TWiB Notes - Sept 14 - 20

[Frayed Knot]

It's the penultimate week for MLB's regular season as it is for TWiB Notes.

Biggest series of the early week is in Cleveland where the White Sox, who had seen their lead snipped down to 1/5 game over the Guardians, are in Cleveland where they took Game #1 to up their lead to 1.5 G (they had been as many as +5.5 in mid-August). And the bigger problem for the ultimate loser of the AL Central race is that 2nd place is hardly a guarantee of a WC slot. The Guardians currently hold the 3rd place WC slot but are just 1.0 G in front of Toronto, 1.5 in front of Texas, 3.0 ahead of Baltimore, and 4.5 on top of the Tigers. So even a slightly weak finish combined with any one of FOUR teams getting hot and it's no October for you.

 

The Braves are at Wrigley while the Phils go to Washington so that gives the Phightin's a ray of hope given their current 4.5 G deficit. And while there are fewer moving parts in the NL, like the AL no second place NL club is assured of anything as the Phils Cubs, Padres & DBacks fight for three openings. The Snakes, who are hosting the Marlins, are the current squad on the outside looking in.

[Frayed Knot]

Guardians down one going into bottom 9th vs ChiSox went: Single, K, Walk, GO, 2-RBI walk-off 2B

 

[Frayed Knot]

Siddown Pete!!!

[Frayed Knot]

Guardians win the rubber game of the series this afternoon to drop the ChiSox out of 1st place for the first time since July 3rd. Sox take solace in the fact that they finish out the season with the Tigers (4), @ Royals (3), and Rockies (3) while the Guardians have the slightly harder path of ATH (3), at BOS (3), and KC (3)

 

The Twins led the Yanx 2 - 0 heading into the 9th. ... and then remembered they were the Twins and gave up two two-out runs..  Both teams have been trying to lose the game since. Currently in the bottom of the 13th ... and now the Twins win on an error as I was tying this sentence. George Lombard just whiffed on a slow bouncer. It was just a comedy of extra-inning errors which included the Twins having 1st & 2nd no one out in bottom 12 then going pick-off then an immediate first pitch GiDP -- so three outs on one pitch with the game on your racket (as they'd say in tennis).

 

 

Oh, and Judge was lifted for a PH in the 6th inning with 'lower leg tightness' less than a week after coming back from a three month long absence (though nothing to do with the leg in that case).