Mark Melancon's last 5 games. 3 1/3 innings. 11 hits; 3 walks; 1 K; 10 earned runs

That's Proven Closer Mark Melancon to you!

I'm guessing he's hurt.

EDIT: I might partially withdraw that. The K-rate has been dismal all year (8.5% before this collapse, now even worse), the hit-rate too high. I'd still guess it's physical but more in the "ain't nothing left" category ... hard to hide an injury for 6 weeks. Curious to see his statcast numbers.

Looks like he's down about 1.5 MPH on his FB and cutter, certainly the worst of his career so far.

Melancon missed 10 days with COVID a couple of weeks ago, returned on May 6. at his age....

So add 1.5 MPH off your fastball to the list of long covid effects. :-)

The dates don't really change the numbers, it was still just 3 Ks in his first 34 batters before hitting the covid IL; just 1 ER but 2 UER, 11 baserunners in 8 innings.

And remember, get those calls and emails into your favorite team's GM to remind them to get their ridiculously good offers for Willson Contreras in before one of their competitors does. Another double has his OPS at 892 with an OBP over 400.

I warned you. Grand slam and the price just went up to two prospects.

Pirates trying to out-Red the Reds here in the first inning. Starting pitcher gave up 4 hits and a walk leaving with 2 in, bases loaded and 2 outs. Reliever gave up a single, walk, grand slam and 2 singles. 8-0, 2 on, 2 out ... and they're finally out of it.

And Andrelton in the lineup for the first time.

Ohtani with an RBI double, swinging on 3-0. The Rangers announcers are saying that guys are swinging more often at 3-0 than in the past. Is there a way to see how true that is?

Contreras's grand slam was his 100th career homer. I wonder how many other guys have hit a grand slam as their second hit of the inning for their 100th homer (or even 200th, 300th, etc). Has a random sort of "probably never happened before" energy.

Red Sox game starting as per usual this season. Good SP through the first 4-6 innings at which time the game will either be 0-0 or the Sox up maybe 1-0 before the pen coughs up 4-5 runs and the Sox lose 5-3 in the end.

#9 ... hmmm ... the data exists somewhere but you can't quite get there via b-r and even that takes some work.

So far this year, 673 PAs have ended on 3-0 (including 61 AB and 5 SF ... and a PA I can't find). 1,644 PAs are in the "after 3-0" split so that's 971 PAs that went to 3-1 from 3-0. However I don't think there's any way to figure out how many of those strikes were swinging. Still, for fair contact on 3-0 we've goy 61 out of 1644. And chances are the proportion of fair contact swings is highly correlated with the proportion of all swings. So that's 4.01%.

In 2021, it was just 348 fair contacts out of 8371 PA which was 4.15%. But something may be going on ... last year there were only 2 SF on 3-0 all year; it's already at 5 this year. I suppose blowouts aside, you'd tend to swing 3-0 when guys are on base and with lower OBPs, maybe 3-0 with men on base is less common. Or it could just be the deadball keeping 3-0 big flies in the yard ... but HR/AB looks about the same too. So do walk rates on 3-0.

So if there's any change, you'd need to dig into a lot more detail to show it.

EDIT: they also hit a lot better on 3-0 last year.

Cubs' broadcast just flashed up the numbers of 26-yo AAA 1B/LF 2017 15th round draft pick Jared Young who's off to a pretty good start at 266/346/549 with 5 doubles and 9 HRs in 130 PA. Last year he was very good in 35 games at AA and not very good in 37 games at AAA. We have found our next Schwindel!

And remember, get those calls and emails into your favorite team's GM to remind them to get their ridiculously good offers for Willson Contreras in before one of their competitors does.

Mets fans, at least, are buyers.

"RBI" GDP from Yan Gomes makes it 9-0. Acceptable in this circumstance -- pads the lead while also getting the game over more quickly.

Big story now is Miley perfect through 4 on just 39 pitches. Just his second start after starting the season on the IL so don't get too worked up if he gets pulled early. But he's old enough and been paid enough I expect him to stay in until he gives up a hit.

From Twitter:

Leadoff hitters with 1st-inning grand slam, since 1901:

Willson Contreras, Today
George Springer, 6/24/16
Danny Tartabull, 4/15/86
Von Hayes, 6/11/85
Rick Miller, 4/12/78
Jose Cardenal, 5/30/69
Jim Landis, 4/19/62
Harvey Kuenn, 7/20/54
Pete Fox, 6/30/35
Bill Cissell, 7/18/34

I know the Pirates don't have a lot of options but who put together their lineup today. Vogelbach at DH ... a career 139/262/249 hitter against LHP. Followed by Tsutsugo, another LHB (admittedly, he does have reverse splits).

Chavis breaks up any dreams of a no-hitter before we even had a chance to have them.

Pirates fans treasuring that one single they have in the last 14 innings !

and tonight, they have drawn no walks thru 6

per list on 16 - OFs had a good run there

Rain has decided to delay the Red Sox pen collapse until a later time...

That Odirizzi collapse looks a lot like an Achilles to me - hope I'm wrong.

Yankees rest Aaron Judge, but get a 3-run HR from backup catcher Jose Trevino, as well as solo shots from Josh Donaldson (#5) & Anthony Rizzo (#10), to best the Orioles 6-2, thereby giving the Red Sox an opportunity to move out of last place in the AL East if they can win their own game.

Along with the Rays loss tonight (to the Tigers!), that extends the Yanks AL East lead to 5.5 games.

"Games Played vs Orioles" might be a good added stat in standings, lol

From the covid files: Toronto was on the road for last three series, at home tonight to Seattle.
Chris Flexen is starting for Mariners, after switching spots in the rotation this week with Robbie Ray. Rather than pitch the first game of this series, Ray pitched the last game @Mets and Flexen was pushed back.

Now does that mean Ray is not vaccinated? Or is this just the Mariner's big off-season signing trying to stay on a four day rest schedule (RRay has pitched on four days rest five times this season, and twice on five days rest)? Toronto media has noticed that Ray did not travel with the team, and there isn't a locker laid out for him in the visiting clubhouse, so it doesn't appear that he's just late in joining them. Maybe the Mariners granted him a four day mid-season mini-vacation? They did not make a transaction on him.

Meanwhile Seattle did make a transaction on RP Drew Steckenrider, placing him on the restricted list (that's how unvaccinated players have been dealt with,) and calling up Roenis Elias (back in the majors first time since pitching for WSH 2019, and coming back from TJ surgery March 2020.)

thereby giving the Red Sox an opportunity to move out of last place in the AL East if they can win their own game.

That IF is a doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Have you seen the Red Sox pen "perform"?

I didn't get the memo but I think this is one of those "last place finishes" years that the Sox like to throw in there every few years.

Sox game is back and Matt "throw kerosene on the fire" Barnes has already given up a run, Sox now down 3-2.

Whoa, the long suffering Trevor Story with a long HR, over the monster seats, score tied 3-3. If Story can get going and Hernandez can manage to start getting on base, this line-up might actually scores some runs.

Sox up 4-3 on a JD double to straightaway center, a real nice piece of hitting.

Neris grooves one right down main st and Xander gives it the treatment it deserves, 2 run shot over the monster, Sox up 6-3. Another 2 runs and the lead should be pen proof...
Sox up 6-3

The Red Sox actually won. They scored runs, the pen did it's thing and they won. That was kind of nice.

Also, the Red Sox are no longer in last place and their pythag has them at 16-19, still not good, but not horrible.