Frayed Knot

[tweet]https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1008860000717066241[/tweet] Big move for the Nationals. Maybe someone will get DFA'd so Sandy can respond. Kelvin Herrera dealt to the Nats for three players including Kelvin Gutierrez. At least we know they'll be some positive readings from that deal.

Was Dom' move a stupid one? ... yeah, of course, even though that's a move I'm sure he's done 1,000 times. But think about it this way: if that muffed transfer occurs with the mitt anywhere other than underneath his legs, that gets called an out. It's like the umps/replay was punishing him for his style rather than focusing on the act itself. But the call shouldn't be different from what it would be if he attempted to transfer above his thighs.

Shouldn't Ketel Marte wear #1? [fimg=85:18qo5i4m]http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server2800/a04d0/products/1719/images/2113/ketel__13334.1307714164.1280.1280.jpg?c=2[/fimg:18qo5i4m]

Time it was, and what a time it was it was a time of innocence, a time of confidences Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories, they're all that's left of you

Couldn't stay up for the game -- crashed before it even started actually, my sleep sked is still all fucked up -- so I was up at 3:30-ish and caught the whole game (minus commercials) while watching the world get a bit lighter outside the window.

Among all the other nonsense tonight ... we've required this Godley guy to retire on 12 batters to get 14 outs. Godleyness is clearly NOT next to timeliness.

HRs w/o men on base ... our specialty Hits with men on base? ... no, sorry, we don't do that.

They're just inventing ways not to score. 3 hits, including 2 doubles, 2 walks, and a HBP in 3 innings somehow = 1 run

I'll always watch even though I may geek out less and less (although pre-ASG is too early for any of that). But football, hoops, and hockey aren't substitutes for baseball to me, never were. If I'm going to start skimping on hardball it's going to be in favor of books or some other distractions.

Wait, we're allowed to score in more than one inning?!? Is the rest of the team aware?

It's just frustrating to hear that they should have walked him, but only after something bigger than a walk occurs. And again, if you want to make the case that 100% walksshould be the case then go ahed and make it. But the passive/aggressive approach is no approach at all.

Just got home and saw the box score. In yesterday's thread, I said to pitch around Freddie F'n Freeman. Maybe if I etched it on a stone tablet and left it in the clubhouse, they'll read it. Later No offense, dude, but you bring this up every time they play the Braves at which point somebody, usually me, brings up the stupidity and long-term losing strategy of essentially gifting players, even power hitters, a 1.000 OBA -- at which point you generally resort to claiming that you didn't literally mean it until the next Braves series when you say the exact same thing. In Monday's (small) sample size, Freddie: - came up in the 1st with a runner on 2nd/1-out and promptly K'd. Would you rather walk him there and go to 1st & 2nd w/1out? - in the 4th he lead off and they walked him. And although HE didn't actually score a run (he was out on that 1-2-5 DP) his leadoff walk set-up the first run of the game. "How 'bout that?' as Mell Allen used to say - in the 6th he again led off the the Braves' half and this time he HR'd - but considering that the Braves went on to tack on 2 walks, 3 singles, 2 steals, and an inning-capping Grand Slam, how's the outcome going to be any different there with him walking rather than being pitched to? I'll answer that: none, except that your way you go in KNOWING that he won't make an out rather than taking you chances where there's a greater than 50/50 chance he will. - and finally in the 7th, he lead off with a walk ... and quickly scored on the following double!!! His OPS v-NYM is slightly above his overall career numbers -- iow, he's not some kind of magical "Met Killer', he's merely a good hitter who's going to beat you, and them, and everyone else on occasion. So do us a favor, either make an argument for actually putting him on each time or drop this six times/season ritual. And claiming that you only want to 'pitch around him' but not actually walk him is a non-answer.

Biggio, btw, is 2nd all time in a stat where several of the top guys doubled as signers of the 'Articles of Confederation' during their off seasons. The only modern guys near Biggio are Dan Baylor who didn't have to play chicken-wing ball because he essentially stood atop of home plate, plus Ron Hunt and Jason Kendall -- neither one of which could actually hit: JK = 274 HBP to go along with 76 HRs; RH = 243/39 Utley is 8th all time.

41Forever wrote: 41Forever wrote: Has that rule ever been enforced? not when other clubs do it. It's ABSOLUTELY a rule and is SHOULD be called - but that's one you see about twice per decade and if we're going to start enforcing it NOW, I want to go back and shave about 40 OBP points of off Utley and Biggio's career. Both were great players but were allowed to get away with that on EVERY inside pitch -- and on "plays" a lot most blatant that what Nimmo just did. The Knot is back from the DL and bringing the heat!! I'm just pissed off (well, for so many reasons at this point) because Utley could stick him elbow in the way of outside pitches and I never saw him get called for it. Exactly 200 career HBP for Utley including 76 in a 3 season span. Not sure what the intentional/non ratio was but I'm betting around 50/50 And Biggio was often even less subtle than Utley. 285 for the Houston HOF'er including five seasons of leading the league with 22+ If they give us robo-ump then the HP umps could concentrate on calls other than Ball/Strike. It obviously wasn't the reason we lost tonight -- esp. since things sucked both way -- but that was a REALLY poorly called game tonight

Two weird DPs tonight: the Mets going 1-2-5 and now that one nailing Bruce at 3rd. On the Bruce one, once he was going to be out he should have just fallen on him to prevent the out at 1st -- except that that kind of play might have resulted in Callaway getting tossed again

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: 41Forever wrote: Has that rule ever been enforced? not when other clubs do it. It's ABSOLUTELY a rule and is SHOULD be called - but that's one you see about twice per decade and if we're going to start enforcing it NOW, I want to go back and shave about 40 OBP points of off Utley and Biggio's career. Both were great players but were allowed to get away with that on EVERY inside pitch -- and on "plays" a lot most blatant that what Nimmo just did.

Familia has retired ONE batter: Jon Lester pinch-hitting He got the other out on a caught stealing. Some shit hits in there to be sure, but still ... And now there's the 3rd out.

It's like the pen draws straws to see who's turn it is to suck that particular night.

Edgy MD wrote: Anybody still considering Conforto, I submit that throw we just saw as exhibit 1 in favor or Conforto. Put him in a corner and tell him to hit. Where throws over the catcher's head wouldn't matter?

Leave it to Joe Maddon to go through his entire bench by the top of the 8th in a game where he's only changed pitches once so far. As a people manager his reputation is the best. As a game strategist he's a mad scientist who'd drive me nuts if managing my team.

MLB.com takes a look at the 2008 draft and re-drafts with a decade's worth of hindsight wisdom. They don't explain what criteria they use to determine this new order, but it seems fairly reasonable. Below is shown their top ten choices next to their actual round & overall pick and how many slots this re-draft would improve or drop them from their real draft position. —PLAYERActual Round / Pick+ / -1BUSTER POSEY1 / 5+42BRANDON CRAWFORD4 / 117+1153ERIC HOSMER1 / 3Even 4CRAIG KIMBREL3 / 96+92 5CHARLIE BLACKMON2 / 72+67 6TANNER ROARK25 / 753+747 7LANCE LYNN1 / 39+32 8JOSH HARRISON6 / 191+183 9LOGAN FORSYTHE1 / 46+37 10JAKE ODORIZZI1 / 32+22 Nice job by the Giants here who got the consensus 1st & 2nd best players in that year's draft with the 5th and 117th picks. This exercise has the Mets picking infielder Lonnie Chisenhall instead of Ike Davis (18th), and then RHP Brad Brach with the 22nd choice rather than the never to be a ML'er Reese Havens In the meantime, the real 1st round/2008 featured such luminaries as Kyle Skipworth (6th overall), Aaron Crow (9th), Ethan Martin (15), David Cooper (17), Ryan Perry (21), and Daniel Schlereth (26)

Ashie62 wrote: Nil Nil NIM NIM

Two aces came off the DL last night ... and immediately go right back on it. LAD, Clayton Kershaw -- after missing a month with biceps tendonitis he now has a lower back strain StL, Alex Reyes made his 2018 debut ... and now goes down with a "significant lat strain". That sounds like he pulled a Noah So, y'know, it doesn't only happen to us. And a bit off the beaten path seeing as how he's not active anymore, but 51 y/o John Smoltz has qualified for the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament

Plus Evans hasn't been down long enough to re-float him up to the majors (until tonight's injuries are tallied) so the hitting choices were rather limited anyway.

I had a suspicion they'd call up Lobaton (or Nido) if for no other reason than to allow the non-playing half of Mesowecki (rolls off the tongue better than Plawraco) to PH more freely.