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Originally Posted by Gander
Oakland has beaten Seattle in 13 straight if I am not mistaken. And I guess I wouldnt be too shocked if they were to go all the way. I think Chicago is still the team everybody has to beat but I guess right now Oakland is more likely than any other AL team to do it. I dont get a chance to see Oakland all that much, I do get their games but they are on way too late for me.
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Well,a lot has changed since I played the Angels to win the division.Lackey was pitching consecutive shut outs in early July,and saying the ball is going exactly where he wants it to go.I don't know wtf happened to that guy.He went to the mound on a hot day in July(7/19,)and had nothing at all,and has never come close to the way he was pitching in his 2 starts in early July.That killed me.Without him being dominant,I knew I was in trouble,and I covered the bet(so I won't lose anything when the A's take this.)At the same time as Lackey was regressing horribly,the A's got back Bradley,and also Swisher was just starting to get over MONO type symptoms.This was 3 or 4 days into the 2nd half.Then,after throwing a shut out at Seattle(right before the allstar break,)Colon can hardly get one out in the 2nd half of the season,and officially is in the can until forever (probably.)As this is happening,the Halos manage to take a couple series against bad teams while the A's lose a couple series to red hot Detroit,and Boston.Then the A's offense starts to really heat up with Bradley,Thomas,Payton,Swisher,and Kotsay starting to really hit.Then,Chavez comes back to play 3rd base.At first, he doesn't hit well,but not a thing,barely the wind,gets by this guy at 3rd base.He is a f'n freak.About 10 days ago,Chavez starts to hit the ball better,and now he is a tough out(like Bradley,Thomas,Swisher,Payton,Kotsay.)The last brick in the wall came on August 2nd.On this day,their worst starter,Esteban Loaiza,came to the mound with newfound mph on his fastball,and he has been tough to score on since.Like they are right now,they are almost impossible to beat in a series.Toronto has tried.Halos have tried.Seattle has tried.Texas has tried.Tampa can't come close to a legit try.I can see things changing only if Loaiza struggles,or they get injuries to Bradley,Thomas,Payton,or Swisher.It would make a big difference too if Chavez(who was out a great deal this year with real bad forearm soreness) went down.Things are click'n,and if they stay healthy like this,they will be extremely tough.