Friday, April 21, 2006

Huston Street & Dan Johnson

Huston Street missed yesterday’s game, and will miss tonight’s, with a chest injury. It is reported to be insignificant, but with closers, any injury can turn into a major event.

Regardless of whether the injury does progress to the point of a DL stint, Justin Duchsherer should be immediately grabbed. Along with him, a small stampede to grab Kiko Calero should also ensue because Duchsherer was an utter failure in his first chance last night against the Tigers- walking in the go ahead run after loading the bases.

Something else caused me to pay attention in yesterday’s A’s-Tigers game. Dan Johnson was pinch-hit for by Adam Melhuse with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth with the A’s down one run.

Melhuse proceeded to strike out as quickly as those bashers in the Bugs Bunny cartoon where he threw the super slow pitch. Strikeonestriketwostrikethree.

Normally, any early season slump does nothing for me, but when a manager seemingly loses confidence in a player of Dan Johnson’s purported caliber and pinch hits for him in a situation where plate discipline is important, I take notice. And uses the back-up catcher as the pinch-hitter!

With Daric Barton off to a torrid start in AAA (.491 OBP/.537 SLG), do not be surprised to see Johnson sent down to “work out some kinks” maybe never to be seen again!

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