Biggest Contribution: Yuniesky Betancourt, +25.9%
Biggest Suckfest: Julio Mateo, -23.6%
Most Important At Bat: Betancourt homer, +29.3%
Most Important Pitch: Kendall double, -22.6%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): -4.8%
Total Contribution by Position Players: +54.8%
Around 1:15 or so in the morning, I came home to the following IM's:
(23:48:27) Devin: Fuck Julio Mateo. Fuck him (edited for content - Jeff)
Mind you, this was before I knew anything about how the game went, since I was out all night. So, needless to say, I wasn't real optimistic when it came time to check the box score. I already knew what must've happened - Hargrove brought in Mateo to protect a lead and it blew up in his face, blowing the game and completely destroying all the good Monday vibes. A lot like the Matt Thornton/Minnesota Twins matchup in April '05, really. I anticipated something like a 9-5 final, where Mateo turned a 5-3 lead into a 7-5 deficit, the offense rolled over, and the back of the bullpen allowed another two runs to seal the deal. That's just what I'm used to. I read those IM's and almost instantly my night was ruined.
So imagine my surprise when I went to Yahoo! and saw "Oakland 4 / Seattle 8". Now, I don't know much about the mental side of female endocrinology, but I'd put this mood swing up with any you've ever seen from a wife or girlfriend. Suddenly the overpowering smile came right back to my face and I went to bed ecstatic. Hell, I'd wager to guess that Devin's IM's actually made the night better; this way, I got my fix of surprised elation twice, instead of just continuing the Monday hangover. If there's an upside to always expecting the worst possible outcome, there you go.
I'm not going to sit here and try to explain how awesome a game was that I didn't get to watch. Instead, I'll just say that funk blasts are hilariously terrific, Betancourt's an asset, Morrow throws hard, and tonight we get the chance to sweep the A's for the first time since the Glorious Revolution. Batista, Harden, 7:05pm PDT. We have plenty of time to talk about the individuals, so we'll do that later, when I'm feeling more analytical. Right now, I'm not about to let anything harsh my buzz.