Idiots Write About Sports

Baseball Prospectus’ Triple Play column hits the A’s today. It’s absolutely right, with a few observations from someone who’s seen his share of games.

* Jim Mecir’s assorted injuries make it impossible for him to pitch on consecutive days. Asking him to pitch more than an inning is pushing it, too. It’s like playing a man down. Furthermore, when one considers that the A’s won’t put Mike Neu into any situation where the outcome of the game is in doubt, it’s as if the A’s are using a 23-man roster.

* With Piatt gone, the A’s bench essentially looks like this (assuming a lineup of Long, Singleton, and Guillen in the outfield, an infield of Hatteberg, Ellis, Tejada, Chavez and Hernandez, and Durazo DH’ing):

Right-Handers: Byrnes, Menechino
Left-Handers: McMillon
Switch Hitters: Melhuse

Now, Melhuse isn’t going to be used in anything but an emergency (he’s the backup catcher, and he’s hitting .220). Byrnes shouldn’t even be on the team at this point — nine hits since hitting for the cycle back in June. So that means you basically have McMillon or Menechino for all your pinch-hitting needs.

Scary.

I assume once Dye — who wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire before his injury — comes back in early September, the A’s will send one of the pitchers away (most likely Mecir, since he’s unlikely to be claimed and he’s even more unlikely to turn things around). But I think it will be far too late by then to have any positive impact on the A’s fortunes.