Frayed Knot

Howie doesn't even do hockey anymore so I'm not sure why he'd be talking about the Caps.

So three tack-on runs after two were out and nobody on. That's what that 5th inning was like in Chicago today, except more than twice as long and producing seven runs with hit after hit (and some bad defense mixed in) to the point where you weren't sure if it was ever going to end.

I was just starting to look up how many 'perfect' appearances Familia had this year when that dribbler down the 3rd base line messed up a possible two perfect innings. I counted ten 1-2-3 one-inning outings (plus a few shorter ones) but none of his 64 prior appearances were both perfect and any longer than three outs. And now, not only did he give up a hit but that hit has come around to score after he's out of the game so he doesn't even get away scoreless. Still an encouraging night for him overall, but ultimately short of what we needed.

Y'know, if they really wanted to spice up the broadcasts with these out-of-booth refreshment samplings for G, K, & R, I have four words for them: Jim Beam Bourbon Bar

Nearly six innings worth of pitches to get thru four, more than 1/4 of them just from the two ABs to Bellinger. Even without that HR, Noah wasn't long for this game anyway.

Frayed Knot wrote: The Pirates just scored a run this way: Newman singles; (this is one sequence) he steals but it's ball 4 so Contreras doesn't have to throw but he does and it goes into CF so Newman gets to 3d, then Almora (CF) throws it in but it misses everyone and Newman scores. https://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/jon-lester-ball-to-bryan-reynoldshttps://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/jon-lester-ball-to-bryan-reynolds This game started out well anyway. The Pirates went up 4-0 in the top of the 1st w/Lester on the ropes for Chicago ... and then by the 3rd in was 10-4 Cubbies So Pittsburgh closes to 10-7 in the top of the 5th and then even had a chance for more but left the bases loaded. Then, if the bottom of the 5th, the Cubs went out 1-2-3 ... or did they? The 3rd out, a bang-bang play at 1st, was over-turned. Not a big deal most of the time ... except here the Cubs put up 7 straight runs after starting their run with the bases empty and three out (no HRs either). 17-7 Cubs, top of 6 iow, probably not a good night for WC contenders to plan on gaining ground on the Cubs.

The Pirates just scored a run this way: Newman singles; (this is one sequence) he steals but it's ball 4 so Contreras doesn't have to throw but he does and it goes into CF so Newman gets to 3d, then Almora (CF) throws it in but it misses everyone and Newman scores. https://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/jon-lester-ball-to-bryan-reynoldshttps://www.mlb.com/pirates/video/jon-lester-ball-to-bryan-reynolds This game started out well anyway. The Pirates went up 4-0 in the top of the 1st w/Lester on the ropes for Chicago ... and then by the 3rd in was 10-4 Cubbies

Yeah, since his two HR game I'm not sure if he's gotten the ball out of the infield, even in those few occasions where he's made actual contract. Ideally you don't want to sit him vs a lefty, but we're seeing nothing but lefties recently (including again tomorrow) and McNeil seems to be coming around a bit after also looking like shit for about a week, plus this keeps JD in there to do damage to the southpaws (or to give the south pause ... either way)

Dodgers activate 2B/slugger Max Muncy despite being on the IL with a fractured wrist only since August 29! I think I've seen longer IL stints due to the sniffles.

Hey, it worked for Gary w/Lagares yesterday: - Juan Lagares has never hit a Grand Slam in his career ... KABOOM! - Juan Lagares has also never had a two-HR day ... KABOOM! I'm not sure if there was so much as a single pitch in between the saying and the doing in either case.

Triskaidekaphobists of the world unite!!! 7:10 -- Syndergaard vs Clayton Kershaw [13-5; 3.06] Kershaw seems like the type who'd believe in superstitions and get freaked out by them. In fact, all of LA probably does. We had a four-game series vs these guys in late May. Lost 3 of 4 but should have, at worst, split the series. The killer game of that set was Game #3. Back to back HRs leading off the 7th by Rosario & Dom Smith made it 8-3. LA closed it to 8-5 with solo runs in bottom 7 and 8 (off Gsellman & Familia). But it was the Diaz meltdown in the 9th (probably his first MAJOR one of the year) which really spun not just the series around but the season as well. Joc Pederson led off with a HR on the 9th pitch of the AB, followed by: Max Muncy HR; J Turner 2B; C Bellinger 2B (game tied); C Seager IW; M Beatty infield single; A Verdugo Sac Fly/Game Over So a four-run lead was blown essentially without having a batter retired until the SF which lost the game. Diaz threw 30 pitches in that debacle. So after coming into that series having won 6 of 7 (including that 4-game sweep fo the Nats) and then winning Game 2, we'd lose that night, the next night, and 22 of the next 34 Worse yet, we'd see that type of blown save, seemingly a once in a generation level of meltdown, again before the summer was out. Saturday - 7:10 -- deGrom vs Hyun-Jin Ryu [12-5; 2.45] Ryu looked like a lock for the CY earlier this year, but he was IL'd briefly and has been rocked in several of his recent starts: 4, 7, 7, & 3 (21) runs allowed in his last 4 starts/19 innings Sunday - 7:05 (ESPN) -- Wheeler vs Walker Bueller [13-3; 3.14] Out last network game of the year ... well except for our entire post-season run which means we've really got close to 20 more.

I'm on a hot streak here. My IGTs have won three straight which brings my season total of wins up to ... right about three I believe and ups my overall record to something like 5-147 I don't want to say that I'm usually bad luck but a couple of days ago a black cat went out of its way to avoid crossing my path. First of all, good to see that we held on in last night's game. I cashed it in just prior to the 9th inning pretty well confident (at least 60/40) that we could protect that 9-0 lead. 1:10 start today. Marcus Stroman vs rookie Alex Young (sounds like an alias to me). Young actually ain't so young for a first-timer: turned 26 three days ago; another lefty thrower; 6' 2"/205; from Illinois via Texas Christian Univ in Fort Worth, TX; 2nd round draft pick by Arizona in 2015. Made his ML debut in late June: 13 games/12 starts; 7-3; 3.38; 1.05 And Stroman needs to win today, or at least pitch well enough for the team to do so, in order to prove that he doesn't hate America

Lowrie at least made contact this time. Now we gotta work on him his first hit and getting Haggerty his first AB

Edgy MD wrote: Tony Danza in the house. Hold me closer.

At least Matz made sure that the 2nd inning was the outlier rather than the 1st. The top of the 6th inning ended with Ahmed grounding out to Amed

It's weird checking in on the Braves game, seeing them (Tyler Flowers) hitting a 3R HR and then taking a second before realizing; 'Hey wait, they're playing the Phillies, this is a good thing!!' 3-0 Braves in the 4th

Just what this game needed, 3 straight walks eating up 25 pitches in the process!!

When Gary asked when the Mets last had a successful double steal, my first guess was: 'late '70's?'

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=21512 time=1568213805 user_id=68] Koosman's ... problem was that [his great rookie season] happened in 1968.

I think Rachel Ray might be able to do a better job here.

Out goes Frazier!! Out goes Frazier!!

Looks like Locastro thought he was at bat and was trying to get hit by that ball.

Ummm Gary, "numbers people" most decidedly do NOT say that hitting with RiSP doesn't matter.

Edgy MD wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: Robbie Ray [12-7; 4.03; 1.32] faces off against Steven Matz in the hottest lefty-on-lefty rivalry short of Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders in a loser-leaves-town steel cage match (I'm betting she kicks his ass) Maybe I'm making too much of his Brooklyn roots, but Bernie Sanders strikes me as a guy who campaigns relatively clean but fights extra dirty. Yeah, but she'll hit him with her tomahawk ... or something like that. I can hear the ring announcers now; 'Oh no, she's got a native-born object in her hands!!'

Lots of things going right for Houston this year but not so much lately for lefty Wade Miley. Prior to two starts ago he was rolling along with a 13-4 record and a 3.06 ERA over 28 starts, but then came this past week: his previous start vs Seattle and then last night vs Oakland (both in Houston): 12 ER on 12 Hits, 2 BB, 0 K in a combined 1/3 of an inning!!!. [15 batters faced/One retired] He amazingly only lost one of those games as the ridiculous Astros bats came back to win the Mariners game despite being down 7-Zip at one point. Last night (21-7 OAK) he was not so lucky. Those two outings jumped his season ERA nearly 3/4 of a Run per Game to 3.74 ... that's tough to do this late in the year.