Frayed Knot

Game 2 Wednesday 6:40 -- Paul Skenes vs Hunter Greene

So we are, however temporarily, back in the WC #3 lead (they lost tonight and we haven't).

Bottom 9, still 4-2 Spencer Steer facing Dennis Santana -- K Elly De La Cruz -- Single (4th hit of the night for EDLC) Matt McLain --

Still 4-2, end of 7

But if you wait for a larger sample size you'll fall behind in the 'I can hate on this guy before you' race.

We knew that this was going to happen and now we find out it already has. So that scratches 2026 for him for sure and maybe longer. I also suspect he has already thrown his last pitch as a Met and there's no guarantee that he'll pitch again anywhere. He turned 30 while on the IL and will be at least 31-1/2 by the time it's even possible for him to join a roster and his track record was only sporadically good prior to tearing the ligament. So best of luck to the uniquely spelled Tylor. Seemed like a good (if quiet) guy even if only occasionally a good pitcher. You'd hate to see 6 runs in 3.1 IP vs Tampa (June 14) as the closing note of a career but you can't always script these things.

Might as well have one focusing on this one team for the week seeing as how, y'know, we have to be at least one game better between now and Sunday. Pirates 4 - Reds 2, end of 2 in Cincy Pitt put up a 4-spot in top-2. The Reds' Elly De La Cruz (EDLC to his friends) went yard with/a man on in the bottom half. Oddly that's only EDLC's 21st HR on the season but just his second since the end of July.

That's domination, homes!!

If nobody gets on Edwin, then the tying run doesn't come to the plate.

Still six outs to go, boys. Don't get too nuts yet!

Good. If PC-A had gotten a hit there I would have considered it my fault for writing the above about him. I was worried that he read it and was looking for revenge.

Is that the first leadoff guy the Mets have retired? And I mean in September.

PC-A pre-ASG: .265/.302/.544 // 847 PC-A post-ASG: .207/.257/.348 // 605 The glove and speed he brings to the game are valuable assets, but a .286 OBA (same this year as last) is a pretty big anchor on overall value. And, yeah, he's not yet 24 years old so I'm not yoking him into to those numbers going forward. But he will have to improve them at some point.

There's been a lot of game already, especially so when you consider that there are still (at least) 3-1/2 innings left to play!

Cubs score five runs in 1-1/3 innings Cubs scored a total of seven in four games!! vs Cincy.

Edgy MD wrote: Drink scheduled to begin flowing at or around 7:40. Blood expected to spill shortly after. And if the boys want to hit we better let 'em

Might not have mattered if he did pitch. The Cubs' staff held the Reds to just one run twice in a four game set and still managed to lose all four.

=Cowtipper post_id=205200 time=1758649079 user_id=166] Ryan Helsley is on a roll. His ERA with the Mets is 8.47, but in September, it is a much healthier 7.36.

Cade Horton (R/R) was the Cubs' 1st round/7th overall draft pick out of U Oklahoma in 2022 before making his ML debut in mid May Over his last 11 starts (starting on 7/20) he's allowed: 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 2, 0, 1, and 1 runs, pitching mostly between five and six innings and throwing 60-85 pitches So that's 5 runs on 31 hits over 58.1 innings. 15 walks vs 52 Ks

Charlie Morton, 42 y/o in November and traded to Detroit at the trade deadline then released after 9 appearances, signed a contract with the Braves for the purpose of retiring with the team that drafted him in the 3rd round* of the 2002 draft out of a HS in Redding, CT. Morton pitched for seven teams over his 18 year career. He was 3rd in the CY race in 2019 for Tampa. * Brian McCann = 2nd round, Jeff Francouer = 1st round of the same draft. The Mets, that year, drafted Scott Kazmir in Round 1 but lost their 2nd & 3rd round picks by signing FAs Crlos Gomez and David Westhers.

Yeah, I should have said 'if form holds' the NL would hold the home field advantage. But, as of now, the top NL teams hold a clear advantage over the top AL teams as the last lap comes around.

With the NL being essentially a scramble for the final WC slot, there will certainly be plenty of discussion in other threads for that subject. So it's all eyes towards the AL as we navigate through the final week. East: Yanx are streaking while the Blue Jays tread water. So the Yanx could not only win the division but whoever wins will have the all-important first round Bye and probably the best AL record overall (though neither will be as good as MIL or PHI (barring something really unusual) so the NL gets the home field in the WS. Jays have the tie-breaker if there's a tie but the sked advantage looks to be with NY Jays: BOS x3, TBR x3, all in Toronto Yanx: CHW x3, BAL x3, all in da Bronx Central: The Tigers are cratering while Guardians are going nuts so a lead that was once 15-1/2 games and was 9-1/2 as recently as 12 days ago, is now just one skinny game. And Cleveland holds the head-to-head edge at the moment (6-4) although that could change because ... BECAUSE THEY PLAY EACH OTHER STARTING TOMORROW!!, that's why. In 21 September games (16-5) the Guardians have allowed 51 runs scored, 2.43/G!! (aka: the Mets staff just in 3rd innings) Tigers: CLE x3, BOS x3 - both on the road!! Guardians: DET x3, TEX x3 - both series at home West: the Mariners just laid a three-game ass-whoopin' on the Astros [4-0, 6-4, 7-3 - in that last one the M's scored all 7 in the 2nd so it wasn't even that close]. So the 'stros, who had led the division almost exclusively since early June are now not only 3G out but are in the same position as us ... out of the playoffs entirely! by virtue of a tie-breaker. SEA: COL x3, LAD x3, both in Seattle HOU: ATH x3, LAA x3, both on the road (so 4 of the 6 games to save their season are late night (9:30 or 10:00) start times for the home viewers) Wild Card: Right now it's NYY #1, BOS #2 (3G back), CLE #3 (1G behind Sox) But the big story is that Houston and Detroit, seemingly both in cruise control for most of the second half, are both in danger of no playoffs at all. Astros are currently tied with Guardians for slot #3 but it's essentially five teams for four slots -- two division winners plus the 2nd & 3rd WC -- so one of DET, SEA, HOU, BOS, CLE is playing golf starting Monday All these series start on Tuesday so six straight in each case. Only Toronto has a playoff slot (though not the division) clinched although the Yanx would have to run off the road into a ditch to not advance. In the NL: PHI, MIL (divisions) CHC & LAD (at least a WC) have clinched.

The only real 'dead weight' to me is the CF triumvirate of Taylor, Siri, and Mullins. That was the one position where no one was here/healthy all year. But they also weren't any good when they were playing and even each at their collective peaks would be barely adequate. Plus all are now 30 or over.

Not that 7-5 to a last place team is anything to crow about. Bottom line is this: they have to be one game better than Cincy over the net six AND even with or better than Arizona. At now five games in back of the Padres AND don't have the tie breaker there either only 6-0 vs 0-6 would catch them so that ain't happenin'.