Edgy MD

And, after five shutout innings, Myers coughs up the lead. I disagree with what managers do.

BOOO!!! Stick with Scottie! He gives you more power!!

Polanco has wheels! I'm so alone!

Frigging Tolbert gobbles up a Lindor smash leaping into the wall. The man is a legend.

Keith up there in the booth complaining about Brandon Nimmo's defining early-career patience in the batter's box, and hoping that Ewing doesn't go that route. Disagree, Keith.

Interview with Kelsie Whitmore undermined by a crusty old fan going to town on a cheesesteak behind her.

Tolbert pops to secondbaseman Baty in shallow right in his first trip to the plate, and is now officially slumping.

Royals wearing ridiculous baby blue togs. Prostitutes, politicians, baby-blue Astroturf-era road uniforms all gain respect with age. They actually look worse than the Willie Wilson-era unis because they turned the hats and helmets baby blue also. You're the ROYALS, guys. You are supposed to project in ROYAL blue!

Hey, there's a game! Mets up 1-0 in the top of the second off the strength of a leadoff homer by J.R. Ewing. I think at this point last night there had been about 16 runs scored.

Took Fman out front and dragged the lawn with him. At the end, he said, "How do you like that?" and then he started bragging about his low auto insurance rates.

Totally not embarrassed, and so I offer this lineup for this evening. Look at Tyer Tolbert, still batting ninth somehow. KANSAS CITY Farting Pitcher Steven Cruz RHP 2-2, 5.08 ERA, 37 SO Lineup Carter Jensen (L) C Bobby Witt Jr. (R) SS Jac Caglianone (L) 1B Lane Thomas (R) CF Salvador Perez (R) DH Michael Massey (L) 2B Nick Loftin (R) 3B Isaac Collins (S) LF Tyler Tolbert (R) RF METS Farting Pitcher Christian Scott RHP 2-1, 3.49 ERA, 60 SO Lineup A.J. Ewing (L) CF Juan Soto (L) LF Bo Bichette (R) 3B Francisco Lindor (S) SS Carson Benge (L) RF Jorge Polanco (S) DH Jared Young (L) 1B Brett Baty (L) 2B Francisco Alvarez (R) C

Managed the Orioles for one year before Davey Johnson took over and gave them some of their best baseball, and what should have been a championship. Was with the Mets as a minor league pitching coach for 11 years, coaching St. Lucie from 2009–2015, and then become minor-league pitching coordinator from 2016 to 2019. You can imagine the guys he got his grubby finger prints on — deGrom, Harvey, Syndergaard, Matz, Familia, Montero, Fulmer, Lugo, Sewald, etc. But the rising whale gets the harpoon. He could have labored down there in obscurity, but he had to go and accept the interim pitching coach position, and even though the pitching staff turned around, he was eased into an advisory role at the end of the season. A coach at heart, and to prove he wasn't a liability, he went to the Dominican Winter League and coached the Toros del Este staff, where his team led the league in pitching (by a lot) and won the DWL championship. He came back and found the Mets advisory role not to his liking, clashed with Bodie Van Wagenen, and sued the Mets for age discrimination when he was fired. Gave exactly zero fucks. True Story: When he was coaching for the Mets, Fman nicknamed him "Dr. Nefario," and he showed up at Fman's front door and kicked his ass.

The problem with Jorge remains that he's limited to DH-ing, quite possibly for the rest of the year, and so will be taking as many plate appearances away from Alvarez as he'll is taking from Young. We're still going to be seeing a lot of Youngstown.

Following one of the most improbable games you've ever seen, both sloppy and transcendent, both uplifting and draining, the Royals return to Citi Field to take on a better-rested Mets team that still has a bullpen depletion thing happening. Look for the Mets to add at least one fresh arm for the game, possibly two, and maybe the Royales with Cheese to do the same. Royals righthander Steven Cruz is listed as starter, but you can feel certain that this is an opening gig and not a real start, and he will be gone by the third, and probably by the second. Hopefully earlier if the Mets TCB. The Mets defend with Christian Scott, who is a real starter. The 2015 World Series isn't going to avenge itself.

It's awful, but it's been the way of things for about five managers, and possibly longer. I've carried on about it for years and years. But if they cannot grasp that one needs to take a strike when the tying run is behind you in the ninth, it really opens up my skepticism about their approach in most any area.

From where I sat, there was plenty of fire until that ninth inning.

They all go up there foolishly swinging and go down on a handful of pitchers. What an unjust way to end it.

Take a strike, you Mets. They've almost literally walked the ballpark tonight.

A.J. Minter, professional pitcher.

Bring in Manaea!

They question is which of the four do you choose if Young comes up here.

Got three slugging righties on the bench. Four, the way Taylor is hitting.

Benji is now the tying run.

Ewing leads off next inning after that catch.

Would rather not see Tolbert this inning.