Frayed Knot

Edgy MD wrote: I assume he means running to second. I assumed that too. If, while running towards 2nd, the runner intentionally interferes with a throw -- either the one to get him or the throw after that one -- then he's out (assuming he wasn't already) and the umps can automatically thumb out the runner behind him as well even if the relay throw never got to 1st because it's now bouncing around in shallow right field somewhere with half the runner's nose still attached and Rob Manfred's signature imprinted on his face. If said runner can make it look like it wasn't intentional then good luck with that (go in standing up and you're likely to get a face full of ball courtesy of a sidearm relay) but I don't think you can sell that while in the process of imitating a lineman trying to block a punt.

Ceetar wrote: yeah. I'm just postulating. I don't blame Dilson for not making it happen, I'm just wondering what would happen if he'd just stayed at first. He would have been out by 90 feet instead of 15, and would have removed the possibility of him being safe on a bad throw. Sometimes I wonder if runners would be better off jumping while running to first to block a throw ala a hockey defenseman when they're too far to slide. He'd still be out and now the runner behind him would automatically be called out on account of someone already out of the play interfering with the remainder of the play, thus turning the DP from a probability into a certainty.

Ceetar wrote: And the runner (was it Plawecki? I'm blanking) was basically back to first base anyway. I know instinct says to run when you realize he's dropping it, but he should've just stayed at first right? Or gotten into a rundown at least. If they throw to second, he can get back to first. If they run at him, maybe Harvey has time to get to first. You do realize that the runner (it was Dilson) was forced, right?

So who's turn is it to get our RBI today?

Harvey - 4.5 Murphy - 2.0 Duda - 1.0 Granderson - 0.5

Well then maybe I got bad info because I thought I heard it was Nieuwenhuis who was brought in. Couple add-on points: - Flores's Sac Bunt reduced the odds of the Mets winning (by 2% acc to BB-Ref's 'Win Expectancy' ratings) and that's only after it "worked" even though they got lucky with the accidental tag on a bunt that was too shitty to have any right to succeed. And, yes, it's a generic stat that doesn't tell the whole story, but I don't see any specifics in that situation or with the hitters coming up that makes the strategy look a whole lot better than break-even at best. - Duda is now Better this season vs LHPs than against RHP [.400/.447/.600 vs .244/.347/.384]. Yeah, it's a small sample [38 PA vs 103] but, still, that's a stunning turn-around! If this is a year ago and he's leading off the 9th in a tie game vs a lefty brought in specifically to face him you're looking at the lineup card for available RH pinch-hitters. Last night he quickly gets down 0-2 but then just as quickly smacks a liner into LF and is on as the go-ahead run.

TotG 1) I was expecting Harvey to not get the 9th, but I was pretty surprised that he didn't get the 8th 2) We gotta stop bunting. Not just because it's bad strategy (not always, but sometimes) BUT BECAUSE WE SUCK AT IT!!! How can one team, with an ever-changing roster of players, over multiple seasons, pitchers and position players alike, all suck at bunting? Only luck kept us from Sac-Bunting in two DPs! 3) Not that the double-switch was wrong but I was surprised to see Monell rather than Recker. I guess you're figuring that you'd rather have his bat the next inning than AR's glove ... and Monell made some nice stops. 4) On the 5th infielder thing, why bring Nieuwenhuis in rather than Cuddyer? If you remember I was lobbying for Cuddyer to take over at 3B (at least part of the time) when Wright went down; hell, he played half his career there. It was tough to argue with Campbell there while he was so hot early on but that (predictably) didn't last. Such a move would also have gotten Nieuwenberry some ABs early on which in turn might have helped the struggling offense. 5) Speaking of which, Nieuwenhuis looks clueless - and after such a good spring and a decent 2nd half last year. Doesn't help that Mayberry is barely better.

The story that's been told is that he was recruited by several colleges out of HS but that, during a trip, he met a player and was impressed by how big he was. When told that that was the team's punter he decided he was going to be a baseball player.

1 K + 2 GiDPs tonight for Soler ... so you might say that Harvey has caused a Soler eclipse.

That could be Murph's first assist of this series!

Grandy Muffy Cuddy Doody Wilma Plawecky Nieuwy Dilsony Harvey No Lagares again. Also no Carlyle. He's headed to the DL with back & hamstring troubles and back comes Rocket Jack Leathersich - although he's he's not going to join the team until Thursday's final game in Chicago.

Ashie62 wrote: I look at Kirk and wonder why he didn't pursue pro football after Univ Colorado. Well, to start with because he never played football at Univ Colorado.

The most likely explanation for Murph is the ST he missed while being injured APRIL: .198/.258/.346 MAY: .308/.325/.333 Yeah, May is still a small sample size (40 PA) but if anything stands out for him in his career it's consistency marked by Good BA [.291 - .286 - .289 over the last three seasons], low walks [.332 - .319 - .332 OBA], gap power [40 - 38 - 37 2Bs]. Based on all that, I'd tend to label April as the outlier.

Y'know Harvey wasn't exactly HARVEY right off the bat either. I remember it dawning on me (and posted such here) around the 3rd start of his second season that we were onto something special with him. Prior to that there were shirley hints of it but the road wasn't without its potholes either. I think we may need to take a few patience pills around here. Harvey's early starts: 1st game) 5.1 IP, 0 runs, 3 hits 2) 6 / 3 / 4 + 3 BBs (L) 3) 5 / 5 / 8 (L)

I believe only Adrian Beltre from that list is younger than Chen

Bruce Chen got a call-up by the Indians and made a start this past weekend, bringing to 14 the number of players active in MLB this season and also back in the 1990s PLAYERML DebutFirst ClubLast ClubLast Date Played2015?ALEX RODRIGUEZJul 8, 1994MarinersYankees��First game played since 9/25/13LaTROY HAWKINSApr 29, 1995TwinsRockiesWith RockiesJASON GIAMBIMay 8, 1995A�sIndiansSep 27, 2014Formally RetiredDEREK JETERMay 29, 1995YankeesYankeesSep 28, 2014Formally RetiredJAMEY WRIGHTJul 3, 1996RockiesDodgersSept 27, 2014Released by Texas on 3/31ERIC CHAVEZAug 27, 1986A�sD�BacksJun 8, 2014Formally RetiredRAUL IBANEZSep 1, 1996MarinersRoyalsSep 28, 2014Formally RetiredBARTOLO COLONApr 4, 1997IndiansMetsOpening Day StarterTORII HUNTERJul 8, 1997TwinsTigers��Back with TwinsDAVID ORTIZSep 2, 1997TwinsRed Sox----Red SoxPAUL KONERKOSep 8, 1997DodgersWhite SoxSep 28, 2014Formally RetiredARAMIS RAMIREZMay 26, 1998PiratesBrewers��Has said this will be his final seasonADRIAN BELTREJun 24, 1998=#0000BF]Dodgers=#0000BF]Rangers����BRUCE CHENSep 7, 1998BravesRoyalsAug 28, 2014Started for Indians 5/9AJ PIERZYNSKISep 9, 1998=#0000BF]Twins=#0000BF]Cardinals��=#0000BF]Is #2 backstop on the BravesCARLOS BELTRANSep 14, 1998=#0000BF]Royals=#0000BF]Yankees��=#0000BF]Still embracing the dark sideJOE NATHANApr 21, 1999GiantsTigers��Got a save on ODKYLE FARNSWORTHApr 29, 1999CubsAstrosJun 25, 2014???TIM HUDSONJun 8, 1999A'sGiants��Turns 40 in JulyRANDY WOLFJun 11, 1999PhilliesMarlinsJun 14, 2014???JOHN McDONALDJul 4, 1999IndiansAngelsSep 28, 2014???AJ BURNETTAug 17, 1999MarlinsPirates����BUDDY CARLYLEAug 29, 1999PadresMets��1st save ever on OD!!JOSE MOLINASep 6, 1999CubsRaysSep 28, 2014???ALFONSO SORIANOSep 14, 1999YankeesYankeesJuly 5, 2014Formally Retired

Colon - 3.0 ATorres - 0.2 CTorres - 0.4 Familia - 0.4 Granderson - 1.5 Duda - 1.0 Flores - 1.0 Murphy - 1.0 Monell - 0.75 Nieuwenhuis - 0.75

Niese - 4.0 Carlyle - 0.6 Familia - 0.4 Lagares - 2.6 Tejada - 1.4 Cuddyer - 0.5 Granderson - 0.5

Harvey - 2.5 Herrera - 1.0 Cuddyer - 0.5 Murphy - 0.5 Plawecki - 0.5 Recker - 0.5 Robles - 0.5

Bryant knows how to throw out Murphy even if Murphy doesn't know how to throw out Bryant.

Worst. Game. of the Season ... well, worst 2/3 of a game anyway. No official errors though plenty of them actually. Pitchers have issued something like 28 walks. Game has slowed to a crawl. 17 mound conferences. .200 hitters are smacking the shit out of us Bad baserunning Sloppy fielding One hit And Arrieta has faced the minimum thru 6, including in an inning where he only retired one batter.

Meanwhile, Coughlin came into this series hitting under .200 and has (except for 1 K yesterday) hit nothing but line drive for two games now.

At the rate we're scoring runs, the first run was enough to put this game on ice anyway.

I suppose it would be really tough to scare up the stats about what's the highest pct of time that a team has gone through the lineup the first time around without recording a hit -- but, whatever it is, the 2015 Mets have sure done it a bunch of times this year.

The DP in particular. A foot either way and it's 2nd & 3rd no one out and even this offense could score from that starting point. Instead it winds up bases empty/2-outs. And there was nothing Cuddyer could do about it.