sure the online Giants fans will be far more cruel to the A’s fans than they would be in person (such is internet), but hearing a packed stadium for the next two days chant and demand the immediate peril of the A’s owner will be a bonding experience for all in attendance, and we know there will be a solid mix of both fanbases.
As for the series itself, well, the A’s aren’t nearly as bad as last season. They’re a tiny bit better than average offensively (101 wRC+ – 12th in MLB), and their pitching has been about as valuable (8.2 fWAR) as the Giants’ (7.8). The A’s have the best record in the American League in the second half (15-9) and are 18-17 in interleague play.
After going 12-4 in the 16-game stretch where they faced only sub-.500 teams, the Giants dropped 3 of 4 at home against Atlanta. This 2-game series in Oakland followed by a 3-game set back in Oracle against the tattered White Sox will end a critical 25-game spot in the schedule where they were given the chance to get into the playoff race. They basically have to sweep these next 5 games to take advantage, and I’m not sure the A’s will let them.
Why should they? The Bridge trophy is on the line!
Series details
Who: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland Athletics
Where: Oakland Coliseum, Oakland, California
When: Saturday (4:07pm PT), Sunday (1:07pm PT)
National broadcasts: None.
Projected starters
Saturday: Hayden Birdsong vs. Osvaldo Bido
Sunday: Blake Snell vs. J.P. Sears
Where they stand
Athletics, 52-70 (5th in ALW, -14.5 WC), 498 RS / 569 RA | Last 10 games: 6-4
Giants, 62-62 (4th in NLW, -3.5 WC), 541 RS / 553 RA | Last 10 games: 5-5
Athletics to watch
JP Sears: Here’s what I wrote about him in the last series preview:
Now, I can think of few things that are funnier than a baseball team feeling confident after a four-game sweep running into an absolute buzzsaw immediately thereafter. Somehow, the Giants have never faced J.P. Sears before, which obviously gives him the advantage. They’re now without Jorge Soler, who was on a hot streak, so it’s going to be a huge test of Marco Luciano, Tyler Fitzgerald, and Heliot Ramos to see if they can battle a lefty they’ve never seen.
That’s exactly what happened. J.P. was a buzzsaw like one you would buy from Sears (RIP), striking out 9 Giants in 7 shutout innings. He’s following that up with a pair of 7-inning starts, allowing 1 run (earned) to the White Sox in Oakland and striking out 5 and allowing 3 runs (all earned) in Toronto (striking out 4). Will see who wins the rematch. The Giants didn’t have Mark Canha last time!
Brent Rooker: He’s been mega hot in August, with 3 home runs in 10 games (42) adding to a triple slash of .289/.357/.553 and he looks set to return from the paternity list for this series. This will be Rooker’s second child, but I still think the “powered by dad energy” rule still applies. He also has 29 home runs this season, 9th in MLB.
Shea Langeliers: The former top catching prospect has just a .295 OBP and a .230 batting average on the season, but he also has 22 home runs (25th in MLB) and in 10 August games is slashing .371/.488/.629 thanks to 6 walks against just 5 strikeouts and 2 hit by pitches. He’s also good at stopping base stealers, with a 28% caught stealing rate (Patrick Bailey is at 33%).
Mason Miller: The Giants missed him in the last series, but the fireball-throwing closer will be available in this one and as cool as it would be to see him pitch, I hope we don’t!
Giants to watch
Mark Canha: This might be a weird and special time for the former A and current Giant. He probably has a lot of friends who grew up A’s fans, too, while he was a Giants fan; and, he was never better than when he played for the A’s, amassing a 116 wRC+ across 7 seasons (2,492 plate appearances). He’s 9-for-30 in his Giants career (9 games, 35 PA) and might be ready to have A Moment in this regional rivalry akin to his bat toss moment at Oracle years ago.
Grant McCray: A bunt RBI hit and a home run in the same game must have the rookie feeling like he can do anything, and I fully support this feeling, if not project it onto him (he’s probably more humble than that).
Ryan Walker: He surpassed his innings total from last season in his previous appearance (the 1-0 loss to Atlanta) and as solid as he is as the closer, 62.1 innings with a month and a half of season left is a really hefty load for a late-inning reliever, especially a closer. Ryan Helsley and Emmanuel Clase are tied with 37 saves and they’re at 50.2 and 56.1 innings, respectively. Josh Hader checks in with 26 saves in 54.1 innings. Last year, Clase ended up with the most saves in MLB (44) in 72.2 innings. Camilo Doval had 39 in 67.2 innings and we see how he’s carried that workload over to this season.
So, on the one hand, I’m sure Ryan Walker will persevere the rest of the season, but as great of a risk of him flaming out completely next year (and, to be sure, relievers are the most fungible players in baseball because they are liable to flame out instantly), there’s perhaps a high risk of it happening this year. Something to keep an eye on — or, if he continues being a dominant sliderman, something to cheer.
