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God bless the rebels – the A’s fans staged an inspired protest and the team responded by winning their seventh straight. We also take a look at some of the other teams that are teetering and/or soaring, including the Flaming Giants. I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal – Welcome to The Windup!
I love the interaction, it caught my eye
I’ve been saying it: The problem with attendance in Oakland isn’t because the A’s don’t have fans. They are just special. When a team is good, they show up. When ownership dictates another deconstruction of the menu, they don’t. When John Fisher pulls his pockets inside out and pretends as if he’s been given a chance card that forces him to pay a lousy $15 tax and move the team to Las Vegas… they rebel.
Last night was the “reverse boycott,” as fans decided to show up and remind Fisher & Co. what could have been. 27,759 fans turned out as former stadium player Hull Hot Dog Guy threw his shirts at people at the Diamond Club. There was a fan-funded giveaway: Kelly green jerseys with “SALE” written in white letters across the front.
For context, the average number of fans per game is 8,555 per home game this year, and just 3,913 for Tuesday home games.
Oh, and the A’s won their seventh straight game, defeating the mighty Rays 2-1 in front of a crowd that was absolutely electric (and could have been… Larger if not to Horrific traffic/parking problems).
Even Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong made an appearance, and at one point he was shown chanting “Sell the Team” on the big screen (that’s wrong not repeated). At one point in the top of the fifth inning, the cheers were so loud that A’s pitcher Hogan Harris He couldn’t hear his PitchCom.
Oh, and I must give credit to whoever decided to donate tonight’s ticket revenue to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Oakland Public Education Fund.
It was a nice reminder that Oakland fans are – and still are – so great. They deserved better for a long time. There is hope that a miracle will appear and save their team (maybe this is not the case, but politicians are trying at least).
Go deeper
In the reverse county, A MLB fans and John Fisher show where the team belongs
Go deeper
A’s fans gather in community protest: “It means a lot to a lot of people”
Go deeper
One of our last few times: “Four families, four stories of grief over the loss of AS.”
Ken’s Corner: Pay giants farm system earnings
Early in spring training, I wrote a note about the Giants, noting that although they missed out on getting Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, they added depth by spending nearly $200 million on seven free agents.
Towards the end of the note, I added, “Beside the major league roster, the Giants are encouraged by their young talent.” I mentioned three players who actually contributed (catcher Blake Sabol, outfielder Brett Weasley and outfielder Casey Schmidt) and one who never made his major league debut (left-handed outfielder Kyle Harrison).
I didn’t mention catcher Patrick Bailey, who took over as the regular starter at the position. And I didn’t mention outfielder Luis Matos, who is expected to be called up for his first major league call in the wake of Mitch Hanegger breaking his right arm last night.
The Giants also lost third baseman J.D. Davis to a sprained right ankle during their 11-3 win over the Cardinals, their 18th in their last 27 games. They are just three games over .500 in a division currently led by the Diamondbacks and featuring two teams from last season, the Dodgers and Padres. But Farhan Zaidi, the chief of baseball operations, is no longer trolling the waiver wire to fill out his roster. He could only resort to his farm system.
Matos, 21, was 43-for-107 (. 402) in Triple-A Sacramento, with six home runs in his last six games. Schmidt backed off after a hot start, but at least he’s a quality defender. Right fielder Keaton Wynne, a fifth-round draft pick in 2018, made his major league debut Tuesday night and had a four-run save.
Will Matos prove to be a suitable fill-in for Hanegger, whose $43.5 million three-year free agent contract was the team’s most expensive this winter? Maybe not. But the Giants are banking on young talent in a way they haven’t in years. Even if growing pains are inevitable, the team is better for it.
More giants: Brandon Crawford has shifted from consumer to integration again
I’m hot, you’re cold
We already talked about the A winning their seventh game in a row. With this win, they no longer have the worst record in baseball. Sure, they’re still only between 19-50, but that’s six percentage points ahead of the 18-49 royals.
Meanwhile, the Angels have been 8-2 in their last 10 games, pulling off the Astros for second place in the AL West (and last Alo wild card spot). Houston’s last two wins put the Texans just 3 1/2 games behind the Rangers, who suddenly got cold feet, after losing five of their last six.
We can also add the Red Sox (3-7) and Cardinals (2-8) to our 10-game ice bucket, as their playoff hopes are “fading” and “on life support,” respectively.
With those two losses in Oakland, the Rays’ lead in the AL East was down to just four games, thanks to the Orioles’ streak. The O’s have won five in a row, including a Blue Jays win last night.
But three teams, in particular, started to resemble Artax in baseball in mid-June quagmire of grief. The Tigers, Royals, and Mets are all 1-9 in their last 10 games. The first two may not have come as much of a surprise, however Whew. Man, Mets. In last night’s 7-6 loss to the Yankees, things got a little trickier: They’ll be a 10-game bullpen man while Drew Smith is suspended—sacked for a sticky-things offense.
Meanwhile, the Phillies were 8-2 in their last 10, joining the Braves (7-3) and Marlins (7-3) in a suddenly hot top of the NL East. Speaking of Phils…
That American ethic I feed on
One thing that has become a must in the major leagues clubs is a team dietitian. After all, these are world-class athletes, and the old “garbage in/garbage out” principle is there for a reason.
So you might be surprised to hear about the meal the Phillies prepared to celebrate Zach Wheeler achieving 10 years in service. A quote from Matt Gelb’s story: “Double cheeseburger, mac nuggets and french fries. Cake followed. “
For Wheeler—a fast-food aficionado—the meal was the result of catcher JT Realmuto knowing full well his bum and flipping club attendees. The fact that Wheeler hit the target at all can be attributed to his ability to adapt and evolve as he ages.
At 33 years old, he’s still among the best in the game, and he’s thrown more innings than all but three pitchers since signing his contract prior to the 2020 season. His 2.96 ERA on that stretch is eighth in the game.
He was at it again last night, snapping the Diamondbacks’ six-game winning streak by holding it to one run over six innings en route to defeat: Philly won 15-3.
Texts with Grant Brisby
(in game between Cardinals and Dodgers On May 18, 1950, St. Louis third baseman Tommy Glaviano committed three straight errors in the ninth inning, allowing the Dodgers to get a come-from-behind win.)
Perhaps Grant, Andy McCullough, and Mark Carrig could invite Al to be a guest on… round table. This week they talked about reverse boycotts and player bids.
Handshakes and high fives
Hal Steinbrenner spoke yesterday, which is always good for about three stories. Namely: The Yankees don’t demote Anthony Volpe, they can be “Yankees” with a salary cap, and a discussion about the team’s superstars.
Doug Glanville compares umpiring to the new rules in baseball to parenting, and we look forward to Father’s Day.
The development isn’t linear, but for the Tigers’ Spencer Turkelson, it sure is moving forward. The same can be said of Cleveland’s Will Brennan.
The league seems intent on finding out what it will cost them to finally get their antitrust exemption. If it wasn’t the A-inspired Moneyball Clause, it might be an agreement to limit spending on things like technology, staffing, and reconnaissance.
Trevor Bauer is back in the news.
The Giants and Cardinals will play a game at Reckwood Field (home of the Birmingham Black Barons) in 2024.
(Top photo: Brandon Vallance/Getty Images)
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