TWiB NOtes - July 22 thru 28

[Frayed Knot]

Several series to start off the week which involve multiple NL playoff contenders facing each other.

- Braves hosting Reds for three games
Reds up 4-0 in the 5th

- Pirates at St Louie for three
1-1 heading for the 7th


Also: Cubs hosting Brewers; Arizona at hot KC; Giants at Dodgers

[Frayed Knot]

Elsewhere tonight:

CIN/ATL rained out

SDP beats WAS 4-0

O's lose to the Marlins (who does that??) so the Yanx remain 1.5 G behind

StL 2 - Pitt 1

ARZ leading KCR 6-1 in the 9th

Phils 3 - Twins 0 also in the 9th

SFG @ LAD just getting started

[Edgy MD]

Cubs, Reds, Giants and Nats all looking like they're slipping away at the worst time.

The Reds, at least, probably have another run in them.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Cubs, Reds, Giants and Nats all looking like they're slipping away at the worst time.

The Reds, at least, probably have another run in them.

Why is this 'the worst time"? And why can't those teams make up four or five games over the next 60 games, especially when they'll play each other or the teams ahead of them? The Mets made up a lot more ground in a lot less time.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Maybe it's because the buy/sell decision is looming?

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah, instead of one big WC hopeful scrum there are currently two smaller ones.

ATL has a 2.0 G WC lead
-----
Then it's StL, NYM, SDP, ARZ, PIT all within a two game span
---- then there's a three game gap until you reach ...
CHC, CIN, SFG, WAS who are all within one game of each other

So those in that last group not only have to fight off each other but then
bridge that mni-gap before leaping at least four of the six ahead of them.
Still a lot of time left, but it's much easier working from that first pack.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Maybe it's because the buy/sell decision is looming?

Well then I suppose that all those teams will sort of forfeit the rest of the season and the teams currently in playoff positions will have it all to themselves.

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's quite an extrapolation.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Exactly!

[Edgy MD]

Maybe it's because the buy/sell decision is looming?

Yes, that is what I meant.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The Chicago White Sox are currently 27-76, with a percentage of .262. They're on a pace to go 42-120. (Or, without rounding, 42.46-119.54. Finishing with those exact numbers is rather unlikely, however.)

[Frayed Knot]

Braves down 7-3 in the top of the 3rd!! during game one of their DH with the Reds.
That's hopefully good for the standings AND it hopefully means they'll be dragging a tired-ass bullpen into Queens sometime after midnight tonight.
(Game 2 is a 6:05 start and Atlanta-based Delta, official carrier of most MLB teams, is the one airline yet to fully recover from the internet kerfuffle from last week).

[batmagadanleadoff]

That's quite an extrapolation.

I simply happen to think that in baseball, a four game gap in the standings is probably the result of luck or randomness, more than anything else. And with a greatly expanded playoffs, the teams in question only have to catch one of the teams currently in playoff position. Each of those teams is just one good half week away from turning everything around. And likewise, the Mets current good fortunes are just as precarious.

[Frayed Knot]

* Reds 9 - Braves 4 was the final.
All 13 runs scored by the top of the 4th. Nothing but goose eggs after that.

* Pirates 5 - Cardinals Zippo
So that puts us technically into the 2nd WC slot (by percentage points) and 2.0 G out of the 1st

* And the Twins (who we'll see next week) just walked-off the Phillies 5 - 4 w/o a ball ever leaving the infield: HBP, WP, Sac Bunt, IF single

[MFS62]

* And the Twins (who we'll see next week) just walked-off the Phillies 5 - 4 w/o a ball ever leaving the infield: HBP, WP, Sac Bunt, IF single

Sounds like one of our innings. The difference is, the runner would be out at home on a FC.
Later

[Frayed Knot]

No, we'd never get the bunt down.

[MFS62]

No, we'd never get the bunt down.

True 'dat.
Later

[Frayed Knot]

Well the night half of the Atlanta/Reds DH due to Tuesday night's rain out has been rained out.
The bad news from that is that we'll likely see Chris Sale in the series opener tomorrow.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Dylan Cease (SDP) threw a no-hitter today

[Frayed Knot]

114 pitches*, 3 walks, 9 K




* Funny how that's the first thing peeps think of these days on a no-no or even a possible one when it wasn't even part of the conversation in 20th century games

[Frayed Knot]

Whilst most of us were sleeping, Randy Arozarena was dealt from Tampa Bay to Seattle in the first big deal of deadline week.
Two prospects and the always popular 'player to be named later' are heading to Florida's west coast.

[smg58]

114 pitches*, 3 walks, 9 K




* Funny how that's the first thing peeps think of these days on a no-no or even a possible one when it wasn't even part of the conversation in 20th century games

Kudos to the Padres for leaving him in the game. That would also have never been in the conversation in the 20th century.

[smg58]

Whilst most of us were sleeping, Randy Arozarena was dealt from Tampa Bay to Seattle in the first big deal of deadline week.
Two prospects and the always popular 'player to be named later' are heading to Florida's west coast.

The Rays got Seattle's #12 and #22. Arozarena had an awful stretch the first two months of the season, but for 2+ seasons that looks like a good job by the Mariners of buying low.

The Marlins traded A. J. Puk to Arizona for what are now their #4 and #19 prospects. Deyvison de los Santos was mashing in AAA, although with a somewhat high K/BB ratio. It wouldn't surprise me if he joins the Marlins immediately. I wanted Puk -- he faceplanted as a starter, but his stats as a reliever this year are super -- but the going rate for relievers with another year of control is high.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Deyvison de Los Santos sounds like a name for a guy already on the Marlins, doesn't it?

[Edgy MD]

My main reaction to the Dylan Cease no-hitter isn't to ask his pitch count, but to recall with gratitude that the Mets got to him for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings back near the beginning of this extended run they are on.

Dylan Cease is no Bob Owchinko.