TWiB Notes - July 24 thru 30

[Frayed Knot]

A limited Monday schedule but with two good series start tonight



- Orioles @ Philly (3-2 Baltimore in the 9th)



- and the leaders of the NLC go at it in Milwaukee, Reds currently leading 2-1 in the 4th

In his first two ABs Elly de la Cruz was robbed of a homer and then hit a homer

[Frayed Knot]

Phils get two on in bottom 9th but fail to score.

O's win!

[Edgy MD]

O's are having trouble doing anything wrong.



They're winning like the Braves, except instead of hitting five homers every night, they're doing everything right.

[Frayed Knot]

Braves blow an early 3-0 Spenser Strider lead in Fenway and lose 5-3, one day after losing 7-1

This all keeps the Mets at 17.5 games out of 1st which is pretty much where they've been over the last month.

The problem, of course, was the previous month. Of that 17.5 game deficit, the stretch between June 3rd and 29th is responsible for 13 of those games.



It's often said that when you're trying to chase down 1st place it's tough to close a gap of much beyond a game, or maybe game and a half, per week remaining on the sked. What the Braves were building on the Mets during that stretch in June was basically a half-game per day or 3-to-3-1/2 per week.

Other than that one stretch it's just a 4.5 G gap (other than that how was the play Mrs Lincoln?)

[Frayed Knot]

Tied at 6-6 in the 9th, the Pirates get runners on 1st & 2nd with no outs in bottom 9 but fail to score the walkoff



In top 10, with Bryce as the ghost runner, an infield hit + error gives the Phils 2nd & 3rd w/no outs but then they fail to score mostly due to running into a 9-2-4-2 FO-DP*



Then, as I'm typing the above, Josh Palacios (yeah, I don't know him either) fails to move their ghost runner with his first bunt attempt, so they take off the bunt and he sends the next pitch into the RF stands for the walkoff win on what was also his first ML HR. Oh yeah, and it's his birthday (28) and he invented about five new dance steps during his trip around the bases.





So, bottom line: Phils lose on what was an entertaining as hell 1-1/2 innings which is all I saw of the game so I missed the first dozen runs.









* Fly to medium deep RF, but Harper had been thrown out at 2nd on a hit earlier in the game by the same RF so he bluffed coming home before putting on the brakes. Problem was the trail runner (Bohm) bit on the fake and he didn't stop. Catcher takes the throw from RF and throws behind Bohm at 2nd. Harper breaks for home on the throw down to 2B but the return throw nails him.

[Frayed Knot]

Luis Severino is off to a bit of a rough start on SNB in Camden Yards tonight: Single, Single, Double, Double, BB, HR



Just got his first out. But now another single plus a SB





6-0 Orioles, 1 out, bottom 1st, but it might be higher by the time I post this

[Frayed Knot]

9-3 O's and they're still just heading to the bottom of the 5th nearly two hours after first pitch.

Neither starter is still in the game.









Milwaukee just finished up a tough stretch of their schedule that started prior to the ASG



Cincy x3

ASB

@ Cincy x3

@ PHI x3

ATL x3

Cincy x3

@ ATL x3



They went 5-1 vs in-division CIN and took 2-of-3 from PHI for a 7-2 record overall

Unfortunately for them (and us) they went 1-5 vs ATL putting their overall record at an uninspiring 8-7

Cincy takes over 1st place in the NLC by 1/2 game as a result of them blowing out the Dodgers today

coupled with the Brewers getting swept this weekend.