Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

The pitching staff ranked among the best in the American League in all major statistical categories.  That did not matter.  Oakland’s dead beat offense ranked last among fellow American League teams during April and May in runs scored, runs batted in, hits, and batting average.  As much as we would all like to forget, the Athletics ended the month of May by losing their last 8 games and losing the first game in June to complete a 9 game losing skid.  Then before the second game of June, Grant Balfour erupted in the clubhouse telling his teammates “I am tired of losing.”  They must have listened. Oakland would go on to unleash the fury of their offense and abolish the Kansas City Royals 9-3.

The month of June was a completely different story.  Oakland’s offense found life.  Finally, the A’s trustworthy pitching staff that has pitched far beyond expectations, now had an offense to back them up.

The beginning of June was nothing easy for the Athletics.  Despite taking three of four games at home from the Texas Rangers, the A’s struggled to find ways to win against the Kansas City Royals and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In a desperation move to find some offense at first base, the A’s recalled Brandon Moss and designated Kila Ka’aihue for assignment.  Brandon Moss not only jump-started Oakland’s offense but he miraculously resurrected his career.  Moss—who hit 7 home runs in June— sparked the teams sweep of the Colorado Rockies at Coors field with the help of Seth Smith, who the A’s acquired from the Rockies via trade this past off-season and ended June hitting .296 with 12 extra base hits.  Smith and Moss both helped lead the Athletics to win five of their next six games which included a sweep at home against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The A’s went on to lose two of the three 9^th inning nail biters against their cross bay rivals the San Francisco Giants, salvaging the last game in walk off style.  On a road trip to Seattle the A’s managed to sliver off enough hits to win the three game series against the Mariners—thanks to the help of Seth Smith and Yoenis Cespedes, who hit .343 with 4 home runs in June.  Astonishingly, the Oakland offense blossomed in June and lead the American League in “money ball’s” favorite statistic, walks, with 103, ranked 4th in extra base hits (88), 6th in runs scored (133), 5^th in doubles (47), 3^rd in home runs (34), and 6^th in runs batted in (125).

DownSide: The offense has done enough to win in July but still find themselves at the bottom of the list in most offensive categories.  They are the second worst team in home runs (22), runs batted in (21), and have the 4^th worst batting average (.235).

UpSide: After the all-star break the A’s are promisingly within striking distance of the second wild card spot, only 2.5 games back.  They are currently sitting at .500 with a 43-43 record, and are 6-1 through the first week of July.  The pitching staff has started July putting up astronomical numbers.  They rank first in the American League with a 1.57 ERA, a WHIP of 0.91, they have given up the least amount of free passes with only 14 walks, they are tied for first with opponents only hitting .197 against them, while only giving up three home runs, which they rank first in also.  An offensive upside is that they are getting clutch hits from players coming off the bench and are tied for 3^rd with 11 pinch-hit hits.  Last but not least, the A’s also lead the majors with 8 walk off hits.

As you can see, the upside for the A’s is much larger than the downside.  The A’s also started off the month of June slow before launching into one of the best offensive teams in the American League, so there is no reason to think they can’t do it again.  They have been one of the most exciting teams in baseball and who knows what kind of excitement will be in store in the second half. Go A’s!

April 27, 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Oakland Athletics left fielder Coco Crisp (4) is congratulated by teammates after scoring on a one-run RBI single by Josh Reddick (not shown) in the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Athletics defeated the Orioles 5 - 2. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-US PRESSWIRE

The A’s are off to a decent start this year and even have a legitimate shot at a winning record for the month of April. Oakland has gotten plenty of surprises this season, especially from Yoenis Cespedes and veteran pitcher Bartolo Colon. Both offseason pick-ups have proven to be smart moves by Billy Beane.

It’s been a productive week for us here at Swingin’ A’s, too. Over the course of the week, seven posts were published. We’ve got another exciting week planned, too. So, as we get ready for the last few days of April, join us in taking a look back at some of our biggest stories from last week. As always, enjoy!

• [4/21/12] A’s Send Graham Godfrey Down To Triple-A (Joseph)
• [4/24/12] Triple Play: Sizing up the Trade Bait (Jason)
• [4/24/12] When Will Billy Beane Start Selling? (Joseph)
• [4/25/12] Jarrod Parker Impresses; What Did You Think? (Joseph)
• [4/27/12] A’s Rise Above .500; Can They Stay There? (Joseph)
• [4/28/12] A’s Get Pounded By Baltimore (Joseph)
• [4/28/12] Poll: Could The A’s Trade Kurt Suzuki? (Joseph)

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Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.

Apr 13, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Athletics head coach Bob Melvin reacts after the game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Oakland defeated Seattle 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE

Following the team’s 4-0 win over the Seattle Mariners on Friday night, the A’s reached the .500 mark as well as the division’s No.2 spot. Yes, the A’s are in second place. It’s likely only a split-second type of situation for the Athletics, but in this long season, it’s important to enjoy the little things.

In fact, through the team’s first eight games the A’s have hit eight home runs and have done other little things that have impressed me so far this year. The A’s are not a team with a stacked offense or an experience rotation, but they are a young team with the potential to surprise its fans on occasion.

With that, I’ll start listing eight of the things that I’ve observed so far this season. Some are good things and some things, like Yoenis Cespedes‘ strikeouts are not as inspiring.

1. As I’ve noted above, the Athletics have hit a total of eight, yes eight, home runs this year. Those players responsible for that total include outfielders Yoenis Cespedes (3), Jonny Gomes (2), Josh Reddick (1), and infielder Jemile Weeks (2). That total is an impressive one for the gold-and-green hitters.
2. Brandon Allen played in just three games before getting the boot. Wasn’t too happy about that considering the team put Daric Barton back in charge at first base following Allen getting DFA’d. Allen proved last season that he at least had the potential to provide the team with a little bit of power and defense, but Barton seemingly remains a favorite among Oakland’s front office.
3. Through the team’s first eight games, Cespedes has hit three home runs and collected 7 RBIs. It seems the A’s will get plenty of help in the power department this year from Cespedes, who was signed for $36 million over four-years this past winter.
4. While the power is definitely there with Cespedes, so are the strikeouts. The highly-touted outfielder is simply striking out way too much. He’s got eight strikeouts so far this month (16-at bats) and 11 strikeouts this season. Three of his six hits this year have been home runs. While the potential to be good is there with Cespedes, the A’s should be worried with the youngster’s strikeout rate.
5. Bartolo Colon is off to a better start than I expected. In fact, the A’s veteran pitcher improved to 10-1 with a 1.91 ERA in his career at Seattle’s Safeco Field. Three starts into the 2012 season and Colon is already 2-1 with a 3.72 ERA over 19.1 innings pitched. We’ll see if his body holds up once the summer months roll in, but right now, the A’s should be happy they’re getting anything from Colon.
6. Tom Milone is Oakland’s best pitcher…for now. He’s definitely talented and the A’s wanted him for a reason when they decided to trade All-Star starter Gio Gonzalez to the Washington Nationals this past offseason. Milone has pinpoint accuracy and draws a lot of comparisons to fellow soft-throwing lefty Dallas Braden. Whomever he mimics, Milone is a strong option to have in the starting rotation for the Athletics.
7. Scoring runs will yet again prove difficult for the offense. Even though the team has done a relatively good job flexing some of its muscles, the A’s, entering Friday, ranked 22nd in runs with 21 scored. They also ranked 28th in batting average (.195), 27th in on-base percentage (.270) and 27th in slugging (.275). Guys like Cespedes, Reddick, Weeks, and a few others will be responsible this year for turning around the team’s sluggish offense.
8. Kila Ka’aihue is still hanging around. Eight games in and he’s still on the roster. That could change, though, when the A’s will be forced to announce a No.5 starter for their rotation. Still, I remember claiming that Ka’aihue would open the season with a spot on the roster way back in the offseason. I feel way smarter now.

What have you noticed so far? Hit the comment box below and let us know!

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Follow me on twitter @oaklandace75 and for more A’s related analysis, stories, and opinions, follow us on twitter @FS_SwinginAs or like us on Facebook.