Frayed Knot

Oakland, btw, took a 3-0 lead today into the 8th ... until their bullpen gave up 4 late runs In LA today the Angels pen coughed up 5 runs (some inherited) in the 8th to Boston in what had been a scoreless game.Meanwhile the Cubs lost a 1-run led when their pen allowed the Rox to score 3 times in the 8thThe Giants held on to win despite giving up 2 late runs, which beats the hell out of yesterday when they allowed 5 9th inning runs (the last few w/2 outs) to lose the game they had led 4-zipCincy had a 7-0 lead but still allowed 2 runs each in the 6th, 7th & 8th innings against the D-Backs. Fortunately for them they Arizona pen was getting hammered for 6 runs themselvesAll of which reminds me of the day last week when someone on Detroit hit an extra-inning grand-slam ... in a game they lost because their pen had allowed 7 in the top half of the inning. Only the 4th time in history that somone had hit an x-inning GS in a losing effort. Think about it, that's tough to do!Plus the game the other day when Atlanta also gave up a 5-run extra-inning.Are you beginning to get an idea about why saying that we should find middle-inning help is a lot easier said than done?

Turn you against BV?No. I've got nothing against Joe Torre, I just hope that his team loses.Make you follow the Yankees for a week or so?I "follow" the Yanx now.Fill you with conflicts about turning into a quasi-Yankee fan?Nope Turn you into a closet Yankee fan?Not a chance "Out of the closet, into the street!! Let's GO, Yankees"?No answer needed I suspect this is a real possiblity btw.I doubt Torre gets fired this winter no matter how things turn out. But a year from now - just when BV's contract is up - could be different.

Well you can't call the day a total loss when stuff like this happens:Randy Johnson pitching in the 4th with the Yanx leading 1-0:Pablo Ozuna: ground out to shortstop. Tadahito Iguchi: HR Aaron Rowand: HR Paul Konerko: HR Jermaine Dye: single Juan Uribe: single. Chris Widger: 3R-HR.

When trying to catch up to such a disasterous start you can't leave as many chances out there in the middle innings as we did. Even a mesely little 2-out single in any one of about 3 different spots (Diaz, Floyd, Castro) makes that a whole different game and would have made those 9th inning follies mean something other than just a tease.Oh well.

from that linked article:... Romero, a sometimes-dominant left-hander with exceptional stuff, has been in and out of the manager's and pitching coach's doghouse since his big 2002 season because of hardheadedness and inexplicable swoons, and he has fallen well down the bullpen pecking order again after an especially poor showing since the all-star break.Overall this season, he has allowed half of his 34 inherited runners to score and has so many walks (32 in 43 2/3 innings) that three starting pitchers on the staff have fewer.I wouldn't mind looking into a guy like this, but let's not "go all out" and start pretending that these problems that have made him (maybe) available are suddenly going to disappear as he stabilizes our pen in a pennant drive.He's had good seasons in the past ... so has Danny Graves.

Houston leading 5-2 in mid-gamePitt & Philly tied in the 7thMarlins jumped all over Lowe and thumped the DodgersAtlanta hosts SD tonight.

Cliff didn't come within 2 feet of any of those pitches.

]I don't see why Diaz going 8 for 26 since his call-up is a cause for concern.It's not his bat that's the cause for concern.It's that I've counted at least 6 balls that he's misplayed in about as many games. You need to hit like Lou Gehrig's better brother if you're going to play the OF like that.

]I read Willie does not want to use jacobs, and this i dont really understandAgain, what I think you're reading is about Willie's aversion to using him as a catcher. He was called here as a backup plan while it was unknown whether Piazza needed to be DL'd, and what complicates things is that you're always reluctant to PH w/your only spare backstop for all the obvious reasons.Now that he's a true emergency catcher and not the main backup, those PH & possibly 1B appearances are easier to give out (hence his AB today). That Castillo was signed might mean that he's more likely to stay up, or, if he's not, then he'll likely be exchanged for another bat (Valent, Daubach?) to play the same role.

I assume this means that Jacobs is still around?I understand Willie's reluctance to use him behind the plate; between the shoulder injury that forced him to miss most or all of 2004 and his 1st base trials this year he's played very little behind the plate for nearly 2 years now. Plus, he wasn't considered a defensive whiz before all that.But this does put him in the position to see some 1st base/PH time.

Pedro - 4.2Wright - 1.4Castro - 1.4Reyes - 1.2Wooward - 1.2Hernandez - .6

On the AL side:Angels beat Boston - bad, but the LAAs doing well is a consolationbtw, Schilling to return as a starter, goes on Thrusday vs KCCleveland beats Bal'mer - also a good thing. Injuns hanging on the peripheryMinnesota loses to Seattle who scores 6 in the 10thToronto tied w/Detroit in the 13th. Jays hanging around, not out of it yet.Oakland still down 2-1 to KC after failing to score with bases laoded and 1 out. They head to the 7th.

" ... AND THEY WIN THE DAMN THING 9 TO 8"

WHO'S GOT A WOODIE?!?!!?!

Woodie to PH, it'll all be in Padilla's hands if we don't score here.

Gerald Williams: seasoned pro... send 'em

We gotta win this soon.The bullpen situation is not favoring us.

You can all exhale now.

OK, time for someone to be a hero here.

Got to pay your duesif you wanna sign the bluesand you know it don't come easy -- R. Starkey

I pray that Looper gets Church to make an out.

No baserunners = no tying run to the plateRemember that Braden and recite it like a mantra

CG win for Ben Sheets over the Astros.Phillies are now your NL WC leaders by 1/2 game.

I feel bad for KC in general although not neccesarily Supra Joe in particular. I'd like to see them bust their losing streak ... just not while they're playing a NYY WC rival.

Oddly, by "allowing" the Nats to close the gap we're forcing them to use their pen (ours also) faster than they would have had the game stayed a rout.Normally that's a bad tradeoff although tomorrow's starter failed Yanqui scum Esteban Loazia is starting on short rest and Washington's long reliever (John Halama) was used today.