Frayed Knot

Mauricio sets an ML record for swinging and missing at the 17th pitch that was at least one foot out of the strike zone in the same game.

How quickly can you get to the park?

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 beat writers would be complaining that he was canned as a time inconvenient to the eastern time zone.

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.

Well, Gary & Murph debated whether Peterson loading the bases was going to be his last batter. But he was left in and promptly issued his third walk of the inning (this one with bases loaded) and that's when Mendy called for Manaea. That's why I said above that Mendoza could be blamed for both pulling Peterson too early and sticking with him too long. Both options turned out to be lousy.

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.

Bad challenge by the Mets Aaaaaaannnd it seemingly took them about 20 minutes to review it.

Sometimes in the same game!

Gary, btw, turns 68 today for those who were wondering [Ronnie turns 66 later this summer, Keith 74 in October]*. His Wikipedia page is fairly thin, but looking through it I stumbled across one 'Huh!' moment: that while at Columbia he occasionally broadcast their soccer games along with fellow student George Stephanopolous. * and Murph is 41

So today Mendoza can be blamed Both for leaving Peterson in too long and for pulling him too soon.

And just as I say that ...

At least, in contrast to many other Peterson games where once he started down a bad path he could never right the ship, here he a couple of very clean second and third innings. And now b-2-b HR days for Juan

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.

And, yet, would that game make the 'Top Ten Most Miserable Losses of Late 2025' list. Probably, but there'd be some stiff competition. Upon further review: the way the Nats scored those early runs just might secure this game 'Top Five' most miserable status. Top 1st: Walk; K; WP; Bloop single (1st & 3rd), GO but couldn't turn DP. 1-0 Nats Top 2nd: IF Single; Single + E9 (Soto) runner scores from 1st/batter to 3rd; E-3 (Alonso) runner doesn't advance but now 1st & 3rd/still no outs; K; K; WP/run scores; GO So that's one BB, two wild pitches, two errors, two soft singles, and one DP not turned resulting in three runs in just the first two innings. On the offensive side the Mets out-hit the Nats 11 to 6 but left 11 on base (including two ABs w/bases loaded/tie game/bottom 9th), and were 3/16 w/RiSP