Frayed Knot

Centerfield wrote: I would love to go to Wrigley. I would hope that my seats would be better than the last time I was there. People complain about having to sit behind Poles in Wrigley but what do they expect, it's Chicago where the odds of sitting behind some guy named Kowalski or Pulaski are always going to be high.

HahnSolo wrote: - Is Arrieta hitting a wall? Heard this morning that he's way, way, way over his previous innings pitched for any season. 229 IP this season (pre-playoff total), never more than 156 prior to this year.

El Segundo Escupidor wrote: 2015 Mets: Eating Aces for breakfast. I know. It's like some people thought that the likes of Kershaw, Greinke, Lester, and Arrieta were supposed to be obstacles or something.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr wrote: Was that really a brainfart/lack-of-hustle there? I mean, Rizzo's a fast dude, and was running hard on a high-bounding chopper that Duda fielded at least fifteen feet behind the bag. Clearly the brain fart part was on Jeurys.

Edgy MD wrote: I was expecting Matz this inning. You should always expect the Matz -- H. P. Osterdunk

Mila Kunis is planning on getting bombed in four years. Make your plans accordingly.

The only CY contender that Murphy hasn't HR'd against lately is deGrom.

The way Syndergaard's hair is blowing out there it's like he's shooting a shampoo commercial.

PiggiesTomatoes wrote: Can't remember ever seeing a post-season run like this. Go, Young Daniel! Beltran, 2005, Houston.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!

And conveniently he's in town now to do a week of tapings in Brooklyn so the timing works out well all around. Still gotta wonder how much of a current NYM fan he while hanging around with his LA buddies four decades removed from living in NYC, but it's too trivial an issue to spend any time stewing over.

Apparently Jimmy Kimmel is throwing out the first ball tonight. I have no idea why. He is a Brooklyn native (though raised largely in Las Vegas) and, according to at least one article, claims to be a MLBS although we know that such claims are often made for timing and trending purposes so maybe that's true and maybe it isn't.

El Segundo Escupidor wrote: Man, the Blue Jays will be down for the count after that game. Considering that they were down 0-2 just last week and managed to survive it's probably a bit premature to say that yet. And while you could argue that this is KC rather than TEX it's also a 7 game series instead of just 5.

Most disappointing fans of the night: the ones who passively allowed Rizzo to reach 6 rows deep to catch Cespedes's foul pop. That was the second of two consecutive foul pops which were right in front of d'Arnaud's HR. Nothing could have been done about the first one over on the 3rd base side, but that second one was clearly in fan territory and could have -- Should have -- been prevented from ever getting to Rizzo and there would have been no chance of interference on the play.

Familia's two innings on Thursday were so efficient that it was essentially one inning (just 19 pitches total) so it's not like he's being subjected to abuse here. Yeah, it is twice in three days now where it's get up, get some outs, sit down, then get up again. But think about how much we'd be kicking ourselves if we lost one of these last two games with Reed or Clippard on the mound because we were 'saving' Jeurys for the inning that never was.

El Segundo Escupidor wrote: El Segundo Escupidor wrote: Wow Trevor Cahill's really stacked it on since the last time i saw him. Lumpy Cahill. Dem Chi-town deep dishes! He's got what we like to call a dunlop belly because his belly done lopped over his belt.

Holy Freaking Wow!!!!

Montero is their better hitting catcher and was just switched into the game, but he didn't make a good throw to 3rd and didn't make a good stand on that tag.

Harvey's sac bunting pct tonight is .333

Well, aside from getting just one out total out of two consecutive double-play balls, that inning turned out all right.

And now the Royals have the lead. Price's string of bad post-season starts continues, although oddly he's pitched well in post-season relief appearances. And as I'm typing it goes to FIVE-three KC

bmfc1 wrote: Gilmartin in, Goodell out. Montero, Schwarber, Rizzo, LaStella, Coughlin Not that Gimartin's your classic LOOGY, but it should be a help anyway.

After losing all four at Wrigley in May, the series shifted to CitiField at the tail end of June June 30 -- Cubs 1 - Mets 0 Niece went 7 innings allowing only a 6th inning 2-out RBI 2B to Matt Szczur -- http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201506300.shtml But Met bats were getting 3 hit (2 singles + 1 double) by Kyle Handricks for 6 innings, then no-hit over the final 3 by the Chicago pen of Rondon, Strop, and Motte July 1 -- Cubs 2 - Mets 0 (11 innings) -- http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201507010.shtml Pretty much a case of same shit, different day. This time it was Colon going 7 innings on 3 hits with nothing to show for it. Cubs scored twice off of Carlos Torres & Gilmartin But NYM bats total only 7 hits (incl 3 doubles) of starter Jon Lester and co., and went 1-for-11 w/RiSP July 2 -- Cubs 6 - Mets 1 -- http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN201507020.shtml Just 5 hits this time off of Arrieta (8 IP) and Travis Wood (1) for a three-game series total of 1 run on 15 hits deGrom pitches OK until a 6th inning 2R HR ends his day (5.1, 4 runs, 3 earned). Cubs tack on 2 in the 9th off A Torres I think it's safe to say that the Cubs should expect at least a bit more of a challenge from NYM bats this time around.

Other than having to replace Russell at SS probably with Javier Baez (see above) the Cubs are pretty much set in the rest of the infield: - Rizzo at 1st -- lefty stick, good pop, draws walks, fields well - Starlin Castro at 2B -- RH, decent pop but low OBP. Was moved off of SS for Russell in mid-season . - Kris Bryant at 3B -- Rookie, RH, tons of power, lots of Ks. Former Brave Tommy LaStella occasionally fills in at 2nd or 3rd Their OF situation is a little more fluid: - CF is the most settled with switch-hitting Dexter Fowler getting almost all the starts. Good speed/glove, decent hitting - Kyle Schwarber: 22 y/o, LHB, came up as a catcher but has started there only 15 times. Mostly he takes his ridiculous raw power to one of the corner spots then usually get pulled for late inning defense or for LHPs. - Jorge Soler, Chris Denorfia, Austin Jackson, Chris Coughlin mix and match all over the OF with even Kris Bryant getting the occasional game in LF. Maddon isn't afraid to juggle. Catcher: Combo of former DBack Miguel Montero (LHB) and the gray-bearded David Ross (RHB). Montego hits, Ross doesn't.

May 14: Cubs 6 - Mets 5 -- http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN201505140.shtml The final game of the four game set in Wrigley was one of those Jon Niese blowup inning games. Mets had a 5-1 lead going into the bottom of the 5th (this was the 2-HR day from Recker - his only two of the season) but in the bottom half Niese gave up 4 hits plus a walk sandwiched around a Flores error and it was suddenly tied at 5. Niese actually hung on until the 7th when one of his runners came in on a passed ball with Robles on the mound. Met bats got two hits after the 5th.