nedwrd12
07-25-2007, 03:37 PM
ANAHEIM -- Given all the good things that came with it, Oakland's 4-3 victory over the Angels on Tuesday should have felt more like what interim closer Alan Embree called it: a big boost.
It featured a superstar effort from rookie outfielder Travis Buck, another gem from lefty Lenny DiNardo and a defensive milestone for second baseman Mark Ellis.
It assured the A's of a series victory two games into the three-game set, snapping at five the longest streak of series losses for the club since 2002.
And it enabled Oakland to climb within fewer than 10 games behind the American League West-leading Angels for the first time in 11 days. And as a bonus, the second-place Mariners were swept in a doubleheader at Texas, so the A's now trail the Seattle by seven games.
But while Buck drew his fair share of praise after going 4-for-5 with a double, an opposite-field homer, three RBIs and a spectacular game-saving catch, the mood in the winning clubhouse bordered on somber.
Shortstop Bobby Crosby, who missed most of the past two seasons with injuries but had been one of the few Oakland regulars to stay off the disabled list this season, was drilled on the left hand by a pitch from Justin Speier in the top of the eighth inning and almost certainly will land on the DL on Wednesday.
The sound of the impact of ball on bone was sickening, heard clearly above the din of a sellout crowd at Angel Stadium, and the A's did not paint a pretty picture in describing Crosby's hand after he left the game.
"It looked like this," A's skipper Bob Geren said, pointing to the deep-blue wall of his office. "[And] it's pretty swollen."
Added Ellis: "Just from the looks of it, it doesn't look too good. ... The guy's just had awful luck."
Crosby, who'd gone 2-for-2 with a walk before being hit, was expected head to a local hospital for X-rays late Tuesday or first thing Wednesday morning.
Geren himself is hurting these days, dealing with plantar fasciitis that has his foot wrapped in ice after each game, but he quickly diverted a question about his own health.
"I'm feeling Crosby's pain right now," he said. "I don't feel my foot. I feel bad for him."
Buck, who opened the game with a single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Mike Piazza, gave the A's a 2-0 lead with a second-inning double. His opposite-field homer to left-center in the seventh made it 3-1, and his two-out single in the top of the eighth provided what -- thanks to his glitzy grab in the bottom of the frame -- turned out to be the winning run.
"I'm not that familiar with him, but I can see he's a big guy with talent," said Halos starter Kelvim Escobar.
"He saved my butt," DiNardo said of Buck, who also saved those of Santiago Casilla and Embree.
After DiNardo gave the A's 6 2/3 strong innings, holding the Halos to a run on three hits and a walk while striking out two, Casilla got the final out of the seventh. But he gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a walk and three hits, the last two being a hustling infield single with two out by Vladimir Guerrero and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman that forced the A's to turn to Embree with runners at the corners.
Gary Matthews Jr. greeted Embree with a line drive into the right-center gap, but Buck ran it down and pulled it in with a dive to end the inning.
"I loved it," Embree said. "It's fun to watch him do that kind of stuff. ... He's a very gifted athlete."
As opposed to, say, lumbering outfielder/designated hitter Jack Cust?
"I asked Jack if he'd have had that, and he said, 'Yeah,'" Embree said with a smile. "He wouldn't even have had to dive."
Embree, who took over the closer's role when Huston Street went on the disabled list with an irritated elbow nerve May 13, worked a perfect ninth to post his 11th save in 13 chances.
Street was activated and pitched the sixth inning Monday, but was unavailable Tuesday. Crosby, if his hand is fractured, might not be available again until late this season. Most fractures take six weeks to heal.
Crosby's departure forced third baseman Eric Chavez, who didn't start for the second consecutive game -- and for the sixth time in less than two weeks -- because of back stiffness, into action, and Chavez was evasive when asked about how he felt after the game.
"It was just an emergency," Chavez said. "You hold your breath."
Told that Geren, before Tuesday's game, had suggested he'd be able to start Wednesday, Chavez repeatedly said, "We'll see what happens."
What undoubtedly will happen is that a new infielder will arrive from Triple-A Sacramento.
Ellis, who set a career standard by going errorless for the 59th consecutive game, said he was sick to his stomach about Crosby's situation, and his gallows humor in discussing his run-saving, backhanded pick-and-throw from up the middle in the fifth inning reflected the mood.
After explaining that it's a play he works on daily and feels he should always make, Ellis said, "I'll probably throw it in the dugout tomorrow."
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
It featured a superstar effort from rookie outfielder Travis Buck, another gem from lefty Lenny DiNardo and a defensive milestone for second baseman Mark Ellis.
It assured the A's of a series victory two games into the three-game set, snapping at five the longest streak of series losses for the club since 2002.
And it enabled Oakland to climb within fewer than 10 games behind the American League West-leading Angels for the first time in 11 days. And as a bonus, the second-place Mariners were swept in a doubleheader at Texas, so the A's now trail the Seattle by seven games.
But while Buck drew his fair share of praise after going 4-for-5 with a double, an opposite-field homer, three RBIs and a spectacular game-saving catch, the mood in the winning clubhouse bordered on somber.
Shortstop Bobby Crosby, who missed most of the past two seasons with injuries but had been one of the few Oakland regulars to stay off the disabled list this season, was drilled on the left hand by a pitch from Justin Speier in the top of the eighth inning and almost certainly will land on the DL on Wednesday.
The sound of the impact of ball on bone was sickening, heard clearly above the din of a sellout crowd at Angel Stadium, and the A's did not paint a pretty picture in describing Crosby's hand after he left the game.
"It looked like this," A's skipper Bob Geren said, pointing to the deep-blue wall of his office. "[And] it's pretty swollen."
Added Ellis: "Just from the looks of it, it doesn't look too good. ... The guy's just had awful luck."
Crosby, who'd gone 2-for-2 with a walk before being hit, was expected head to a local hospital for X-rays late Tuesday or first thing Wednesday morning.
Geren himself is hurting these days, dealing with plantar fasciitis that has his foot wrapped in ice after each game, but he quickly diverted a question about his own health.
"I'm feeling Crosby's pain right now," he said. "I don't feel my foot. I feel bad for him."
Buck, who opened the game with a single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Mike Piazza, gave the A's a 2-0 lead with a second-inning double. His opposite-field homer to left-center in the seventh made it 3-1, and his two-out single in the top of the eighth provided what -- thanks to his glitzy grab in the bottom of the frame -- turned out to be the winning run.
"I'm not that familiar with him, but I can see he's a big guy with talent," said Halos starter Kelvim Escobar.
"He saved my butt," DiNardo said of Buck, who also saved those of Santiago Casilla and Embree.
After DiNardo gave the A's 6 2/3 strong innings, holding the Halos to a run on three hits and a walk while striking out two, Casilla got the final out of the seventh. But he gave up two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a walk and three hits, the last two being a hustling infield single with two out by Vladimir Guerrero and an RBI single by pinch-hitter Casey Kotchman that forced the A's to turn to Embree with runners at the corners.
Gary Matthews Jr. greeted Embree with a line drive into the right-center gap, but Buck ran it down and pulled it in with a dive to end the inning.
"I loved it," Embree said. "It's fun to watch him do that kind of stuff. ... He's a very gifted athlete."
As opposed to, say, lumbering outfielder/designated hitter Jack Cust?
"I asked Jack if he'd have had that, and he said, 'Yeah,'" Embree said with a smile. "He wouldn't even have had to dive."
Embree, who took over the closer's role when Huston Street went on the disabled list with an irritated elbow nerve May 13, worked a perfect ninth to post his 11th save in 13 chances.
Street was activated and pitched the sixth inning Monday, but was unavailable Tuesday. Crosby, if his hand is fractured, might not be available again until late this season. Most fractures take six weeks to heal.
Crosby's departure forced third baseman Eric Chavez, who didn't start for the second consecutive game -- and for the sixth time in less than two weeks -- because of back stiffness, into action, and Chavez was evasive when asked about how he felt after the game.
"It was just an emergency," Chavez said. "You hold your breath."
Told that Geren, before Tuesday's game, had suggested he'd be able to start Wednesday, Chavez repeatedly said, "We'll see what happens."
What undoubtedly will happen is that a new infielder will arrive from Triple-A Sacramento.
Ellis, who set a career standard by going errorless for the 59th consecutive game, said he was sick to his stomach about Crosby's situation, and his gallows humor in discussing his run-saving, backhanded pick-and-throw from up the middle in the fifth inning reflected the mood.
After explaining that it's a play he works on daily and feels he should always make, Ellis said, "I'll probably throw it in the dugout tomorrow."
Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.