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MLB Mon, Aug 9, 2004
Sunday?s marathon has A?s beat
Ryan Stetson
During a 162-game season, players can get pretty worn out playing nine innings every day. That said, the Oakland A's might be feeling the effects of Sunday's marathon in Minnesota for at least the next few days.
Oakland finally escaped with a 6-5 win over the Twins as a -145 favorite after 18 tough innings (taking four hours and 57 minutes), but the A?s might soon be wondering whether or not the victory was worth it in the long run.
Shortstop Bobby Crosby was forced to leave the tilt in the 14th inning with a tweaked back muscle, and relief pitcher Ricardo Rincon was forced to sit down in the 10th with tightness in his left hamstring. Neither of the injuries appear to be serious, but the club will definitely be playing tired when today?s game against the Detroit Tigers rolls around.
"The hardest part for me to adjust is you lose your concentration when you are hitting,? catcher Damian Miller told reporters after catching all 18 innings. ?You lose focus. Defensively, I'm fine."
It was the third time this year the veteran backstop has caught 14 or more innings in a game.
"I'm not really hurt," Miller continued. "I'm just fatigued and drained. You just have to dig deep. I'm not the first guy to catch that many innings. It's in the job description. It comes with the territory."
Not surprisingly, Miller took the day off Monday (as did Crosby and Rincon) when the A?s dragged themselves back onto the field to finish off their 11-game road swing. Heading into the game, Oakland was 1 1/2 games ahead of Texas and Anaheim in the race for the American League West title. The A's held it together to notch an 8-2 win as a -126 favorite.
But even though the Athletics are finally be able to head back to Oakland, they aren?t going to get a breather for a while. The A?s don?t have another day off until next Thursday.
Oakland sends lefty Barry Zito to the hill in the series opener. The A?s have won in two of Zito?s last three outings, but the 26-year-old has struggled, posting a fat 6.38 ERA over those starts. Detroit counters with Jason Johnson.
MLB Mon, Aug 9, 2004
Sunday?s marathon has A?s beat
Ryan Stetson
During a 162-game season, players can get pretty worn out playing nine innings every day. That said, the Oakland A's might be feeling the effects of Sunday's marathon in Minnesota for at least the next few days.
Oakland finally escaped with a 6-5 win over the Twins as a -145 favorite after 18 tough innings (taking four hours and 57 minutes), but the A?s might soon be wondering whether or not the victory was worth it in the long run.
Shortstop Bobby Crosby was forced to leave the tilt in the 14th inning with a tweaked back muscle, and relief pitcher Ricardo Rincon was forced to sit down in the 10th with tightness in his left hamstring. Neither of the injuries appear to be serious, but the club will definitely be playing tired when today?s game against the Detroit Tigers rolls around.
"The hardest part for me to adjust is you lose your concentration when you are hitting,? catcher Damian Miller told reporters after catching all 18 innings. ?You lose focus. Defensively, I'm fine."
It was the third time this year the veteran backstop has caught 14 or more innings in a game.
"I'm not really hurt," Miller continued. "I'm just fatigued and drained. You just have to dig deep. I'm not the first guy to catch that many innings. It's in the job description. It comes with the territory."
Not surprisingly, Miller took the day off Monday (as did Crosby and Rincon) when the A?s dragged themselves back onto the field to finish off their 11-game road swing. Heading into the game, Oakland was 1 1/2 games ahead of Texas and Anaheim in the race for the American League West title. The A's held it together to notch an 8-2 win as a -126 favorite.
But even though the Athletics are finally be able to head back to Oakland, they aren?t going to get a breather for a while. The A?s don?t have another day off until next Thursday.
Oakland sends lefty Barry Zito to the hill in the series opener. The A?s have won in two of Zito?s last three outings, but the 26-year-old has struggled, posting a fat 6.38 ERA over those starts. Detroit counters with Jason Johnson.
