Frayed Knot

Pitches: Senga = 68 thru 3 innings, or 22.67 per inning Singer: 82 thru 4, a robust 20.5/per

Actually, it was oh-for-seven. Now it's eight. At least this one was the first time getting it out of the infield but it comes with two outs so it wasn't helpful. Imagine how poorly we'd fare if they were doing stuff like this against Good pitchers?

Oh good, another bases-loaded AB. What are we, oh for the last six or something in these situations?

Is there a rule that Braves hitters coming off the IL are required to hit a HR in their first AB back? Remember that Ronald Acuna did that last year on the very first pitch he saw after a lengthy absence. Well today Drake Baldwin not only homered in his first AS off the IL but hit what is reported to be the longest HR in baseball this year, some 470+ feet off the batter's eye in Atlanta. Braves are down 2-1 to the Giants in the 2nd (must have been a rain delay) anyway, but I'm sure that will be rectified.

Reds thru one inning: 4 runs, 2 HRs Mets thru two innings: still seeking their first ball out of the infield And, were being very, VERY stupid with ABS challenges, not just tonight but for maybe the last month or more.

So not even including tonight's ongoing 1st inning disaster: since the June 12th game last season (iow: almost exactly one year) when Senga took that awkward flip from Alonso and had to leave mid-game, he's made: --- 14 starts. threw 59.67 Innings, allowed 69 hits [10.4 H/9], 56 ER [8.45 ERA], issued 37 walks [5.58 BB/9], and K'd 62 [9.35 K/9]. The K rate is the only stat there that one wouldn't describe as terrible. And guess what, it's getting worse by the minute.

Best WiB Notes thread ever!!!

That remains to be seen.

So if you're going to get steamrolled 12-0 with 10 of those coming with two outs while the offense leaves 12 on base courtesy of going 1/12 w/RiSP (and even that one hit doesn't produce a run), you might as well choose to do all that on a day where other side is throwing their best starter and we're in the midst of (yet another) bullpen game. Turn the page. Tonight's 7:10 start features another in a series of 'returns' for Kodai Senga who was slated to throw one more minor league game until circumstances dictated otherwise, Now I don't want to say that Kodai has been erratically available or anything but under the list of 'Last Seven Starts' in his BB-Ref page you notice that the first two of those seven are from last year and the most recent from April. Take a step outside, does it feel like April to you? ... didn't think so! So who knows what to expect, maybe "Pain" as in the words of Clubber Lang. From the other side's dugout, the 6' 5" righty Brady Singer has been pitching regularly this year (as he has each season since his 2020 debut) just not particularly well as his 5.61 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, and 4-2/3 IP/S average will attest. Lineups and, who knows, maybe five or six new roster moves, to follow.

Reds had a real good March/April [20 - 11] but then started crashing as soon on the calendar went to May. They're 13 - 26 since and only the June portion can be blamed on not having Elly de la Cruz in the lineup. He's on the IL and hasn't played since April 30. Also Ke'Bryan Hayes and TJ Fried but neither of them was hitting like EdlC. On the pitching side Hunter Greene hasn't pitched all season. After some growing pains in his first two seasons Greene pitched well in both 2024 & '25 but never quite gets a full season. Since making his ML debut in April of '22 the #2 overall draft pick in 2017 has made 91 starts [24 + 22 + 26 + 19 + 0] for a total of just under 500 IP.

That's all right, so are we.

The 1st place White Sox [38 - 32] finished off a week where they took five-of-six from the NL's two top teams -- 2-0 vs ATL (plus one rain out) and 2-1 vs LAD -- losing only the Saturday game where they nearly got perfect-gamed by Yamamoto [an error by Mookie w/2 outs in the 8th and then a 1B + HR leading off the 9th]. The Rockies hung 23 on the Athletics today. And, no, the was Not at Coors although it was at the minor league field in Las Vegas which has already produced some large numbers in its brief trial run. And today they beat Skenes. 10 - 2 in June.

Picked up two games on the Braves this weekend, and also one on Philly while staying even with the Nats and red-hot Marlins

And there was much rejoicing!! Hits to the first three Atlanta batters of the game ... one after that. Hits = 13 to 4. Nice to be on the positive side of that ledger for a change. And, of course, Games = 2 to 1

But not Virgil Trucks.

I'm starting to feel little bit good about this game.

Hey Ozzie, you're no Ozzie.

Pending the outcome of today's Dodger game, that GiDP breaks a tie and vaults the Mets up to 29th place at turning GiDPs. They are, however, well above average at hitting into them this year.

Nope. Still just F.F.F.

Dylan Dodd in to pitch for Atlanta. Didn't Paul McCartney mention him in a lyric? Sister Suzy / Brother John Martin Luther / Dylan Dodd Uncle Ernie / Auntie Jin Open the door, let 'em in

At least the ones they actually tried to hit hard <Soto>

After the three hits to start the 1st, Peralta has retired 12 straight since and trimmed the pitch count down to a much more reasonable 67 thru 4 innings. Be nice if he can get to be at least Fab Six Freddie today

A lot of pitches were thrown in just the first two innings: 46 for Peralta; 51 for Elder

I'd like to see some on-field elder abuse today. Wait a minute, I'm old., so maybe I shouldn't have typed that!

So if Soto's hit wasn't a HR, what made the ball clear Yaz's glove plus the padded (orange) part of the wall only to then reverse course and come back onto the field? There are two choices in my mind: Backspin or Magic, and I want to know which the umps saw via replay. Because if they saw and claim to be able to not just read backspin but somehow knew it was what ultimately returned the ball to the field then just scrap the entire replay system NOW!!!! because they're simply making shit up. And if they're claiming it was something supernatural then that's even worse.