2008 Oakland Athletics season

2008 Oakland Athletics
Major League affiliations
American League (since 1901)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum (since 1968)
Oakland, California (since 1968)
Results
Record	75–86 (.466)
Other information
Owner(s)	Lewis Wolff
General manager(s)	Billy Beane
Manager(s)	Bob Geren
Local television	CSN Bay Area KICU (Action 36)
Local radio	KYCY KNTS/KDOW KFRC-FM
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The Oakland Athletics' 2008 season marked their 40th year in Oakland, California. It was also the 108th season in franchise history. The team finished third in the American League West with a record of 75-86.

The Athletics were not expected to contend for the American League West title in 2008. Despite this, the team remained near first place well into July. The Athletics fortunes peaked on July 11, when a 9-2 rout of the Angels allowed them to pull within four games of first place. The team then lost 44 of its 68 remaining games. The slide saw the Athletics finish 24.5 games behind the Angels, who clinched the division for a second consecutive year.

The Athletics struggled at the plate for most of the season. Particularly troubling was the team's lack of power hitting; apart from Jack Cust, who hit 33 home runs, no Athletic hit more than 13. Oakland ultimately finished 11th (out of 14 American League teams) in this category. All told, the Athletics scored fewer runs (646) than any other American League team in 2008.

Off-season

Potential free agents

Outfielder Jeff DaVanon, catcher Mike Piazza and outfielder Shannon Stewart all filed for free agency after the 2007 season. DaVanon was signed to a minor league contract by the Athletics on August 10, 2007, after being let go by the Arizona Diamondbacks less than week later. His contract was purchased on August 17, following an injury to Mark Kotsay, who was plagued with injuries in 2007. He posted a .238 batting average and no home runs in 26 games for the Athletics. Piazza was signed in the previous offseason to a one-year contract which began Piazza's career as a designated hitter. In early May, Piazza was placed on the disabled list after suffering an injury while sliding into third base against the Boston Red Sox. Piazza was activated from the disabled list on July 20 but saw limited action after that as Jack Cust, who the Athletics brought in as a replacement, put on a big show once he joined the team. Piazza played in a total of 83 games in 2007 and batted .275 with 8 home runs. Stewart was also signed in the previous offseason to a one-year contract after missing most of the 2006 season. Stewart played in 146 games in 2007 and led the team in batting average (.290).

October

• October 5: Outfielder Dee Brown, pitcher Ron Flores, infielder J. J. Furmaniak, pitcher Brad Halsey, pitcher Shane Komine, catcher Adam Melhuse and pitcher Jason Windsor were outrighted to the minor leagues. Brown, Flores, Furmaniak and Melhuse eventually declined their assignments and became free agents.^[1]
• October 6: The Athletics announced that they would not renew the contracts of bullpen coach Brad Fischer, third base coach Rene Lachemann, and bench coach Bob Schaefer for the 2008 season.^[2]
• October 11: Pitcher José García was claimed by the Athletics off waivers from the Florida Marlins. García had missed the entire 2007 season following Tommy John surgery.^[3]
• October 13: Pitcher Jay Marshall^[4] and outfielder Kevin Thompson^[5] were claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. A Rule 5 draft selection from the Chicago White Sox, Marshall saw action in 51 games in 2007, mainly as a left-handed specialist. He put up a 1–2 record and a 6.43 ERA. Claimed off waivers from the New York Yankees on September 7, 2007, Thompson played in 9 games for the Athletics in the final month of the season, batting .071 with no home runs.

• October 16: Ron Romanick was added to the Athletics coaching staff and will serve as the bullpen coach for the 2008 season.^[6]

• October 23: Don Wakamatsu was added to the Athletics coaching staff and will serve as the bench coach for the 2008 season.^[7]

• October 25: Outfielder Chris Snelling was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.^[8] Acquired on May 2, 2007, from the Washington Nationals for Ryan Langerhans, Snelling played in just 6 games before being placed on the disabled list on May 16 and never played in another game for the Athletics. That same day Connor Robertson was outrighted to the minor leagues. Robertson appeared in 3 games in 2007 and posted an 18.00 ERA. Tony DeFrancesco was also added to the Athletics coaching staff and will serve as the third base coach for 2008.^[9]

November

• November 2: Pitcher Colby Lewis was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals.^[10] Lewis mainly worked out of the bullpen for the Athletics in 2007, posting a 6.45 ERA and an 0–2 record in 26 games.

• November 18: Infielder Marco Scutaro was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for two minor league pitchers, Graham Godfrey and Kristian Bell.^[11] Scutaro, a valuable backup infielder, played in 104 games in 2007 for the Athletics, posting a .260 batting average and 7 home runs.

• November 28: First baseman Wes Bankston was claimed off waivers by the Athletics from the Kansas City Royals. A minor league first baseman, Bankston played in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays minor league system in 2007. In 104 games in Triple-A with the Durham Bulls, he batted .238 with 15 home runs.

December

• December 6: Pitcher Fernando Hernández was selected from the Chicago White Sox in the Rule 5 draft.^[12] Jay Marshall was reclaimed by the Athletics off waivers from the Boston Red Sox. To make room for Marshall, José García was designated for assignment. Marshall was later outrighted to the minor leagues on December 11 and José García was not offered a new contract and became a free agent on December 12.

• December 13: The long-awaited Mitchell Report was released. It named many former Athletics players, including José Canseco, Jason Giambi, José Guillén, Jeremy Giambi, David Justice, Adam Piatt, F. P. Santangelo, Miguel Tejada and Randy Velarde. The report also named one current Athletics player, Jack Cust.^[13]

• December 14: In a move that signaled the start of rebuilding for the Athletics, 2007 All-Star Game starter Dan Haren along with minor league pitcher Connor Robertson were traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for pitcher Brett Andreson, first baseman Chris Carter, outfielder Aaron Cunningham, pitcher Dana Eveland, outfielder Carlos González and pitcher Greg Smith.^[14] Haren, the Athletics ace in 2007, made 34 starts and posted career highs in wins (15), ERA (3.07), and strikeouts (192). Of the players acquired from the Diamondbacks, Eveland was the only one with major league experience, having made his debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2005. Eveland appeared in 5 games for the Diamondbacks in 2007, making one start, winning one game and posted a 14.40 ERA.

January

• January 3: In another move as part of the Athletics rebuilding mode, outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher was traded to the Chicago White Sox for pitcher Fautino de los Santos, pitcher Gio Gonzalez and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.^[15] In 2007, Swisher posted a career high .262 batting average but had only 22 home runs, a big drop from 35 in 2006. Of the players acquired from the White Sox, Sweeney was the only one with major league experience, having made his debut for them in 2006. In 15 major league games for the White Sox in 2007, Sweeney batted .200 with a home run.
• January 11: Outfielder Emil Brown was signed by the Athletics to a one-year contract. Brown, 33, started half the games for the Kansas City Royals in the outfield in 2007. He batted .257 with 6 home runs. According to Athletics assistant general manager David Forst, Brown's success against left-handed pitching was what appealed the Athletics into signing the right-handed veteran.^[16] To make room for Brown on the 40-man roster, fellow outfielder Danny Putnam was designated for assignment. Putnam made his debut in 2007 for the Athletics and batted .214 with a home run in 11 games.
• January 14: In another move as part of the Athletics rebuilding mode, center fielder Mark Kotsay was traded to the Atlanta Braves for pitcher Joey Devine and minor league pitcher Jamie Richmond.^[17] Kotsay was limited to just 56 games in 2007 due to back problems that bothered him in the past. He hit just .214 with a home run in those 56 games. Devine spent most of the 2007 season in the minor leagues, splitting time in Double-A and Triple-A. In 10 major league games, all out of the bullpen, Devine went 1–0 with a 1.08 ERA.
• January 25: Outfielder Jeff Fiorentino was claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. To make room for Fiorentino on the 40-man roster, pitcher Ruddy Lugo was designated for assignment.^[18] Fiorentino spent the entire 2007 season in the Baltimore Orioles organization, playing at the Double-A level for the Bowie Baysox. He hit .282 with 15 home runs and 65 RBIs for the Baysox. Lugo was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays earlier in the 2007 season and made a combined 38 relief appearances for the Devil Rays and the Athletics. He went 6–0 with a 5.40 ERA.

February

• February 8: Pitcher Keith Foulke came out of retirement and signed a one-year contract with the Athletics. He had previously pitched for the Athletics in 2003, as their closer. To make room for Foulke on the 40-man roster, Bankston was designated for assignment and was later outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento on February 13.^[19]

March

• March 25: First baseman and designated hitter Mike Sweeney had his contract purchased right before the Athletics first game. He had signed a minor league contract on February 11, 2008. He had previously spent his entire career with the Kansas City Royals and his last few years with them were plagued with injuries. Sweeney had done well in spring training to earn a spot on the Athletics 25-man roster.

Regular season

Season standings

AL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	100	62	0.617	—	50–31	50–31
Texas Rangers	79	83	0.488	21	40–41	39–42
Oakland Athletics	75	86	0.466	24½	43–38	32–48
Seattle Mariners	61	101	0.377	39	35–46	26–55

Record vs. opponents

Team	BAL	BOS	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	LAA	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEA	TB	TEX	TOR	NL
Baltimore	–	6–12	4–5	4–4	4–3	5–3	3–6	3–3	7–11	0–5	8–2	3–15	4–5	6–12	11–7
Boston	12–6	–	4–3	5–1	5–2	6–1	1–8	4–3	9–9	6–4	6–3	8–10	9–1	9–9	11–7
Chicago	5–4	3–4	–	11–7	12–6	12–6	5–5	9–10	2–5	5–4	5–1	4–6	3–3	1–7	12–6
Cleveland	4–4	1–5	7–11	–	11–7	10–8	4–5	8–10	4–3	5–4	4–5	5–2	6–4	6–1	6–12
Detroit	3–4	2–5	6–12	7–11	–	7–11	3–6	7–11	4–2	3–6	7–3	3–4	6–3	3–5	13–5
Kansas City	3–5	1–6	6–12	8–10	11–7	–	2–3	6–12	5–5	6–3	7–2	3–5	2–7	2–5	13–5
Los Angeles	6–3	8–1	5–5	5–4	6–3	3–2	–	5–3	7–3	10–9	14–5	3–6	12–7	6–3	10–8
Minnesota	3–3	3–4	10–9	10–8	11–7	12–6	3–5	–	4–6	5–5	5–4	3–3	5–5	0–6	14–4
New York	11–7	9–9	5–2	3–4	2–4	5–5	3–7	6–4	–	5–1	7–2	11–7	3–4	9–9	10–8
Oakland	5–0	4–6	4–5	4–5	6–3	3–6	9–10	5–5	1–5	-	10–9	3–6	7–12	4–6	10–8
Seattle	2–8	3–6	1–5	5–4	3–7	2–7	5–14	4–5	2–7	9–10	–	3–4	8–11	5–4	9–9
Tampa Bay	15–3	10–8	6–4	2–5	4–3	5–3	6–3	3–3	7–11	6–3	4–3	–	6–3	11–7	12–6
Texas	5–4	1–9	3–3	4–6	3–6	7–2	7–12	5–5	4–3	12–7	11–8	3–6	–	4–4	10–8
Toronto	12–6	9–9	7–1	1–6	5–3	5–2	3–6	6–0	9–9	6–4	4–5	7–11	4–4	–	8–10

Season summary

March

The Athletics opened the regular season on March 25 in Japan and faced the Boston Red Sox there. Before the opener, the Athletics placed starting pitcher Chad Gaudin and third baseman Eric Chavez on the 15-day disabled list and placed relief pitcher Kiko Calero on the 60-day disabled list. The Athletics were allowed to carry 25 players plus three extra inactive players in case of injury. The three extra players were pitchers Justin Duchscherer and Dana Eveland along with outfielder Carlos González.^[20] The Athletics opened with ten pitchers, two catchers, seven infielders, five outfielders, and one designated hitter. The pitchers were Joe Blanton, Dallas Braden, Andrew Brown, Santiago Casilla, Lenny DiNardo, Alan Embree, Keith Foulke, Rich Harden, Fernando Hernández and Huston Street. Rob Bowen and Kurt Suzuki were the two catchers while Daric Barton, Bobby Crosby, Mark Ellis, Jack Hannahan, Dan Johnson, Donnie Murphy and Mike Sweeney were the seven infielders. The five outfielders were Emil Brown, Travis Buck, Chris Denorfia, Jeff Fiorentino and Ryan Sweeney, while Jack Cust was the designated hitter.

Joe Blanton got the nod to start the first game. The game went into extra innings and the Athletics lost 6–5 in 10. Emil Brown made a costly baserunning error in the 10th, which possibly cost the Athletics the game.^[21] Rich Harden started the second game of the two game series and led the Athletics to a 5–1 win over the Red Sox after pitching six strong innings while giving up one run on three hits and also struck out nine.^[22]

Game log

2008 game log
March # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 1 March 25 Red Sox* 6 – 5 (10) Okajima (1–0) Street (0–1) Papelbon (1) 44,628 0–1 2 March 26 Red Sox* 5–1 Harden (1–0) Lester (0–1) 44,735 1–1 * At Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, see MLB Japan Opening Series 2008
April # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 3 April 1 Red Sox 2–1 Matsuzaka (1–0) Blanton (0–1) Papelbon (2) 36,067 1–2 4 April 2 Red Sox 5–0 Lester (1–1) Embree (0–1) 21,625 1–3 5 April 4 Indians 6–3 Duchscherer (1–0) Byrd (0–1) 13,916 2–3 6 April 5 Indians 6–1 Eveland (1–0) Sabathia (0–1) 16,279 3–3 7 April 6 Indians 2–1 Lee (1–0) Blanton (0–2) Borowski (2) 16,384 3–4 8 April 8 @ Blue Jays 9–8 Embree (1–1) Accardo (0–1) Street (1) 31,336 4–4 9 April 9 @ Blue Jays 6–3 Hernández (1–0) Accardo (0–2) Street (2) 16,102 5–4 10 April 10 @ Blue Jays 11 – 8 (12) Devine (1–0) League (0–1) Foulke (1) 16,521 6–4 11 April 11 @ Indians 9–7 Blanton (1–2) Sabathia (0–2) Street (3) 17,859 7–4 12 April 12 @ Indians 7–3 DiNardo (1–0) Carmona (1–1) 19,170 8–4 13 April 13 @ Indians 7–1 Lee (2–0) Gaudin (0–1) 17,228 8–5 14 April 14 @ White Sox 2–1 Smith (1–0) Buehrle (1–1) Street (4) 20,430 9–5 15 April 15 @ White Sox 4–1 Danks (1–1) Eveland (1–1) Jenks (5) 18,254 9–6 16 April 16 Mariners 4–2 Hernández (2–0) Blanton (1–3) 21,126 9–7 17 April 17 Mariners 8–1 Silva (3–0) DiNardo (1–1) 10,164 9–8 18 April 18 Royals 13–2 Gaudin (1–1) Bannister (3–1) 12,528 10–8 19 April 19 Royals 6–5 Devine (2–0) Peralta (0–1) Street (5) 20,390 11–8 20 April 20 Royals 7–1 Eveland (2–1) Hochevar (0–1) 18,645 12–8 21 April 22 Twins 5–4 Rincón (2–0) Blanton (1–4) Nathan (7) 10,267 12–9 22 April 23 Twins 3–0 Gaudin (2–1) Bonser (1–4) Street (6) 15,242 13–9 23 April 24 Twins 11–2 Smith (2–0) Liriano (0–3) 12,593 14–9 24 April 25 @ Mariners 4–3 Eveland (3–1) Batista (2–3) Street (7) 40,845 15–9 25 April 26 @ Mariners 5–3 Bédard (2–0) Duchscherer (1–1) 37,563 15–10 26 April 27 @ Mariners 4–2 Blanton (2–4) Hernández (2–1) Street (8) 32,612 16–10 27 April 28 @ Angels 14–2 Gaudin (3–1) Garland (3–3) 37,725 17–10 28 April 29 @ Angels 2–0 Saunders (5–0) Smith (2–1) Rodríguez (11) 35,764 17–11 29 April 30 @ Angels 6–1 Santana (5–0) Eveland (3–2) 35,301 17–12
May # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 30 May 1 @ Angels 15–8 Duchscherer (2–1) Moseley (1–3) 37,396 18–12 31 May 2 Rangers 4–3 Padilla (4–2) Blanton (2–5) Wilson (7) 15,408 18–13 32 May 3 Rangers 6–3 Murray (1–0) Gaudin (3–2) Benoit (1) 20,524 18–14 33 May 4 Rangers 3–1 Casilla (1–0) Feldman (0–1) Street (9) 31,673 19–14 34 May 5 Orioles 2 – 1 (10) Devine (3–0) Johnson (0–1) 10,128 20–14 35 May 6 Orioles 4–2 Duchscherer (3–1) Burres (3–3) Casilla (1) 11,492 21–14 36 May 7 Orioles 6 – 5 (10) Braden (1–0) Cormier (0–1) 15,235 22–14 37 May 9 @ Rangers 4–0 Feldman (1–1) Smith (2–2) 23,516 22–15 38 May 10 @ Rangers 6–4 Rupe (1–1) Eveland (3–3) 22,899 22–16 39 May 11 @ Rangers 12–6 Casilla (2–0) Germán (1–1) 23,959 23–16 40 May 13 @ Indians 4–0 Byrd (2–3) Duchscherer (3–2) Kobayashi (1) 16,974 23–17 41 May 14 @ Indians 2–0 Sabathia (3–5) Blanton (2–6) 18,188 23–18 42 May 15 @ Indians 4–2 Laffey (2–2) Smith (2–3) Kobayashi (2) 26,764 23–19 43 May 16 @ Braves 3–2 Acosta (2–1) Embree (1–2) 31,004 23–20 44 May 17 @ Braves 5–4 Harden (2–0) Hudson (6–3) 38,324 24–20 45 May 18 @ Braves 5–2 Reyes (2–1) Duchscherer (3–3) 31,025 24–21 46 May 19 Rays 7 – 6 (13) Hammel (3–2) Gaudin (3–3) Percival (12) 11,077 24–22 47 May 20 Rays 3–2 Kazmir (3–1) Smith (2–4) Percival (13) 11,272 24–23 48 May 21 Rays 9–1 Eveland (4–3) Sonnanstine (6–2) 22,712 25–23 49 May 23 Red Sox 8–3 Harden (3–0) Wakefield (3–3) 29,057 26–23 50 May 24 Red Sox 3–0 Duchscherer (4–3) Beckett (5–4) Street (10) 33,468 27–23 51 May 25 Red Sox 6–3 Blanton (3–6) Lester (3–3) Street (11) 35,067 28–23 52 May 27 Blue Jays 3–1 Smith (3–4) Burnett (5–5) Street (12) 10,635 29–23 53 May 28 Blue Jays 2–1 Halladay (6–5) Foulke (0–1) Ryan (12) 17,460 29–24 54 May 29 Blue Jays 12–0 Litsch (6–1) Eveland (4–4) 21,862 29–25 55 May 30 @ Rangers 3–1 Millwood (3–3) Duchscherer (4–4) Wilson (11) 21,763 29–26 56 May 31 @ Rangers 8–4 Ponson (4–1) Blanton (3–7) 36,798 29–27
June # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 57 June 1 @ Rangers 13–8 Gaudin (4–3) Wright (3–2) 17,661 30–27 58 June 2 Tigers 3–2 Street (1–1) Cruceta (0–3) 11,772 31–27 59 June 3 Tigers 5 – 4 (11) Gaudin (5–3) Seay (0–1) 10,871 32–27 60 June 4 Tigers 10–2 Duchscherer (5–4) Robertson (3–6) 19,258 33–27 61 June 6 Angels 3–1 Lackey (2–1) Blanton (3–8) Rodríguez (25) 25,120 33–28 62 June 7 Angels 5–3 Garland (6–3) Smith (3–5) Rodríguez (26) 29,294 33–29 63 June 8 Angels 7 – 3 (12) Ziegler (1–0) Bootcheck (0–1) 26,332 34–29 64 June 10 Yankees 3–1 Wang (7–2) Eveland (4–5) Rivera (17) 26,402 34–30 65 June 11 Yankees 8–4 Duchscherer (6–4) Rasner (3–4) 27,292 35–30 66 June 12 Yankees 4–1 Pettitte (6–5) Blanton (3–9) Rivera (18) 28,658 35–31 67 June 13 @ Giants 5–1 Smith (4–5) Zito (2–10) 42,445 36–31 68 June 14 @ Giants 4–0 Harden (4–0) Cain (3–5) 40,873 37–31 69 June 15 @ Giants 5–3 Eveland (5–5) Correia (1–4) Street (13) 41,547 38–31 70 June 17 @ D-backs 15–1 Duchscherer (7–4) Webb (11–3) 28,710 39–31 71 June 18 @ D-backs 11–1 Haren (7–4) Blanton (3–10) 28,507 39–32 72 June 19 @ D-backs 2–1 Peña (1–1) Foulke (0–2) Lyon (15) 31,997 39–33 73 June 20 Marlins 7 – 6 (11) Brown (1–0) Waechter (0–2) 15,035 40–33 74 June 21 Marlins 6–4 Pinto (2–2) Street (1–2) Gregg (13) 19,287 40–34 75 June 22 Marlins 7–1 Duchscherer (8–4) Miller (5–6) 22,461 41–34 76 June 24 Phillies 5–2 Blanton (4–10) Moyer (7–5) Street (14) 13,348 42–34 77 June 25 Phillies 4–0 Kendrick (7–3) Smith (4–6) 22,231 42–35 78 June 26 Phillies 5–0 Harden (5–0) Eaton (2–6) 17,228 43–35 79 June 27 Giants 4–1 Eveland (6–5) Yabu (3–4) Street (15) 27,125 44–35 80 June 28 Giants 1–0 Lincecum (9–1) Duchscherer (8–5) Wilson (22) 36,067 44–36 81 June 29 Giants 11–1 Sánchez (8–4) Blanton (4–11) 33,841 44–37 82 June 30 @ Angels 6–1 Smith (5–6) Garland (7–5) 42,046 45–37
July # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 83 July 1 @ Angels 5–3 Shields (4–2) Embree (1–3) Rodríguez (33) 42,047 45–38 84 July 2 @ Angels 7–4 Saunders (12–4) Foulke (0–3) Rodríguez (34) 41,091 45–39 85 July 3 @ White Sox 3–2 Duchscherer (9–5) Vázquez (7–7) Street (16) 26,730 46–39 86 July 4 @ White Sox 7–1 Blanton (5–11) Buehrle (6–7) 29,600 47–39 87 July 5 @ White Sox 6–1 Floyd (10–4) Smith (5–7) 35,586 47–40 88 July 6 @ White Sox 4–3 Danks (6–4) Harden (5–1) Linebrink (1) 31,955 47–41 89 July 7 Mariners 4–3 Eveland (7–5) Washburn (4–8) Street (17) 11,129 48–41 90 July 8 Mariners 2–0 Duchscherer (10–5) Silva (4–11) 12,543 49–41 91 July 9 Mariners 6–4 Corcoran (1–0) Blanton (5–12) Morrow (8) 21,128 49–42 92 July 10 Mariners 3 – 2 (11) Street (2–2) Jiménez (0–1) 15,187 50–42 93 July 11 Angels 9–2 Gallagher (1–0) Garland (8–6) 31,372 51–42 94 July 12 Angels 4–1 Santana (11–3) Eveland (7–6) Rodríguez (37) 27,161 51–43 95 July 13 Angels 4–3 Arredondo (3–0) Street (2–3) Rodríguez (38) 29,352 51–44 96 July 18 @ Yankees 7–1 Mussina (12–6) Smith (5–8) 54,145 51–45 97 July 19 @ Yankees 4 – 3 (12) Robertson (1–0) DiNardo (1–2) 54,183 51–46 98 July 20 @ Yankees 2–1 Pettitte (11–7) Duchscherer (10–6) Rivera (24) 54,366 51–47 99 July 21 @ Rays 4–0 Kazmir (8–5) Eveland (7–7) 12,428 51–48 100 July 22 @ Rays 8–1 Braden (2–0) Sonnanstine (10–5) 16,800 52–48 101 July 23 @ Rays 4–3 Shields (9–6) Smith (5–9) Percival (20) 23,437 52–49 102 July 25 Rangers 14–6 Padilla (12–5) Blevins (0–1) 20,141 52–50 103 July 26 Rangers 9–4 Harrison (2–1) Duchscherer (10–7) 20,653 52–51 104 July 27 Rangers 6–5 Blevins (1–1) Hurley (1–2) Street (18) 21,135 53–51 105 July 28 Royals 4–2 Greinke (8–7) Braden (2–1) Soria (28) 12,464 53–52 106 July 29 Royals 5–2 Meche (9–9) Smith (5–10) Soria (29) 12,182 53–53 107 July 30 Royals 4 – 3 (10) R. Ramírez (2–1) Street (2–4) Soria (30) 26,272 53–54
August # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 108 August 1 @ Red Sox 2 – 1 (12) Timlin (4–3) Embree (1–4) 37,832 53–55 109 August 2 @ Red Sox 12–2 Lester (10–3) Eveland (7–8) 37,838 53–56 110 August 3 @ Red Sox 5–2 Matsuzaka (12–2) Braden (2–2) Papelbon (31) 37,317 53–57 111 August 4 @ Blue Jays 6–1 Halladay (13–8) Gallagher (1–1) 24,761 53–58 112 August 5 @ Blue Jays 4–3 Carlson (4–1) Street (2–5) 23,580 53–59 113 August 6 @ Blue Jays 5–1 Marcum (6–5) Gonzalez (0–1) 29,256 53–60 114 August 7 @ Blue Jays 6–4 Burnett (14–9) Blevins (1–2) Ryan (22) 28,821 53–61 115 August 8 @ Tigers 4–2 Braden (3–2) Rogers (8–9) Ziegler (1) 41,457 54–61 116 August 9 @ Tigers 10–2 Galarraga (10–4) Meyer (0–1) 41,308 54–62 117 August 10 @ Tigers 6–1 Robertson (7–8) Smith (5–11) Rodney (3) 40,743 54–63 118 August 12 Rays 2–1 Gonzalez (1–1) Kazmir (8–6) Ziegler (2) 14,284 55–63 119 August 13 Rays 3–2 Sonnanstine (12–6) Duchscherer (10–8) Percival (27) 21,438 55–64 120 August 14 Rays 7 – 6 (12) Hammel (4–3) Casilla (2–1) Miller (1) 16,689 55–65 121 August 15 White Sox 6–4 Street (3–5) H. Ramírez (0–1) 19,405 56–65 122 August 16 White Sox 2–1 Danks (10–5) Smith (5–12) Jenks (25) 22,206 56–66 123 August 17 White Sox 13–1 Vázquez (10–10) Gonzalez (1–2) 28,843 56–67 124 August 18 @ Twins 3–2 Saarloos (1–0) Blackburn (9–7) Ziegler (3) 25,024 57–67 125 August 19 @ Twins 13–2 Slowey (10–8) Gallagher (1–2) 35,256 57–68 126 August 20 @ Twins 3–1 Liriano (4–3) Braden (3–3) Nathan (34) 30,888 57–69 127 August 21 @ Mariners 2–0 Smith (6–12) Rowland-Smith (2–2) Ziegler (4) 25,611 58–69 128 August 22 @ Mariners 7–5 Corcoran (4–0) Blevins (1–3) Putz (8) 26,603 58–70 129 August 23 @ Mariners 5–1 Eveland (8–8) Washburn (5–14) 34,145 59–70 130 August 24 @ Mariners 8–4 Hernández (8–8) Meyer (0–2) Putz (9) 28,731 59–71 131 August 25 @ Angels 2–1 Braden (4–3) Weaver (10–10) Ziegler (5) 39,584 60–71 132 August 26 @ Angels 5–1 Lackey (11–2) Smith (6–13) 37,431 60–72 133 August 27 @ Angels 6–5 Street (4–5) Saunders (14–7) Ziegler (6) 38,587 61–72 134 August 28 Twins 3–2 Devine (4–0) Breslow (0–2) 12,357 62–72 135 August 29 Twins 12–2 Slowey (11–8) Meyer (0–3) Breslow (1) 22,355 62–73 136 August 30 Twins 3–2 Street (5–5) Nathan (0–1) 25,238 63–73 137 August 31 Twins 12–4 Baker (8–4) Smith (6–14) 18,427 63–74
September # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record 138 September 2 @ Royals 5–2 Greinke (10–9) Gonzalez (1–3) Soria (34) 11,143 63–75 — September 3 @ Royals Postponed (rain) Rescheduled for September 4 139 September 4 @ Royals 5 – 4 (10) Soria (2–3) Devine (4–1) — 63–76 140 September 4 @ Royals 9–6 Davies (6–6) Meyer (0–4) R. Ramírez (1) 12,791 63–77 141 September 5 @ Orioles 11–2 Braden (5–3) Waters (2–2) 14,984 64–77 — September 6 @ Orioles Canceled (rain) 142 September 6 @ Orioles 5–1 Smith (7–14) Cabrera (8–9) 21,553 65–77 143 September 8 @ Tigers 14–8 Fossum (3–1) Gonzalez (1–4) 37,981 65–78 144 September 9 @ Tigers 3 -2 Devine (5–1) Rodney (0–5) Ziegler (7) 37,240 66–78 145 September 10 @ Tigers 5–2 Street (6–5) Galarraga (12–6) Ziegler (8) 37,194 67–78 146 September 11 Rangers 6–1 Nippert (3–4) Braden (5–4) 10,566 67–79 147 September 12 Rangers 7–0 Harrison (8–3) Smith (7–15) 15,117 67–80 148 September 13 Rangers 7–1 Outman (1–0) Feldman (5–7) 21,102 68–80 149 September 14 Rangers 7–4 Devine (6–1) Madrigal (0–2) Ziegler (9) 18,551 69–80 150 September 16 Angels 8–1 Gallagher (5–6) Lackey (11–4) 14,325 70–80 151 September 17 Angels 3–2 Ziegler (2–0) Rodríguez (2–3) 20,102 71–80 152 September 18 Angels 6–4 Saunders (16–7) Outman (1–1) Rodríguez (59) 12,645 71–81 153 September 19 Mariners 2–0 Eveland (9–8) Hernández (9–11) Ziegler (10) 30,149 72–81 154 September 20 Mariners 8–7 Street (7–5) Thomas (0–1) Ziegler (11) 18,756 73–81 155 September 21 Mariners 5–3 Ziegler (3–0) Batista (4–14) Devine (1) 18,707 74–81 156 September 22 @ Rangers 4 – 3 (11) Embree (2–4) Mendoza (3–8) Casilla (2) 14,925 75–81 157 September 23 @ Rangers 6–4 Wright (8–7) Embree (2–5) Francisco (5) 18,408 75–82 158 September 24 @ Rangers 14–4 Harrison (9–3) Eveland (9–9) 16,832 75–83 159 September 26 @ Mariners 10–8 Morrow (3–4) Gallagher (5–7) Corcoran (3) 24,662 75–84 160 September 27 @ Mariners 7–3 Rowland-Smith (5–3) Smith (7–16) Green (1) 24,440 75–85 161 September 28 @ Mariners 4–3 Dickey (5–8) Outman (1–2) Putz (15) 27,110 75–86

Notable games

• March 25, 2008 – As the 'home' team, in the Tokyo Dome, Japan, vs. the Boston Red Sox.
• March 26, 2008 – Second game at the Tokyo Dome, Japan.

Player stats

Batting

Note: G = Games Played; AB = At bats; R = Runs Scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts; SB = Stolen bases; OBP = On-Base Percentage; SLG = Slugging Percentage

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Jeff Baisley	14	43	1	11	.256	0	5	4	7	0	.319	.279
Wes Bankston	17	59	4	12	.203	1	4	2	15	0	.238	.305
Daric Barton	140	446	59	101	.226	9	47	65	99	2	.327	.348
Rob Bowen	37	91	6	16	.176	1	9	4	38	0	.219	.286
Emil Brown	117	402	48	98	.244	13	59	27	65	4	.297	.386
Travis Buck	38	155	16	35	.226	7	25	11	38	1	.291	.432
Eric Chavez	23	89	10	22	.247	2	14	6	18	0	.295	.393
Brooks Conrad	6	19	0	3	.158	0	2	0	9	0	.158	.211
Bobby Crosby	145	556	66	132	.237	7	61	47	96	7	.296	.349
Aaron Cunningham	22	80	7	20	.250	1	14	6	24	2	.310	.400
Jack Cust	148	481	77	111	.231	33	77	111	197	0	.375	.476
Rajai Davis	101	196	28	51	.260	3	19	7	34	25	.288	.372
Chris Denorfia	29	62	10	18	.290	1	9	6	16	2	.362	.387
Mark Ellis	117	442	55	103	.233	12	41	53	65	14	.321	.373
Jeff Fiorentino	2	1	0	1	1.000	0	1	0	0	0	1.000	1.000
Carlos González	85	302	31	73	.242	4	26	13	81	4	.273	.361
Jack Hannahan	143	436	48	95	.218	9	47	55	131	2	.305	.342
Dan Johnson	1	1	0	0	.000	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000
Donnie Murphy	46	103	10	19	.184	3	13	11	38	2	.274	.301
Matt Murton	9	30	1	3	.100	0	2	1	7	0	.129	.133
Eric Patterson	30	92	11	16	.174	0	8	12	24	8	.269	.207
Cliff Pennington	36	99	14	24	.242	0	9	13	18	4	.339	.293
Gregorio Petit	14	23	4	8	.348	0	0	2	9	0	.400	.435
Kurt Suzuki	148	530	54	148	.279	7	42	44	69	2	.346	.370
Mike Sweeney	42	126	13	36	.286	2	12	7	6	0	.331	.397
Ryan Sweeney	115	384	53	110	.286	5	45	38	67	9	.350	.383
Frank Thomas	55	186	20	49	.263	5	19	28	44	0	.364	.387
Joe Blanton	1	1	0	0	.000	0	0	0	1	0	.000	.000
Justin Duchscherer	2	6	0	0	.000	0	0	0	6	0	.000	.000
Dana Eveland	2	4	0	1	.250	0	0	1	2	0	.400	.250
Rich Harden	2	4	0	1	.250	0	0	0	1	0	.250	.250
Greg Smith	2	2	0	1	.500	0	0	0	1	0	.500	.500

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games Played; GS = Games Started; IP = Innings Pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; BB = Walks; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	GS	IP	W	L	ERA	BB	SO
Joe Blanton	20	20	127.0	5	12	4.96	35	62
Dallas Braden	19	10	71.2	5	4	4.14	25	41
Justin Duchscherer	22	22	141.2	10	8	2.54	34	95
Dana Eveland	29	29	168.0	9	9	4.34	77	118
Sean Gallagher	11	11	56.2	2	3	5.88	36	54
Gio Gonzalez	10	7	34.0	1	4	7.68	25	34
Rich Harden	13	13	77.0	5	1	2.34	31	92
Josh Outman	6	4	25.2	1	2	4.56	8	19
Greg Smith	32	32	190.1	7	16	4.16	87	111

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games Played; SV = Save

Player	G	GS	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	BB	SO
Jerry Blevins	36	0	37.2	1	3	0	3.11	13	35
Andrew Brown	31	0	35.0	1	0	0	3.09	21	28
Kiko Calero	5	0	4.2	0	0	0	3.86	3	7
Santiago Casilla	51	0	50.1	2	1	2	3.93	20	43
Joey Devine	42	0	45.2	6	1	1	0.59	15	49
Lenny DiNardo	11	2	23.0	1	2	0	7.43	13	12
Alan Embree	70	0	61.2	2	5	0	4.96	30	57
Keith Foulke	31	0	31.0	0	3	1	4.06	13	23
Chad Gaudin	26	6	62.2	5	3	0	3.59	17	44
Jeff Gray	5	0	4.2	0	0	0	7.71	1	4
Fernando Hernández	3	0	3.0	1	0	0	18.00	5	2
Dan Meyer	11	4	27.2	0	4	0	7.48	14	20
Kirk Saarloos	8	1	26.1	1	0	0	5.47	4	12
Huston Street	63	0	70.0	7	5	18	3.73	27	69
Brad Ziegler	47	0	59.2	3	0	11	1.06	22	30

Roster

2008 Oakland Athletics
Roster
Pitchers 55 Joe Blanton 13 Jerry Blevins 51 Dallas Braden 59 Andrew Brown 50 Kiko Calero 44 Santiago Casilla 33 Joey Devine 25 Lenny DiNardo 58 Justin Duchscherer 41 Alan Embree 35,30 Dana Eveland 29 Keith Foulke 36 Sean Gallagher 57 Chad Gaudin 47 Gio Gonzalez 60 Jeff Gray 40 Rich Harden 56 Fernando Hernández 53 Dan Meyer 55 Josh Outman 23 Greg Smith 20 Huston Street 31 Brad Ziegler		Catchers 18 Rob Bowen 24 Kurt Suzuki Infielders 52 Jeff Baisley 45 Wes Bankston 10 Daric Barton  3 Eric Chavez 62 Brooks Conrad  7 Bobby Crosby 14 Mark Ellis 22 Jack Hannahan 12 Donnie Murphy  4 Eric Patterson 56 Cliff Pennington  2 Gregorio Petit  5 Mike Sweeney		Outfielders  8 Emil Brown  6 Travis Buck 57 Aaron Cunningham 32 Jack Cust 38 Rajai Davis 19 Chris Denorfia 67 Jeff Fiorentino 28 Carlos González 26 Matt Murton 15 Ryan Sweeney Other batters 29 Dan Johnson 35 Frank Thomas		Manager 17 Bob Geren Coaches 11 Tony DeFrancesco (third base) 37 Ron Romanick (bullpen) 39 Ty Van Burkleo (hitting) 16 Don Wakamatsu (bench) 46 Tye Waller (first base) 48 Curt Young (pitching)

Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Sacramento RiverCats	Pacific Coast League	Todd Steverson
AA	Midland RockHounds	Texas League	Webster Garrison
A	Stockton Ports	California League	Darren Bush
A	Kane County Cougars	Midwest League	Aaron Nieckula
A-Short Season	Vancouver Canadians	Northwest League	Rick Magnante
Rookie	AZL Athletics	Arizona League	Ruben Escalera

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Sacramento, Stockton

References

Game logs

1st half: Oakland Athletics Game Log on ESPN.com

2nd half: Oakland Athletics Game Log on ESPN.com

• Batting statistics: Oakland Athletics Batting Stats on ESPN.com
• Pitching statistics: Oakland Athletics Pitching Stats on ESPN.com

1. "A's outright seven to Triple-A Sacramento; Chavez to undergo back surgery". MLB.com. October 5, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
2. "A's announce coaching staff changes for 2008". MLB.com. October 6, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
3. Urban, Mychael (October 12, 2007). "Notes: Kotsay, Chavez on the mend". MLB.com. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
4. McDonald, Joe (October 15, 2007). "Red Sox acquire pitcher". Retrieved January 12, 2008.
5. Langosch, Jenifer (October 15, 2007). "Pirates claim Thompson off waivers". MLB.com. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
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10. Kaegel, Dick (November 2, 2007). "Notes: Matthews made most of Hall". MLB.com. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
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12. Urban, Mychael (December 6, 2007). "A's pick up Hernandez in Rule 5 draft". MLB.com. Archived from the original on February 7, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
13. Urban, Mychael (December 13, 2007). "Mitchell mentions current, former A's". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
14. Urban, Mychael (December 14, 2007). "A's begin rebuilding by dealing Haren". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
15. Haft, Chris (January 3, 2008). "A's deal Swisher to White Sox". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
16. Urban, Mychael (January 11, 2008). "A's add free agent Brown to outfield". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
17. Urban, Mychael (January 14, 2008). "Trade with Braves for Devine complete". MLB.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
18. Haft, Chris (January 25, 2008). "Oakland signs Gaudin to one-year deal". MLB.com. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
19. Eymer, Rick (February 8, 2008). "Foulke picks A's in return to Bay Area". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2008.
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