Benjamin Grimm

These guys are unreal.

Can't anybody here play this game?

Would anyone be surprised if a pinch homer from Cespedes won this game?

And who's Ernest?

Who was it who said that Curtis sucked?

Duda not making it easy for Niese.

That tomahawk music is maddening.

Mets are up 2-0 on a Conforto homer.

Well, their best regular season record was against the Cardinals, but you can only put so much weight on that. The Mets team that lost seven games to the Cubs, for example, is a very different team than the one that they have now.

The Mets other NHOP, the number of necessary happy outcomes to end the season in a tie with the Dodgers (and thus ensuring home field advantage in the NLDS) is 21 (magic number to tie the Dodgers) divided by 41 (number of combined games remaining). Or, to put that more numerically, .512.

No Wright. No Cespedes. No Wilmer. No Travis.

Baseball Prospectus update: Mets are now at 99.9% to win the division. (That's pretty good, isn't it?) World Championship odds hit a new high, at 11.3%. World Championship odds for current division leaders: [list:3ih6gkq1]Blue Jays 19.5% Dodgers 17.8% Astros 13.1% Mets 11.3% Royals 8.9% Cardinals 7.5%[/list:u:3ih6gkq1] NL East Tragic Numbers: [crossout:3ih6gkq1]Phillies[/crossout:3ih6gkq1], [crossout:3ih6gkq1]Braves[/crossout:3ih6gkq1], Marlins 1, Nationals 12.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Look how nice August looks! And September too!

Me too. I figured the Mets would still win, but felt bad that Noah ended up with a no-decision. We're getting spoiled. The competition is going to be quite a bit tougher in October.

David Wright has appeared at shortstop a few times. And maybe Kelly Johnson can play there in a pinch?

I haven't gone to Citizens Bank Park in eight years, but if the Mets have a chance to clinch in Philadelphia, I just might head down there. My guess is that they'll have it clinched before they leave Cincinnati. Maybe even before they even get there.

This guy remains my favorite number 12:

This thread is quickly becoming rather pointless, but I'll see it through to the end anyway. Once again, the Mets win and the Nationals lose. The division lead is up to 9.5 games, the magic number drops to 12, and the NHOP takes yet another steep dive, from .326 to .293. The NHOP is, for the first time this year, lower than at any point in the ill-fated 2007 season. The last time the Mets had an NHOP lower than .293 was in 2006 when they succeeded in getting it all the way down to zero. DateMets RecordNationals RecordMets LeadMagic NumberGames RemainingNHOPAugust 356-5054-501571140.500August 457-5055-501561120.500August 558-5055-512541100.491August 658-5056-511.5541090.495August 759-5056-522.5521070.486August 859-5157-521.5521050.495August 959-5257-531.5511030.495August 1060-5258-531.5501010.495August 1161-5258-542.548990.485August 1262-5258-553.546970.474August 1363-5258-564.544950.463August 1463-5358-574.543930.462August 1563-5458-584.542910.462August 1663-5558-594.541890.461August 1763-5558-594.541890.461August 1864-5559-594.540870.460August 1964-5660-593.540850.471August 2064-5660-60439840.464August 2165-5660-61537820.451August 2266-5661-61536800.450August 2367-5662-61535780.449August 2468-5662-615.534770.442August 2569-5663-615.533750.440August 2670-5663-626.531730.425August 2771-5664-626.530710.423August 2871-5764-636.529690.420August 2971-5865-635.529670.433August 3072-5866-635.528650.431August 3173-5866-646.526630.413September 173-5966-656.525610.410September 274-5967-656.524590.407September 374-5968-65624580.414September 474-6069-65524560.429September 575-6070-65523540.426September 675-6171-65423520.442September 776-6171-66521500.420September 877-6171-67619480.396September 978-6171-68717460.370September 1079-6171-687.516450.356September 1180-6171-698.514430.326September 1281-6171-709.512410.293

Box score Cespedes 1.5 d'Arnaud 0.6 Familia 0.5 Johnson 0.7 Murphy 1.5 Syndergaard 4.5 Wright 0.7

Edgy MD wrote: Strange sweep. Not quite yet. One more game tomorrow.

Wins are credited very unscientifically. The official scorer should have more discretion. Here's the full text of the rule for winning and losing pitchers. I was thinking that the official scorer might have been able to give Syndergaard the win under the "brief and ineffective" clause, but that's not the case. It looks like he might have the option to give the win to Familia, however. 10.17 Winning And Losing Pitcher (a) The official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher that pitcher whose team assumes a lead while such pitcher is in the game, or during the inning on offense in which such pitcher is removed from the game, and does not relinquish such lead, unless (1) such pitcher is a starting pitcher and Rule 10.17( applies; or (2) Rule 10.17(c) applies. Rule 10.17(a) Comment: Whenever the score is tied, the game becomes a new contest insofar as the winning pitcher is concerned. Once the opposing team assumes the lead, all pitchers who have pitched up to that point and have been replaced are excluded from being credited with the victory. If the pitcher against whose pitching the opposing team gained the lead continues to pitch until his team regains the lead, which it holds to the finish of the game, that pitcher shall be the winning pitcher. ( If the pitcher whose team assumes a lead while such pitcher is in the game, or during the inning on offense in which such pitcher is removed from the game, and does not relinquish such lead, is a starting pitcher who has not completed (1) five innings of a game that lasts six or more innings on defense, or (2) four innings of a game that lasts five innings on defense, then the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the relief pitcher, if there is only one relief pitcher, or the relief pitcher who, in the official scorer's judgment was the most effective, if there is more than one relief pitcher. Rule 10.17( Comment: It is the intent of Rule 10.17( that a relief pitcher pitch at least one complete inning or pitch when a crucial out is made, within the context of the game (including the score), in order to be credited as the winning pitcher. If the first relief pitcher pitches effectively, the official scorer should not presumptively credit that pitcher with the win, because the rule requires that the win be credited to the pitcher who was the most effective, and a subsequent relief pitcher may have been most effective. The official scorer, in determining which relief pitcher was the most effective, should consider the number of runs, earned runs and base runners given up by each relief pitcher and the context of the game at the time of each relief pitcher's appearance. If two or more relief pitchers were similarly effective, the official scorer should give the presumption to the earlier pitcher as the winning pitcher. (c) The official scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the official scorer. Rule 10.17(c) Comment: The official scorer generally should, but is not required to, consider the appearance of a relief pitcher to be ineffective and brief if such relief pitcher pitches less than one inning and allows two or more earned runs to score (even if such runs are charged to a previous pitcher). Rule 10.17( Comment provides guidance on choosing the winning pitcher from among several succeeding relief pitchers. (d) A losing pitcher is a pitcher who is responsible for the run that gives the winning team a lead that the winning team does not relinquish. Rule 10.17(d) Comment: Whenever the score is tied, the game becomes a new contest insofar as the losing pitcher is concerned. (e) A league may designate a non-championship game (for example, the Major League All-Star Game) for which Rules 10.17(a)(1) and 10.17( do not apply. In such games, the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher that pitcher whose team assumes a lead while such pitcher is in the game, or during the inning on offense in which such pitcher is removed from the game, and does not relinquish such lead, unless such pitcher is knocked out after the winning team has attained a commanding lead and the official scorer concludes that a subsequent pitcher is entitled to credit as the winning pitcher.

I agree. Bobby Valentine should be in the Mets Hall of Fame. This year, Terry has also reached third place in the number of games managed. [list:3stuxcyl]Davey Johnson 1012 Bobby Valentine 1003 Terry Collins 789 Joe Torre 709 Gil Hodges 649 Yogi Berra 588 Casey Stengel 582 Willie Randolph 555 Dallas Green 512 Jerry Manuel 417 Wes Westrum 380 Art Howe 323 Bud Harrelson 274 George Bamberger 208 Joe Frazier 207 Jeff Torborg 200 Frank Howard 116 Roy McMillan 53 Salty Parker 11 Mike Cubbage 7[/list:u:3stuxcyl]

themetfairy wrote: Lukas says that the technicality is that the sleeve is a different, freestanding item and thus doesn't have to comply with the rules about uniform colors. I think the rules have changed, though. I remember Tsuyoshi Shinjo wanted to wear a bright red armband (which was his trademark in Japan) but had to go with orange instead.

Baseball Prospectus update: The Mets playoff odds have risen to a point where they can no longer get significantly higher. Odds to win the NL East are now at 99.3%. Nationals are at 0.7% for the division, 0.1% for the wild card. World Championship odds for current division leaders: [list:2n3if46r]Blue Jays 17.9% Dodgers 17.6% Astros 13.8% Mets 10.9% Royals 9.0% Cardinals 8.7%[/list:u:2n3if46r] Looking at that list, a seemingly random list of American and National League teams, kind of reminds me of a list of team names in a local Little League. NL East Tragic Numbers: [crossout:2n3if46r]Phillies[/crossout:2n3if46r], [crossout:2n3if46r]Braves[/crossout:2n3if46r], Marlins 2, Nationals 14. In the race for home-field advantage in the NLDS, the Mets (80-61) are only a half game behind the Dodgers (80-60).