The Braden Effect

By now, everyone has heard of the little A's lefty that could, between the 10 strikeout day against the Mariners, the bitchfest against A-Centaur, and, of course, the Mother's Day Perfecto (and priceless backstory and Grandma Attitude; any grandma that tells A-Rod to stick it becomes, by law, A National Treasure).

And it's not exactly news that the 19th perfect game in MLB history might have been the least likely one ever, given that Braden's gem raised his lifetime won-loss record to 18-23, and lowered his lifetime ERA to 4.49... hardly imposing numbers given the pitcher's park and solid defense where he plies his trade. There's also the matter of Braden's stuff, which reminds one of a young Jamie Moyer. He just doesn't have a ton of margin for error, shall we say.

But independent of all that, there is this. The win gave the A's the first series victory for a home team against the .710 Rays. It also lifted the club to 17-15 overall, a game back of the suddenly hot Rangers in the West. But more importantly than that, it gives the team a defining moment, a reason to believe. Teams Of Destiny, and teams that break through when no one expect them to do so, have memorable games in which the world changes. And there's nothing more memorable then when a guy that you project as your #3 or #4 starter gives you a blue lightning moment like that one, against a quality opponent, with the whole world watching.

Will the Braden Perfecto spark the club to contention? Probably not, since Ben Sheets is sporting a 6+ ERA, the bullpen is not airtight, and the offense is a power-free collection of meh that will be fortunate to have a single hitter with a .500 slugging percentage. But the AL West is a forgiving environment, and when you've got an organization that's been as mired and pointless as this one has been for the past couple of years, you take whatever you can get. Especially when it comes before a 6-game division road trip. We'll see where they are in a week, and whether Braden still has the touch in Anaheim. One suspects he'll have a little more of an audience this time.