Frayed Knot

btw, 15-8 if you start counting with that cock-punch 'Upton game' in the rain - and seven of those eight losses have been either in extra innings (twice) and/or by one run. IOW, they've been in every game. Only in the final game during the Pittsburgh sweep did we get blown out (8-1) and even that game was tied in the 7th. While most of the wins during that same stretch have been a bit less dicey: 1 run = 3 times 2 runs = 3 3 runs = 2 4 runs = 3 5 runs = 2 6 or more = 2

Now that we've got some real live (and even occasionally hitting over .200) backups, sitting Granderson vs LHPs should be almost the standard move at this point.

And of course Jonathan Papelbon is the other long-time [crossout:1dcthz92]asshole[/crossout:1dcthz92] stalwart no longer drawing his paycheck from Philly. So 2nd year 24 y/o RH Ken Giles, previously the set-up man, closes games now and is 10-for-10 since taking over (although in 7 of the 10 he's had the cushier 2 or 3 run lead). But where losing a closer usually hurts is not in the 9th inning but in the leading up to the 9th since the best set-up man is no longer available to get your team to its closer, so losing Papelbum probably takes a toll on the depth of their pen somewhere.

It's the curse of playing three last-place clubs in a row (four really as we get two series this week w/the Phils) that you come to expect nothing worse than say 10-3 or maybe 9-4 and when you start it 3-0 even those numbers start to look like 'settling'. But the Phils aren't playing like a last place team right now and it's over a long enough span where it starts to look legit (I'm not quite sure HOW they're winning but the results say they are) so there are reasons to not expect totally smooth sailing. "Chooch," man, not "Cheech." I thought Chooch was the guy who formed the comedy team with Ching!

Would you sign Cesar Puello?

6. Number of Kardashians dated by team members still on the 40 man roster as of September 1st (lesser number gets higher seed)

KTE Update: So we're 8-1 vs the Phils this year but haven't seen them since late May and I'm not sure that we'd recognize half the team right now. They're actually no longer in last place but are tied for 4th/last with the Marlins after taking 3 of 4 from them over this past weekend and the team once on pace for a 110 loss season are a more than respectable 21-12 over the last five weeks (I wonder if Phils phans are doing the 'All this winning is terrible' thing?) to bring that projection down to the mere upper-90s So, after getting used to a lineup that was as steady as it was annoying, is there anyone on this team we still know? - Like is Ruiz still at catcher? Yes, although Cameron Rupp seems to be starting as many games as 'Cheech' these days, and he's hitting better 1B - Good ol' Ryan Howard is still there (as his contract calls for him to be through Bernie Sanders' second term) but Darrin Ruf has started six of the last seven games. Geez, Rupp & Ruf ... sounds like a kennel 2B - Chase Utley is now gone (moment of silence please) leaving Cesar Hernandez, who we've seen from time to time over the past two seasons, in his wake SS - No Jimmy means extra helpings of Freddy Galvis who has started almost every game for Philly this year 3B - Makiel Franco was their break-out star this year but he's currently residing on the DL ... so it's time to play 'Know Your Blanco'! In this case the correct answer is Andres Blanco (aka: Andy White) LF - 3B-turned OF Cody Asche mans that spot although has recently been joined by something named Aaron Altherr who I wouldn't recognize if he walked into my house with a name tag saying: 'HI, My Name is Aaron Altherr' CF - With Ben Revere now gone the full time job seems to belong exclusive to 23 y/o rookie Odubel Herrera RF - The three-headed monster of the once good (Grady Sizemore) the briefly good (Jeff Francouer) and the never good (Domonic Brown) has been reduced to just Francouer and Brown with Francouer stunningly getting most of the time In the rotation we'll miss Cole Hamels on account of him plying his trade in north Texas these days, and also Aaron Nola the promising hoped-for replacement for Hamels (4-1 over 7 starts) who pitched on Sunday Instead we'll see: Monday: deGrom vs Adam Morgan (4-4, 3.92, 1.22 in 10 starts) a 25 y/o rookie 3rd round pick 2011 who was apparently named for a neighborhood in Wash DC. Never faced the Mets Tuesday: Syndergaard vs Jerome Williams (4-9, 6.10, 1.67) We beat him 6-1 and 5-4 (ND) earlier this season Wednesday: Colon vs Jerad Eickoff -- Came to the Phils from Texas in the Hamels deal. Won his one and only ML start Friday vs Miami by tossing 6 shutout innings. Thursday: Niese vs Aaron Harang -- The Harang-atang leads MLB with 14 losses including 2 vs the Mets (5-14, 4.67, 1.35)

Workin' and practicin'

Just keep on keeping' that tying run away from the plate Hansel.

Cespedes really baked McBride with that catch.

Man, even when the Indians win they suck. They got 9 hits [u:39mlv2f2]plus 10 walks[/u:39mlv2f2] from the Yanx today and managed to score all of four runs and I was sure they were going to blow it in the end. But 4-3 win (that Francisco Lindor guy at SS killed the Yanx all weekend) and, with the Jays leading early out west, it could be another flip-flop of 1st & 2nd in the AL East (although the loser of that duel has a large lead in the WC race). Sabbath left in the 2nd with some sort of knee injury. Funny how often that happens to guys tipping it at 300+

Man it's got to be tough watching Rockies baseball this season. Just in one turn through the lineup for the Mets so far there have been 4 hits, 3 WPs, a HBP, a BB, an error ... and we haven't even gotten to the bullpen yet. And a whole lot of 3-1/2 hour games.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: It also occurred to me that the NHOP numbers above may not be as accurate as they should be. There aren't 80 combined games remaining, because the Mets and Nationals will be playing each other six times in September. That means that the number of games is actually 74, and the numbers will have to be adjusted accordingly. It's essentially like there are 80 games remaining -- 34 Nats game + 34 Mets games + 6 head-to-head match-ups, but those six games automatically count double so I don't think it'll change your odds. All it means is that there'll be six days which are guaranteed to wind up as either a 'Double-Happiness' or 'Double-Sadness' result with no possibility of splitting the baby.

Danny Collins to his (never before met) adult son: - Are you happy? How's your life? -- I hate my boss. And the Mets break my heart most of the time. But other than that I'm doing OK.

What are the odds?

Doesn't matter what the facts say, we all know that Jeter's stats were great except when they weren't at which point the argument shifts to Jeter's not about stats. Besides, he made all the defensive plays when they mattered anyway.

Good Lawd it's still just the 4th inning!!

Fans will then have to wait all the way until tomorrow for Pettitte's ceremony. They probably felt they needed to schedule them for the same weekend after Jeter told them he wasn't going to fly in twice.

Fiers had more complete games last night than Fiers had had in his career. Second straight no-hitter where the no-no has been on that pitcher's first ever complete game. Iwakuma: no-hitter on Aug 12th was his 88th ML start Fiers: last night was his 59th game started

And the "throw in" on that deal has been the better player Houston received. Mike Fiers stunk it up in his first Astros start but has allowed a combined one earned run in three starts since, most notably Friday night when he allowed no hits in a complete game vs LAD.

d'Kong76 wrote: Unicorns were scarce between '71 and '85. They were at near extinction thanks to the lucrative horn markets in east Asia but, since that time, selective breeding and poaching enforcement through the Wildlife Protection Act have brought them back.

Season ending hip surgery for Ike Davis. Torn labrum.

And somehow this game was five minutes shorter than the Yanx 7-3 loss to Cleveland. God how I hate the American League.

Edgy MD wrote: 15 total bases. And there are five more outs to go and he's seven spots away from getting another AB - and at the rate this game is going I'd say it's almost likely to happen. So the prospect of 19 TBs is in play. Plus we might even win the game.

Tacking on the 1st inning double, if Cespedes goes deep again tonight (and he might still have two more cracks at it) I believe he'll tie the all-time Total Bases record for one game. Joe Aadcock (Braves - late '50s) had a double along with his 4 HR game for 18 TBs