So the Angels finish the weekend 1.5 games out of the last playoff spot. The number of ridiculous losses the bullpen has pinned on them has been crippling, and now the next six will be against... TA-DA, Texas and the White Sox. Ugh. The ugly April start and all those blown leads sure matter now.

Cleveland!

Aside from three against Oakland next weekend, the rest of the Yankees season is against sub-.500 teams. Same goes for the O's except for the final weekend against Tampa. The Rays have four against the White Sox in addition to the finale against Baltimore. They almost need to go on a nine game winning streak against Boston and Toronto to have much of a shot.

Angels will actually be 2.5 out assuming BAL holds on. Devastating loss for Detroit, but they do play Chicago tomorrow.

Please get one more out against the little green men and get the hell out of Oakland.

Orioles TV put up a graphic when he came on in relief showing Jesse Chavez vs lefty BA = .361, vs righty BA = .250

Seconds later his lefty-hitting soul brother Endy Chavez spanks a double to the wall in left center. Inexplicably, Chavez stayed in to face a number of other Oriole batters including another lefty. 9-4 Os in the bottom of the 9th.

I don't see the Athletics making it far if this is typical of Melvin's managing style.

edit: And now Pedro Strop making it a little too interesting for Buck, so here comes Johnson.

How is that any worse than Buck letting O'Day face lefties (and give up a 2-run HR to a bad one)?

I don't see how the A's would have the second best record in the league so far if that was typical of Melvin's managing style. I don't follow the A's that closely, but Chavez is a callup, right? I'd assume this was just a case of not wanting to burn out your good relievers in a game you're already losing against a team whose good relievers are rested and ready for the bottom of the ninth.

Yep, Chavez was rudely dumped by the Blue Jays and this apparently was his second appearance for the As. That must have been Melvin waving the white flag when down by 5 runs.

This is an awesome race.

They got the game in here in Arlington, Matt Harrison pitched resourcefully, and the Rangers win yet another series – seems like they can win series forever and continually lose ground to Oakland :( But with the A's loss, their lead is back to three games, their magic number drops to 14 with 16 to play, and in the current climate, that seems like breathing room.

The O's are freaking relentless. The Yanks really can't get any separation from them.

I really enjoy that Matt Moore is the one lefty the Yanks have no problem hitting.

The Yankees are 11-11 since August 24. How much separation should they expect to get doing that? They're lucky they've only lost 2.5 games to the O's over that stretch.

The Yankees are 11-11 since August 24. How much separation should they expect to get doing that? They're lucky they've only lost 2.5 games to the O's over that stretch.

The Yanks have won 4 out of the last 5, 5 out of 7 over the last week. Why would you think I was talking about the Yanks starting on August 24th?

Well, to me, "relentless" sort of implies dogged persistence over an extended time. Why would I think you were talking about a week? Besides, they've picked up a game over the last week. Which means that while they've gone 5-2, Baltimore has gone 4-3. 4-3 is relentless?

I don't want to see Dan Straily in the rotation any more. This is no time for a replacement level starter. What was wrong with Blackley?

Well, to me, "relentless" sort of implies dogged persistence over an extended time.

Like, say, being one game out with 16 games left to play?

4-3 is relentless?

Against the Rays and then playing @ an extremely hot Oakland? Yeah. Especially after splitting at NYS.

This is an extremely pointless and semantic conversation. Thanks!

As an Orioles fan, I do feel like we've been kind of relentless, in that we keep putting this patched-together lineup out there every day and we keep on winning series after series. This definitely seems like a team that could, at any moment, play .300 ball for two weeks, and it just keeps not happening.

But then again, everyone in this thing is kind of relentless. You'd think that with seven teams contending, ONE of them would have really crapped the bed in September -- but nope, not a single one with a losing record this month.

Well, by baseball standards, 4-3 is kinda "relentless". If you went 4-3 every week of the season, you'd be 104-78 ... which seems odd at first in a 162 game season but that's about what the record of the WC winner is going to be after we sort out the 9 teams that are part of the ALE/ALC/ALW divisional ties and WC spots.

I don't see how the A's would have the second best record in the league so far if that was typical of Melvin's managing style. I don't follow the A's that closely, but Chavez is a callup, right? I'd assume this was just a case of not wanting to burn out your good relievers in a game you're already losing against a team whose good relievers are rested and ready for the bottom of the ninth.

This was clearly the right decision, why burn good relievers down 7-4?

The really weird part though was when Melvin used 4 guys for 1 batter at a time then had Tyson Ross stay in to (plan to) pitch a few innings. Tyson Ross sucks.

If you went 4-3 every week of the season, you'd be 104-78 ... which seems odd at first in a 162 game season

Particularly since that'd mean they'd played 182 games in that 162 game season. (4-3 projected over 162 games is roughly 92 wins.)

Particularly since that'd mean they'd played 182 games in that 162 game season. (4-3 projected over 162 games is roughly 92 wins.)

Please don't bother Walt with such trivial details. :-)

Seriously, though. There are 23 seven-game stretches over the course of a year (1-7, 8-14...). We're just about up to 21 of them at this point. The team that's been the most "relentless" (the most number of 4-3 seven game records in the AL so far this year is Oakland, with seven. Behind them you've got the O's, the Yanks, the M's, the A's, the Rangers and the Jays with six. Bringing up the rear: Cleveland, with just one.

So most of the playoff contenders have been located at or near the top of "relentless" teams. The O's had the most seven-game stretches where they've gone 5-2--a total of six of those.

Seriously, though. There are 23 seven-game stretches over the course of a year (1-7, 8-14...). We're just about up to 21 of them at this point. The team that's been the most "relentless" (the most number of 4-3 seven game records in the AL so far this year is Oakland, with seven. Behind them you've got the O's, the Yanks, the M's, the A's, the Rangers and the Jays with six. Bringing up the rear: Cleveland, with just one

Trivial details.....

Which is the real Oakland? Is "A's" supposed to be "Rays"? (Genuinely curious, not being an ass)

Particularly since that'd mean they'd played 182 games in that 162 game season.

I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. Saying that 4-3 is a 92.6 win pace would have been so mundane.

After 3 unproductive at-bats with the bases loaded, White Sox finally get a run on a HBP.

As a Ranger fan, I can say that Oakland has seemed relentless this summer, too. I came into the season thinking that the Angels would be the big competition and was estatic to see LAA founder in April. I thought "Cool, we can clinch this thing by August 1st". Then, out of nowhere, these punchless As are suddenly winning every #$*#* series.

I don't like admitting that I was scared Sunday when Oakland went up 2-0 in the 1st. I thought "sheesh, if they win and Seattle sneaks another one from us today the #$#& lead is down to ONE #$#$ game!".

But I have to hand it to Oakland. Those As are playing their little green hearts out.