Frayed Knot

In the series ending rubber game matinee the O's not only beat the Yanx but shut them out 7 - Zip on one hit. That drops the Bombers to 7-6 in the month of May which doesn't sound too bad until you consider that they started it 5-0 including a bludgeoning of these same Orioles when they swept a four-game set in the Bronx to start the month by a combined score of 39-10, so this series represents at least a partial payback for Baltimore. And the news didn't get much better when starter Max Fried left today's game after 3 innings (already down 3-0) with "elbow soreness" which is, of course, never a good thing. He is "scheduled for imaging" which sounds like something that both pitchers and actresses go through on a regular basis. Yanx will be off tomorrow in advance of the weekend set at CitiField

So the 2023 draft is working out pretty well so far for the Mets - 4th round: AJ Ewing - 3rd round: Nolan McLean 2nd round: Brandon Sproat And the one who is Not working out so well to date is 1st rounder (32nd overall) Colin Houck, a SS out of a Georgia HS. He's currently OPS'ing 639 in Brooklyn although is still just 21 y/o so certainly time to ripen. Ewing is the second 4th round pick from the 2023 draft to make his ML debut. Kristian Campbell, also listed as a 2B/OF, made the Red Sox roster on opening day but was a college pick and so is two+ years older than Ewing.

I didn't realize that while the Tigers were changing pitchers that Eric Gregg also came in as a replacement for the starting HP ump.

Tonight, AJ Ewing has passed Tyrone Taylor, Luis Torrens, Ronny Mauricio, Jared Young, Austin Slater, Tommy Pham, Andy Ibanez and Vidal Brujan in 2026 walks.

Props to Raley for ending the previous inning when he did. If that final batter of the 7th had gotten on then Riley Greene comes up as the tying run. Instead, Greene leads off the 8th with bases empty and a larger deficit, and we don't need Weaver or Williams to finish up this one.

Ewing going to have a good night after the game is over too because, as we all know, chicks dig the stand-up triple.

Wait, that kind of play* worked FOR us?!?!?!?!!! * two runs instead of two outs

Nope. Nice aggressive tag right in his chest by Alvarez

Both NYM failed ABS challenges today were stupid. and yet both batters wound up reaching base anyway (BB & 2B) which kind of makes it even worse..

Fun Fact: Prior to that single Juan Soto had either Popped-up or Flew out in 74 consecutive ABs OK, that's not remotely true ... but it seems like it is

We don't do two out hits. It's just not our thing.

Both sides are going to be in then pen early tonight.

Well, he tried his best.

Good news: walks to load the bases Bad news: does so in front of Mr. GiDP

48 pitches just to get thru 2 in addition to the two runs.

I knew a Nick Roselli from Long Island. But I suspect most people from Long Island knew at least one Nick Roselli.

Quickie KTE: Tiggers currently sit at 19-22 but that's just 2.0 G behind 1st place Cleveland in the meh-ness that is the AL Central. 17th in run scoring [4.27 RS/G vs MLB avg of 4.4] but better than average in preventing them [11th in RA/G at 4.17/G] although that status may take a hit with the ongoing absence of Tarik Skubal. Skubal last pitched on 4/29 when he was diagnosed with "loose bodies" in his elbow (better there than in one's head, I suppose). But maybe he won't be out as long as originally thought. Agent-to-all-impending-free-agents Scott Boras said that doctors were able to perform a less invasive than usual procedure on the 2x CY winner, one which Boras has taken to calling (and quite possibly copyrighting for all I know) the 'Skubal Scoop'. I guess maybe the fact that Tommie John never made a dime from his eponymous surgery upsets Scottie's sense of fairness and so this is his attempted remedy. On the offensive said, 25 y/o LF Riley Green is their big masher [.317/.418/.490 // 907 ] and they have probably the prized 2026 rookie in Kevin McGonigle who made the team out of spring training, then signed a 9-yr/$150 mil contract, and will turn 22 in August. Also missing this series due to their butts being parked on the IL: ex-NYY Gleybar Torres, ex-NYM Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter, Casey Mize, Justin Verlander (say it ain't so!!).

The "news" on Peralta isn't news at all, it's mere speculation. All that was basically said in that recent link posted here somewhere is that IF the Mets are still reeling as the trade deadline nears then Peralta would likely be the type of guy they'd deal and so the Tiggers and Cubbies, both with injuries galore to their staffs, would be among the teams interested. Nothing in that statement is false, but it also doesn't make it news.

Ryan (son of ex-NYM & NYY David) Weathers had thrown 101 pitches and started the top of the 7th: Single - GO - BB so the pull wasn't entirely entirely unwarranted (he finished with 1 H, 3 BB, 9 Ks). That the reliever followed with BB - HR (before going K, 1B, F-9) certainly made it feel like the wrong move. Credit also to Baltimore pitching: 2 R, 5 H, 3 BB, 9 K from four different arms against a strong offensive club.

I was thinking a decent comp might be Gregg Jefferies. Similarly sized, Jefferies came up about six weeks after turning 20 (while Ewing turns 22 in August). Jefferies went on to play 14 seasons in MLB for six different clubs ending with a 107 OPS+ [117 for years 1-9, 88 for his final six seasons] but played his last game while still a few months shy of age 33. The biggest downside was that he wasn't a particularly good defensive player and so put up most of those stats as a 1B/LF/3B/DH (plus some 2B where he was nothing special anyway). The point being that those somewhat above average offensive numbers start to lose some shine when they come from the lesser end of the defensive spectrum. But if Ewing can put up Jefferies-like offense -- near-.300 BA (.293) / .350 OBA with doubles by the bushel-full and just shy of 200 SBs -- while also providing speed and better defensive (CF?) contributions, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

KUWL!! Ideally it would have happened after a little more seasoning but these aren't ideal times.

Yes. The Mets sucking makes me less interested in baseball in general. Or in life itself. So down 3-2 in the 9th, the Yanx get a two-out single but then the game ends on a caught stealing.

Nothing like a Met off-day to re-catch up with the rest of the sport that we've been too depressed lately to pay any attention to. This Monday finds the Yanx down in 2nd place a game behind those pesky Rays thanks mainly to getting swept by the Brewers over the weekend including walk-offs both Saturday and Sunday. The Yanx start this week in Baltimore where Ryan Weathers was no-hitting the O's right up until I started typing this sentence. 2-0 Yanx as the 7th inning commences. **And now it’s 3-2 O’s via the second Baltimore hit of the night being a 3R HR right after Weathers was pulled** The week also finds the Dodgers NOT in sole possession of 1st place as they've gone 4-7 over their last 11 games to fall into a dead heat with the Padres. The 24-16 Dodgers will start the week hosting the 16-24 Giants which, along with tonight's return of Mookie Betts, should be good for what ails 'em. The NL matchup of the week is the best record in MLB Braves (28-13) hosting the senior circuit's second best (27-14) Cubs for three games starting Tuesday. btw, part of the reason the two best records are in the NL is because Most of the good records are in the NL as the AL is getting their asses kicked in inter-league play to the tune of 107-82 [Runs scored = 873 to 796]. The entire NL Central is three games above .500 or better (when/if has That ever happened?) just as the entire AL Central is .500 or under and only one team -- the Athletics!!! -- is over .500 in the AL West. Just three AL teams [NYY, TBR, ATH] are over .500 as the week starts. Phils head to Boston to start the week; the Nats will be in Cincy; the Marlins at Minnesota, all starting Tuesday night.

Especially at age 41 A mighty blow by Vientos forestalls the inevitable but it does cause Luvello to pull his starter for the sin of giving up a bloop. Never understood that logic: a hard out and he'd likely stay, but a soft hit and he's gone.

Sankes get three straight hits with 2 out/runner on 1st. Mets, in the same situation, last four pitches: S, S, B, K