A’s: midseason report card – Balfour
Comcast SportsNet Bay Area / Casey Pratt.
Baby-faced rookies exceeding expectations, unlikely surges of power striking the opposition, an unknown first baseman-turned-pitcher punching out the side, whipped cream pies, Gatorade showers, and a calculating manager manipulating all of the puzzle pieces.
Surprise! The A’s are 43-43 at the All-Star break and just 2 ½ games out of the second American League Wild Card spot. For once people are talking about the team on the field, and not the seemingly endless waffling of Major League Baseball’s commissioner in regards to the club’s future home.
For the first time since 2008 the A’s have a .500 record at the All-Star break. Could they possibly pull off a playoff run that no one saw coming?
The A’s gave the ninth inning to “Mad Aussie” Grant Balfour, who in turn ended up enraging A’s fans. Then to Brian Fuentes, who whipped fans into even more of a lather. When the smoke had cleared from the charred remains of the A’s ninth-innings, they found a man who could handle the heat
