TURNING POINT:  The bottom of the 1st inning represented the first of two credible threats the Angels had to score against Tyson Ross.  The A’s had scored in the top of the 1st on “The People’s Right Fielder” Josh Reddick‘s 9th home run of the year, and it was important for Ross to shut down the Angels in their half of the inning.  Maicer Izturis singled with 1 out and stole 2nd with the much maligned Albert Pujols coming to the plate.  An 8 pitch at bat ensued with Ross ultimately emerging victorious getting one of his 10 ground ball outs.  Another lengthy battle occurred with Kendrys Morales, again ultimately won by Ross to squash the threat with RISP.  Ross faced the minimum over the next 3 innings, looking comfortable as ever in Anaheim.

Apr 17, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics starter Tyson Ross (66) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

ON THE HILL:  This was definitely a start Tyson needed to keep his confidence meter moving in the right direction.  When it was all said and done, Ross tossed 6 shutout innings, gave up only 5 hits, walked just 1, and struck out 2.  The story was the fact that he had the ground ball pitch working, 10 of his batters retired were on the ground, only 1 in the air.  His control was in good shape, throwing 60 of his 94 pitches for strikes.  Ross still has a long way to go to prove he’s a Major League caliber starter, but outings like this will help that process.  Grant Balfour may still be upset about losing the closer job, but he didn’t let it affect his performance on the mound, he pitched a 1-2-3 7th innings with 1 strikeout.  Jordan Norberto continued his impressive streak, sidestepping a couple singles and giving up nothing.  Ryan Cook came in to close out the game and successfully continued his scoreless streak, allowing just a single basehit.

AT THE PLATE:  Josh Reddick has continued to impress since coming to Oakland, extending his team lead in the HR department with his 1st inning solo shot.  The guy is a player, someone everyone who follows the A’s, not just the A’s faithful in the right field bleachers should get behind.  Seth Smith also continued his hot hitting with a pair of doubles and 2 RBI.  Other notables in the lineup were Jemile Weeks and his 0-4 night dropping him back below .200, and also having the distinction of being the only A’s hitter who didn’t reach base, and Daric Barton had a typical Barton night, going 0-2 with 2 walks.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  The lineup for Monday night looked somewhat more Major League worthy, but still was missing the bats of Brandon Inge and Kila Ka’aihue.  While Danny Haren has struggled a bit so far this year, he is still one of the better starting pitchers in baseball, so hanging 4 runs on him is still something to hang their collective hats on.  Tomorrow’s game features former Angel Bartolo Colon (3-3, 3.96 ERA) taking on longtime A’s nemesis Ervin Santana (1-6, 5.09 ERA) at an odd start time of 4:05 PM.  The A’s scored 4 runs against Santana on April 18 in Anaheim, they hope to be able to repeat that performance.  Santana has had an odd season thus far, in 5 of his 7 starts so far in 2012 the Angels have been shutout.  His 5.09 ERA though doesn’t necessarily indicate they’re all hard luck losses, but perhaps the pressure of zero run support has hurt his performance on the mound.  The A’s will hope to continue that misfortune and sweep this 2 game series tomorrow.

Check me out on Twitter @SeanD25, see my take on everything else baseball at Baseball Obsessed, and follow everything Swingin’ A’s @FS_SwinginAs.

Justin Verlander was on his game Sunday. (Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE)

TURNING POINT:  Perhaps it was the moment Justin Verlander walked from the Tigers’ dugout and picked up the baseball.  The A’s simply didn’t have a chance, mustering just the Reddick single, and the Smith homer (he also walked).  When the starter’s second to last pitch (number 103) is a 99 MPH fastball, you really have no chance. that’s what happened today.

ON THE HILL:  Jarrod Parker was certainly fighting an uphill battle today, against the ace of the other team, and against the strike zone.  Parker’s control problems continued, leading to 4 walks and a strike percentage in the 50′s.  But Parker managed to last 5.2 innings, and surrendered only 2 runs while striking out 6.  If he can simply gain some command of the strike zone, he’s shown he has ace potential.  Grant Balfour worked 0.2 innings, and walked in the 2nd ER charged to Parker in his new role, which according to Susan Slusser he was none too happy about.  Jordan Norberto continued his recent success with 1.2 clean innings, his ERA is now at 3.63 for the season.  Pedro Figueroa gave up a run for the second straight appearance in the 9th.

AT THE PLATE:  Not to beat a dead horse, but a lineup missing Kurt Suzuki, Jemile Weeks, Brandon Inge, and Kila Ka’aihue not to mention Yoenis Cespedes and Coco Crisp on the DL was not going to win.  They didn’t manage a hit against Joaquin Benoit or Jose Valverde either, it simply wasn’t their day.

FINAL THOUGHTS:  The A’s split both series on this homestand, and are still a game above the .500 mark as they head down to Los Angeles of Anaheim to face the Angels.  Tyson Ross (1-3, 7.71 ERA) squares off against old friend Danny Haren (1-3, 4.19 ERA) tomorrow night from Disneyland.  Obviously all A’s fans will look extra fondly on Mother’s Day after what happened in 2010 with Dallas Braden’s extraordinary day in Oakland, I was visiting my mom when I heard he was working on a perfect game, we put the game on and witnessed history.  I still get chills every time I watch the game highlights.  I hope all the mothers out there have had a wonderful Mother’s Day, and send best wishes to all of them (specifically to mine ofcourse, who’s been a big supporter of my writing), thanks for putting up with our baseball obsessions, and even sharing in them when history presents itself.

Check me out on Twitter @SeanD25, see my take on everything else baseball at Baseball Obsessed, and follow everything Swingin’ A’s @FS_SwinginAs.

Questions still remain about Daric Barton's ability with the bat. (Steven Bisig-US PRESSWIRE)

He was moved to 1st base upon arriving in the Athletics organization, figuratively to prevent his position from impeding his development as a hitter.  Fast forward to 2007 Barton is called up for a “cup of coffee” in Oakland and dazzles the fans with a 1.067 OPS over his first 18 games in the majors.  But in 2008 the bloom fell off the rose as Barton struggled mightily in 140 games, posting a paltry .647 OPS.  At that point the fans began to question whether the top prospect obtained for an ace was going to be nothing more than a AAAA player.  He improved markedly in 2009 over a much smaller sample size, boosting his OPS by over 100 points.  Then came 2010, the year he truly turned the corner, working a league leading 110 walks and posting an impressive 5.1 WAR.  I always found it remarkable that that his WAR was higher than Phillies uber slugger Ryan Howard, was Barton really a more desirable 1B than Howard?  It’s hard to imagine, but the numbers were there.  Then once again, in 2011 Barton lost his way, in 67 games before being sent to Sacramento Barton didn’t manage to hit a single homerun, not one.  The Daric Barton we all began to fall in love with again in 2010 was apparently either long gone, or was a figment of our collective imagination.  It was later revealed that he had a severe shoulder injury requiring surgery, which may have sapped any power he had.  He entered this season looking for a clean bill of health, hoping for a fresh start, and the ability to pick up where 2010 left off, but so far that hasn’t happened.

If you just look at the Twitter timeline of any die hard Athletics fan, you’ll see one of two things.  You’ll either see that person ripping into Barton with a fiery passion, calling for his banishment back to the minors.  You will see them constantly harping on the fact that Barton appears at times to come to the plate seeking walks, hoping to work the count and show off his eye rather than get a pitch to hit and let it rip.  They believe that Daric Barton’s spot in the batting order is where all potential A’s rallies go to die, usually with a called strike 3.

Barton leaves no doubt about his ability with the leather. (Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE)

Or, you’ll see them praising his plate discipline, his ability to work counts, and his oftentimes superior defensive skills.  The belief that a well earned walk is every bit as valuable as a base hit fuels that support.  There is no doubt that when right Barton has the talent to hit the ball, and hit it hard, he simply picks his spots.  He just needs to be in the lineup every day so he can hone his eye and work that OBP back up around .400.  Also, his defense will save as many runs as a common 1B’s bat would contribute.  Barton is simply a new age ballplayer.

There is merit to both sides of the argument, but it is difficult for A’s fans to wrap their heads around what it is we have in Barton.  It appears the A’s have little faith in his ability to return to his 2010 form, as evidenced by the amount of playing time Kila Ka’aihue has been getting recently.  The A’s seem to be dealing with the exact same love/hate relationship the entire fanbase has dealt with regarding Barton over the years.  They don’t know what to think, but like the angel and the devil on your shoulders, both sides of A’s fans will continue to voice their opinions on what the A’s should be doing with the most polarizing 1st baseman Oakland has ever seen.

Check me out on Twitter @SeanD25, see my take on everything else baseball at Baseball Obsessed, and follow everything Swingin’ A’s @FS_SwinginAs.