Oaktown Boys

The A's offense is ice cold, however the pitching continues to keep them in games. Despite a disappointing series loss in Texas, the A's came home to some home cooking and split a two game set with SF. Sitting at 10-9, things aren't looking so bad. With several off days over the course of the next week maybe this team can get healthy and back on a roll.

The A's and their fanbase are getting slandered from virtually every angle these days, but we don't care, we just want to see our team play hard, have fun, and win games. That is just what they are doing. The A's continued their hot start by taking 3 of 4 from the Orioles. While the offense was finally cooled off, the pitching stepped up and kept them in games. Dan and Cory discuss the ways in which Mark Kotsay is proving to be the perfect man for the job, pushing all of the right buttons and pulling all the right strings.

The Swingin' A's are back. Through the first two series of the year, the A's have one of the most potent offenses in baseball. They are not perfect, certainly, but this team is showing a lot of fight early on and there have been plenty of good surprises so far. Through seven games they sit 4-3, which is a heck of a lot better than the so called experts around baseball predicted. People are already starting to talk about this island of misfit toys. Can the A's shock the world yet again?

Oh the life of an A's fan. We find ourselves yet again faced with what we will call a retooling of the big league squad. Dan and Cory spend most of the episode trying to look for silver linings in what, on the surface, appears quite bleak. We say goodbye to some old friends and welcome some new ones with open arms. The bottom line is baseball is back and that is good news for everyone. Let's Go Oakland!

The rollercoaster season continued as the A's followed a 5 game win streak with an unacceptable 4 game sweep at home at the hands of the Mariners. All hope was lost, until it wasn't. The A's then swept the Astros to keep the season alive. The weekend concluded with two walk-offs in a row, including an epic run home by Elvis Andrus on a broken leg. Sunday's game was punctuated by an emotional Mark Canha walk-off in what might be his final act in Oakland as an Athletic. The guys somewhat desperately discuss all of the possible ways the A's can technically still make the playoffs, and even win the AL West. Hope springs eternal.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0

Plenty of luck, combined with crazy on base skills from the offense and gutsy pitching performances led the team to a 5-1 week when they needed it most. The remaining slate is full of games against Seattle and Houston, so even the division isn't quite out of reach yet. However all eyes are on the chase to catch Toronto, Boston, and New York. Dan and Cory discuss the impact of Josh Harrison and how he may fit into the picture next year as well. They also reminisce about the days of watching Eric Byrnes fly around the outfield.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0

Another week goes by and the Oakland A's are still hanging onto their playoff hopes. The past week they won three in a row but then lost two. With 19 games left, every game is must-win. Dan and Cory discuss the current bullpen hierarchy as well as what might be the magic recipe to reach the postseason. They also look back on some all-time Athletics offensive single-season record holders, and the short-lived A's career of Jermaine Dye.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0

After a solid series win in Detroit that featured some suspect play but good results, the bottom completely fell out against the Blue Jays. The boys discuss the irony of the inverse relationship between offense and pitching for this team, get excited about Khrush and defend BoMel's honor.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0

The losing streak reached 6 games on Thursday, but was thankfully followed by two close wins that may catapult the team to a hot September. After suffering a two game sweep to the Mariners, they split a four game set at home vs the Yankees, highlighted by a Sunday Night Baseball victory on ESPN. Dan and Cory discuss the impact of Paul Blackburn, the revival of Khris Davis, and the updated playoff picture.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0

The A's lost three out of four to the White Sox, while Bassitt suffered a brutal injury on a comebacker to the face. The nightmare continued back in Oakland allowing back to back go-ahead pinch-hit homeruns to the Giants to lose the final two games of that series. Dan and Cory discuss the impact of the running game, Khris Davis heating up in AAA, and the developing playoff picture.

Follow us on Twitter: @BoysOaktown

This podcast uses these sounds from freesound:

"bart - sf train arriving at macarthur.aif" by IEDlabs ( https://freesound.org/s/82316/ ) licensed under CCBY 3.0

"Baseball calvary sting long sustain.wav" by vckhaze (https://freesound.org/s/380696/) licensed under CC0 1.0