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Posted


The star-crossed Mets come to beautiful Oriole Park at Camden Yards to take on the star-crossed, snake-bitten and witch-cursed Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles have already been eliminated from the division race, earlier than any team in like a million years. That doesn't mean the Mets can just throw their gloves out there. Oh, no. In fact, the Orioles are pitching Andrew Cashner, who — at 3-8 with a 4.83 ERA — would seem like the short end of the matchup most of the time. Tonight, though, against Jason Vargas ... not so much.

Then again, the Mets are HOT!

Cashner really looks his part. A burly, scuffy, out-of-his-depth grinder clinging to the hems of his major league pitcher status. A lot of heart, a lot of mullet, but not a lot of break on his offspeed stuff, and not a lot of fannies in the seats when he's pitching.

[fimg=319]https://deadrabbit.barstoolsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/13/GettyImages-921407418.jpg[/fimg] [fimg=381]https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2Fs3fs-public%2Fstyles%2Fmarquee_large_2x%2Fpublic%2F2016%2F07%2F29%2Fmarlins-andrew-cashner-shaves-beard.jpg%3Fitok%3DLrRKjIct&w=1100&q=85[/fimg]
[fimg=320]https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/fan/image?url=https://puckettspond.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/10/844937016-new-york-yankees-v-texas-rangers.jpg.jpg&[/fimg] [fimg=380]http://www.trbimg.com/img-5b5506d7/turbine/bs-sp-orioles-cashner-20180723[/fimg]

It tells you what kind of esteem that Buck Showalter has garnered in Bal'mer that he's still employed to run this show. Here's the lineup he's been typically throwing out there since Manny Machado left and took the sun with him, and before I post it, I'm going to ask you to sit down and brace yourself. This is ugly.

    c: Caleb Joseph (.216 / .251 / .342 // .593)
    1b: Chris Davis (.158 / .242 / .299 // .541)
    2b: Jace Peterson (.196 / .313 / .318 // .631)
    3b: Renato Núñez (.248 / .319 / .396 // .715, but .292 / .361 / .462 // .823 in 19 games since coming over from Texas)
    ss: Tim Beckham (.229 / .289 / .361 // .651)
    lf: Trey Mancini (.234 / .301 / .396 // .697)
    cf: Cedric Mullins (.385 / .500 / .538 // 1.038 in four games, but .267 / .332 / .425 // .757 in 59 games for Norfolk, the stolen affiliate)
    rf: Adam Jones: .283 / .313 / .428 // .741
    dh: Mark Trumbo: .266 / .320 // .468 // .787



So there you have it. Adam Jones has been decent-ish for a centerfielder, but now he's a rightfielder. Mark Trumbo would make an OK thirdbaseman, but he's a DH. Cedric Mullins has started fast, but it's not like he has phenom pedigree. He looks like an NFL halfback, though.

The best guy in their lineup since Manny Machado left has been Manny Machado's heretofore unknown replacement. Beckham and Mancini hit once a week. Joseph and Peterson have most definitely been holes in the lineup. And Chris Davis has been a black hole. And the Orioles have him signed for four more years at $17 million per.

Orioles fans are always hopeful, but they don't quite know which peg to hang that hope on going forward. This seems like the nature of being a bridesmaid in the AL East. They can build a team that can hang with the Yankees and the Red Sox for a few years now and then, but then they seemingly end up paying for it for five or 10 years in the wilderness. They're a team with a lot of character and color in a town with a lot of character and color, and then the bottom falls out, they have a huge payroll obligation, and they turn back into the Padres East.

And yeah, they took two of two from a punchless Mets (scores of 2-1 and 1-0) at Citi Field back in June.


Posted


METS:
1. Amed Rosario ® SS
2. Jeff McNeil (L) 2B
3. Michael Conforto (L) DH
4. Wilmer Flores ® 1B
5. Brandon Nimmo (L) LF
6. Todd Frazier ® 3B
7. Austin Jackson ® CF
8. Jose Bautista ® RF
9. Kevin Plawecki ® C

THOSE WHO DARE TO FACE VARGAS:
1. Jonathan Villar (S) 2B
2. Renato Nunez ® 3B
3. Adam Jones ® RF
4. Mark Trumbo ® DH
5. Trey Mancini ® LF
6. Tim Beckham ® SS
7. Chris Davis (L) 1B
8. Caleb Joseph ® C
9. Cedric Mullins (S) CF

Buck Showalter making the lineup: "it doesn't matter so I'll group the guys whose first names begin with 'T' and then the guys whose first names begin with 'C'."


Posted


Whereas Wilmer Flores is the cleanup hitter in the Mets' lineup, Christianity has Jesus H. Christ batting fourth. Granted, we understand Christianity's been around more than 2,000 years and the Mets fewer than 60, yet the difference between Wilmer Flores as your cleanup hitter and the Son of God speaks volumes about the distance between these two franchises.

Of course they're both folk heroes to their respective fan bases.


Posted


  • c: Caleb Joseph (.216 / .251 / .342 // .593)
    1b: Chris Davis (.158 / .242 / .299 // .541)
    2b: Jace Peterson (.196 / .313 / .318 // .631)
    3b: Renato Núñez (.248 / .319 / .396 // .715, but .292 / .361 / .462 // .823 in 19 games since coming over from Texas)
    ss: Tim Beckham (.229 / .289 / .361 // .651)
    lf: Trey Mancini (.234 / .301 / .396 // .697)
    cf: Cedric Mullins (.385 / .500 / .538 // 1.038 in four games, but .267 / .332 / .425 // .757 in 59 games for Norfolk, the stolen affiliate)
    rf: Adam Jones: .283 / .313 / .428 // .741
    dh: Mark Trumbo: .266 / .320 // .468 // .787
Edgy MD wrote:



Well at least that 541 OPS'ing Chris Davis isn't the one who's 32 y/o and in the second year of a deal for $23 mil/year and running thru 2022. Oh wait, it is!
That's former Brave Jace Peterson at 2B across from one of the most unsuccessful former #1 overall draft picks (tho not by Bal'mer) Tim Beckham. Those are the two who are replacing Machado & Schoop
LF'er Mancini is coming off a decent rookie season but his OPS+ fell from 120 last season to 92 in, this, his second full year
And I've never heard of Cedric Mullins who sounds like he should be in the NBA


Posted


G-Fafif wrote:
Whereas Wilmer Flores is the cleanup hitter in the Mets' lineup, Christianity has Jesus H. Christ batting fourth. Granted, we understand Christianity's been around more than 2,000 years and the Mets fewer than 60, yet the difference between Wilmer Flores as your cleanup hitter and the Son of God speaks volumes about the distance between these two franchises.

Of course they're both folk heroes to their respective fan bases.


G-Fafif with a spot on parody of last night's ESPN telecast.


Posted


You're missing some Metball, you non-posters.

Mets have come from behind (again!) to take a 2-1 lead. Vargy has completed five innings, but I imagine [crossout:1u3q6dkb]Jerry[/crossout:1u3q6dkb] [crossout:1u3q6dkb]Terry[/crossout:1u3q6dkb] Mickey wants him to stretch a little bit and do the pen a favor. Be the innings gobbler he was meant to be.

That may be courting fire, but hey, his ERA is down to 8.08. Maybe they'll pull him if he can get it under 8.00.


Posted


And that strategy blows up.

I forgot to mention — as historically awful as the O's offense has been, they've been slugging it since the All-Star Break.


Guest 41Forever
Guests
Posted


Booth going on about Vargas getting into the sixth inning for the first time, and Vargas promptly gives up a homer and a walk....


Posted


Eighty-two pitches on his ledger, with the bottom of the lineup coming up in the seventh. You think they try to stick with him?


Guest 41Forever
Guests
Posted


Chris Davis doesn't hit many, but when he does, they go a long, long way. O's up 3-2.


Posted


So they're talking about how the Orioles have the second worst pitching in all of baseball [ERA = 5.03, ahead of only KCR] and yet the Mets have scored 3 runs against them in 25 innings.


Guest 41Forever
Guests
Posted


Do you think Rosario gets that if Frazier doesn't touch it?


Posted


If Frazier leaves it alone, Rosario makes the play and the run doesn't score.
If Frazier doesn't throw a lollipop to McNeil, perhaps McNeil doesn't airmail the throw to first (yesterday).
Two bad plays by Frazier that do not "show up in the box score".


Guest 41Forever
Guests
Posted


Sewald is not going to get the Schaefer reliever lead this year.


Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket
Guests
Posted


Seaweed was always something of low-caliber lightning in a bottle, the kind of "organization" guy who might have enough to effect a good stretch or three but probably not enough to be a longterm solution. I wish he and his lovely wifey the best in the future with the Ducks.


Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket
Guests
Posted


Yes. I have my rally cap on. Triple and a 2-base error is the way to start a 9th inning down b y 4.


Guest d'Kong76
Guests
Posted


Frazier with a Baltimore chop and neither Keith or Wayne jump on that.


Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket
Guests
Posted


Great song up there anyway


Posted


That was not a "bad" play by Frazier. Bad luck is all.
3rd baseman need to go for virtually everything they can reach over there and for him to pull up and simply assume that Rosario can both reach that and then get an out would be a bad play.


Guest d'Kong76
Guests
Posted


If I hear one more thing about a quality start by Vargas...


Posted


Fman99 wrote:
They suck super bad. And I am fearful that we won't be able to hang with them.


I hate being right sometimes. We watched the whole game. It is what it is. Bullpen barfed it up.


Guest
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