Clueless In Oakland: Bob Geren Continues To Defy Logic

Bob Geren continues to prove why he isn't fit to manage a baseball team.

He doesn't understand the concept that when the starting pitcher is struggling you don't leave them in the game to get shelled. 

It's understandable of why Geren doesn't take pitchers out early though. He cares too much about his players, which wouldn't be a bad thing, except for the fact that the A's have consistently been in the bottom rung of the American League West since he took over for Ken Macha. 

For example in today's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, Ben Sheets was getting hit hard and it's not hard to understand why teams are able to hit Sheets.

If he can't get his curveball over, he's throwing an 89-92 mile-per-hour fastball that has no movement on it. 

What was even more disturbing about the start was that Sheets had the first batter of the game in an 0-2 count and he wasn't able to get Fred Lewis out. Instead he walked him. 

With Lewis on base, Sheets didn't even bother looking back to first base and on first movement, Lewis took off and was in easily for a stolen base. Hill got a fastball and drove it to the top of the wall for an easy double. 

Adam Lind got a pitch to hit but just missed and turned into a sacrifice fly to get Hill to third.

Vernon Wells came up and doubled to deep right center scoring Hill easily.

Sheets was then able to get Lyle Overbay on a hard hit grounder to Adam Rosales at second base. 

Alex Gonzalez came up and Sheets gave up a two-run homer. Sheets was able to get out of the inning by getting Jose Bautista to ground out to third. 

If anything at all Geren should have had someone warming up in the bullpen because Sheets did not have anything going for him. The bottom of the second inning started and John Buck hit a ball hard again another double for the Blue Jays. 

Next batter up for the Blue Jays, even with the A's defense playing towards right center field, John McDonald, was able to hit a ball hard for a triple.

That made the game 5-0 and Fred Lewis hit a sacrifice fly scoring McDonald to make the game 6-0. 

Sheets' line after two innings; 39 pitches, six runs, six earned, two walks, and no strikeouts.

He was able to get out of the second without giving up anymore runs. 

His third inning didn't start off well; He gave up another hard hit ball, this time to Overbay, who luckily hit it only for a single.

Sheets was able to get out of the inning with some luck. Gonzalez hit the ball hard again but this time to the deepest part of the ballpark and the next batter, Bautista, had a pitch to hit that he just missed. 

I can only assume that Geren was thinking that Sheets could build on the inning he had where he didn't give up any runs.

That didn't last long though.

McDonald laced a double. Sheet was able to get to a 0-2 count with Lewis, but left one right over the middle of the plate for a two run homer. Hill then hit a solo home run, making the score 9-1. 

So that meant in three plus innings Sheets gave up nine runs, all earned, two walks, and one strikeout.  

It would be understandable that Sheets wouldn't be removed from the game if he had been pitching well previously, but in Sheets last start he only went four innings while giving up nine hits, eights runs, gave up two home runs. He also struck out two, while walking one. 

The season so far for Sheets has been rocky, to say the least.

He has two no decisions, two losses, and if you count today, more than likely a third, and only one win. 

Sheets' win was hardly impressive considering at the time the A's were playing against the worst team in baseball in the Baltimore Orioles.

His only outing that has been impressive so far was when he pitched against the New York Yankees. 

He did take a loss in that game. He went six innings giving up four hits and two runs while striking out four and walking three. 

Throughout the season Sheets has been giving up too many hits and too many walks.

Coming into today's game he has given up 32 hits and 14 walks in 32 innings. That means his WHIP is 1.70.

That's not a very good number. 

Today isn't going to help Sheets bring his WHIP down either. In just three innings he gave up eight hits and two walks. 

Just another reason why Geren should have had the bullpen ready early for today's game. Sheets gives up too many baserunners!

Nope, there was no one in the bullpen for the A's. As soon as Mcdonald led the inning off with a double, Sheets should have been taken out of the game.

Instead Sheets faced Lewis and after Sheets got ahead of him he gave up the two-run shot. 

It would be nice to say that this was the first time this has happened with Geren, that he waited too long to take a pitcher out.

But, that's just not the case. The way Geren handled Sheets is the perfect example of the incompetency of Geren. 

How does one not miss the signs that Sheets was having trouble today?

Do six hits and six runs in two innings not do the trick for Geren? Is he just truly that ignorant? Was Geren even watching Sheets on the mound? How clueless can one be? 

I'm not saying that in today's game the A's would have been able to come back for a win. But, it would have been nice to have a respectable game. Even if it meant using the bullpen. 

If anything, the A's could send some players back to the minors and bring up relievers from Triple-A Sacramento if the A's had to use most of the bullpen. Even if it meant taking Sheets out after the third inning, which is what most managers in baseball would have done to begin with. 

Sad part is, the concept is hard to subscribe too, though. If a pitcher doesn't have their stuff regardless of what inning, take them out of the game. If possible, try to have the pitcher leave on a positive note, and not on something negative like giving up a homerun or leaving men on base. 

In this case for Sheets, if he was taken out after his third inning of work he would have left on a positive note because he would have struck out the last batter he faced and in came a new pitcher. 

Another issue for Geren is the continuing to play Kevin Kouzmanoff.

He has looked lost at the plate, he swings at terrible pitches, and he has shown no signs of power. He has only one homerun so far. 

He's been great defensively for the A's, but the team needs offense.

That is why Jake Fox, who hasn't had many at-bats yet, should take over at third base. He may not be the defensive whiz that Kouzmanoff is, but he provides more punch in the extremely weak A's lineup. 

Kouzmanoff may be showing some signs of life he has hit a bit better lately, but most of his hits have been singles and that's not anything to write home about. 

Finally, Eric Patterson has been in the lineup for eight straight games now in left field.

He has one of the weakest arms of any outfielder in baseball. What's even sadder is that he's only got one real use and that is speed on the basepaths.