It's the Red Thread !!

[Centerfield]

Brewers 3 hits. Mailing it in.

[Frayed Knot]

Going to bottom 9

CIN closer Emilio Pagan in for the save (of their season).

K (questionable call) - Pop to SS - Pop to SS

... and we're in deep doo-doo folks!

[Centerfield]

If that’s the effort the Brewers are giving this weekend then it’s over.

[Frayed Knot]

Padres (in their pastel unis) have closed to being only down 2-1 and are still batting in bottom 4th with runners on the corners and two outs vs Zac (where's my K?) Gallen.

And a walk loads the bases for Tatis w/2 out.

GRAND SLAM TATIS!!!

5 - 2 SDP

[Frayed Knot]

Padres hung on to win, so the DBacks find themselves the third team in a WC chase for the second year in a row.

They're two games behind both the Mets & Reds but lose a tie-breaker to Cincy and so are a non-factor now.

So it's Mets & Reds and the odds are with the Reds.

Mets have to go 2-0 while the Reds lose at least once: odds = 0.1875

OR

Mets go 1-1 while the Reds lose both: odds = 0.125

0.1875 + 0.125 = 31.3%. Or a shade less than one chance in three.

So, as Harry Callahan might have said, you've got to ask yourself one question as we go into the weekend games, "Do you feel lucky?"

Personally, despite all their other problems which are both real and numerous, this is about the UN-luckiest team I've ever seen.

So that's a 'No' from me.

[Centerfield]

Brewers are starting someone named Robert Gasser. One appearance this year. 6.00 ERA.

They’re mailing it in.

[Gwreck]

Brewers are starting someone named Robert Gasser. One appearance this year. 6.00 ERA.

They’re mailing it in.

 

He’s serving as an opener ahead of Jacob Misiorowski, one of the Brewers regular starters, since Misiorowski will be serving as a reliever this postseason.

[Frayed Knot]

Gasser still in for the 2nd inning.

I wonder if he's any relation to Steve Gasser. That Gasser was one of three pitchers the Twins dealt to the Mets in exchange for Wally Backman. It was considered at the time to be one of those 'Rich get Richer' deals where other teams couldn't believe the Mets were able to land three of Minnesota's hot up and coming minors league arms. Except that none of the trio ever reached the show.

Meanwhile the younger Gasser just weaseled out of and 2nd & 3rd/one out jam (out #2 was Elly De La Cruz being thrown out at home on a grounder).

Scoreless going to bottom 2

oe: Dang! Quick 1-2-3 bottom 2.

Game on Big FOX

[Frayed Knot]

So it's essentially a 50/50 shot now.

Mets win Sunday (50%) - Reds win two (25%) REDS 12.5%

Mets win Sunday (50%) - Reds win one (50%) METS 25%

Mets win Sunday (50%) - Reds win neither (25%) METS 12.5

Mets lose Sunday (50%) - Reds win two (25%) REDS 12.5%

Mets lose Sunday (50%) - Reds win one (50%) REDS 25%

Mets lose Sunday (50%) - Reds win both (25%) METS 12.5%

[Frayed Knot]

Two misplays by the Brews put Reds on 2nd & 3rd w/no one out.

1) pitcher error on an easy 1-3

2) a dive and a whiff on a low liner to LF

[Frayed Knot]

Gasser finally out after dancing with danger everywhere.

The good news: only one run allowed

The Bad: he's leaving the bases loaded/two outs for his successor and, yes, it's Les Mis.

And a ****ing two-strike swinging bunt makes it 2-0!!

Walk -- 3-0

Single: two runs + an error (no one covering 3rd which is where the throw went) = 3 runs

6-0 Reds, still batting.

[Frayed Knot]

Top 3rd recap

E-1

Single turned into a double by ill-advised dive

K

RBI Single (1st & 3rd)

Short F-7

Walk

Infield Single

Bases Loaded Walk

2-RBI Single plus E-7

5-3

6 runs, 4 hits, 2 walks, 1 K, 2 Errors

I mean, SHYEEET, could make them earn it at least a little bit?!?

[kcmets]

Brewers nibbled back, 7-4 Reds at the stretch....

[Edgy MD]

Nice to have a Rob Zastryzny sighting in the game.

Nicer to see Will Benson's Drive to the fence stay in the park.

[Edgy MD]

OK, Brewers, you've got Cincinnati sending their closer out there. Bring this home.

[Edgy MD]

OK, it's a Sunday showdown.

[kcmets]

Reds prevail, details at eleven.

[Centerfield]

If the Reds close it out today, they will have won 9 of their final 11 games. Their pitching has been great. In none of these games have they allowed more than 4 runs.

[Edgy MD]

And they presumably have that whole staff available out of the pen today.

The Brews have a Cy Young candidate on the mound. He is probably unlikely to particularly deep, but they may want to get him five innings to get a shot at his 18th win. Eighteen may be the new 25.

[MFS62]

Starting pitchers:

CIN: Brady Singer (14-11, 3.95 ERA)

MIL: Freddy Peralta (17-6, 2.68 ERA)

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Reds are 8-2 over their last 10 despite scoring just 3.8 runs/game. But they've allowed just 2.2 RA/G on average.

In their last nine they've won games where they scored 1, 1, 2, and 3 runs.

Plus the Brewers probably aren't too anxious to help out the Mets after last post-season.

And they hold Alonso responsible for killing Bob Uecker, so there's that too.

[Centerfield]

I’m trying not to buy into the theory that the other playoff teams want the Mets out.

But 0-7 by the Cubs and Brewers would be something.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The math, at least, is simple. We'ee down to four possible outcomes, one of which favors the Mets.

[MFS62]

And they hold Alonso responsible for killing Bob Uecker, so there's that too.

 

Huh?

Refresh my memory on that one.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

The Alonso HR, along with the subsequent Peterson save, ended the Brewers season thereby denying Uecker the chance to be behind the mic as his hometown/lifelong team possibly marched to their first ever WS title. Instead, that 9th inning wound up being the last one Uecker ever got to call, so I think it's pretty obvious that it was Pete's HR that killed him.

iow, I made it up.

[Edgy MD]

Ueker's call, at the end, was a something miserable along the line of "I don't know about you, but this one really hurts."

[Centerfield]

I don’t know about you but I feel like today would be a great day for the Reds starter to give up 6 and get knocked out in the first.

[Frayed Knot]

Brewers get out of the 2nd without any more damage, so 1-0 Reds heading to bottom 2

The rEds briefly had 1st & 3rd/1-out but the call at 3rd was reversed for out #2 and the 3rd out happened on the next batter.

[Frayed Knot]

Still 1-0 after two as the Brewers have now left two runners on in each inning.

[Frayed Knot]

One run in, two outs, runner on 3rd for MIL, Durbin at the dish ... and he flies to RF

Reds 2 - Brewers 1, end of 3

5 LOBsters for Milwaukee