TWiB Notes -- April 27 thru May 3

[Frayed Knot]

A secondary issue with the Mets sucking so badly is that you not only lose interest/patience with them but with the sport of baseball in general. Who wants to see other players doing marvelous things on the diamond when your team does the nightly equivalent of screwing up a two car parade? And that's not even to mention that the clubs pacing their respective leagues so far are the Yanx and the Braves. So after a week off and a late start to this one, TWiB Notes is back to try and catch up with various goings-on elsewhere.

- Yanx finally lost today in Texas in what were three low-scoring games [4-2; 3-2; 0-3] getting shutout today by Nathan Eovaldi + relief help. It's always fun when Eovaldi does well vs the Bombers as he was pretty miserable when he played there and they couldn't wait to get rid of him. Guess he wasn't a 'True Yanqui'. The Tuesday game featured deGrom getting out-dueled by Cam Schlittler who is off to a hot start and doesn't look to be slowing down: 7 starts; 4-1; 0.51 ERA; 0.74 WHIP; 6 BB/42 IP

- the Braves, who are scoring the most runs in all MLB, host Detroit but tonight draw Tarek Skubal. The tribe counters with righty JR Ritchie (sounds like J.R. Richard's nephew or something) making his second ever ML start amid all the Atlanta pitching injuries.

 

 

[whippoorwill]

Please do… I enjoy it

[Frayed Knot]

Y'know it's not required to wait around for me to start TWIB threads. Anyone can start one, the only rule is that they run from Monday thru Sunday.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Tigers lead 3-2 after six with Skubal still in there dealing.

[Frayed Knot]

In Atlanta it's still 3-2 but with Skubal now out after 7. The reliever gets the first two outs in the 8th then gets Dom Smith to a 1-2 count and appears to crease the outside corner with Strike 3. But the ump calls it a ball and the Tigers do NOT opt to challenge. Then, with the count 3-2, Dom is calls out on strikes but he DOES challenge it and wins so he's on 1st. Acuna then walks also so it's 1st & 2nd with C Drake Baldwin up who .... finally grounds out to end the inning on a 10-pitch AB so it's on to the 9th.

I was sure the Tigers were going to get burned on their non-challenge but they survived.

[Frayed Knot]

And the 9th inning in Atlanta lasts two batters: leadoff walk, walk-off HR (Matt Olson)

Since the trade/signing to replace Freddie Freeman, Olson hasn't missed a single game with the Braves and has 155 HRs in five-plus seasons, averaging 36.5 HR/yr with an 859/135 OPS/OPS+. It makes one wonder what color the sky is in a world where that happens for your team.

In other news, water is wet.

[The Hot Corner]

The Mets tighten their grasp on the worst record in MLB.  Another week, but nothing much changes.

[whippoorwill]

Sugardale Dollar Dog day at PNC Park. 
lots of kids there!

 

the hot dogs are good too; we’ve been there 

[Benjamin Grimm]

I was really hoping for meaningful games in May this year.

[Frayed Knot]

Running out a grounder to 2nd tonight in Denver, Ronald Acuna pulled up then hobbled off the field with what looked like the classic pulled hammy. Either that or it was the mother of all cramps and he'll be back in the lineup tomorrow.

[Frayed Knot]

In Pittsburgh today, all nine starters in the Pirate lineup had at least one RBI by the 4th inning as the Bucs jumped out to an early 15-3 lead en route to an eventual 17-7 win vs Cincy. 19 hits & 11 walks in 8 frames for Pitt bats.

[whippoorwill]

Cincinnati pitchers walked 7 Pirate batters in a row!  It was awesome!