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		Michael Duca on A's and Giants By Michael Duca July 25, 2010

	Sportstalk: The A's have been winning some key series this month Angels, swept KC, Boston, which of the two have been more influential the hitting or the pitching for this month. The A's are 8.5 games out how much work is cut out for the A's and do you believe they have a shot at getting back in this thing? The hitting has come around for the A's -- they beat up on a pretty good White Sox team which has been on fire. As usual, these things are cyclical, and the A's are in an up-cycle for the hitters right now. Still and all, I just don't see them being contenders in September -- it could happen, but they have to catch two teams that are, overall, more talented top-to-bottom than Oakland is. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but I doubt that it will. Sportstalk: Miguel the trade deadline is coming up and the A's have Ben Sheets on the D.L. who do you see being moved around on the roster and what do the A's need going into August? I don't see the A's moving much of anything around. They don't have the prospects to trade away right now; their outfielders at Sacramento haven't inspired them enough to even earn a call-up on a team fighting to reach (and now, stay above) .500. They certainly don't have pitching to spare, unless they decide they are pretenders at best, in which case they might be persuaded to turn loose of Michael Wuertz for some shiny bauble, but I highly doubt it. Sportstalk: How definite are the Giants in the hunt to make post season they've had some excellent pitching from Barry Zito, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain of late with aces like that do you have to believe there is no reason why this team can't make post season? There are LOTS of reasons this team may not make the post-season. They are, in no particular order, San Diego, Colorado, Cincinnati, St. Louis, Atlanta and Philadelphia. There are also plenty of reasons they could, and I think, should, make the post-season, but there's lots of baseball to be played before that happens. Giants fans should reasonably be excited about the possibility, because a team with this kind of starting pitching, if it DOES make the post-season, can catch fire in a serious way and find itself playing late-October baseball.