Frayed Knot

Hey Padres, stop fucking with my guy's timing! Just stick someone in the box already, the result's going to be the same.

And way back in the day, these west coast games were at 11:00 PM. Of course there were only two WC teams for a while ('62-'68) and then three ('69-'92) although, unlike today, you made two trips to each (usually all three teams in one trip). Now we have the MDT Rockies, the DBacks starting in '97 who are technically are in Mountain time but effectively PT since they don't do DST in Arizona, plus the occasional interleague games in OAK, SEA, or ANA

The Yanquis have armed Nazis (OK they're not armed, and probably not all of them are certified Nazis either) who prevent any walking around during their (Daily!) 7th inning dog and pony show. Need to go to the bathroom? -- Tough, wait until next inning. No walking is allowed (or aloud) at this time!

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Edgy MD wrote: But more than that, I'm asking Terry stop living in fear and put Tejada at short and Flores at third. I know, right? Why don't they take this one step further and put Duda in center and Lagares at first? I think the obvious answer is that as long as they view Wright's absence from the lineup as temporary they're unwilling to "yo-yo" young Wilmer back and forth from the position he's trying to learn. Not advocating that type of thinking just saying that I think it's the case, whereas if word were to suddenly come down from on high (or from Medgel) that Dabid was done for the year then I think we'd be more likely to see a switcheroo. A Muffy/Tejada swap makes more sense but probably isn't a big deal one way or the other.

Problem is that their starter depth was already being taxed with Tanner Roark filling in while Fister is on the DL. Earlier in the year their best pitching prospect (at least the one closest to ready) AJ Cole got a start but got bombed (9 ER in just 2 innings - although that was the game they came back on the Braves to win 13-12) and was immediately sent down. Maybe now he gets a second chance. Prior to his DL'ing, Strasburg had only made it past the 4th inning once in his previous five starts: 3.0 innings, 3.1, 5.0, 3.2, and 1.0 To add to it all, their biggest problem this past weekend was the pen. Cincy scored 4 in the 8th on Saturday to win by 3, then on Sunday the Reds broke a 2-2 tie with 6 in the 7th. Also DL'd a couple days back was Jayson Werth (again). This time it seems like his "sore" wrist was actually broken although it took them two weeks to find that out (for those who think non-insta-diagnosis are strictly a NYM problem). Expected to be out until August. Still nothing definite about Rendon although he's at least playing in rehab games somewhere.

Yes they did, although as a big military town I give them a pass on it. Blame instead the league and the individual teams with their copy-cat mentality who either can't come up with any new ideas on their own or are afraid they'll be accused of not supporting the troops and turned into a latter-day Kramer getting accosted for not 'wearing the ribbon'. [fimg=300]http://media.tumblr.com/f08a5e3460a3dc663e0bc3f22008fca4/tumblr_inline_mmtm10XnXu1qz4rgp.jpg[/fimg] Who is it that doesn't want to wear de ribbon?

It's not like speculating about Harvey leaving at FA time is going out on a limb or anything; hell, folks here have been doing it for a while. My objection to Medgel is that he claims [u:2ys8pwu2]the team has admitted as much[/u:2ys8pwu2] and then proceeds to back none of it up while linking to just another writer speculating along with the rest of us. It doesn't make the speculation bad, just the journalism.

You also can't DL a guy for a bogus injury either - or at least you can't do either (trade him while DL'd, or DL him w/o a real injury) without his cooperation and I think he'd agree quicker to a trade than to being mothballed without cause. Funny how Niese's WHiP wasn't all that good in April either. He's seemed to be simultaneously lucky and unlucky this year, lucky in that he survived as long as he did with so many baserunners (had the knack for getting 'the big out' early on), but also unlucky in that he's been the victim of most of the errors so far and almost all of the unearned runs. Haven't noticed any dip in velocity lately which was so apparent whenever he had troubles over the last two seasons, so I don't know what to make of what's going on. He not only is giving up a lot of hits + walks but seems to be bunching them as well, two spotless innings will pass while it looks like he's on his way to a gem, and then the roof caves in.

Losing two of three to a division opponent is never a good thing, but it's nice to do that and gain a game on 1st as the Nats were simultaneously getting their asses swept out of Cincy who had been stumbling around lately at least as badly as the Marlins.

This is one of those games where it seems like we should be winning, but aren't. Biggest problem is letting Phelps off the hook with two straight non-innings since the Flores HR. He was at 80+ pitches in the 4th and on the verge of getting his ass run out of the game but hasn't broken a sweat since. A couple of at'em balls has helped his cause too, but the last thing we needed to give him was quick outs.

Hey Cuddyer, nice throw. Hey Murph, who gives a shit if Prado is OK!

And yet another leadoff guy on who doesn't come all the way around.

Jeez, can we waste a few more leadoff runners? With the number of times we've had the leadoff guy (and often guy[u:1n8svtmx]S[/u:1n8svtmx]) on today we should have double digit runs in already.

Ruben, Ruben I've been thinking what the hell have you been drinking? That's hits in, what, five straight ABs for him going back to last night? And when it comes on the heels of an off-the-wall, bases-loaded, 1 RBI single, it's even more important.

Just when you thought it was safe to start trusting Wilmer Flores ...

Ashie62 wrote: Best of luck, I'm done. And I assure you that if anyone dares to call me fickle I'll be right out the door behind you.

Draft starts next Monday (Jun 8) Haven�t given it as much thought or much reading this year as, minus the 1st round pick we gave up to sign Cuddyer, Mets don�t pick until #53. Then it�s #88, #119, then every 30 picks after that. So rather than try and figure out who they�re going to pick which, let�s face it, is a waste of time outside like the first dozen or so and all picks are several years away from fruition, we need to concentrate on the next most important thing: choosing those guys you want based on the coolest or most unusual sounding names. DAZ CAMERON - Likely to go top-10 so no chance for us. But not only is he the son of former NYM Mike but think of the possibilities if he�s on your team and the comp ticket list gets screwed up one night and Cameron Diaz shows up instead. KYLE FUNKHOUSER � If you give him some noise, he�ll bring on da Funk! KE�BRYAN HAYES -- son of former ML�er C�harlie TYLER NEVIN -- son of 1992 overall #1/1 pick Phil DEMI ORIMOLOYE � didn�t know that African parents naming their sons after brat pack actresses was now a thing SKYE BOLT - fresh off his turn in the latest AVENGERS movie TREY CABBAGE - when deuce cabbage just aren�t enough KEP BROWN, JAHMAI JONES -- I guess having common last names tends to lead one more towards singular first names AUSTIN REI � sign him and the team gets a discount on outdoor adventure equipment LUKE WAKAMATSU -- son of former Mariners manager Don JONATHAN INDIA � could be the best international signing since Mark Portugal TRISTIN ENGLISH � draft both him and India and you can market them as �The Raj� THOMAS SZAPUCKI � could you imagine ol� Ralph wrestling with Plawecki and Szapucki in the same lineup?!? TATE MATHENY � son of StL mgr Mike JUNIOR HARDING � cuz you definitely want to pass on Senior and sign your Hardings while they�re still young JOSH SBORZ � great SCRABBLE points GIO BRUSA - Cuz ya can�t spell �GO USA� with Gio Brusa! FITZ STADLER � Give �em fits, Fitz!! MAX SCHROCK � Schrock and Roll Hootchie-Coo! BRECKIN WILLIAMS � when it�s not his day to start, Breckin mixes a mean martini � especially when the Swansons, the Chalmers, and the Higginbothams are coming for dinner after 18 holes at the club DANSBY SWANSON DAKOTA CHALMERS JAKE HIGGINBOTHAM

Back some 15 years or so years ago, as citing a player's "Slash Stats" first started to become popular among baseball fans and seam-heads, a convenient benchmark for denoting a star offensive player came to be seen as one who could put up a season of .300/.400/.500 [bA / OBA / SLG] And though it's still early in the season and he's in the midst of a hot streak (plus he slipped just below the OBA threshold last night while I was thinking about this) Mr. Duda is currently hanging around this rarified air, currently sitting at .304/.397/.550. Not something I think most would have had him pegged for just a year or two ago. Quickly looking for past Mets who have done this (minimum 300 ABs) for a season finds: PIAZZA 1998* � .324 / .417 / .607 OLERUD 1998 � .354 / .447 / .551 WRIGHT 2007 � .325 / .416 / .546 ALFONZO 2000 � .324 / 425 / .542 BELTRAN 2009 � .325 / .415 / .500 not surprising that many of them are from the offense-happy turn of the century years. Current NLers in this club so far in 2015: BRYCE HARPER (1201 OPS), PAUL GOLDSCHMIDT (1072), ADRIAN GONZALEZ (1033), and ANTHONY RIZZO (1006). Plus I'll throw MATT CARPENTER in there since he's just shy of the OBA mark (.394) just like DUDA is and with a similar OPS [MC = 958, LD = 947] * NYM portion of the season only, he actually missed the OBA standard over the entire year ... and remember HE GOT BOOED FOR THIS!!!!

Except that Medgel links to a Joel Sherman's article as evidence for his statement that "even the team itself sounds publicly resigned to losing Harvey" while the article says no such thing. The speculation in that piece that Harvey will leave via free agency is clearly all Sherman's but Medgel deftly transfers those thoughts to team management and passes it off as if sourced material.

Not the worst loss of the season, but maybe the most disappointing. Harvey was fine except for one inning; one batter plus one pitch really. The Gordon bunt you're not going to do anything about. But then the walk to Prado was the real bad sequence there, one made even worse by the 1st-pitch slider to Bour which missed his intended target by maybe two feet. Other than that, no other walks and about 5 piddling singles. But, as in too many times this year, not enough offense; rarely more than one hit in any one inning. Man can not live on solo HRs alone.

Ashie62 wrote: The Mets almost always have trouble with the fish. 36-27 for 2012-2015 to date

Got to get runs more than one at a time.

Ashie62 wrote: If that was Justin Moore that's the same guy that broke up Shelby Miller's no- hitter Bour, not Moore, but yes, it is the same guy. Never heard anything about this guy until the last few weeks. Had some decent numbers in the minors though after being just a 25th round draft pick out of George Mason University of all places. Turned 28 yesterday so it's not like he's some major prospect, but it looks like he might hang to to 1B on this team for a while.

Total disarray for this team right now. Obviously the whole manager thing has been a big problem (2-8 under Jennings), but for a team whose plan was to tread water until Jose Fernandez got back (July?) things aren't going too well. - Pitcher Henderson Alvarez was DL'd (2nd time for him this year) at virtually the same time as Mat Latos (although he's sucked anyway so maybe that's a blessing) to join Jared Cosart who was already DL'd!! - Yelich was DL'd for a time, but since being activated is hitting about as much as when he was out of action. - We all know how dangerous Stanton can be but he's hitting just .188 w/35 Ks for the month of May (to go with 7 HRs) - Stanton's also the only player on the team with more than [u:16ti3d3x]3 !![/u:16ti3d3x] HRs on the season - They dumped Saltalamacchia just as we were playing them earlier this year in order to give the job to Realmuto, but now he too is under .200 for May - Cishek was blowing up all over the place [a 6.75 ERA and a WHiP just under 1.8] and, as a result, lost the closer job. - The aforementioned AJ Ramos seems to have taken over that spot but the whole team only has five saves on the year: Cishek = 3, Ramos = 2

dgwphotography wrote: I realize that this is hardly scientific, but searches for Homer Bailey and Stephen Strasburg didn't pull up any articles regarding insurance like the aforementioned article. I have no idea why Strasburg & Bailey are the specific examples here, but OK; Strasburg's injury occurred during his rookie year rather than during a longterm contract (one that he still doesn't have). I guess he was technically still on his signing deal but much of that is up-front bonus money with smaller year to year salaries tacked on and the bottom line is that there's little point (or at least little cost vs benefit sense) in shelling out for insurance on players in their pre-FA years. Whether the Reds have insurance on the recently signed Bailey or not I have no idea. I do know it's tougher and more expensive to get insurance on pitchers (making this a not-great comparison in the first place) and the frequency of TJ surgery these days might make that an uninsurable condition. But even if it is insurable, TJ in this era is mostly a fixable situation with a more or less known recovery period. What clubs want insurance for is the degenerating type of injuries that prematurely shut down careers in the midst of a player's most expensive years (Albert Belle, Mo Vaughn, Jeff Bagwell). If Wright falls into this group then the presence of a policy that would partially compensate for what would be a HUGE loss to the team is simply good business. I also don't get this conspiracy theory tied to the 60-day limit. So if Wright sits out until day 62 and then returns then this proves a conspiracy because, behind the scene, Fred & Jeff & Saul are high-fiving each other over the policy saving them a portion of two days salary? I know stuff like this makes for good jokes occasionally (and, more commonly, a lot of bad ones) but we're going to have to do a little better than this.