Greg Norton? There's a guy who's been in the majors for a dozen years now, and I've never read anything about him either in the mainstream media or from the stats perspective. A throwback, in a way.

Please let the Mets keep losing so both the Phils and Brewers can make the playoffs...

The Braves final visit to Shea ends with the Mets crapping the bed. Fitting. If Chipper had hit the homer instead of Norton it would have truly been a storybook ending.

This is where closer stupidity gets you.

Fine, you believe in closers. Bad luck, your closer goes down so you have to scramble to fill the role.

That's no excuse for not bringing in a lefty to face Norton (career 650 OPS against LHP despite being a switch-hitter) in a high-leverage situation.

Only idiotic obeisance to the idea of a closer explains that. If this happened in the 8th to Sanchez or Heilman or Smith or whoever, there's no way they'd be left in to pitch to Norton.

It's one thing to leave Mariano Rivera in. Heck, maybe it's even OK to leave in the mediocre guy who's been "getting the job done all year." But Ayala is an emergency closer. Treat him like one.

OK, OK ... I didn't watch the game (and can't access the box score from work), it's possible the Braves had an even better RH option on the bench or Manuel had already used all his LH options.

The Braves had Kotchman, Lillibridge, and the pitcher's spot due up. They had Kelly Johnson (who hit for Lillibridge), Greg Norton (who hit for the pitcher), and Brandon Jones available off the bench. Johnson hits lefties better than righties.

I don't know or care if the Mets made the right moves there. From my point of view, they sure did!

The Brewers are officially in AutoFAIL. 18 balls in play against Wife Beater and only a single ####### hit.

OK, OK ... I didn't watch the game (and can't access the box score from work), it's possible the Braves had an even better RH option on the bench or Manuel had already used all his LH options.

They didn't and the Mets went to Feliciano later anyway. If they had gone to Feliciano, Bobby would have stayed with Norton anyway. Bobby hasn't acknowledged Norton's platoon split all season.

Yup, with the results this weekend in the two NL East series, it's likely the Phillies' race to lose in the NL East. Soon-to-be 1 GB and Lidge instead of Ayala and friends closing games?

it's likely the Phillies' race to lose in the NL East

What's more likely is that the Brewers will have collapsed two years in a row.

And Ned Yost is your ####### manager. I wouldn't trust him to bag my groceries. EGGS GO ON TOP, NED!

What's more likely is that the Brewers will have collapsed two years in a row.

And Ned Yost is your ####### manager

If one happens, two won't be true any longer. I don't care if Harveys thinks Yost is safe; if you contend for two straight years and collapse, and sell 3 million tickets in baseball's smallest market the second year - Yost won't be allowed to stick around.

Even if Melvin wants to keep him, I suspect ownership might "persuade" him to make some changes for the sake of 2009 business.

(And if the Mets miss the playoffs again, obviously the Mets are going to undergo a number of changes themselves)

I thought Melvin and Yost are like two peas in a pod.
Anyhow, a positive thought for Brewers fans: if the Brewers fail to make the playoffs, the PTBNL in the CC deal will be a lesser prospect.

As long as we're talking blind obedience here...Manuel's decision to PH Tatis for Church, while letting Castillo bat against Gonzalez, doesn't win any awards either. Granting that Castillo is a better hitter right-handed, Church is still decent against LHP, and he's more likely than Castillo to go deep (which you need at that point), so why not give your team two more reasonable shots at a game-tying HR, by leaving Church in and then PH'g Tatis for Castillo?

-- MWE

A 95 pitch complete game for Myers. Not even the pretense of effort.

Manuel is showing himself to be just as inflexible as Willie. Initially, I thought he was different. I was wrong.

I thought Melvin and Yost are like two peas in a pod.

Which they might be ... until ownership comes to Melvin, expresses their disappointment in the team performance and Melvin, wisely, cans Yost instead of himself. :-) I don't really mean that as a swipe at Melvin, standard baseball FO there -- first the manager goes then, usually no more than one season later, the GM goes.

Now here's a "fun" scenario -- the Brewers and the Mets miss the playoffs -- leading to much upheaval in both places (including a trade of F-Mart for, oh, Kevin Gregg). Houston miraculously takes the WC whereupon Wade and Cooper get 5-year extensions, Brad Ausmus is talked out of retirement (I'm assuming he is right?), and they sign Randy Wolf for 5/$70.

"For us coming down the stretch at this point, every loss will probably be a reminder of what happened last year," Jerry Manuel said. "So what we have to do as a team is get through it. We've got to win games to keep that from being subject matter. That's what we're dealt. That's the way it is. It's a part of who we are and we just have to deal with it - period."
...
Ayala exited to the day's second loudest round of boos. The loudest came when the game was over and the scoreboard showed Philadelphia victorious. The fans certainly haven't forgotten last season.

"This loss is harder than others," Jose Reyes said. "It's not just the way it happened. This late in the season (and) the other team (Philadelphia) is not far behind us now. We have to win these kind of games."

NY Daily News

I guess the Brewers aren't waiting until next year, Yost is done.