Let's call a spade a spade. It isn't ineptitude that A's manager Bob Geren displays—it is a total lack of competence. Geren should have been fired long ago, and general manager Billy Beane is allowing the most incompetent manager in baseball to still have a job.
If Geren was a rookie manager then maybe some of the mistakes being made could be considered as a rookie mistake and in time he'd learn from them. Yet, not only has Geren made mistakes, he keeps making the same mistake.
There's a saying that goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."
This quote applies to the way that Geren uses his bullpen. He has been burned plenty of times by putting the wrong pitcher in during key situations. In all honesty, you'd think he'd learn from that mistake, but nope. So, what can be said about Geren if that quote states that Geren has looked like a fool more than once?
In last night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the A's had a chance to come out and end their three game losing streak. The A's made a good comeback from a 2-0 deficiting to take a 4-2 lead.
Here's one way that Geren made himself look like the fool. With a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, Michael Wuertz startrf the inning by giving up a leadoff double to Rafael Furcal.
Wuertz then gets Orlando Hudson to ground out to first for the first out of the inning. Casey Blake follows up with a single to score Furcal.
James Loney is the next batter at the plate, and in comes Craig Breslow to face Loney. Breslow walks Loney.
For that situation Breslow's one job was to get Loney out, which he failed to do. Instead of using someone like Brad Ziegler, who's primarily a ground ball pitcher, Geren decides to bring in Andrew Bailey, the team's closer.
Meaning that in order for Bailey to get a save he has to go an inning and two-thirds. Instead he gives up a single to Matt Kemp, which creates a bases-loaded situation. Then Bailey got Andre Eithier to ground out for a fielder's choice to score the tying run of the ball game.
Bailey was able to get Russell Martin to lineout to left field to end the threat by the Dodgers, but the damage was done. No win for the A's.
This just goes and proves how incompetent Geren really is. It is the 63rd game of the season, this isn't a playoff game or World Series game. There is absolutely no reason for Bailey to be in during the eigth inning.
Sure, he's shown he can get the two-inning save, but this wasn't an inning where Bailey started out the inning—he had to come on after two relievers weren't able to do their jobs, and also with runners on base with the tying run on base.
In the end it just goes to show what A's fans really need: That Geren needs to be fired immediately.
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