Frayed Knot

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: MFYs getting hammered in Toronto, anyway. 16-7 is your final. Toronto stuck up sixteen runs despite hitting ZERO HRs. And maybe I'm just paranoid, but it seems like everyone the Yanx play is suddenly missing their big star(s). So in keeping with that tradition Miguel Bautista left tonight's game with a turned ankle. He's listed as day-to-day which means he'll likely be fine once the Yanx plane clears Canadian airspace late Sunday.

Re-start the 2nd half with games at CF on: - Friday (7:10) - Worley vs Dickey - Saturday (4:10) - Hamels v Niese - Sunday (1:10) - TBA v Pelfrey Worley has faced the Mets three times in his thus far short career, 1 inning of relief in 2010 and 2 starts this season. Start #1, on 4/29, he blanked the Mets on 2 hits over 6 IPs and got the win. Start #2, ironically* on 5/29, we kicked his dimpled butt for 8 runs (5 earned) on 12 hits over just 3 IPs in a game the Mets held on to win 9-5 after taking an 8-0 lead * and by ironically I mean not ironically at all but since most sportscasters throw in that word whenever they mean even the slightest bit of coincidence I figured I'd use it here too And for those of you out-of-towners who normally DON'T have the MLB 'Extra Innings' package, this is the week they usually give you a free sample so check your local cable/satellite provider

DateTeamKTE AuthorJul 15-17PhiladelphiaJul 19-21St. LouisGWreckJul 22-24at FloridaSeawolfJul 25-28at CincinnatiMFS62Jul 29-31at WashingtonFman99Aug 1-3FloridaSeawolfAug 5-7AtlantaFman99Aug 8-11San DiegoEdgy DCAug 12-14at ArizonaAug 15-17at San DiegoEdgy DCAug 19-21MilwaukeeTransMonkAug 22-24at PhiladelphiaLWFSAug 26-28AtlantaAug 29-Sep 1FloridaSeawolfSep 2-4at Washingtonbmfc1Sep 5-7at FloridaSeawolfSep 9-11ChicagoLWFSSep 12-15WashingtonFrayed KnotSep 16-18at AtlantaSep 20-22at St. LouisSep 23-25PhiladelphiaSep 26-28Cincinnati

seawolf17 wrote: metirish wrote: Nice work FK, I remember Putz couldn't get up for the 8th inning citing the need for the adrenaline rush that came with the big situation of the 9th. I remember that comment. I hate that crap. I suspect most of that 'I'm out of my comfort role' kind of stuff is more after-the-fact excuse making than it is actual cause-and-effect. Not that Putz liked the fact that the trade to the Mets in effect "demoted" him, but Omar (or Jeff if you want to blame him) gambled on a recovered JJ in a walk year as a one-season stop-gap but was a year too early in hoping that his injury was behind him.

Ceetar wrote: It's interesting, as far as save % goes, even the best closers blow a game more than 1 in 10. About 1 in 6 as it turns out - at least in standard closer situations. Sometimes saves and/or blown saves are misleading stats as a closer might be summoned with the bases loaded and say one out and "blow" the save simply by giving up a weak grounder that's just a hair too slow to turn a DP. On the other side managers tend to throw their closer a cookie every once in a while where just one out qualifies as a save. That's why I wanted to limit what type of save we are looking at. One of the reasons I first decided to look this stuff up is that I suspected blown saves are more common than many fans think which in turn leads to complaints about your own team's closer because fans tend to think that the opposition guy doesn't make his fans suffer as much. I went into this suspecting that while Frankie's save pct was going to be at least average his pct of 'perfect' saves was going to be lower than it was due to his high pitch-count and walk tendencies, but it was actually a bit better than the norm so maybe I'm as guilty as anyone with the 'familiarity breeds contempt' syndrome. His worst stretch as a Met was clearly the back half of 2009.

Just about a year ago now I tracked MLB games for a month to see how often closers successfully closed out games and also how often they did so without giving up even a single base-runner. I limited the save/blown stats to what we now think of as the standard closer situation in this post-Eckersly era - IOW only those games where the closer came in to start a fresh 9th inning (or extra) with no-outs and no-runners while trying to protect a 1, 2, or 3 run lead. Over about 400 games in an MLB month (mid-July - mid-August 2010) just over 200 had a save situation which qualified under the above criteria and what I found was that saves were converted 81.8% of the time (166 of 203) and were closed "perfectly" just under 1/3 of the time (66 of 203 = 32.5%) Looking at Frankie's Met career he exceeded those percentages somewhat. Of the 78 times where he started an inning in a save situation: - he closed it out 65 times or 83.3% of the time. 22 of 28 in one-run games; 19 of 26 when given a 2-run lead; and a perfect 24 of 24 in 3-run outings. - he closed it out via a 1-2-3 inning 26 times or 33.3% If you believe in the "pitching to the situation" mindset, Rodriguez did have more perfect innings while working in one-run games (39.3%) than in 2-run (34.6%) or in 3-run (25.6%), so he was definitely better when there was a smaller margin for error.

seawolf17 wrote: This is my new favorite thread. And part of what makes it good is that the thread starter opted NOT to put it in some all-purpose-shit-that-happens-during-the-trading-deadline-season thread.

Except, ummm, we won't play again until the 15th.

Welcome to Scotty-land: "Francisco Rodriguez is a historic closer". -- No he isn't "He's not going anywhere to be a setup man." -- Yes he is "Closers don't make good setup men." -- Oh bullshit "Does anyone want an unhappy setup man in their clubhouse?" -- One who needs to pitch well over a short period of time or trash his earning power for next year and beyond ... Sure!

Mets apparently kicking in $5mil - essentially the remainder of this year's contract - so what they'll save is the buyout fee ($3.5mil) and, of course, the possibility of being on the hook for next year's nut. Here was one pre-season look at some Brewers minor leaguers. Rogers, Scarpetta, Rivas & Peralta are currently on their 40-man and so (as far as I understand anyway) are NOT eligible for this deal. Of course things will have changed somewhat in the half-season since that list was published and new players were added in last month's draft (I believe drafted players can not be traded until six months after they sign). A quick glance at a Brewer forum had them fretting that Thornburg (11th on that list) would be one of the PtbNLs,

We probably should have seen Milwaukee coming, or at least as a decent possibility. They're in the thick of a division chase, their GM has a history of making 'go-for-it-now/don't worry about the future' moves, their pen has been shaky at best this season, and Frankie can share save-opps/game-finishes with Axford so as to assure the vesting option doesn't kick in. IIRC, PtBNLs need to be at a different level than those they're traded for - meaning that neither is a ML player at this moment. The problem with the Brewers system is that it was gutted before we ever got there as pre-season trades for Grienke & Marcum took whatever decent prospects they had and shipped them to Toronto and/or KC. So what this all probably means is that the NYM brass gets to take some additional time to see how a select group of lower/mid-level fare over the next few months before deciding which guys they want. I think the thing has to wrap up within six months.

So five of the 80-some players who were named to the two teams didn't show up - and four of them are Yanquis! Yeah, those were individual decisions and not some organizational edict.

Wasn't this the game that all the Latin players were going to boycott over the Arizona immigration law? Guess they forgot.

I wonder what YSIII Security would have done if he refused to go with them once they descended upon him seconds after he got his paws on the ball. This all sounds very voluntary on his part but that's probably because he "played ball" with them (so to speak). But NOT going along with large men wearing badges who are under orders from autocratic assholes used to bullying people to get their own way can be a tough thing for a star-struck fan to do.

Chad Ochoseis wrote: That's the Dykstra that's not related to Lenny, right? Correct. Cutter is Lenny's kid, now in the Nationals org. Allan was one of the bushel of 1Bmen drafted in the 1st round of the 2008 draft - he was 5 slots after Ike.

Yeah, Beltran as a Pirate is unlikely for several reasons: - money and the diminishing haul of prospects you'd get the less of it you're willing to eat - his no-trade power which he could use to block deals to non-contenders (or questionable contenders) I also think it's safe to say that we're not getting Taillon. Don't know much about this Starling Marte guy although John Sickels wasn't quite as high on him prior to this season as the article in that above link. Good athlete but the power and plate discipline are both questioned. Hitting decently in AA this year though few walks and HRs A quick glance at the Pitt system from a few months back http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/1/3/1910902/pittsburgh-pirates-top-20-prospects-for-2011

Amazing how both Bobby and Orel say that non-injured players should be there, and then go out of their way to make sure it doesn't sound like they're criticizing Jeter & Mariano both of whom are NOT injured yet NOT going. No mention, meanwhile, of Reyes who both IS injured and IS going anyway.

Capuano - 2.8 Byrdak - 0.2 Beltran - 1.5 Murphy - 1.0 Tejada - 0.5

Dickey - 3.0 Pagan - 1.3 Beltran - 1.9 Hairston - 1.4 Murphy - 1.9 Beato - 0.2 Rodriguez - 0.3

Pagan - 1.3 Murphy - 1.2 Tejada - 1.0 Bay - 0.3 Isringhausen - 0.2

Biggio, or Yaz, or Brett, or Kaline & Cobb (WOW, one team was blessed enough to have two!!), or Clemente, or Musial, or Ripken, or Yount, or Gwynn. And then there are those guys who got 3K with one team and then switched, but those are obscure names I wouldn't expect the MFY universe to know, like Aaron and Mays.

Y'know, the more I think about some of the above statements the more it reminds me of high school "It's believed Derek Jeter did not want to show up his non-All Star teammates by wearing the stars" -- then don't go to the fucking game. Oh wait, you're not, well then you don't get the stars anyway. Nice to hear that you would have given up that 2009 MVP had you won it too; no reason to show up the non-Valuable teammates. "and when the captain went that way the others followed. -- otherwise he wasn't going to let them sit at the cool kids table during lunchtime "I really didn't have a say in it," Martin said. -- Cuz I really wanted to sit at the cool kids table "I don't mind not wearing it, we are a team. I don't think there is a reason to separate the guys going to the All-Star team and the guys who aren't. We are one team, keep it that way." -- then don't go to the game if this is so fracturing. Martin wasn't sure if it was Jeter's idea, but said he would not be surprised if that was where it originated. "I am not sure, but that sounds like him," Martin said. "He is the captain." -- So he had no say in it and doesn't know whose idea it was but he's all for it. Or at least he "doesn't mind" not being against it. Or something like that. Joyce said the Players Association instructed players not to wear them." -- Apparently the instructions to the other 28 squads got lost in the mail. Either that or you're a fucking liar. " Price took his cue from the Yankees. "Did you see the Yankees wearing them?" Price asked. "That's why we are not wearing them." -- "And if Sally's not going to cut her bangs there's no way I'm cutting mine". Didn't Dr. Suess have a book about stuff like this involving Sneetches? "Commissioner Bud Selig might be disappointed Jeter and other players are not wearing the stars, but that didn't stop him from calling Jeter to congratulate the newest member of the 3,000-hit club." -- I would have called to ask how come you can go 5-for-5 but are too injured to play in the ASG that you were so undeservedly voted into. And then I'd add how disappointed I was to leave you off of next year's ballot.

Yeah, I'm missing something about the complaint of "having" to watch AAA players and then wanting a sell-off in the same breath. You do realize that selling off players usually imports less than AAA players, right? If only we could arrange things so as to add something along the likes of Reyes, Wright, Davis, and Santana in the next few weeks ... oh wait!! The biggest problem last night - aside from trying to score more than once off Lincecum - was that the Giants hit five infield grounders/bouncers in GiDP situations and the Mets, while committing no official errors, turned those potential ten outs into a total of four.

We have a Nick Evans hit sighting ... complete with RBI and everything!!

Oh yeah, and if you are named to the game but don't show up and aren't on the DL you don't get to decorate your uni with stars.