A’s 5 home runs offset by Chapman’s mistake
With games in Anaheim, team has chance to be seen
It’s a weekend in Anaheim for the A’s, and what a relief it must be for those wayward lads. They need to escape Oakland to actually be seen. The A’s aren’t going to win the American League West, and they may well finish last, but they do deserve an audience. National writers are beginning to appreciate third baseman Matt Chapman, one outlet (The Ringer) drawing defensive comparisons to Nolan Arenado and past greats Brooks Robinson and Ken Keltner. Future stardom looms for a number of players in the Oakland system.
But the piece also cited the recent Coliseum crowds
The Angels’ Shohei Ohtani follows the flight of his home run in the second inning Friday night. The rookie, who also will pitch against the A’s on Sunday, has homered in all three of his home games and is batting .389.
of 7,416, 9,157 and 7,908, noting, “Crowds that get called ‘sparse’ in other cities are twice or three times as large. The A’s are drawing like the Expos in their last days in Montreal.”
It’s hard to believe anything will significantly change. For all of the clever ideas and promotions drawn up by team president Dave Kaval and his staff, the fans are emotionally spent. They despise tightwad owner John Fisher, they’re exasperated with the ballpark search, and they seriously wonder if a certain promise — “We’re going to hold onto our young talent” — will be kept. (Not to mention those repulsed by the Coliseum’s incessant, insipid drumming.)
What a treat, then, for the A’s to depart Small Time Junction and play before big-league crowds. Sunday’s game will be of particular interest with Shohei Ohtani scheduled to take the mound and draw a rematch with Chapman, who clubbed a three-run homer off the Japanese sensation last Sunday.
There’s no question Ohtani can pitch, with a fastball occasionally touching 100 mph (athough it could use a bit more movement) a reasonably tight slider and an often-unhittable splitter. Now, in the wake of dire spring training forecasts, it appears he can hit, as well. He crushed a 449-foot homer in the second inning Friday night, and after watching Ohtani drill two homers and three singles in consecutive games against Cleveland, player-turnedanalyst Mike Lowell raved on the MLB Network, “If he’s going to put at-bats like that together, why can’t he hit the day after he pitches? Or on the
day he pitches (which would mean giving up the DH for that day)?”
You get the feeling Ohtani would like to play as often as possible, although it’s likely that manager Mike Scioscia will take the cautious route. Despite Ohtani’s speed, which ranks with anyone’s in the game, he won’t get any outfield time; too much risk to his arm on all-out throws. First base seems out of the question, as well. A key figure here is Albert Pujols, who has returned to first-base duty after a long series of foot injuries. Pujols is a full-blown legend, closing in on 3,000 hits and a certain Hall of Famer, so he has to play somewhere. If injuries force his retreat to the DH slot, that cuts down on Ohtani’s options in the lineup.
All in all, a nice problem to have. As opposed to the A’s problems, each distinctively unsettling.
Ever since the great Sadaharu Oh carved out his legend in Japan, slugging 838 home runs in a career that began in 1959, virtually all of his left-handedhitting countrymen have imitated his distinctive front-leg kick as the pitch is delivered. That was Ohtani’s style until late last month, when he kept that right foot planted and found himself getting quicker to the ball. It’s a tricky style that can mess with a hitter’s timing (see Jarrett Parker), and it’s possible Ohtani will go back to his old ways. But this was a fine and necessary adjustment ... Nice to see: Matt Duffy playing third base and leading off for Tampa Bay. Duffy crushed a two-run homer to give the Rays a 2-0, eighth-inning lead on Thursday before the Red Sox came back to win. He also told ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian that he took up painting during his season-long rehab last year. Admitting that he learned the art by watching the Bob Ross painting lessons on TV, “I did OK,” he said, “but I had to rewind it about a thousand times.” ... You’d think new Raiders coach Jon Gruden would at least introduce himself to Marquette King before orchestrating the punter’s release (King said they’ve never met). The move could backfire if King’s prodigious talent helps Denver gain an edge in those twice-a-year matchups. Then again, King acts like an unappreciated child on the field, and it doesn’t sound as if he’ll change. “Nothing is going to stop me from being me,” he said upon signing with the Broncos. “Now it’s time to find a new celebration. It’s definitely going to be a nice little dance.”
The Warriors were upset with Quinn Cook’s body language during his G League time in Santa Cruz this season, as he seemed to get unreasonably upset over anything that went wrong. That’s a distant memory now, Cook showing remarkable composure and maturity in his increasingly crucial role. The team’s long-term concern now is with Chris Boucher, the former Oregon standout who has team officials concerned over his attitude — a bit aloof for a G League player just starting out ... Interesting comment from Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas on TNT: “If you take his rebounding and shot-blocking into account, and the fact that Kawhi Leonard is injured, Kevin Durant has been the best defensive player in the league.” ... The Masters tournament brings out the best in Dan Jenkins, the greatest of all golf writers (and no relation). In his book “Unplayable Lies,” Jenkins recalls the year Pat Summerall called his last Masters for CBS, leading to a noticeable sense of “gloom” on the grounds. “The subject got so out of control, one writer hysterically compared Summerall to Pavarotti, and went on to suggest that Pat’s ‘arias’ were irreplaceable,” Jenkins wrote. “That statement prompted many of us to dash out and buy Pavarotti’s famous recording of ‘Let’s Go to Sixteen.’”