With the 2011 MLB regular season finally in the books, the Oakland Athletics can finally move on and begin preparing for the 2012 season. The A’s, considered contenders for the AL West crown before the season, never found their groove and failed to meet those lofty expectations that surrounded them during spring training.

Inconsistencies both on offense and defense killed Oakland this year, as they were never able to strike a balance between solid pitching and solid hitting. The offseason additions, with the exception of Josh Willingham, proved rather ineffective, and wasted Oakland’s offseason efforts. General manager Billy Beane, who entered the offseason with the goal of revamping the offseason, tried aggressively to improve his club, but as Oakland’s third-place finish this season seems to suggest, his efforts were all for naught.

In reviewing what went wrong for Oakland this season, it’s probably best to start with the A’s offensive woes in ’11. Oakland added key veteran players like Willingham, Hideki Matsui, and David DeJesus prior to the start of the season, and had hoped for a better offensive showing this year.  In 2010, Oakland finished 81-81, giving hope to many fans that 2011 would be a big turnaround, especially given the additions of Matsui and Co.

In fact, Oakland’s offense actually underperformed this year compared to last year. The A’s scored a total of 663 runs last season, but managed to score just 645 this year despite having Matsui, Willingham, and DeJesus on the team. Oakland pretty much underperformed in every major offensive category this year, posting a team .244/.311/.369 slash line with just 114 home runs (24th in MLB).  (more…)

The A’s, who have the luxury of pitching depth, can either call up Vin Mazzaro or Trevor Cahill to fill in for Anderson. My guess would be Mazzaro (1-1, 1.86 ERA, 21K/8BB, 19.1 IP) since he’s off to a tremendous start for the Triple-A club. If Mazzaro does struggle with the A’s early on, they could easily call up Cahill, who is also off to a tremendous start in Triple-A (1-0, 1.04 ERA, 8K/5BB, 8.1 IP). Essentially, either Mazzaro or Cahill would have to make up for the five or so starts Anderson is expected to miss.

Losing Anderson for roughly five starts is tough, and it certainly adds to the A’s growing injury concerns. The A’s early success has been because of their stellar pitching staff, so we’ll see in the next month or so how much losing Anderson affects the A’s starting staff.

Injuries are something the A’s want to stay away from, but I can already hear A’s fans chanting, “Here we go again…” If the A’s suffer any other significant injuries, I do not see them holding onto first place for very much longer. Anderson is a crucial part of the rotation, and if the A’s were to lose, let’s say Sweeney or Barton (for whatever reason), it’d be difficult for them to continue their early success.

But for now, the A’s are still in first place by 1 1/2 games. Dallas Braden will look to extend his winning streak against the Rays. James Shields will counter for Tampa Bay. Game starts: 7:10EST

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