Frayed Knot

That ball went, in my mind, from HR to 2R 2B to strike one in a very short time. And the two runs score anyway.

Wilmer's time with SFG is creeping up on the time he spent on the Mets [492 G/1,769 PA vs 581 G/2,011 PA] And while his BA is around the same for both he's increased his power as a Giant despite it not being a power park, and his walk rate, the thing that held him down early in his career, is now right around MLB norms. Isolated Walk rate NYM = .041; w/SFG = .074 Iso Power NYM = .162; Iso Power SFG = .192 The combo of those two is what raised his OPS+ from 99 as a Met to 114 as a Giant It also occurs to me that we first heard of Wilmer when he signed with the Mets at age 16 which means we've been following him, to one extent or another, for more than half the life of the still just 32 y/o (33 in August)

Rookie Carroca is, I'm guessing, a reference that I'm missing. Nonetheless, not on the list. On the heels of Hiroki Kuroda I went with Rookie Carroca because hearing the first name always reminded me of the second. Rookie Carroca was, of course, a Filipino boxer* and later second husband to Belle Steinberg Carroca, Benjy Stone's mother in MY FAVORITE YEAR (1992, Mark-Linn Baker, Lainie Kazan, Joseph Bologna, and the great Peter O'Toole) We now return you to your quiz, already in progress. * who held the Bantamweight title for well over six weeks

Oh yeah, and Aaron Boone got tossed after the 5th pitch of the game. After arguing a check-swing/HBP call in top 1st, HP ump Hunter Wildelstadt told Boone he had heard enough and if he heard any more he was throwing him out. But he did hear more before the next pitch was thrown and Boone got an early shower. But TV cameras (and a very quiet ballpark w/the early start time) combined to show Boone not uttering a peep after the warning. But apparently a fan sitting just behind the MFY dugout did add in a few choice words and that's what Windelstadt heard. No word as to whether stadium security spent the next half hour working over the fan underneath the stands ... or maybe they save that treatment only for those who try to go to the bathroom during the 7th inning GBA playing.

Rookie Carroca

Frayed Knot wrote: Not quite sure why Game One of a four-game series on a Monday was scheduled for 1:00 (10 AM for A's fans) but it was. The game was scheduled to start at 1PM because tonight is the first night of Passover. I'm sure starter Carlos Rodon was particularly grateful for that decision.

A couple of bits of tid to kick off the new week whilst we wait for games to start on the far side of the country. -- The Chicago White Sox are 3-18 to date and have scored a total of 45 runs in those 21 games which higher math tells me is 2.14 per game or less than half what is average in a typical season for the sport as a whole [2023 = 4.62 RS/G/Team] Oakland is the only team also under 3.0/G (2.86) and the only one not at least a full R/G ahead of CHW (MIN is 28th at 3.35) So the team in 28th place is scoring at nearly a 60% higher clip!!! But at least their pitching suxx. They currently sit 2nd worst in RA/G and the worst is Colorado so that barely counts. Makes one wonder how they won those three games [3-2 v ATL; 7-5 v CLE; 2-1 v KCR] - Jack Leiter got sent down after getting hit hard in his ML debut, but he's not the only prospect off to a tough start, or even the only ML scion, or even the only Jack(son). Baltimore's Jackson Holliday is rampaging through the league at .033/.096/.033 That's 1-fer-30 (a single) w/2 BBs and 16 Ks. Hang with 'em, kid. - There certainly didn't appear to be many teams wanting to go multiple years on 2x CY winning FA Blake Snell over the winter. And now there probably aren't many who are sorry about their caution. After three starts Snell has allowed 15 ER on 18 hits over 11-2/3 innings for SFG [11.57 ERA; 1.97 WHIP]. If SF sticks with a straight rotation we could see him in the day game on Wed. - This week starts out with the Braves hosting the Marlins for three while the Phils will be in Cincinnati for four, both starting tonight. - And finally the week is already off to a good start as Oakland blanked the Yanx 2-0. Not quite sure why Game One of a four-game series on a Monday was scheduled for 1:00 (10 AM for A's fans) but it was. It was also the Yanx second 2-0 loss in three days. They got 4-hit over 10 innings by TOR on Saturday (and couldn't even score the Manfred Man runner) and 3-hit today. Most thought (including me) that, particularly without Gerritt Cole, the Yanx pitching would be a bigger issue than their run scoring but they're currently 3rd best in RA/G but right around ML average in RS/G

Almost certainly, yes. More unseasoned newcomers drawn in by the newly legal status in their area and the newly formed association with their sport which used to shun it. And, 'Hey look, here's a chance to "maximize my profit". The gambling version of "Supersize it!"

Edgy MD wrote: The organist was also heard to play "Heart of Glass" as they cut to a break. Weird. Perhaps for Glasnow.

Speaking of sports gambling in general ... Now that the leagues went from a no-dating policy with gambling to going to bed with it on the first date (and second and third and ...) it's not surprising that the ads for it -- all over the place during any game -- are not only common but are playing to the lowest common denominator. Their biggest come-on is to invite players to "maximize their profit incentive" which basically means to get in on one of their 'parlay' bets where, in order to to win the bet, you need multiple conditions to all go your way. So where a win under those conditions would 'maximize your profit' the odds of that actually happening go way down, but of course they don't say that. Many parlay bets are essentially sucker bets which suck in the amateurs and are, from what I've read, more common with these new legal platforms than they ever were via those supposedly sleazy old school illegal bookies.

Def a bad day, but ... -- 12 - 9 translates into 92.5 wins which ain't half bad, particularly not coming off an oh-and-five start -- and it's four of six vs the Braves and Dodgers (all on the road) almost universally the fashionable picks for NL supremacy this year And the Braves just lost ... so there's that.

=nymr83 post_id=152939 time=1713743584 user_id=54] If you are going to give up ten runs, or not draw single walk, or hit an extra base hit, you might as well do it all on the same day and get it over with!

Steve Blass topped out at 19 Wins for the Pirates There are 31 correct answers for that square [PITT/20 Wins] but just six of them since the end of the Truman administration.

But, in honor of it being John Sterling Day, one of those K's was called a HR. Sudden thought: do you think maybe the gift the 83-inch (that's 6' 11" for those of you scoring at home) TV for Sterling was a not-so-subtle hint saying, well maybe NOW you'll be able to tell a Homer from a pop to deep SS!

That'll be half a year I'm guessing.

The series is in the bag and the sweep is on deck.

And now there's the second!! (K 3 to Pages)

That's the first borderline pitch to go our way in the last two innings. (K 3 to Outman)

Edgy MD wrote: Well, Teoscar has really left a crowd on base today. But ... Muncie left. And Diaz left him back in Indiana

Edgy MD wrote: I'd have Raley up here as well, if only to face one guy. That's not allowed anymore.

Sterling joined Michael Kay on the TV broadcast for an inning today (just as a visitor, not calling it). MK: 'So John, you've already got five TVs at home where are you going to put this one?' JS: 'I have no idea'

Those two FOs just came in the wrong order. We needed the deep one first.

All the cops in the donut shop say Hey-Oh, Hey-Oh!!!

I could see the big N Y C logo making these popular with non-NYM and even non-baseball fans. And if that happens and they start to be seen on the streets I wonder if the Yanx will drop their separatist mindset in order to grab a slice of the pie. I mean having the official hat of fat American overseas tourists and domestic perp walks can only take you so far.

Well, the good news is Butto struck out the side. Very similar innings for both starters: lotsa walks, lotsa pitchers, coulda been lotsa worse.