Frayed Knot

- Cubs clinched at least one of the WC slots with a win v Pitt this afternoon. - Reds just downed the Cards, taking two of three in that series and bringing them up to .500 (76-76) - SFG/ARZ scoreless, bottom 2nd

The opposing starter is righty Nick Pivetta. That would be Nick Pivetta of the league-leading WHIP Pivettas (0.95). This season, his 9th in MLB, has seen the 32 y/o Pivetta suddenly produce his best ERA to date [2.73 vs 4.76 career prior to '25] along with vastly improved WHIP [1.32 career], H/9 [6.2 vs 8.6], BB/9 [2.4 v 3.3] and HR/9 [1.0 v 1.5] rates. He has allowed more than 2 ER in one of his last 14 starts (1.85 ERA).

All our immediate competitors have day games today. So the script flips we'll be the ones with results or partial results prior to first pitch. CIN @ StL: 1:15 SFG @ ARZ: 3:40 (and a Giant win here would really be a giant win)

Elsewhere: - Just in case you still thought Ohtani might be human, he started last night (v PHI) and threw five no-hit (1 BB) innings. He also hit his 50th HR! The Dodger pen then quickly coughed up six in the 6th to prevent him from getting the win in a game the Phils eventually won 9-6 - Cal Raleigh hit his 55th & 56th HRs, so he now owns the switch-hit HR record outright. Seattle (which has won ten straight) has 11 games left for him to shoot for 60. And in the spirit of Garrett Morris and his closed caption service for the hard of hearing: HE'S A CATCHER ON THE VERGE OF 60 HOME RUNS!!!!

So in a game where neither NYM pitcher needed to go long, the 'Tandem Two' combined for just one walk (Holmes) and both stayed under the 15 pitches/IP threshold: Homes 53/4 (13.25); Manaea 71/5 (14.2). In a season where our walk rate is 3.6/9* and the starters regularly top 20+ (and occasionally 30+)** pitches in the 1st then continue that trend from there, it's a welcome change. * Tied w/Nats for worst in NL. Lg avg = 3.2/9 ** or Tong and his 40 pitches over 2/3 of an inning in his last start

Arizona's win* not only keeps their deficit at just 1.5 G but also improves their intra-division record which in turn makes their end-of-season tie-breaker edge over the Mets more likely. * Giants scored 4 in Top-1 but couldn't hold. Snakes won 6-5 on a 9th inning walk-off: Single - Walk - E-4 - IF Single

[FIMG=400]https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Untouchables_1987_14-1604154487.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1&resize=1000%2C563[/FIMG] "If they put one of yours in the Apple, you put two of theirs in the upper deck!"

So this is Michael King, a former Yanqui reliever turned starter, vs Clay Holmes, a former Yanqui reliever turned starter. Also, King was part of the package the Yanx sent to SD for Juan Soto

We'll kick off the penultimate TWiB Notes thread with FMan's post to wrap up last week's: =Fman99 post_id=204519 time=1757931084 user_id=86] This little recap is helpful to me, I will try to keep posting it as it changes. Reds and Giants both lost yesterday, D-Bags won. While the Mets are off today, all of these teams play (Giants at Arizona, Reds at STL). + 1.5 on SF (Mets have tiebreaker) + 2.0 on ARZ (tiebreaker TBD) + 2.5 on CIN (CIN has tiebreaker)

Wrapping up the week with some non-NL action: it was a good week for the Mariners. - swept a four game series from LAA extending their W streak to eight - took over 1st place in the AL West replacing slumping Houston - Astros (6-7 in Sep) not only lost their lead but are in danger of sitting out October entirely as they fell to the #3 WC slot only 2.0 G up on streaking Texas (and the Rangers travel to Houston to start a three game series tonight) - Cal Raleigh hit his 43rd HR this season as a catcher which breaks Javy Lopez's 2003 mark - and it was his 54th overall HR tying him with Mickey Mantle for most HRs in a season by a switch-hitter

BoSox, trying to salvage one game from their weekend series, jump out to a 6-0 1st inning lead, are now hanging on to a 6-4 lead in the 8th.

I don't remember Rizzo ever being touted as a future Hall of Famer. He was a top-100 prospect prior to his call-up but nothing resembling a can't miss. Plus anyone who touts anybody as a HoF early in a career should be ignored, or at least made to calm down for a few years. And by 'few' I mean at least eight. Rizzo: 14 years, 4 Gold Gloves, 3 ASG, 4 years w/MVP votes (including a 4th place), 300+ HRs, 900+ Runs/RBIs, 828/123 career OPS/OPS+, one World Series, cancer survivor. That's a very nice career with the only possible negative being that it petered out a bit early: done at age 34, last full/good year at 32. And if some feel disappointed that he didn't live up to the hype then that's on them, not him.

Reds batting in the top of the 7th down 5 - 3 to the West Sacramentoans. DBacks won Giants down 6-1 to LAD and the Padres (it's not impossible for us to catch them) are up 7-4 at home vs the Rox

=kcmets post_id=204485 time=1757882782 user_id=53] I'm so happy I could pee...

Wow, more two outs runs allowed! Whoda saw that coming? It seems like about 85% over the last few weeks.

Pitches yesterday: Raley = 13, Rogers = 11, Diaz = 25

Speaking of the Giants, Gary has mentioned several times how much Drew Gilbert, the biggest prospect name the Mets sent to SFG in the Tyler Rogers trade, has been a part of the recent SFG surge. But then I look and see a guy with all of 15 hits in 71 trips to the plate [.221 w/a .261 OBA] Turns out that what got Gary all ga-ga, and temporarily pumped up Gilbert's stats, was that he went 9-for-15 during a three start span from 8/29 to 9/1 The remainder of his brief time as a ML'er he's just 6-for-52 (.115) So, more like a brief phenomenon so far than proof of a bad trade.

[FIMG=300]https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/june-carter-cash-gettyimages-74256789.jpg?resize=1200:*[/FIMG] Carter [FIMG=250]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/June_Lockhart_1947.JPG/250px-June_Lockhart_1947.JPG[/FIMG] and Lockhart* * Lockhart, who appeared in a 1938 film version of 'A Christmas Carol' opposite her parents (that's 87 years ago for those keeping score), is still kicking three months after turning the odometer to 100. Her Two stars on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame (one for movies, one for television) were placed there 65 years ago.

Sproat: I didn't want to see him pulled either. But while it was a good performance [6 IP, 6 H, 3 K, 0 BB] there was also a slight feel of fragility to it to me. The Rangers seemed to have more hard hits tonight (even before the late innings) than they did yesterday where, despite the obvious run differential, it was mostly bloops and walks vs Tong & Brazoban. Plus there were some loud outs and the 6th consisted of Single - Line-out CF - Line-out LF - Single - GO. So maybe I'd have stuck with him with the idea that you pull him at the first baserunner but that puts your relief pitcher in a more precarious situation coming in with a runner on. So I guess I'm saying I wasn't for it but I can justify it, especially for a guy in his second ever ML game. And of course I have no idea about the radar readings or anything else. I was a bit more surprised why Rogers was pulled after getting the second out in the 8th. Yeah he gave up the double to Langford following the catcher's interference but was only pulled after a medium fly to CF (the Sac Fly) and the K of Berger. Why there with two outs was it important to bring in Diaz? Diaz w/runners on can be tricky (immediately threw a WP) and it requires him to close the inning, sit, then get up again. Not that that should be considered a burden but it's a larger margin for error. And finally: TWO RUNS! One on an error (Lindor could have been out at 3rd OR home with better throws) and one on a bomb. The rest of the game consisted of every AB failing to come through in every single situation that could have tacked on an extra run here or there. 11 hits, 3 walks, 2 errors, one HBP ... and one unearned run, a solo HR naturally. Ain't no pitching changes gonna fix that! Oh, and every hit except the Soto HR was a single.

Normally the phrase, 'They just find a way every night' is a good thing when describing a team.

=Centerfield post_id=204363 time=1757805528 user_id=65] Ok Pete. Save the season.

Well, we've got two ups left to their one. Gotta take advantage of that.

I'm trying to think if there are any ways we haven't lost a game recently. I came up with: a) dopey base running and closer meltdown Now, thanks to Baty's idiocy and the closeness of the score, both are win play.

Lindor could have been out at at least three of the four bases on that play.

Two NYM innings end with a runner on 3rd (or more) and a borderline called strike three. This last one to Siri wasn't a strike, though.