Frayed Knot

And Papelbon's given up singles to two of his first three hitters.

Meant to record that and forgot. I'm sure they'll replay it.

Willis looks like Dave Parker up there.

Edgy DC wrote: And that rally comes up empty as Terry headscratchingly sticks with Harris while Paulino sits and watches. Eh, I didn't mind that one. Harris is a better contact guy and faster. And now the Herrera for the lefty crowd gets a long double (should have been a triple and almost was a HR) for their trouble.

Sawx head to bottom 9 up by 2. Papelbon in to essentially save their season for another day. Rays have already won.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Tejada can be an awful tuff out. He's making me fall in love. Yeah, I'm with Gary, I would have walked him if I'm Cincy ... and now it turns out that they do anyway (although less than intentionally).

metsmarathon wrote: it hit his foot didn't it? Looks like it might have.

Holy defensive swings batman!!! H + E is the right call IMO.

themetfairy wrote: When can we admit that this Parnell as a closer experiment has failed? Personally I'm going to wait for more than around a dozen or so tries before declaring it a dead issue for now and beyond.

That would be Russell Martin with your routine 5-4-3 GiTP in St. Pete. He even topped it off with a (futile) head-first slide into 1st.

Boston down 1-0 after 2 And check out this lineup for the Beantowners Ellsbury - Pedroia - Ortiz (OK so far) - then Jed Lowrie and his 6 HRs hitting clean-u[ for the first time ever) - Adrian Gonzalez (slumping badly lately) - Ryan Lavernaway (30 ML ABs and first ever start at C) - Darnell McDonald - Crawford ($20mil/yr used to buy a middle of the order hitter) - Scutaro And Ellsbury hits a 2R HR

...

Ceetar wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Lefty Specialist wrote: Bunting isn't THAT bad a play if you can get the bunt down reliably. Bunting can be a useful strategy in certain situations. 1) last night wasn't one of those 2) NYM players suck at it actually, bunting first and second no out is one of those situations where the numbers suggest it's good. Not for getting two runs it isn't.

TransMonk wrote: Who'llpay? Who'llpay who'llpay who'llpay? Who'llpay? Who'llpay? Not the Jays, or Rays, or A's I say no way, no way, no way-no way

Lefty Specialist wrote: Bunting isn't THAT bad a play if you can get the bunt down reliably. Bunting can be a useful strategy in certain situations. 1) last night wasn't one of those 2) NYM players suck at it

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Gerardi in the Snooze this morning made a point to cry and complain about how baseball is giving him "only" one day to rest all his guys prior to postseason opening at the same time two others in the tourney may not get any rest due to a win-or-go-home playoff. Shut up, Joe Forgive Joe. He just can't understand why all playoff set-ups aren't like they were in 2009 when the Yanx played 15 games over a 34 day period allowing them to easily use and re-use only their top 3 starters. He believes all post-seasons should be designed with the Yanx' thin pitching in mind. Meantime, if the Sox somehow come out of this with a playoff berth I imagine it may be a real relief for them and maybe less pressure/expectations in the 1st round. The last playoff team with as bad a September as Boston were the '98 Padres (9-15) who upset Houston and Atlanta before losing to the MFYs in the series. And then there were those 13-17 (although 5-15 to end the month) 2000 Yanquis. I don't remember how they did that year.

Your details are a bit off but, yes, that moment is built into the movie although not as the big payoff/climax as would be the case in a typical sports flick.

I don't believe so, no. And how about Howe's last two years in Oakland: 102 & 103 wins and then essentially let go. No wonder Art/Phillip was so grouchy in the movie.

metsmarathon wrote: i think its a problem throughout baseball that when managers try harder to win, they try harder to lose the game. sac bunting is one of those examples. that's a thing managers do when they think they're helping, but really all they it does is hurt. but it's what the book says to do... the cards game last night, otoh, is how you use bunting to win. both strategically and tactically. shitty metly bunting loses that game. Yup! I've seen a lot of sac-bunting goin' on lately. Even from supposedly committed "Moneyball' teams like the BoSox. No one, I believe, wants to stand accused of doing nothing while their team goes down the drain. Basketball coaches are like that too. I swear most hoops coaches would prefer losing a game 72-70 than win one 125-119 as the former gets them lauded for employing lots of strategy (lots of fouling and time outs called) while the latter marks them among media and colleagues as someone who just rolled the ball out on the court and let his athletes take over. At least last night in Houston: - the Astros have a pretty shitty, but speedy, offense - the game was already in extra innings - and ONE RUN WINS THE GAME ... the problem with [crossout]Jer[/crossout], i mean Terry last night is that he's doing this stuff in the 8th while down by two and extra-base power at the plate

One last try for a win for me as the season will be over in about 31 hours. Well there's that, plus I just wanted to weasel a chance to use the word penultimate in a sentence. Tonight's matchup sees HR-King Bronson Arroyo (there's a McDonalds-like sign over his locker saying: '44 served this season') going for the Reds He'll be facing Chris Capuano assuming that the BoSox don't get super desperate and request him to be shipped to Baltimore sometime today. Call Fed-Ex: When your pitcher absolutely positively has to be there by 6 PM If they're still interested I'm listening.

Edgy DC wrote: The Mets traded for Art Howe. And more famously, for Gil Hodges. The Mets didn't give up anyone for Howe. I remember Beane trying to cook up some scenario where he could get something back but he had no leverage to make it happen. Really, [Ozzie] had so much equity in Chicago. How'd he blow it all? By being Ozzie. And does this foreshadow LaRussa going back to Chicago? Not sure if that would be the first choice of Kenny Williams after he just got rid of one high-maintenance guy.

Ashie62 wrote: Giants were fine til Beltran showed up.. Yeah, that was their problem.

And the Cards lose in the 10th via a double followed by two bunts - neither one of which was fielded well by Dotel as he didn't even get an out from either of them. So the Braves both continue to suck and continue to lead.

It's like the more the bunting fails the more determined he is to use it so as to prove it'll work. At one point this season he was among MLB's lowest in having position players Sac Bunt but now that tactic has picked up speed like a runaway roller coaster.

Reasons to be uncheerful, part three. 1) Heisey's double whammy of robbing Wright of an XBH and RBI then coming back and hitting the 3R HR on the first pitch he sees from Stinson 2) NYM double whammy of making base-outs in the 8th: Reyes (stupid) and Tejada (worth the gamble but still a killer) 3) BiFL !!!!!!