Final weekend of IL

[Frayed Knot]

... and there was much rejoicing (Yaaaaaay)

AL heads into today clinging to a 107-103 edge (and an 865-818 RS/RA advantage)


Two games kicking off early

- It's Canada Day (in Canada no less) so the Phils are at Toronto for an afternoon tilt, losing 4-3 at the moment thankyouverymuch (7th inning) Kendrick vs Romero
Tomorrow Halladay makes his Toronto return.


- The Windy City Classic makes a stop at Wrigley
2-1 Sox going into the 3rd



Other "highlights"
- Orioles @ Braves -- so while we got all three 1st-place AL teams (one of them twice) the Braves get mostly the dregs of the AL
- Giants @ DEtroit
- Cards in Tampa
- Marlins @ Texas (Florida won their last two games to bring their June record "up" to 5-23)
- Milwaukee @ Minnesota
- Dodgers @ Angels
- D'Backs @ Oakland
- Padres @ Seattle
- Indians @ Cincy
- Red Sox @ Houston
- KC @ Colorado

Nationals host the Pirates in the lone NL series.

[Frayed Knot]

Jays give up the lead ... then get it back on a Bautista HR (25th) ... then give it up again in the 9th.
7-6 Phils -- Bastardo on to close as Madson, Contreras & Lidge are all on the DL.



Chicago leading Chicago 4-4 in the 7th.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frayed Knot wrote: Chicago leading Chicago 4-4 in the 7th.

How many beers, Ralph?

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Jays give up the lead ... then get it back on a Bautista HR (25th) ... then give it up again in the 9th. 7-6 Phils -- Bastardo on to close as Madson, Contreras & Lidge are all on the DL. Chicago leading Chicago 4-4 in the 7th.

ugh ugh ugh..stupid Jays give it back, for good then go down softly in the 9th. All on a Halladay start where he didn't have it..gotta win those games Jays.

[Frayed Knot]

Today was Kendrick. Halladay is tomorrow's starter.

The real culprit here is Toronto mgr John Farrell. Jon Rauch - who has closed both before and this season w/the Jays - pitches a 1-2-3 8th on 10 pitches but gets pulled anyway (AL rules, not a PH situation) for Frank Francisco because he has the title of closer even though he's having a much worse season than Roach. Francisco promptly starts the 9th inning: Walk, Double, 2-RBI Single, Fly Out, Single before being pulled for someone else who could actually get the next two outs.
Geez, at least let Roach start the freakin' inning!!



ChiSox score 4 in the 7th to win 6-4. Juan Pierre triples in the winning runs.

[Frayed Knot]

Edgy DC wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Chicago leading Chicago 4-4 in the 7th. How many beers, Ralph?

That was intentional there Ace.

[Ceetar]

Frayed Knot wrote: Today was Kendrick. Halladay is tomorrow's starter. The real culprit here is Toronto mgr John Farrell. Jon Rauch - who has closed both before and this season w/the Jays - pitches a 1-2-3 8th on 10 pitches but gets pulled anyway (AL rules, not a PH situation) for Frank Francisco because he has the title of closer even though he's having a much worse season than Roach. Francisco promptly starts the 9th inning: Walk, Double, 2-RBI Single, Fly Out, Single before being pulled for someone else who could actually get the next two outs. Geez, at least let Roach start the freakin' inning!! ChiSox score 4 in the 7th to win 6-4. Juan Pierre triples in the winning runs.

Ooops. saw all the tweets about Halladay and figured he was starting, but guess you wouldn't send him out there to do the lineup card on his own pitching day.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Frayed Knot wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Chicago leading Chicago 4-4 in the 7th. How many beers, Ralph? That was intentional there Ace.

Of course. it just sounded... Ralphish.

[MFS62]

Frayed Knot wrote: AL heads into today clinging to a 107-103 edge (and an 865-818 RS/RA advantage)

An obnoxiously pro- AL person I know (a Mariners fan, no less) once said to me that the AL had proven itself to be superior recently because of annual victories in IL games, the All Star Game and the World Series.
Well, the NL won the last AS Game and the last World Series.
C'monnnn NL, win the IL series this year, so I can shove it back in that person's face.
This one's not business.
Its personal.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

For the first 10 years or so of IL the records were virtually identical (slight edge to NL in fact). ASGs and the small samples of WS results are meaningless in this conversation.
It's over the last 5-6 years that the AL has had an advantage - in some years over 60%. The problem is that some AL fans act as if the recent edge is part of some sort of lifelong trend rather than just a short-term blip.

[Fman99]

Glad it's nearly done. I detest interleague play, the DH, the extra series against the MFYs every year, and the general idiot's pace of AL play. Fuck all of them in their strategy-less DH-holes.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Um, what Fman said, only a little less graphically and emphatically.

[Frayed Knot]

And that's my main gripe with many of the "solutions" folks are coming up with when topics like "fixing" the schedule with or without realignment come up; virtually all of them involve more inter-league play while virtually everyone I talk to wants less if not none.

[Frayed Knot]

2011 IL series ends with the AL having a 131-121 edge

[MFS62]

NL teams spit the bit coming down the stretch.
Later