TWiB Notes - Aug 24 thru 30

[Frayed Knot]

Phils start the week in Seattle. In fact they started it last night and got thumped 9-2 to end their nine game win streak. Cal Raleigh hit three HRs on Monday bringing his season total to a (comparatively paltry) 17. Also still hitting just .167, that's a season's worth of one-for-sixes.

Nats got started vs Rockies last night with a 13 - 3 win. which leaves us two games in back of them.

The Braves, with a 3.5 G lead on PHI, host the Dodgers starting tonight.

The Marlins are kind of too far ahead of us and too far out of the division race to really matter (y'know, to us, and that's all that matters, right?) but they are in the WC mix and they'll continue w/the Red Sox who won the opener on Monday.

The second place (-3.5 G) Yanx host the currently second place Astros starting tonight (TEX +0.5 G at 66 - 66). 

[Frayed Knot]

Braves beat Dodgers 4 - 3 on a run in the 8th

Nats lose, Marlins lose (to BoSox) so we gain a game on both [-6.5 to MIA, -1.0 to WAS] and Red Sox now just  1.5 behind NYY cuz .... Yanx lose to HOU (Astros take back 1st place for a day)

Phils at Mariners 1 - 1 in the 3rd.

 

So, y'know, good day all around. Unless you're Dolly Parton.

[Frayed Knot]

The CF camera angle at the Yanqui game shows the first four rows of seats and goes maybe 15 seats wide. They, Paul Blackburn specifically) just got two bases-loaded Ks w/the bases loaded in the top 7th of a tie game ... and maybe 1/3 of those fans you could see even reacted to the outs.

I mean, I know those seats are often given out as favors and not always to the biggest fans, but, sheet, at least pretend you're paying attention.

[Frayed Knot]

The Reds came up in the top of the 9th inning in SF yesterday down 9 - 3 with Win Pct odds that rounded off to 0%

Then came a HR (1%) [9-4], Single (1%), Wild Pitch (1%), Walk (3%), WP (3%), Walk (7%), Grand Slam (16%) [9-8], Infield Single + Error (36%), Bunt Single (55%), SB (61%), Sac Fly (67%) [9-9], RBI Single (84%) [10-9], FC (82%), GO (81%)

Giants popped out to lead off the bottom 9th (89%), got a one out infield single (briefly dropped it back to 80%) but then K'd twice to end it.

[seawolf17]

That is why baseball is forever the greatest game, and also why you NEVER LEAVE A GAME EARLY.

No matter what happens, the winning team has to get all 27 outs. No shortcuts, no running out the clock, no fouling. One pitch at a time.

[Frayed Knot]

Yabbut those kinds of comebacks rarely happen (say non-BB fans). A six-run come-from-behind 9th hasn't occurred since way back in ... oh, wait, it was on Sunday

Philes were actually only down by four entering the bottom of the 9th that day, but quickly made outs with two of their first three batters before going on to throw up a six-spot/walk-off.

So the StL win pct at the start of B9 was = 98%

Double (95%), FO (98%), FO (99%), Single (98%), Walk (95%), 3-RBI Double (85%), RBI Single (tie game - 42%), Shwar-bomb (0%)

The Cards had four separate chances to end the game but retired none of the four hitters. They then had one more shot of at least sending things into extras and a 50/50 shot at salvaging ... and that obviously didn't happen either. The final three Philly batters, the 8-9-1 hitters who drove in all six runs, all did so with two strikes on them [Edmundo Sosa: 3-RBI 2B on a 1-2 count; Bryan De La Cruz: RBI 1B on a 2-2 count; Schwarber: HR on a 2-2 count)

[Frayed Knot]

Drake Baldwin HR'd to lead off the bottom of the 1st and Chris Sale throws a CG 5-hit shutout (out-dueling Yamamoto) giving the Braves a 1 - 0 win and a sweep of the visiting Dodgers. It also gives Atlanta the series win for tie-breaking purposes if that comes into play at the end of the season.

[Frayed Knot]

So just like Mr. Costanza found out all those years ago, young Mr. Lombard of the Yanquis is finding out that the 'Summer of George' isn't panning out quite as well as he hoped.  Promoted on August 4th, the Yanx' top prospect made some impressive impressions early on both offensively and defensively. But, as happens with rookie call-ups from time to time, sometimes the luster starts to fade a bit and two HRs in his first four games turns into 16 straight without.

But what has really gone awry lately is with the glove, specifically six straight games with an error (seven overall in 20 games). Even for a SS that's tough to do and especially so now when a fielder seemingly has to injure the ball before having the big 'E' hung on his ledger. Also tough enough that it hasn't been done since 1915.  But I'm sure he'll straighten things out and there's nothing like a low-pressure Yanx v Red Sox series on the brink of September with playoff slots on the line and just 2.0 games separating the two teams to calm the nerves.

 

Other series of interest starting tonight:

- Marlins @ Nationals

- the just-swept Dodgers at Detroit with Mr. Skubal on the mound to lead off the Friday opener

Other than that, not much. Padres @ Rays matters to each team but not to each other, The Phils & Braves both get a bye this weekend as the Phightins' go to Anaheim while ATL hosts the Rox

 

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx wound up taking three of four from the BoSox dropping Boston 4 G back (and winning the season series in case of tie-breaker stuff). So at this point Boston needs to worry more about being caught from behind than they do about catching NYY.

 

And in Wrigley PC-A just led off the bottom of the 1st with another HR. That's 37 on the season (and 4th in his last 7 ABS). His previous two+ seasons added up to 41 HRs. At the rate he's going he might reach that mark by Wednesday or Thursday. And with Ohtani's pitching career on the shelf for the time being, the MVP race tilts PC-A's way more every day.

 

Cubs/Reds are NBC's Sunday Night game. Not sure why they had two today but they appear to have four bodies jammed into the TV booth for this one. I recognized Rizzo and Votto. Not sure who the other two are.

[Frayed Knot]

8 hours ago, Frayed Knot said:

And in Wrigley PC-A just led off the bottom of the 1st with another HR. That's 37 on the season (and 4th in his last 7 ABS).

38 (HRs in the 1st & 9th), aka: five in two games.

[MFS62]

In yesterday's blowout of the Red Sox, MFY Jazz Chisolm stole 2 bases with the team up by 6 runs.

When he did that, Red Sox radio announcer Will Flemming openly advocated for the team to hit Yankees catcher Austin Wells with a pitch and referred to Jazz Chisholm as a "bush-league player" after Chisholm stole two bases with the Yankees up six runs.

A day after that contest, Flemming issued an apology, saying his comments crossed the line.

OTOH, that  WAS a bush league move. Thank you, Will, for pointing that out.

Later

[seawolf17]

I think Chisholm is kind of "redass," as the old baseball books liked to say, but I just can't get upset over these "unwritten rules" sometimes. Are the Red Sox going to just stop playing and give up? No? Then fuck that. You play to win the game.

[MFS62]

1 hour ago, seawolf17 said:

I think Chisholm is kind of "redass," as the old baseball books liked to say, but I just can't get upset over these "unwritten rules" sometimes. Are the Red Sox going to just stop playing and give up? No? Then fuck that. You play to win the game.

IIRC redass referred to a player who was always angry or argumentative (calling Mr. Paul O'Neil). Chisolm is a showoff. 

Later