Frayed Knot

Frayed Knot wrote: Highest number for the night: - runs by the NY Mets? - combined goals in the soccer game? - hits by the Phillies (they're facing Scherzer)? Current score in this contest is 2 -1 -1

Highest number for the night: - runs by the NY Mets? - combined goals in the soccer game? - hits by the Phillies (they're facing Scherzer)?

When the going gets tough ... Quit! TEAMMANAGERSIGNED THRUSTATUSHiredMETSTerry Collins2015 + option for '1611/23/2010BRAVESFredi Gonzalez201510/13/2010PHILLIESRyne Sandberg2016 + option for '17Resigned 6/26/15 - Pete MacKanin interim replacement8/16/2013NATIONALSMatt Williams2015 + options for �16 + �17Option for 2016 picked up10/13/2013MARLINSMike Redmond2015Extended through 201711/1/2012CARDINALSMike Matheny201711/20/2013PIRATESClint Hurdle2017 + option for �1811/15/2010CUBSJoe Maddon201910/31/2014REDSBryan Price201610/22/2013BREWERSRon Roenicke2015 + option for �16Option for 2016 picked up - Fired 5/3/1511/4/2010DODGERSDon Mattingly20169/17/2010GIANTSBruce Bochy2016Oct 2006PADRESBud Black2015Fired 6/15 - Pat Murphy hiredNov 2006DBACKSChip Hale201610/13/2014ROCKIESWalt Weiss201611/7/2012RED SOXJohn Farrell2016Extended thru 201710/20/2012YANKEESJoe Girardi201710/30/2007ORIOLESBuck Showalter20187/28/2010BLUE JAYSJohn Gibbons2015 + option for �1611/20/2012RAYSKevin Cash201912/04/2014TIGERSBrad Ausmus2016 + option for �1711/4/2013INDIANSTerry Francona2016Extended thru 2018 w/options for '19 + �2010/8/2012ROYALSNed Yost20155/13/2010TWINSPaul Molitor201711/4/2014WHITE SOXRobin Ventura201410/6/2011ANGELSMike Scioscia201811/17/1999RANGERSJeff Banister201710/17/2014MARINERSLloyd McClendon201?11/7/2013ASTROSAJ Hinch2017 + '18 option9/29/2014ATHLETICSBob Melvin20166/9/2011

Aroldis Chapman is still closing though he seems a bit off his game this season. K/rate is still absurd, but his walks & hits are up a bit. And while he's only blown one save, he's also lost 3 games where he came on in a tied 9th inning. JJ Hoover (rush chairman, damn glad to meet you) is setting up with better overall numbers [1.35 ERA, 0.93 WHiP] than Chapman. ex-Marlin Burke Badenhop (the Baden Hop was like the worse dance craze ever) is the only other recognizable name out in the pen.

Saturday, before we see Steve Miller, we'll see Michael Lorenzen face off against Matt Harvey. Lorenzen is a 23 y/o former 1st round draft pick (38th overall in 2013 out of Cal St Fullerton) who was called up in late April and will be making his 10th ML start. Has given up his share of baserunners so far (1.42 WHiP) but has been more good than bad so far [3-2, 3.56] Is apparently nicknamed 'Cowboy' which, as you know, is common among those born in Anaheim California. Or maybe he's actually a space cowboy (bet you weren't ready for that!) Sunday will see the 2nd ever ML start of Josh Smith (sounds like an alias to me). A soon to be 28 y/o former 21st round draft pick in 2010, he crawled slowly through the Reds system over the last five years spending more time in the low-A Midwest League than Blutarsky did in the 3rd grade. Finally getting his chance on Tuesday in Pittsburgh, the dream debut got off to a great start when his teammates handed him a 3-0 lead before ever taking the mound. And despite some early game jitters which caused him to issue walks to 3 of his first 4 hitters, he survived with a GiDP and kept his shutout intact. That lasted all the way until the 4th inning when the Pirates hung a 7-spot on him. Actually only 4 of those got charged to him as the relievers didn't do the boy any favors, but neither did starting the inning BB - 1B - 2B - HR. The HR ended his night: 3 IP, 4 ER, 3 Hits, 6 BB, 3 K So what we have here is an underwhelming rookie with a mediocre track record and a really bad outing under his belt. Face it folks, we're in deep shit here! Smith will face either Steven Matz, or Jonathon Niese, or Bobby Parnell, or Jay Hook, or somebody, they're still being a bit cagey about the whole thing.

[fimg=500]http://www.documentingreality.com/forum/attachments/f10/267969d1304195490-bring-out-your-dead-bring-out-your-dead-600x330.jpg[/fimg] 34-37 in 4th place in the NL Central Friday Night, Saturday at 4PM (and I don't know if you've heard, but there's a Steve Miller concert following), Sunday at 1 Catcher - Devon Mesoraco was the starter heading into the season but started only 9 games and has been DL'd since early May. Brayan Pena [.292/.365/.339] gets most of the time there now. 1st base -- Joey Votto is back up to his usual 900-1000 OPS standard after an off-season in 2014. The downside? Turns 32 at the end of the season and still has NINE years to go on his contract after this season. 2nd base - Brandon Phillips turns 34 on Sunday and, while still decent, is well off of his peak years. Still two years to go on his deal too. SS - Zack Cozart, one of the many SS the Mets did NOT trade for this winter, went down recently with a knee injury which will keep him out into next season. Eugenio Suarez has filled in nicely so far through 40 ABs 3rd Base -- Todd Frazier is having a monster season so far with 45 XBHs under his belt already. Wild home/road splits though plays into our hands at least for this series. I mean most Reds are going to have a HF edge in hitting, but Frazier's splits are nuts: 1222 OPS vs 753 I heard they use an outfield too.

HUGE DP for a number of reasons - not the least of which was that the pitcher's spot leads off meaning that they'd have had to double switch if Familia was needed in the 8th meaning probably Ceciliani being pulled for Lagares and then you couldn't simply bring Lagares in in the 9th for either Cuddyer or Granderson instead.

Now the only problem is that deGrom just spent the last half-hour on the base paths.

I foresaw two outcomes for Tejada's AB, the K was the better of the two.

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: Got something going now! Bases loaded and one out. Yup. Our odds of scoring in this inning just rose to 4%

INVENTING new ways not to score!!

Zvon wrote: How/when did TC use his challenge? During the second of three runners we've had erased in this game -- Cuddyer thrown out at home on a single.

This inning we're going to see a runner hit by a batted ball.

We've yet to have a baserunner thrown out at 3rd today, I think that should be our goal this inning.

New adventures in not scoring come up as [inset Pitcher Here] retires just 5 of the first 11 hitters he faces yet allows no runs.

Can't score if you don't hit; Mets can't score even when they do hit.

Two innings / two baserunners erased. The Mets are trying to get to a situation where [insert Pitcher Here] faces the minimum despite 3 hits plus a walk in the first 7 batters, but he'll be at least one over the limit unless deGrom can get a hit here.

Wright had 406 PAs in the 'higher' minors prior to his call-up; 272 at AA, 134 at AAA So steady play for the rest of this season for Conforto with say an August 1st promotion to Vegas would fall just slightly shy of that amount. Of course one was a HS draftee and the other via a major college program so there'll never be a totally equal development curve.

Conforto & Matz declared to be 'Studs' on BA's mid-season 'Studs & Duds' report. Basically they're picking one player from each position who's exceeded or fallen short of their pre-season status. Also good news is that none of our guys showed up on the duds side of the ledger. Conforto: The 10th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Conforto showcased a broad offensive skill set as he advanced to Double-A Binghamton in the first half. He batted .308/.388/.506 with nine home runs, 21 doubles-plus-triples and a selective strikeout-to-walk ratio of 43-to-31. Matz: Matz didn�t back down from a tough assignment to the Pacific Coast League, going 7-4, 2.19 through 15 appearances at Triple-A Las Vegas. The lefthander led the league in both ERA and strikeouts in the first half, recording 94 in 90 innings. Matz can reach back for mid-90s velocity and throw two quality offspeed pitches for strikes. I was going to make a note on Conforto but felt it best to wait until he had 100 AA ABs under his belt lest I seem overly giddy. But since BA brought him up ... the numbers they quote above are his overall stats for the year, but since his promotion to Binghamton he's gone [.346/.448/.568 // 1016] in 96 PA/81 AB after putting up a 811 OPS in the more pitching friendly FSL. 12 of his 28 hits since his promotion have gone for XB including 2 HRs & 2 3B Still too early to discuss with any conviction, but if he keeps that pace up we'll be having a Kris Bryant-like discussion this winter over if/how soon to bring him up in 2016 and how the cheap-ass Wilpons are going to wait until [insert date here] before they do. Conforto is 14 months younger than Bryant so will be at a similar spot next year that Bryant was this past spring. Bryant was promoted more aggressively through the system by the Cubs and also hit for more power in the minors as compared to Conforto but he showed more power than just about anyone in the minors so that's to be expected.

Harvey - 4.25 CTorres - 0.75 Granderson - 0.25 Lagares - 0.25 Campbell - 0.25 Flores - 0.25

Syndergaard - 1.7 d'Arnaud - 2.5 Granderson - 1.5 Gilmartin - 0.5 Robles - 0.3

Edgy MD wrote: I tend to think the particulars matter, They haven't lately.

Mets Guy in Michigan wrote: I'm losing my optimism. And did anyone, seeing that lineup, expect anything different? It's not like the particulars of the lineup (or the opposing pitcher for that matter) make a difference. They've totaled 33 hits during this (almost)7 game losing streak.

d'Kong76 wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: So, if recent history is any indication, that means we should be expecting a 7-inning/3-hit/8-K outing from him tonight. Pretty spot on, so far... At least we had a lot of hard-hit outs ... oh wait, we had none.

Frayed Knot wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Jimmy Nelson has given up 10 runs on 21 hits plus 4 walks (vs only 3 Ks) over his last two starts. So, if recent history is any indication, that means we should be expecting a 7-inning/3-hit/8-K outing from him tonight. So far it's 6 innings/2-hits/6-K Turns out I was too optimistic.