[duncan_idaho]

Missed the game threads this weekend (spent it stripping and powerwashing and painting my porch... have a builder coming in to put on a screen porch, which is going to be pretty awesome).

Really rough series. I don't know why, but it sure seems like the A's have this team's number, no matter what is going on.

We're now 40 games into the season, and the Royals sit exactly at .500. Like I said at the beginning of the month, I"ll be happy with getting through this month AT .500. And if they're 2-3 games below, I won't freak out.

General Thoughts:

1) At this point, the sample size (1/4 of the season) is large enough to make some moves. Moustakas DOWN is acceptable at this point. He had an excellent two-week burst after making some adjustments but has not been able to adjust back as the league has changed its approach. I probably call up Giavotella and give him everyday reps for at least 2 weeks. He's never succeeded at the MLB level, but maybe a 2 week stint where he plays everyday gets him going. (OF course, he's been cold at Omaha again... another case of him not taking advantage of a situation).

Sending him down a month ago was still too soon (especially considering the tear he went on starting with the Cleveland series, when even the most optimistic of us said he needed to show something or be sent down).

2) Kelvin Herrera is struggling a bit in his last two outings. Whatever mechanic adjustments they made to stop him from tipping pitches seem to have messed with his confidence. Time to go to Crow in the 8th and let Herrera/Collins find some confidence/success in lower leverage roles.

3) I'm not a huge Ned Yost fan, but I think some of the blame he's catching right now is unwarranted. I think a lot of people overrate the impact a manager has on the game. He drives me nuts with his lack of understanding of statistical analysis sometimes, but he has not shown the extreme role loyalty this year that has been so frustrating in the past (Getz, Francoeur losing starting jobs, saying he'll look at moving Herrera out of the 8th inning role after yesterday).

It comes down to the bats, and you can move the lineup around a little, but ultimately, they need more than Gordon, Butler and Cain hitting to have a good season.

4) In his last three starts, Luis Mendoza has a 4.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 4:1 K:BB ratio, while K'ing 6 per 9. It's not spectacular, but since being put back on regular turns, he has been just fine as the No. 5 starter. Those numbers even play OK as a No. 4 starter.

5) At this point, I don't think you can even point to trading Wil Myers as a major blow to the offensive potential of this lineup. He seems to have lost his power AND become even worse at avoiding strikeouts in Durham.

6) With Hosmer, I still don't see an option that would let you send him down. He hasn't been what we were hoping and the lack of power is still a major, major concern. But he also isn't KILLING the team and is a major positive defensively.

7) It's time to look at a trade for a bat. Even a small move woudn't be a bad thing.

A small move would be something like shipping a bullpen arm and a lotto ticket for someone like David DeJesus. It probably wouldn't be a gamebreaker, but it would help the O.

The big moves ... you're still looking at someone like Utley, Rios, Chase Headley (though I think the Pads want to hang on to him and try to sign him long-term in the offseason. They have one more year of control and can afford to do this), etc. And they just don't have many close-to-MLB bullets to make that happen.

I'm not going to give up on this season, and home series vs. the Astros and Angels give them a chance to pick up some ground after a rough road trip. 5-1 in the next six would be a nice way to spend this week. And is definitely do-able.