A baseball season is 162 games long.
27 Games is exactly 1/6 of that amount.
As sad as the team has been, this is a perfect benchmark whereby to judge the team.
Player by Player Analysis
PITCHERS
Bootcheck ... C-
Too tall an order to fill to be too critical.
Carrasco ... B-
Does pitching a good game against the A's really mean anything?
Donnelly ... C+
Has not been horrible lately.
Escobar ... C+
Not to be callous, but get a friggin' manicure, man!
K-Gregg ... B-
Unlike, say McPherson, a weekend in Salt Lake did him wonders.
Lackey ... C+
The Dr. Jekyll routine: A one-hitter bookended by two Bad-Lacks and a brawl
Frankie ... B-
Ah wasn't it ten days ago when he was our most painful worry... the good old days of April, 2006.
J.C. Romero ... D
Starting to suck on a regular basis. It is called the strike zone, find it or yield to Yan.
Santana ... C+
Will he be wearing his Pedro the 2nd Mask or his Ramon Ortiz Tutu?
Shields ... B
Arm not so rubbery this year...
Jeff Weaver ... F
Like Loaiza, except thankfully not for three seasons.
Esteban Yan ... C+
Clutch and a half lately, always when we are behind, still wouldn't entrust him with a two run lead at any point in the game...
CATCHERS
Jose Molina ... D
Biggest accomplishment is not being Jeff Mathis.
Jeff Mathis ... F
Young and dumb.
THE INFIELD
Edgardo Alfonzo ... F
Bottom Line: A loser.
Orlando Cabrera ... A-
Putting together a solid season.
Figgins ... B+
The sparkplug is downright Ecksteinian, but lately that has been in those strikeout-fueled O-fer games.
Kendrick ... C
Not batting him in case he is the next Mathis / McPherson Bust
Kennedy ... B
Contract Year production. Heaven forbid he bat, say, 6th...
Kotchman ... D
At least his defense has been quite un-Mathisian.
Quinlan ... C+
Still smiling that Of Mice And Men Lennie smile...
THE OUTFIELD
Garret ... B-
Better at the plate.
Erstad ... C
Better in the field.
Vlad ... B
Maybe he will take a pitch this season...
Salmon ... B
Nobody to challenge for his job or legacy in this bunch...
DISABLED LIST
Bartolo ... D
Would it be that much different with him off the D.L.? Nah.
Izturis ... B+
Notice how we started to suck hard the minute he went down...
Rivera ... D
Notice how he never once carried the team? Yeah, me too.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Starters:
Jose Arredondo, Joe Saunders, Steven Shell, Jered Weaver
All of them would make lousy middle relievers and are mediocre starters at this point in their careers.
Relievers:
Jason Bulger, Greg Jones
Eric Chavez will pay for the flight for them to make the game they get called up for...
Position Players
Erick Aybar
Get him up and Alfinley out!
Dallas McPherson
We could have had Randy Johnson for him and Mathis in August of 2004.
Kendry Morales
Still cannot hit a curveball, nor field.
Mike Napoli
if you think Mathis is not ready for prime time, this kid ain't either...
Reggie Willits
Has Ben Weber's jersey number and is not as good.
So there you have it.
12-15 with a lot of question marks, uncertainty and sloppy play behind them.
The division may be weak, but it will not be won on excuses alone...