Frayed Knot

What did Gary say? In discussing the partial comeback in Game 1 Gary referenced the time they DID come back from eight runs down -- occurring on this date in history as it turns out -- which he credited Greg for passing along the info with a plug for FaFiF in the process. I believe GFaFiF mentioned that game here just recently.

#1,041 in your hearts, #3 of your day. [fimg=130:oapkqy6n]https://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/req/201707131/images/headshots/5/58f0ceee_mlbam.jpg[/fimg:oapkqy6n]

GFaFiF getting an in-game shout-out from Gary

Edgy MD wrote: Welcome to our first-ever Met from Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. I thought I detected a hint of a Miyazaki accent during some of his pre-game comments.

Frayed Knot wrote: May he have many happy returns. Or at least, y'know, retire a batter.

Meet Mr 1,040, Jamie Callahan of Florence SC May he have many happy returns. [fimg=150:1ndwbkcf]https://d3k2oh6evki4b7.cloudfront.net/req/201707131/images/headshots/8/88c26294_mlbam.jpg[/fimg:1ndwbkcf]

Well this inning (top 7) has been an unexpected turn of events!!

Let it Rhame!

Edgy MD wrote: ... and I'm not sure there was a single swing and miss by the Astros. Checking the record: Josh Reddick (first inning, fourth overall batter) had a swing and miss (94.6 mph 4-seam fastball). Marwin Gonzalez (second inning, 14th overall batter) had a swing and miss (83.8 mph curveball). Well that's two out of 70, that's ... uhh, not good. Meanwhile my estimate for NYM swing and misses today is somewhere around half of Morton's pitches.

Gary reporting that the Ver has Landed.

THEY are the ones NOT putting a timetable on it, but have to plan for the possibility that his recovery could last into next season.

Basing one person's surgery on another person's surgery is a really bad idea.

Morton has 7 of the 9 outs via Ks. Harvey had 3 Ks but I believe all were Ks were looking and I'm not sure there was a single swing and miss by the Astros.

NY Post: Michael Conforto, who damaged his left shoulder in a freak incident last week, will undergo surgery to repair a tear in the joint’s posterior capsule, the team announced Saturday. The Mets did not provide a timetable for Conforto’s return, but there is concern within the organization, according to sources, that rehab could last into next spring training and beyond. And so it goes.

Yeah Houston. Y'know, born the same year as us, used to be league-mates but apparently lost a bet of some kind so were exiled to the DH league. Lotsa rain, big flood, sympathy and all that. Team has a huge lead in their division -- like clinched a playoff slot back in May sometime -- but they skidded to a 11-17 August which does put their near season-long AL best record in trouble (are now just +2.5 on Cleveland, +4.0 on Boston) if you're one of those who think that stuff actually means anything. Today's 2:10 EDT start features Matt Harvey vs Charlie Morton Morton -- the 33 y/o ex-Brave, ex-Pirate from Redding, CT -- is 10-6 with a 3.88 ERA 1.22 WHiP in 20 starts this year. Doesn't seem to go deep into games (5-6 innings most of the time) but who does these days? Harvey, of course, is making his first start in like 4,567 days and during rehab starts his fastball was reportedly clocked at speeds up to 62 mph so we're not quite sure what we're going to get from the big dope here. He's probably on a pitch count which may even extend into double digits. Fortunately it's September so we have 19 relievers in the pen to take over and pitch until they each get either one out or reach a pitch count of 35 whichever comes first. And it's a DH game so not only will we likely have a middle infielder in the outfield but we'll probably have one at DH too .. and won't that be fun. The good news is that we'll miss both their existing ace Dallas Keuchel and their newly imported ace Justin Verlander. Whether there will be any Kate Upton sightings has yet to be determined. Quick Astros overview: C - Brian McCann - still fat and slow and bald 1B - Yuli Gurriel - Cuban import, some power, good average, few walks 2B - Jose Altuve - just 4' 5" yet averages 7 hits per game SS - Carlos Correa is on the DL so other guys play there instead 3B - Whichever other guy ins't filling in at SS that day fills in at 3rd OF - rather than set spots, they seem to have a rotation system in their OF like it's volleyball or something meaning that anyone could be anywhere in a given game. So some combo of Josh Reddick, rookie Derek Fisher (2014 1st round pick), George Springer (still trying to prove he's a cousin), Jake Marisnick, Marwin Gonzalez (they'll play him anywhere), the newly picked-up Cameron Maybin, and even 56 y/o Carlos Beltran will cover the three slots plus DH. Overall they have a very good defense and have somehow managed to train their guys to hit for power and yet not strike out all the time despite being a total all-or-nothing team just a year or two ago. So they're tops in the AL in BA, OBA, SLG, and R/G; also are tops in 2Bs, 3rd in HRs, only slightly below average in walks, and yet have the fewest strikeouts in the league by a lot! Sound familiar? Yeah, not to me either.

The Sabathia v. Boston "feud" gets better (more like 'handbags at twenty paces' as our Irish friend here would say). To review: - Sabathia called the Red Sox "weak" for stooping to bunting (once!) in Thursday's game. The bunt, by the second batter of the game, was a bad one and an easy out but C.C. threw it wide for an E1 (the runner never scored) - Jim Rice on NESN responds: “What is he talking about? Bunting is part of the game. You try to get on base any way you can. If you tell him to leave some of that chicken, that donut and that burger weight [behind then] maybe his leg will be OK that he can field that baseball. That’s just stupid.” - Sabathia counters: "Never met him, I just hope when I’m that age I’m not that bitter.” but then added; “I laughed. I can’t go back and forth with him. ... I’m a fat guy so he’s right. I don’t know what to say ... [my weight] is what it is, I've been pitching for 17 years this way”

CC Sabathia apparently thinks it's dirty pool if you bunt while he's on the mound. You'd think it was because he's old and fat and has bad knees but he claims not to have liked it when he was young either. Suck it up fat boy, you fielded that 1st inning bunt fine, it's not the Sox fault that you then threw it away. Yanx won the first of four last night in a series where Boston can bury them once and for all. But the Sox only got 4 hits and made numerous outs on the base paths and left a ton of runners on. Betances served up two walks plus 2 HBPs in the 9th inning alone. Naturally the game took 3:44 despite being only 6-2 and only 8-1/2 innings. Gary Sanchez must have made 75 trips to the mound. I'd love to see a limit next year if only to further expose his cluelessness.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: One thing I'm realizing is we simply have to adjust our expectations with these SHaMmiest of SHaMs. I mean, they suck. Unable to win a series, prone to slumps and dumb plays etc etc etc. I mean the Reds fucked us up the butt in this series. When you lose and/or give up 3/4 of your offense -- as Granderson, Walker, Bruce, Duda, Cespedes, and Conforto essentially all disappeared during a two week window -- it's tough to expect good things. This is now a team which has topped four runs just once in the last 12 games and the note above about it being the first series without hitting a HR is stunning considering who and where they were just playing.

Nymr83 wrote: Verlander to Houston! Yeah, about 20 minutes after I wrote above that it looked like he was staying and turned off the computer, I hear on the radio that it's a done deal. Prior to that Verlander had reportedly been wielding his no-trade powers Tigers get: - RHP Franklin Perez - a 19 y/o Venezuelan currently in High-A - Daz (son of Mike) Cameron - 1st round (37th overall) draft pick in 2015 out of HS. Started very slowly, picked it up this year in Low-A - Jake Rogers, catcher/DH, 3rd round pick out of Tulane in 2016, moved from Low-A to High-A this season Verlander is sign thru 2019 with a vesting option for 2020, the Tigers also kick in around $8 million for his salary

Those AL WC hopefuls are grabbing whatever they can off the shelves before the stores close -- Brandon Phillips from the Braves to the Angels -- RHP Miguel Gonzalez from the White Sox to Texas Only a few minutes left and it appears that Justin Verlander will remain a Tiger and Asdrubal a Met

Mets Willets Point wrote: It will be so satisfying if they lose the NLDS. Them vs the Nationals will be a tough one to root for for most of us. Pick your poison. Well one thing about having torrid season is that it only takes a small stumble to knock you off your record setting pace and the Dodgers have now lost five in a row and six of eight. Of course it's nice to 'fall' like that and still be at 50 games over .500 but their current 91-41 leaves them needing to go: * 9 - 21 to reach 100 wins * 18 - 12 to reach 109 wins and an NL record (not such a slam-dunk anymore, eh?) * and a very tough 25 - 5 if they want to merely match the '01 Mariners season of 116 - 46

This entire series was a dud outside of Montero's outing. Bad hitting, bad base-running, not great fielding, yadda yadda

I knew the Astros were looking for pitching so the Maybin news comes as a bit of a surprise. Yanx have traded for minor league catcher (and phormer Philly) Eric Kratz - although that's got more to do with both of their catchers looking at suspensions (Romine = 2 games, Sanchez = 4) than it does planning for post-season possibilities.

Today is the final day for teams to pickup players that would still be eligible for post-season play. - on Wednesday the Cardinals dealt away pitcher Mike Leake along with part of his contract and some Int'l bonus signing cap money to the Mariners in exchange for a minor league SS Curious move as it seems to signal that the Cards are out of it while the Mariners think they're still in despite just getting steamrolled by the Orioles in their last series. - today reports have Detroit dealing Justin Upton to the Angles

Good thing we're facing the ML's worst pitching staff in a hitter's park, eh? 4, 2, and 2 runs so far over 25 total innings.