Frayed Knot

I think at worst he's half of a 1B/DH platoon plus a defensive replacement (depending on who the other half is) and a dangerous late bat off the bench.

And threw his final pitch at the age of just 29. Must have been an injury as his last game was in early June before being released by the Phils that winter never to resurface in the majors or minors with any other org.

Better than Robert Leon Huskey? (his given name)

Back to back hits by Lindor and Soto ... for at least the third time this year.

Bennett Sousa is the Astros 'opener' today. So on days when he is in the pen and the manager wants him to get warmed up does he use the ... wait for it ... Sousaphone?

So does this mean Lindor's next injury happens today, or does he at least get to finish out the weekend before going down for the rest of the season during the next series vs TBR since there's apparently a ban against those two playing too many games together. It'll probably wait until they're in Tmp/St Pete. Lindor lives in Florida so he can just go straight home from there and then greet everyone else as they arrive next February.

1, 3, 1, 2, and 1 runs scored over the last five games against, Misiorowski aside, some less than stellar pitching. And the third one in the game with 3 RS came via the ghost runner + error so that run barely counts as an accomplishment even though it won us the only game of the five.

13 14 NY Ks. Which is interesting because I think the Astros have 13 BBs tonight. OK it's only six but they were pretty much all in a row so it seemed worse

Your starter can't get through six innings? Have them face the Mets and the problem disappears!

Any relation to Roger Doucet, long time singer of the Canadian National Anthem at Montreal Canadiens games?

Met runners/coaches have picked a couple of good spots to run and been rewarded with bad awful throws. One produced a run, another could have set up a run until the GiDP monster showed up. Both runners c/should have been out but were easily safe.

I have no idea if there's a majority for it or not. Certainly there are a number of fans who like all the # retirements (and want more) including some here.

BOTTOM 1st: AJ Ewing - K; F. Lindor - ... AND THEY'RE BACK LIVE!!!

They are playing - so power outage for the coverage but power working for the stadium itself. TOP 1st: Jeremy Pena - GO 4-3; Yordan Alvarez - GO 4-3; Isaac Paredes - BB; Jose Altuve - Single (1st & 2nd); Daulton Varsho - GO/FC (6-4) Lots of foul balls so far in the inning so lots of pitches (24 is the final count)

So just like Mr. Costanza found out all those years ago, young Mr. Lombard of the Yanquis is finding out that the 'Summer of George' isn't panning out quite as well as he hoped. Promoted on August 4th, the Yanx' top prospect made some impressive impressions early on both offensively and defensively. But, as happens with rookie call-ups from time to time, sometimes the luster starts to fade a bit and two HRs in his first four games turns into 16 straight without. But what has really gone awry lately is with the glove, specifically six straight games with an error (seven overall in 20 games). Even for a SS that's tough to do and especially so now when a fielder seemingly has to injure the ball before having the big 'E' hung on his ledger. Also tough enough that it hasn't been done since 1915. But I'm sure he'll straighten things out and there's nothing like a low-pressure Yanx v Red Sox series on the brink of September with playoff slots on the line and just 2.0 games separating the two teams to calm the nerves. Other series of interest starting tonight: - Marlins @ Nationals - the just-swept Dodgers at Detroit with Mr. Skubal on the mound to lead off the Friday opener Other than that, not much. Padres @ Rays matters to each team but not to each other, The Phils & Braves both get a bye this weekend as the Phightins' go to Anaheim while ATL hosts the Rox

Even Jose Altuve is effectively an average hitter right now: 705 OPS / 98 OPS+ after averaging 839 / 113 over the five full post-Covid seasons. Maybe it's just a down year or maybe the start of the big decline which certainly wouldn't be surprising seeing as how he turned 36 a few months back. He got what was effectively an Astro-for-life contract a few years back*. He's there for big money next season then at a reduced rate for both 2028 & '29. Then I guess if he wants to seek a new deal on the cusp of turning 40 when he'll be a FA in the winter of '29-'30 then go for it dude. * Note to Met fans: THIS is what a retired number player should look like. Not half-careers with a team, not quarter careers, not 'made a few AS teams'

The OPS+ figures for Houston starters: SS Jeremy Pena is at 128, 3B Isaac Paredes = 120, and 1B Christian Walker at 109 (but dropping like a stone). Everyone else is below triple digits ... except for Jordon Alvarez who's at 192. Let's see if we can figure out who not to let beat us. This is the middle of three series vs 1st place teams. The difference here is that the Astros are a .500 [67 - 67] 1st place club and currently have slim 1.0 and 3.0 G leads over TEX & SEA so '1st place' is really only a moniker that applies a couple days per week. Gary quoted various stats several times last night about how bad the Houston bullpen has been of late. And then they went out and shut down the Yanx: 5 innings, 0 runs, 2 hits, 5 Ks They've been in NYC all week as they're doing the Bronx to Queens tour. which started with winning two of three from the Yanx.

Drake Baldwin HR'd to lead off the bottom of the 1st and Chris Sale throws a CG 5-hit shutout (out-dueling Yamamoto) giving the Braves a 1 - 0 win and a sweep of the visiting Dodgers. It also gives Atlanta the series win for tie-breaking purposes if that comes into play at the end of the season.

Call stands ... which is good because if they told us (by reversing) that there was 'definitive evidence' showing he was out they might as well junk the entire system. But, remember, it's only going to overturn obvious calls AND it's going to be quick!!!!

90% of what goes on from most ML ballparks strikes me as totally minor league. Not quite at WWE level yet but they're on that road.

Yabbut those kinds of comebacks rarely happen (say non-BB fans). A six-run come-from-behind 9th hasn't occurred since way back in ... oh, wait, it was on Sunday Philes were actually only down by four entering the bottom of the 9th that day, but quickly made outs with two of their first three batters before going on to throw up a six-spot/walk-off. So the StL win pct at the start of B9 was = 98% Double (95%), FO (98%), FO (99%), Single (98%), Walk (95%), 3-RBI Double (85%), RBI Single (tie game - 42%), Shwar-bomb (0%) The Cards had four separate chances to end the game but retired none of the four hitters. They then had one more shot of at least sending things into extras and a 50/50 shot at salvaging ... and that obviously didn't happen either. The final three Philly batters, the 8-9-1 hitters who drove in all six runs, all did so with two strikes on them [Edmundo Sosa: 3-RBI 2B on a 1-2 count; Bryan De La Cruz: RBI 1B on a 2-2 count; Schwarber: HR on a 2-2 count)

Maybe because other players' unions (NFL & NBA) are in favor of it and show no signs of seeking to reverse the imposed limits. No. But what this would do is have those first two years out of HS weed out a certain percentage of potential draftees so that the ones who would eventually get drafted and enter the minor league systems would be (theoretically) a better lot as a whole. Think about the NFL and their ban until three years after HS (in the NBA it's one year), That minimum allows the NFL teams to ignore every kid who stops growing at 17/18, every one who discovers drugs and pussy at 19, every one who blows out his knee at 20, as well as those who realize by age 21 that they simply don't have the talent/desire/work ethic needed to move on to the next level. All those never-will-bes are removed from the NFL draft roles for free by the NCAA their captive and unaffiliated minor league system through which virtually all potential players must pass. It's a nice racket.

7:10 start - no get-away day game to cap this one off (Brewers are home to TEX on Friday). Got thumped last night but at least we don't have to face a tough pitcher today: Jacob Misiorowsi vs Sean Manaea Personally I think the 6' 7" right-hander 'Les Mis' has just been getting lucky and that his league leading ERA [1.68], ERA+ [247], WHIP [0.759], H/9 [4.8], and K/BB Ratio [13.4] are all due for a course correction soon, quite possibly starting tonight.

The Reds came up in the top of the 9th inning in SF yesterday down 9 - 3 with Win Pct odds that rounded off to 0% Then came a HR (1%) [9-4], Single (1%), Wild Pitch (1%), Walk (3%), WP (3%), Walk (7%), Grand Slam (16%) [9-8], Infield Single + Error (36%), Bunt Single (55%), SB (61%), Sac Fly (67%) [9-9], RBI Single (84%) [10-9], FC (82%), GO (81%) Giants popped out to lead off the bottom 9th (89%), got a one out infield single (briefly dropped it back to 80%) but then K'd twice to end it.

The CF camera angle at the Yanqui game shows the first four rows of seats and goes maybe 15 seats wide. They, Paul Blackburn specifically) just got two bases-loaded Ks w/the bases loaded in the top 7th of a tie game ... and maybe 1/3 of those fans you could see even reacted to the outs. I mean, I know those seats are often given out as favors and not always to the biggest fans, but, sheet, at least pretend you're paying attention.