Frayed Knot

dinosaur jesus wrote: But would the Mets have anyone fat enough to be a Yankee pitcher? I noticed the other day that the Yanx have a pitcher even fatter than Joba. I have no idea who he is since there's a number but no name on the back of the jersey (... of course) and because they brought up like two dozen new relievers since Sept 1st and I can't keep track. But whoever it is, the guy looked like a lefty version of Joba after he had just eaten someone the size of Joba.

It's amazing how big a role 51-102 Houston is playing in BOTH division races down the stretch here. The final seven series of the season for the Astros included contenders Oakland ('Stros went 1-3), Cincy (0-3), Cleveland (lost last night, 3 more to go), then 3 each with Texas and the Yanx to finish it out. It's like whoever stumbles and loses to them is automatically eliminated - and not just on record by also on principle. I also read somewhere the other day that the Astros are on pace to become the first team to have back-to-back-to-back 106 or more loss seasons since ... the mid-'60s Mets of course. They're coming off seasons of 106 and 107 losses and need to go 6-3 over their last nine to avoid it again. WC Race TBR --- TEX --- CLE -0.5 BAL -2.0 KCR -3.0 NYY -3.5 This Weekend BALT at TAMPA HOU @ CLEVE GIANTS @ YANX JAYS @ BOSOX TEX @ ROYALS btw, is this the first time this year with the new IL format that a team is doing a two-team/one-city stop like the Giants are this week? - first Citfield then YSIII Seems to me that that would be the preferred way to do things if possible: Oakland on the IL sked this year? - knock off your Giants series at the same time. Hit the ChiSox & the Cubbies back-to-back, etc.

Todd Helton got his revenge. Wednesday night in a one-run game the Rox loaded the bases in the 9th against StL closer Mujica but Helton struck out to end the game. In Thursday's game, Mujica again came in to protect a one-run lead in the 9th but this time Helton hit the first pitch of the inning for a game-tying HR. In that game, the Cards scored one in the 8th - then the Rox tied it up. The Cards scored again in the 9th - then the Rox tied it up. StL takes their one game lead on the road to Milwaukee this weekend while the Reds and Pirates square off in Pittsburgh. The technically still in it Nationals host the Marlins and will certainly be rooting for the Pitt/Cincy series (both this weekend's and next) to be decisive one way or the other - preferably in Pitt's favor since they're one game closer to the Reds.

Essentially meaningless (especially once you get beyond head-to-head) tie-breaker scenarios (best intra-conference record among common opponents times points allowed squared) as a way to determine seeding among playoff teams is one thing but using it as the final word on who's in and who's out should be a crime IMO. The NFL does it because they essentially leave themselves no choice; their whole schedule is so rigidly formatted that there's no room for variations. If there are five 9-7 teams at season's end but only room for three to move on, their checklist of tie-breakers goes into effect to select three and eject two simply for convenience sake not because any of them actually determine greater worth as demonstrated on the field.

Yeah, like Cano not running is something new or something that doesn't happen even when the Skanks are winning. Ditto Soriano. He didn't hustle as a Yank the first time around either.

The unusual five-game series shifts to Shea and the Mets ride 2 Cleon Jones HRs and 5 RBIs to a 7--3 win. George Stone was on the mound for the Mets was up 4 - 2 with 2 out and none on in the 6th until the final three hitters he was to face went HR (Stargell), single (Zisk) and Double (Sanguillen). But the Mets kept the lead when Zisk was cut down at the plate (RF-1B-C) to end the inning. Tug McGraw came on to start the 7th and pitched 3 scoreless/2-hit innings (relievers were allowed to do that in those days) to close it out. The win left the Mets with a 75-77 record and pulled them to a tie for 3rd with StL, just a half-game behind the Expos and 1.5 in back of the Pirates.

Nope. Is slated to join the team in Philly tomorrow.

bmfc1 wrote: TC said that Turner, who was on deck when Recker was up, was merely a "decoy"--that must have scared 'em! So then who would have played SS had they tied it up seeing as how Duda had already PH'd for Q?

Certainly seems like we've helped a number of opposing pitchers achieve their season and/or career highs in Ks this year.

If he truly possesses "an extraordinary glove" as the linked piece claims and turns out to be no worse than a contact hitter with low-Ks and little power, it's not like he would be a step down from Tejada.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Muffy drives in Satin And, surprisingly, a triple wasn't required.

Edgy MD wrote: I was thinking Wheeler. Keith is sort of black 'n' white, in his reasoning., and hated den Dekker stealing. I thought there was a case. A sliver of gray if you will. It was definitely a situation where if you're going to go you HAVE to make it and even a reasonably good throw there gets him. As it was the error on the throw gave him 3rd and eventually the 1st run that probably would not have scored otherwise. Lost in all the 9th inning heroics was the Four innings of scoreless/hitless (1 walk) relief by Torres, Aardsma & Black. We've been on the short end of too many games where we get ahead early then seemingly sit on the lead only to later regret the missed opportunities to tack on against the usually softer part of the opponent's middle relief corps that it's nice to turn those tables every now and then.

Torres - 1.0 Aardsma - 0.5 Black - 0.5 Satin - 3.5 Centeno - 1.4 den Dekker - 1.5 Lutz - 1.4 Brown - 0.2

Well Coobs, your Bucs blew a bad one last night. Three straight 2-out 9th inning singles netted the Padres 2 runs and a stunning win over Pittsburgh (blown save: Mark Melancon) Pirates have now lost 3 straight to SD and finish the series this afternoon. - Cardinals pulled to 2 games ahead in the Central with a 4-3 win over Rockies, but it wasn't sealed until StL closer Edward Mujica K'd Todd Helton with the bases loaded in the 9th - Reds won in the 13th in Houston. They scored twice in the top of the inning then held on while Aroldis Chapman gave one run back then finally got the final out with the tying and winning runners on. - Nationals had a 2-0 lead early but then lost to Atlanta 5-2. Coupled with the Cincy win, that just about kills their WC chances Cardinals now lead the Central by 2 over Pitt and 2.5 over the Reds Plus, Cincy & Pitt play each other six times over the final nine games, an arrangement which is almost guaranteed to keep StL ahead of one or both of them. Wild Card PIT +0.5 CIN --- WAS -5.5 ARZ -9.0

Lots of late inning drama and shaky relief pitching amongst the contenders (in both leagues) last night - Toronto blew a 4-0 8th inning lead to the Yanx, then couldn't capitalize (in large part due to bad bunting) after back-to-back leadoff singles in the 9th against Rivera - Orioles got a 2-run/2-out/12th inning single from Chris Davis to beat the Sox in Fenway - Oakland blew a 2-run 9th inning lead (Josh Hamilton HR) then lost the game in the 11th. Blown save for Grant Balfour - Tampa & Texas were tied after nine, then traded runs in the 11th (blown save: Joe Nathan) before Tampa got a walk-off single in the 12th - Royals beat the Indians by the non-dramatic score of 7-2 Wild Card TBR +1.0 TEX --- CLE -0.5 BAL -1.0 KCR -2.5 NYY -2.5

Y'know what else was a bit kooky -- when Terry sent Recker in to PR I was thinking why not Quintanilla there (Tejada was already out of the game) and use Recker to PH later. But when Q did come up in the pitcher's slot it was in a spot where you'd want more contact and less of a chance of a GiDP. As things turned out neither Q's bat nor Recker's (lack of) speed mattered in the end, but maybe it wasn't as goofy a move as it first seemed.

That ill-advised steal by den Dekker the previous inning which set up a run turned out to be a HUGE run.

Edgy MD wrote: Sadecki the answer? Yup! That was my guess too and I just looked it up to confirm. 600 and one third innings pitched as a Met.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: This gamelong personal-side-of-Met-memories thing is nice. That's about it for this game on the nice front, though. It's a good thing the booth had Seinfeld yesterday and Gary retrospectives today, because there certainly haven't been many good things to talk about in either of these games.

Gee - 4.5 Hawkins - 0.4 Germen - 0.8 Black - 0.5 d'Arnaud - 2.0 Murphy - 1.5 Young - 0.3

Matsuzaka - 4.4 Feliciano - 0.2 Black - 0.3 Hawkins - 0.5 Murphy - 2.3 Duda - 2.3

den Dekker - 1.5 Torres - 2.4 Germen - 0.5 Aardsma - 0.3 Burke - 0.3

Centerfield wrote: The good news is that they have lost 4 in a row. The bad news is that they are still only 3.5 games back. The key isn't the 3.5 games but that there are now FIVE teams even with or ahead of them (not even counting the division leaders) for two spots. It's one thing to play well down the stretch and have the guys in front of you stumble (1969 & 2007 are two sides of that coin) but it's quite another to have at least four teams fuck up while you play well. And even that only gets you to a 50/50 shot of moving on (and, yes, I know we don't even want it to come to that).

Zvon wrote: This was a weird series because the first 2 games were played in Pittsburg and the last three at Shea without a break in between. Yea, Seaver lost the opener. ... The next day Matlack was knocked out of the box after three. The Mets were losing 4-1 when they exploded for five runs in the 9th to give Tug McGraw the win. Yup! After Harrelson grounded out to start the 9th with the Mets down 4-1, seven straight Mets reached base and they had scored five times before the smoke cleared. Beauchamp (pinch-hitting for Kranepool) - Single Garrett - Double Millan - 2-RBI Triple Staub - Walk Hodges (PH-ing for Dyer who was PH-ing for McGraw) - RBI Single -- Teddy Martinez pinch-runs Cleon - Walk Hahn - 2-RBI Single Still some drama to come in the bottom of the inning. Apodaca was brought in to close after McGraw's 2 scoreless innings but immediately walked the first two hitters. Out went Dac and in came Buzz Capra who got an out on a bunt and then a run-scoring out on a grounder. Then after intentionally walking Stargell (4 XBHs the night before) and UNintentionally walking Richie Zisk, Buzz got Manny Sanguillen on a bases-loaded Fly Out to end the game. Mets till in 4th at the end of the day but had closed to just 2.5 out.

Ahhh, 'twas a wonderful day in AL playoff race land. - First and foremost, the Yanx got Dickey-ed. 7 innings of 4-hit shutout ball from the loquacious and bearded one plus two innings of one-hit bullpen work added up to a 2-0 Toronto win. After seeing years of games where Yanqui starters couldn't pitch shitty enough to lose, it was nice to see Pettitte pitch well yet take the big 'L' for a change. ARod, meanwhile, didn't make the trip to Canada to have his latest aching whatever looked at in New York which is fun, not because it's an injury, but because the Yanx, who so desperately want to get rid of him, currently need him more than ever. - Boston, whose sweep over the weekend makes their games mostly irrelevant at this point, opted to allow Baltimore to win a game. O's had to earn it though as the winning run was scored in the 9th off Koji Uehara. Prior to that, Uehara had not only not given up a run in who knows how long but had retired 37 straight batters before the triple-SacFly combo that beat him last night. - Even Texas winning their first game in eight days was a good thing even if it came at the expense of Tampa. This keeps both current WC teams a bit further out of reach rather than let one of them fall closer to the pack - and in the other game between competing teams, Cleveland overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat KC, keeping Cleveland close but maybe killing KC's shot. TEX --- TBR --- CLE -0.5 BAL -2.0 KCR -3.5 NYY -3.5 I like the way that race is starting to look. Note that I listed the Yanx behind KC even though they're tied. This is known as the 'Reverse Tiger Effect' named after the networks habit of listing Tiger Woods first among every golfer he's tied with so as to always make him look as close to the top of the overall leaderboard as possible. But since this is my post I'm doing the exact opposite.