Frayed Knot

- Machado is real good - They just obtained Parra from the Brews at the deadline - Jones is real good - Davis is back on an 'On' year after going from .283 w/53 HRs in 2013 to .196 w/26 plus a drug suspension in 2014. Has a 2nd-best in ML 34 this year including 15 since the ASB [u:ob6895mu]and has had FOUR others taken away from him[/u:ob6895mu] by fence-leaping OFs -- http://m.mlb.com/cutfour/2015/08/18/143810824/chris-davis-robbed-of-a-home-run-by-billy-burns -- including one last night and two on consecutive days in early July. - Weiters is back after a myriad of injuries (including TJS) though may never morph into the combo offensive/defensive monster once projected for him - Schoop (pronounced SCOPE) is pretty darn good himself since taking over the pretty much everyday 2B role in July. Real good defensively too. - Clevenger spent most of the year in AAA, was recently brought up to be their 3rd catcher / 1B / DH - Hardy is a low-OBP/decent power guy who at least used to have a good glove but turns 33 tomorrow. Was one of many SS speculated about here last winter. - Urrutia is a guy I just heard of as I was typing this sentence. A 28 y/o Cuban singed by the O's in 2012. Just brought up after spending most of 2013-2015 in AA & AAA with decent results. - Gaussman was a former #4 overall pick by Bal'mer in 2012. Relieved the first half of the season, has been starter the last 8 times through the rotation: 1-4

The fact that they're giving Parnell options (albeit not Good ones) means they can claim that they're not really strong-arming him to the DL. But the DL route virtually assures him to be back by Sept 1st (as long as the "injury" is healed by that point of course) where the demotion or cut options don't. Plus he accrues ML service time while out as opposed to not via the others (although it looks like he's already got his 6+ for FA over the winter).

d'Kong76 wrote: DeGrom is unbeaten over his last six starts, not allowing a run in half of them to lower his ERA to 2.03 - second in the majors to Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jacob deGrom: Come for the hair, stay for the dominance.

If life were fair [Verrett would] replace Bobby Pee on the roster this afternoon ... Be nice if [Parnell] were to suddenly develop a hangnail that requires a 15-day rehab stint which would open up a spot for either Verrett or Goeddel prior to Sept 1st. I saw that as a possibility but didn't think it would actually happen. Let's see, what else might we need: - be nice if Michael Cuddyer reverts to his previous hitting form - be nice if Curtis remembers how to hit LHP - be nice if Wilmer learns to draw a walk every once in a while

Ceetar wrote: fleecing the Mets with Taylor was a key point in Moneyball. I don't believe that was the case at all. MONEYBAll took place in 2002, two years after that deal and one summer after Isringhausen left Oakland. It was one of Beane's challenge that season to replace the likes of Isringhausen (and Giambi & Damon) with some low-cost alternatives. So while it's possible that deal was mentioned in the book, it certainly wasn't a key point and I think you're probably remembering a scene where Beane is trying to wheel and deal with Steve Phillips about some other reliever although nothing ever comes of it.

Some positive light being thrown on Logan Verrett by prospect guru John Sickels. Now he's looking at things from more of a future viewpoint than as immediate bullpen help, but he surely was effective in the brief pen outings he had this year: 6 outings, 12.1 IP, 4 hits + 4 BBs, and, as Sickels points out, his numbers in Vegas are pretty good especially considering that it's Vegas. If life were fair he'd probably replace Bobby Pee on the roster this afternoon but I'm not sure that Parnell can be sent down without risking losing him (and, yes, despite his recent troubles that IS a consideration). Be nice if he'd suddenly develop a hangnail that requires a 15-day rehab stint which would open up a spot for either Verrett or Goeddel prior to Sept 1st. Other than that the only other odd man out would be the just-acquired O'Flaherty but I don't think they want to leave Gilmartin as the only lefty in the bunch.

Yanx load bases with no outs in bottom 10: double, single, IW Twins using a 5-man infield vs Chase Headley. And the shift works as Headley grounds the ball right at an infielder ... but it gets booted and Minnesota loses its 97th straight vs the Yanx

We'll hit three hitters parks on this three city road trip (Balt, Colo, Philly). It would be nice if we brought some hitters with us.

Yanx starter tonight Bryan Mitchell struck in the face by a liner back to the box. "Nasal fracture" is the early word. 7-7 vs Twins in the Bronx, bottom 10.

By me he has. The problem is his addiction to walking a batter per inning, and until he can kick that monkey off his back ...

Edgy MD wrote: I imagine he could turn his season around. Happens all the time and stuff. This. Especially since his likely replacement in the pre-Clip-Art/Familia role is Robles of whom it was said on this forum that he wasn't worthy of seeing the major leagues this season, or maybe ever, based on a lousy outing or two in March. Granted Bobby Pee has got to be kept away from as many high-leverage situations as possible right now but that's also not always possible following back-to-back extra inning games where most of the rest of the pen has worked multiple nights and/or multiple inning assignments. And if they connect on that GiDP it's a very different outing. As for the post-season roster, at this point we're not even to the entrance ramp which leads to the toll booth which leads to that bridge much less are ready to whip out our EZ-Pass and cross it - so I think we can put off making that decision for now.

Considering the score & game situation, Bastardo deserves a 50-game suspension for the pace he's pitching at. The tying run is like 7 guys deep on the bench ... THROW THE FUCKIN' BALL!!

Edgy MD wrote: Mets didn't take their vitamins during the rain delay. I think the rules prevent that these days.

He's out at 1st but the umps should refuse to overturn the call just to punish the sucky play that created it.

Oh good, I was afraid that we might follow up that disaster inning with one where we popped out weakly then K'd on pitches in the dirt and called strikes down the middle. Good thing THAT didn't happen.

I'm really tired of 'Toyota Jan'

And while we can blame sloppy play and Bobby Parnell all we want, the bottom line on this series is that they totaled 5 runs in 17 innings off the fearsome trio of Happ, Morton, & Locke (who had given up a combined 13 runs in 15 IP in their previous starts) and followed that up with ZERO runs in 12-2/3 innings (and counting) vs the Pitt pen.

So basically the Pirates have one hit in this inning and yet already have two runs in and are set to score about five more before this is all over.

Even without the rain delay this might be the slowest 2-1, 7-inning game ever.

We're reverting to early season form around here when comebacks to the pitcher were seemingly turned into outs at about a 30% clip.

Blue Jays salvage the final game so the net result is the Yanx going from 1/2 game down to 1/2 up. Seven more games in September between the two.

Look at it this way, it's not like they could hit much worse if we did draw Cole & Liriano this series.

Our pitching staff has graduated from 1st inning HRs to 2nd inning HRs. I guess that's a form of progress.

A 15th round draft pick who's hitting a combined .238 across parts of three seasons at the lowest levels of the minors -- which puts the odds of him breaking through are long, though he's still just 20 y/o so it's certainly too early to write him off at this point.

Gwreck wrote: At least the Giants are continuing to help. 6-2 San Francisco in the third; they just knocked Gio Gonzalez out of the game after giving Scherzer an early exit last night. The Nats have a 'Fortune 500' pitching staff: they cost a fortune and they're about to drop to .500