Video: "Sonny" Skies over Oakland

Even all the way from Texas there were "Sonny" skies in Oakland Monday as 24-year old Sonny Gray pitched his first career complete game shutout! #ItsAlwaysSonnyInOakland

To Read More on this Story CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC.

Find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB.

My First Two Podcast Appearances

My 1st LIVE podcast appearance:

Truluv Sports Talk on BlogTalkRadio

AL West Discussion: 4/15/14 

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN IN!

(I am the first guest!)

My VERY 1st podcast appearance: 

Ultimate Sports Talk Show:

A's Discussion: 3/27/14

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(I come in around the 45 min mark!)

Prospect George Springer to Join Astros Wednesday

The highly touted and prized prospect George Springer says that he is going to be joining the Houston Astros for his first stint in the big leagues on Wednesday. The club has not officially announced his promotion from Triple-A Oklahoma City but according to the 24-year old he’s headed to Houston. Of course that means that someone will have to switch places with him and the Houston Chronicle reports that it will be outfielderRobbie Grossman who will be sent down. The paper also reported that pitcher Lucas Harrell will be designated for assignment.

To learn more about Springer CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Outside Pitch Sports Network LLC

Find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @OPSN_MLB

Will the Angels be able to compete in the AL West with Hamilton Gone and a poorly aging Pujols?

The answer to the question is that they probably won’t. There appeared to be a chance for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to compete in the American League Western Division in 2014, according to some experts but that chance was downgraded this morning. Now it is goodbye to the  possibility of a comeback year for the Angels’ outfielder Josh Hamilton who, up until Tuesday night, was looking like he might have one. The 32-year old was batting .500 after the first week of the season going 12-24 with two home runs and six RBI.

Here is the reason as to why it’s never really a good idea to slide into first base. It’s a no slide zone, seriously. Hamilton slid into first base in the seventh inning on Tuesday injuring his left thumb. He was able to play to continue to play defense but by the ninth inning Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia said that Hamilton could “barely grip a bat.” He was immediately taken to the hospital for x-rays that came up negative.

Scheduled for an MRI Wednesday morning things still didn’t appear to be that bad for Hamilton and the Angels. Unfortunately the MRI results revealed that Hamilton suffered a complete ulnar collateral ligament tear along with a torn capsule which, as it goes for hand injuries, is probably worse than a break.

For more on this story CLICK HERE! Brought to you by Sports Unbiased.

You can find us on Twitter @OakAsSocksGrl and @SportsUnbiased1

AL West Recap: March 1st

Texas Rangers 2 at Oakland Athletics 2, in 9 innings

Ben Margot/AP

Phoenix, AZ - After a 34 min rain delay, Cactus League play between the Athletics and Mariners began Saturday. With Sonny Gray on the mound for Oakland and Martin Perez set to pitch for the Rangers the A's struck first against Perez. Perez gave up one run, one hit, two walks and had one strikeout in 2 innings of work.. The the A's only run, until the bottom of the 9th, came on a single by designated hitter Yoenis Cespedes. Gray, who also worked two innings, gave up two hits, two walks and struck out two.

The Rangers 2 runs were driven in by Jurickson Profar and Jared Hoying in the seventh inning. In the bottom of the 9th A's prospect outfielder Billy Burns, acquired this off-season in a trade with the Washington Nationals, scored on an infield error. Burns, who was a late substitute for Coco Crisp, had two hits, two stolen bases and two outfield assists.  He threw out Engel Beltre at third to stop a Texas rally in the first and threw out Hoying at the plate to keep the score from being 3-2.

The game, which could have gone ten innings, was ended in a tie due to the weather.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 3 at Seattle Mariners 5

Houston Astros 1 at Detroit Tigers 5

For More AL West Game Details Check Out OPSN - Outside Pitch Sports Network, a MLB Avanced Media Afiliate

Rangers May Be Down Yet Another Starting Pitcher in Harrison, Could be Helpful for Oakland

Yet again as in almost every previous year to date the critics have gushed over the Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to win the American League Western Division Title. This year, with the signing of Robinson Cano, among others, they are even throwing the Seattle Mariners into the mix. So why not the back to back AL West Champion Oakland Athletics? 

Two years in a row the Athletics have won the AL West and still all this talk, talk, talk of how the Rangers are better with Prince Fielder or how Albert Pujols and Josh Hamilton will bounce back for the Angels, etc. It's clearly insanity right? The A's have a great team with a stellar rotation and arguably one of the leagues best bullpens. They make be lacking in a major power hitter but if guys like Brandon Moss, Coco Crisp & Josh Donaldson can bring their 2013 successes to 2014 and Josh Reddick can return to his 2012 form the A's should be just fine, as usual ... And as is also usual they will have to do it in underdog (and unappreciated fashion).

Harrison (Image courtesy of Getty Images)

On another note the Rangers MAY have lost yet another starting pitcher from there rotation today, leaving them with only two starting rotation spots filled by Yu Darvish and Martin Perez. Here's a quick story I did for MLB Nation on starting pitcher, Matt Harrison's possible sidelining: 

Before pitchers and catchers reported to Surprise, Arizona for the Texas Rangers' spring training camp there were already questions regarding the team's starting rotation. RHP Colby Lewis is expected to be fine for the season but he is just coming off of a hip surgery that no other pitcher has had before and it is not known if it will have any affect on his delivery or if he will remain healthy leaving Lewis fighting to take back his spot in the rotation. LHP Derek Holland is out until at least mid season due to knee surgery after an injury he acquired at home, tripping over his dog. For LHP Alexi Ogando there is no guarantee that his arm can hold up an entire season in a starting role. That left Texas with three proven starters, RHP Yu Darvish, LHP Martin Perez and LHP Matt Harrison.

Now it appears that the Ranger may be down another starting pitcher. Southpaw Matt Harrison was expected to return to camp this season at 100 percent after having three surgeries, two of them on his lower back to repair a herniated disk, that kept him out of the game for almost all of the team's 2013 campaign. He began experiencing stiffness in his neck on Tuesday. Being cautious this caused the team to keep Harrison from throwing his first live bullpen session of the spring.

It has been reported Thursday that the stiffness and pain Harrison had been feeling has now moved down to his lower back near the area where he had the two surgeries and that the Rangers are taking no chances with their proven starter. He will have an MRI today and will be returning to Texas on Monday to see team spine specialist, Dr. Drew Dorsett, who performed two of Harrison's surgeries last year. Harrison is being sidelined until at least a prognosis is given by Dr. Dorsett. On the subject Harrison told Associated Press reporters,

 There is obviously some concern there from what happened last year. I just hope that it's not a serious issue and something I can take a few days down and stay on top of my core program and get right back out there.

Hanson (Image courtesy of Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)

The loss of Harrison could greatly strain the already ailing Ranger's starting rotation. There are other possibilities for them to use in starting rolls such as, the just signed, RHP Tommy Hanson. Hanson had a terrible year in 2013 going 3-4 with a 5.42 ERA in just 15 games with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He had been losing velocity on his fastball and also had a family tragedy that derailed his season. As of now there are no guarantees that Hanson will take a starting role, but it is  likely considering the injury count continues to build in Texas. Also fighting to fill the emptiness in the Rangers' rotation are Robbie Ross, Tanner Scheppers, Nick Tepesch and Michael Kirkman. However having to use Ross or Scheppers would deplete the bullpen strength leaving the Rangers weaker later in games.

Harrison was a star back in 2012 winning 18 games for the Rangers and posting a 3.29 ERA. He was the strongest of the Rangers pitchers going into the post season that year. As the Rangers pitching woes continue it is being questioned if they can really make a run at the American League Western Division Title this year.

 For More News from Around the League visit MLB Nation

Mariners, Rodney Agree to 2yr Deal

The Seattle Mariners have come to terms on a two-year $14 million deal with free-agent closer Fernando Rodney today. The deal includes incentives that could bring the right hander's salary up to $15 million in 2014.

Image courtesy of Getty Images

The news, first reported by ESPN and Grantland's Jonah Keri, silences the many rumors that have been swirling around Rodney for weeks. He'd been linked to the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, New York. Mets and other teams, but only recently to Seattle. Quite a few teams are still actively looking for and in need of a closer. Seattle wasn't desperately in need of bullpen help which makes this a bit of a surprise.

The Mariners could have easily used Danny Farquhar who will likely be pushed back into the set up role. Farquhar hasn't had much success in Major League Baseball posting a 13.50 ERA in 3 games with Toronto in 2011. In all fairness he hasn't had much of a chance to prove himself. He did not pitch in 2012 being selected off of waivers first by the Oakland Athletics and then later that year by the Yankees. He was then sent to Seattle as part of the Ichiro Suzuki trade. He had a bit more success in 46 games with the Mariners last season. He posted a, much lower, 4.20 ERA in 2013. So Farquhar does absolutely have potential which explains the Mariners lack of desperation to add to their bullpen strength.

To read the rest of this story check out Sports Unbiased - Your Site For All Sports News, Polls and Predictions

Oakland Athletics: 2013 Recap and 2014 Predictions

This season was truly a sensational season for the Oakland Athletics, albeit a quiet one compared to the also spectacular season they had in 2012, winning the AL West on the final day of the season. Hopes were higher for the Athletics in 2013, returning with their team pretty much intact the odds of a repeat in the AL West were good. The Athletics won two more games in 2013 (96-66) than in 2012 (94-68) and they did it in a much more subdued fashion. The A's fought through injuries, Josh Reddick's wrist being one of the biggest, yet had enough depth to remain consistent. They won at least 16 games in each month of the season except July where they experienced a slight slump but that didn't put a hiccup in their step as they ended the season with their second consecutive American League West Title, making them a good candidate for World Series victory.

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Unfortunately for the Athletics the 2013 American League Division Series ended in the exact same fashion as the 2012 ALDS, being shut out by Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers in game five. What went right for the A's in 2013 to get them back to the postseason? And what went wrong for them to lose again to the same team and the same pitcher in game five of the ALDS?

The Athletics were dominant all season, more than once stringing together mini streaks of 8 or 9 games. They had dominate pitching in CY Young candidate 40 year old Bartolo Colon and later on with mid season call up Sonny Gray. Closer Grant Balfour broke Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley's consecutive save streak with 41 straight saves. The two other notable names of the A's bullpen were set up men Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook along with long relievers Jesse Chavez (who pitched an amazing 7 innings in the 18 inning marathon against the New York Yankees in July) Pat Neshek and Jerry Blevins. The A's bats were on the majority of the time but more often than not they relied on the big hit or the big home run from one of their players, like 1B Brandon Moss, 3B Josh Donaldson, CF Coco Crisp and in the case of the aforementioned 18 inning game, rookie Nate Freiman hitting a walk off single against the great Mariano Rivera.

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Relying on the big hit became a problem for the A's in the playoffs when they were required to hit against the Tigers three aces, 21 game winner Max Scherzer, ERA leader Anibal Sanchez, and the always incredible Justin Verlander. The A's won the second game of the series with young call up Sonny Gray out pitching Verlander and the third game in Detroit again depending on the long ball. Come game five the Athletics were forced to face their nemesis, Justin Verlander, an almost unhittable pitcher, who took a no hitter into the 7th inning until Yoenis Cespedes's base hit in the bot of the 7th inning broke up the no-no. The problem is that Detroit got their one long 2 run shot off of Sonny Gray courtesy of Miguel Cabrera and ended up winning the game 3-0 while the A's were waiting for that one big long ball that never came.

In short the A's need a big, dependable and possibly even well known bat in 2014. It's the consensus of many that they must bring someone in to help the lineup a little bit. However, there are definite chances that those big hits could come from guys like Reddick who played all season with a wrist injury and finished with only 12 homeruns while the year before he hit 32 homeruns and won a Gold Glove. Brandon Moss hit 30 homeruns this season so there is a good chance that he could emerge into the spolightlight the way another of the A's, Josh Donaldson, did this season. Cespedes is another candidate to be a great homerun hitter next season hoping that he stays healthy, he won the Home Run derby in 2013 but did not produce as well in regular season games. Finally when it comes to clutch hits one cannot forget to mention team leader and all around clutch guy, Coco Crisp.

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All of these players, barring a crazy unforseen trade should be on the A's roster come opening day 2014. Even though all of these players have proven themselves offensively, the question remains: will the A's try to acquire a big bat?

There are rumors that the A's will trade players like started turned long reliever, Brett Anderson and there have been rumors that they may be interested in acuiring David Price. Still this doesn't seem likely as the A's are in talks with Bartolo Colon about pitching another season. Colon, at the age of 40 and having spent a stint on the disabled list, still finished second overall in the American League in both ERA and Wins! He had one of his lifetime best seasons and the A's believe that he has a few more years in him. They have already resigned team leader, 33 year old, Coco Crisp who is coming off of a career year. Overall it is not likely that they A's will be making too many changes to their already talented roster. At this point closer Grant Balfour isn't in that picture. At 35 and having had the best year of his career, Balfour can command more money than the A's would be able and/or willing to pay. But there have been talks about mid season call up Dan Otero stepping up in the closer's role, Doolittle and Cooke (who did struggle at the end of the season) are also in contention. for the closer roll.

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It is likely that the A's will find a strong bat to add to their roster. More than likely an aging player who is happy to DH and hit home runs, ala the sucess they had in 2002 with David Justice and in 2006 with Frank "The Big Hurt" Thomas. The Athletics will not be renewing contracts or picking up options for neither OF Chris Young nor catcher Kurt Suzuki, leaving Derek Norris and John Jaso to platoon at catcher. Besides them and Balfour there are questions about rookie Nate Freiman and if he will be involved in the club's plans for next season. In the off season both Sonny Gray (left thumb) and Josh Reddick (wrist) will be having surgery but both are projected to be ready to go when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in the middle of February.

From the perspective of this writer I believe that the 2014 Oakland Athletics line up will look something like this:

Coco Crisp, CF
Josh Donaldson, 3B
Jed Lowrie, SS
Brandon Moss, 1B
Yoenis Cespedes, LF
Josh Reddick, RF
Seth Smith, DH
John Jaso and Derek Norris platooning at C
Eric Sogard / Alberto Callaspo platooning at 2B

But this line up does need to look out for up and coming players such as the AAA afiliate Sacramento River Cats Michael Choice who's shown potential and hit .302 last season with 14 home runs. And this pick may seem premature but after his performances in spring training, with the A's single A affliate the Stockton Ports and his so far impressive numbers in the Arizona fall league, Addison Russell has the potential to do big things in the Majors and it is entirely possible he could work his way to AAA Sacramento and into the show by the end of the 2014 seasons. It's also a good idea to keep an on relief pitchers Seth Frankoff and Bruce Billings who both pitched brilliantly in 2013 for the Ports and should soon be called up to AAA and possibly to the show by the end of the season! But predictions for the Atheltics pitching in 2014 are as follows

Starting Rotaton:
Bartolo Colon
Sonny Gray
Jarrod Parker
Dan Straily
AJ Griffen

The Bullpen:
Jerry Blevins
Sean Doolittle
Ryan Cooke
Jesse Chavez
Pat Neshek
Dan Otero

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Overall with a very similar team as in 2013 and with the continued leadership of 2012 Manager of the Year, Bob Melvin, the Athletics will have a chance to win the American League West for the third straight time. It will as with all teams depend on staying healthy and in the Athletics case keeping their bats alive. The A's pitching will be solid with the resigning of Colon and the talent in their farm system. The addition of a proven hitter might be the key to them finally getting past the American Division series for the first time since 2006.

*This posting can also be seen on Sports Unbiased (actually proof-read and edited! lol)* at http://sportsunbiased.com/mlb/18258/oakland-athletics-2013-recap-and-2014-predictions/