The Athletics Biggest Playoff Competition is….
Aug 11, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Oakland Athletics catcher
John Jaso(5) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring against the Kansas City Royals in the third inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Athletics’ playoff hopes are high. After trading for Jason Hammel, Jeff Samardzija and Jon Lester, anything less than making, and perhaps winning the World Series will be seen as a disappointment.
With just over forty games left to play, the playoff picture is becoming more defined by the day. Teams are getting hot, creating new threats to the Athletics’ playoff hopes.
Let’s look at what the A’s do well real quick.
The A’s are second in the AL in ERA (3.18), while the Mariners hold the top spot with a 2.99. The A’s rank first in runs scored with 573 on the season. These are both great stats for the regular season, but we’ve seen the Oakland bats fall silent against good pitching much too often.
Even with the improved pitching staff, and the addition of a legitimate “ace” in Jon Lester, the A’s will still have to push a couple across the plate to keep advancing in the playoffs.
Keeping that in mind, the Athletics biggest playoff competition will be…
4.) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Aug 10, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout hits a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs in the 8th inning during the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
The Angels have been nipping on the A’s heels for the past two months. There is still a chance that they catch the A’s for the divisional crown with ten games left to play between these two, but with the A’s holding a 6-3 record against the team down South already, I see them more as a Wild Card.
While the Angels have the second-best record in baseball, they just don’t match up well with the A’s. Sure, they have an explosive offense, and tons of former Athletics (current A kryptonite), but outside of Garrett Richards their starting staff isn’t terribly intimidating. If the Angels don’t grab the division, Richards is being used in the Wild Card game, which pushes back when the Athletics would have to face him.
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This would mean the A’s would face a rotation of (presumably) Jered Weaver, Matt Shoemaker and C.J. Wilson before getting the pleasure of facing mister Richards. Although, with the way that the wheels have come off the crazy train that is C.J. Wilson, Hector Santiago may get the nod as the fourth starter. Wilson hasn’t pitched more than 5-2/3 innings since his start on June 19th. Since then, Wilson’s starts have been a cavalcade of suck, giving up at least three runs in each outing. For those of you scoring at home, that’s six outings without a quality start under his belt.
The Angel bullpen has been much improved, but the loss of Joe Thatcher will hurt them moving forward, especially if their starting rotation starts putting more of a workload on the ‘pen.
Overall, the Angels aren’t a threat in a 5-game series with their best pitcher gone until game 4. Even if the A’s have to play the Wild Card game and use Lester, they have enough depth to compensate for the inconvenience.
3.) Kansas City Royals
Aug 11, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals mascot Sluggerrr waves a flag after the game against the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City won the game 3-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
As the Royals have shown the A’s, they are not to be taken lightly, taking 3 of 4 from the A’s thus far this season. The team with the 3rd-best ERA in the AL? It’s them, with a 3.58. I, like most fans, fear the teams with good pitching, as opposed to the teams that can rake. This Royals team is streaky, but when they’re hot, they’re an offensive juggernaut that can shut down the other team.
In actuality, this team is very similar to the Athletics. They have good starting pitching, three shutdown relievers that can shorten a game, and an offense filled with power-hitters and speed guys. They play good defense, with Alex Gordon as their Josh Reddick, only Gordon is a consistent offensive presence.
The A’s have two possible advantages against the Royals. The first is that the A’s starters are arguably better. James Shields is a beast for the Royals. If the Royals make it as the Wild Card, then like Garrett Richards of the Angels, he becomes a non-factor against the A’s. If the Royals maintain their lead in the AL Central, and grab a hold of a full series, they will be tough to deal with.
2. Detroit Tigers
Aug 11, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning in an interleague game at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, the Tigers are only the second-biggest threat the A’s have in the playoffs. “But they just added David Price to a team that’s already beaten the A’s the past two years!” True, but over the past couple of days, the Tigers have received some injury news. Anibal Sanchez has a pectoral strain, and could miss 3-4 weeks. Joakim Soria, the reliever they acquired at the deadline, is going to miss 2-3 weeks with a left oblique strain.
Couple these injuries with Justin Verlander being pulled after 1+ innings on Monday night with “shoulder discomfort” and the Tigers are not looking fantastic heading down the stretch.
That is two key pieces due to miss time for the Tigers moving forward, with the possibility of a third. While they will assumedly be healthy come playoff time, the time that they do miss could help the Royals take over the division, pushing Detroit to the Wild Card.
If this is the case, the Tigers will be without their best pitcher if and when they face the A’s. With the injuries giving Detroit’s season a murky hue, and an iffy bullpen to boot, there is still one team that the A’s should be more wary of as the postseason draws nearer.
(In all honestly, I feel that it would only be fitting for the A’s and Tigers to face-off before the Athletics can move on in the playoffs. I’d just prefer it to be when the A’s have a distinct advantage.)
1. Seattle Mariners
Aug 11, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners starting pitcher Felix Hernandez (34) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Felix Hernandez. Need I say more? I will anyway. After Monday night’s outing, King Felix has a string of 16 consecutive outings of going seven innings and allowing two or fewer runs. This is an ongoing record in baseball history. And we thought he was good before!
Pair Felix with Hisashi Iwakuma (10-6, 2.86), and that’s a terrific one-two punch. Even Chris Young (not the terrible outfielder that was just cut by the Mets) has been solid this season, to the tune of a 10-6 record and a 3.32 ERA.
The Seattle bullpen has also been stellar, with a collective 2.34 ERA.
The downside for the Mariners comes on offense. Outside of Robinson Cano, there isn’t a player in their lineup that necessarily scares the opposition.
The reason that the Mariners are ranked #1 here is because they are a division rival, and their record against the A’s this season is 7-6. While their record may not be intimidating, division games are always tough, no matter who the competition is. This Mariner team can make some noise in the playoffs with the number of quality arms they possess.
While the Tigers have had the A’s number in the playoffs recently, they still have a shaky bullpen and an offense that comes and goes.
The Mariners have the ability to completely shut down the opposition, and scratch across enough runs to win a tight game. Seattle is a perky team, and pesky is not a dirty word come playoff time.