Frayed Knot

Another half-dozen or so HRs and I'll start to feel a little comfortable in this game.

Not yet it isn't!

This is kind of a weird year for Mets to be setting and/or breaking team HR records.

Brewers just scored on a bases-loaded catcher's interference. 8-2 top 7. Still batting, bases still loaded, one out. Wait, did I say 8? I meant 10 as two come in on a sac fly + error.

Cuddyer would certainly be capable of filling that role, but he hasn't hit any better since his DL stint than he was before it.

So we're doing a bit better than one hit against this guy this time, eh? That 2nd inning was nearly fifty pitches of Gray.

Or if the RFD in John Mayberry RFD Jr didn't stand for Really Fucking Drop as in that's what his v-LHP stats did this year, from an OPS of right around 840 for his career to [u:2l1msxxf]628[/u:2l1msxxf] this season !! Hell, that's worse than what his career v-RHP had been (646) As I've said before, it was bad enough that injuries (Wright, d'Arnaud) and regression (Lagares, Duda) and at times slower than hoped for development (Flores, Herrera) wrecked havoc on the offense, but it may have been just as damaging that virtually every one of the backup plans failed too: Mayberry, Nieuwenhuis, Ceciliani, Campbell, Recker, Monell, Muno, etc. on edit: the neuf-tet of Campbell, Nieuwenhuis, Mayberry, Plawecki, Ceciliani, Recker, Monell, Muno & Herrera combined to eat up 828 Plate Appearances this season while hitting a collective .182/.254/.294 w/a 26.4% K-rate

Nats call up top hitting prospect (SS) Trea Turner. He was the guy they got as part of the three-team deal last December with SD & TB but couldn't be announced until June as part of the farce of a PTBNL until one full year after his signing. Prior to the deal he had been the 13th overall pick of the Padres in 2014 (3 picks after Conforto) out of UNC. Reportedly has blinding speed and has been working out at 2B recently. Probably would have been a top 15 prospect the coming winter (and still could be if he doesn't exceed the AB limit).

Has anyone checked his vs LHP splits lately? -- .146/.191/.214 ... That DOES Suck!! He should be in prime position for a RH-hitting platoon partner, if only we had a RH-hitting platoon partner who was actually hitting these days.

More than a few legal challenges have been made to the NFL's draft by players who didn't even want to circumvent the draft but just wanted to enter a year earlier than the rule says they can and even that minor point couldn't get past a court. MLB's draft, which allows numerous points of entry: after HS, from Juco, after 3rd year of college, 4th year of college, and where independent leagues, domestic and foreign, do exist, would seem even more safe from legal challenges.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: To get back on topic any time there's been a threat of a competing league it has led almost directly to large increases in salaries, new teams (the Mets) and/or both. Shirley its only a matter of time before the right alignment of talent and agent blows up the draft. The problem with killing the draft is that it's treated legally as something that's been bargained into place -- as opposed to the old reserve clause which was forced on the players in contradiction to all laws -- so the remedy, according to several court decisions, would be for the players to collectively bargain it out of existence. It's how the NFL, with even less competition to their league as compared to other sports, gets away with not just having a draft but also with dictating exactly when (with maybe a one-year window) a player can apply for it. IOW, it's not something that's going to be over-turned merely by some highly-aggressive agent attached to a prodigious young talent.

Or as it's known in Hollywood: Standard Operating Procedure

Wonder if this Gray guy for the Rox is still on a pitch count, or if his limit is as limiting as it was the last time when he was pulled after 6 while tossing a one-hitter vs us. As you will probably recall we proceeded to torch the Colorado pen once he left. That game was his 2nd in MLB and he's pitched one since and by the looks of things they haven't loosened the reins on him. He's yet to allow more than 2 ER in any game but has also yet to reach 80 pitches. Game 1 (SEA): 4 innings, 3 runs (2 earned), 5 hits, 77 pitches Game 2 (NYM): 6 innings, 1 run, 1 hit, 75 pitches Game 3 (SDP): 5 innings, 1 run, 4 hits, 69 pitches He doesn't even have a decision to his name yet although the Rox have gone on to lose all three of his games.

MS Paint? I was guessing finger paint!

Hard to say as we see young Danny (not played by Pacino obviously) for just a few seconds during a long-ago magazine interview. The story is based on an actual incident involving Liverpool singer/musician Steve Tilston but the character is totally invented for the movie. The story of the road Danny Collins took after chucking the songwriting portion of his talent in favor of the easier road of performing, stardom and money is skipped over leaving us with just the brief scenes of him singing his golden oldies to crowds of golden oldies. He's still popular at his age, widely recognized, and can be charming as all get out, but of course he also knows he's at least 85% fraud. At least a decade later than Dion (think early '70s as an up-and-comer) and not as authentic even if there were those at the beginning who thought he had the writing chops to be so. Closer maybe to a more charismatic version of Michael Nesmith? James Taylor who opted instead for the David Cassidy route?

On tap for us: at Rox, at Phils, home for BoSox, Phils for them: Brews, Pads, Fish, at Cards

Gaining a 1/2 game on an off day is never a bad thing.

Nats in danger of losing for the 7th time in the last 10 Max Scherzer starts. That didn't even seem possible two months ago. 3-2 Rox, [crossout]top 8[/crossout] bottom 8.

Washed up (though still making money) pop star receives a relic from his past which triggers a reassessment of his life. So he quits the tour, dumps the young girlfriend, flushes the drugs, starts to write again, and decides to make amends with family members he never knew. Better than that description makes it sound, largely due to some pro actors. Al Pacino is Danny Collins. Also Annette Benning, Christopher Plummer, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Garner, ... and John Lennon.

What, you don't like 'The Sorry and the Pity'?

Obviously the whole 'Save' thing comes into play and, yes, it is both annoying and often counter-productive especially w/Familia where there's even less of an excuse since he was neither promised, nor is being paid on, the numbers of saves he can rack up. It's tougher (though still not logical) to deny saves to 'certified closers' after you've signed them to large contracts and they base their self-worth on racking up the saves. It's why Papelbon could demand, and apparently get, promises from Nationals' mgmt that he'd be used strictly as the closer or he wouldn't approve the trade. He wants to catch (or at least come close) to Hoffman & Rivera in the career race and wasn't about to agree to a deal that wouldn't help him do that. But beyond that, I think Terry is just one of those guys -- and there are many, Bobby V was of the same school -- who believe that the best use of relievers is more often for shorter stints. And while I can understand that rationale I think it's vastly over-done at times and this (Wednesday's) game was maybe the most egregious examples in recent memory. It's like he was racing through his set-up guys leaving him with no choice but to either go to the big guns in the closing innings or the supposed lesser guys as it goes tied into the 9th or extras. By contrast, I heard a stat the other day labeling Showalter as being at the opposite end of that spectrum, that he gets more innings out of fewer pitching changes than any other manager (not that he uses the pen less necessarily but that he changes less often). Now yesterday both managers used four relievers each after their starters had given them just five innings so it all worked out the same although Buck wound up making two in-inning swaps indicating maybe that he saw a specific match-up he liked better and/or he changed only when sensing the incumbent fading in some fashion. This contrasts with Terry who made changes each time, and only when, a new inning clicked over, moves that could be interpreted as changes more by rote than by feel. Obsession with mortality is just a default mindset of mine. Give it up for Woody Allen ladies and gentlemen. Now we know he left the game early the other night to catch the late showing of 'Sorrow and the Pity'

On the other hand, so were Murph's & Wilmer's HRs

I'm sure there are Yanqui fans that are going to get their panties in a twist over this "news" but Cashman is, of course, absolutely right and anyone who claims not to prefer a 25 y/o Tulowitski over a 36 y/o Jeter is either stupid or lying. And y'know, Jetes, when you opted for the guarantee of a 10-year contract you signed when you were 26, what age did you think you were going to be when it ended? Apparently he thought he was going to be an age when he was still the best option.

Whooops, quick update. Looking back at my original questions, the one for Cuddyer was OVER/UNDER for 119.5 Starts for the season not merely games played in (I'm not sure I meant it that way but that's the way I stated it so that's the way we need to go on it). So with 79 starts to date it leaves him needing to start in 41 of the remaining 42 games in order to score for the 'OVER' votes to win. So while 'OVER' isn't officially out yet, 'UNDER' has him in a headlock and is ready to apply the sleeper hold. If we were to include his 10 PH/sub games then he's appeared in 89 which would put him on a pace for 120.15 game appearances which would likely bring this question right down to the wire, but that's not the question you folks were betting on (assuming that you even read the questions in the first place and didn't just go: A C B D C B A A B ... etc like you used to on the multiple choice quizzes you forgot to study for).

Updated as we hit the 3/4 pole. Looks like 8 questions already have a firm answer with a bunch more all but official. But =#0000BF]a handful of these look like they're going to go down to the wire. QUESTIONRESULTSTRENDINGGRANDY LEADS TEAM in HRs21 of 24 = NO=#0000FF]'YES' although just by a single ‘Outta Here’MEJIA LEADS TEAM in SAVES18 of 24 = YESThis is now officially a 'NO'GEE to STAY on TEAM ALL SEASON16 of 24 = YESIn the books as a ’NO’COLON ON ROSTER ALL SEASON16 of 24 = NO’YES’ looking like a near certaintyd’ARNAUD ON ROSTER ALL SEASON22 of 24 = YES’YES’ looking like a near certaintyRECKER ON ROSTER ALL SEASON16 of 24 = NOIn the books as a ‘NO’MUPRHY ON ROSTER ALL SEASON12 said YES, 12 said NOAlso looks like a definite ‘Yes’TEJADA ON ROSTER ALL SEASON16 of 24 = NOAnother ‘YES' is all but officialNIESE ON ROSTER ALL SEASON24 of 24 = YESA healthy Matz may have changed things, but now a sure ‘YES’COLLINS IN CHARGE ALL SEASON23 of 24 = YESSurvived the west coast trip … so ‘YES’DUDA OVER/UNDER 29.5 HRs11 of 24 = OVER=#0000FF]'UNDER' but close - on pace for 28CUDDYER OVER/UNDER 119.5 Games Played16 of 24 = OVER=#0000FF]TOSS UP — on Pace for 120.15 !!MEJIA OVER/UNDER 19.5 Saves15 of 24 = OVERIn the books as a ‘NO’ - probably for his career as wellFLORES OVER/UNDER 449.5 PAs18 of 24 = OVER’OVER - on Pace for 558COLON OVER/UNDER 17.5 Starts14 of 24 = OVER’OVER’ with plenty of (waistband) room to spareWRIGHT OVER/UNDER 21.5 HRs19 of 24 = OVER‘UNDER’ got the tap-out on this one months agoNIEUWENHUIS OVER/UNDER 199.5 PAs9 of 24 = OVERCurrently 113 short - so ’UNDER’ it isSYNDERGAARD OVER/UNDER 19.5 Starts2 of 24 = OVERTwo more and the ’OVER’ bets winMATZ OVER/UNDER 9.5 Starts4 of 24 = OVER’UNDER’ as he’s not likely to get 8 starts in SeptNIMMO OVER/UNDER 49.5 PAs6 of 24 = OVER’UNDER’ as Conforto and Cespedes likely moved his call-up to next yearMURPHY or HERRERA: More PAs22 of 24 = MURPHIn the books for ‘MURPH’NIEUWENHUIS or MAYBERRY: More PAs15 of 24 = MAYBERRY=#0000FF]Could go either way as ’MAYBERRY’ leads but by just 32d’ARNAUD or PLAWECKI: More PAs24 of 24 = d’ARNAUD=#0000FF]’PLAWECKI’ leads by 92 but that's still doable for d’ArnaudPARNELL or FAMILIA: More Saves15 of 24 = FAMILIAPUT IT IN THE BOOKS for ‘FAMILIA’GILMARTIN or LEATHERSICH: More IPs18 of 24 = GILMARTINWas going to be ‘GILMARTIN’ even before JL’s TJ surgery