HOW WILL THE ANGELS LOSE TODAY?!

I am very confident that there is no MLB MGR pre-game radio show quite like the Mets have.

as much as I like to mock WFAN, this is a "fan" focused show.

what Mets fans want to hear addressed to the manager is what they got tonight:

- Dom Smith is possibly the best LH bat in the league against LH pitching. so how is he not starting tonight against Urias in a critical game/series - and yet Almora of all people is starting instead? MGR responds that off a doubleheader and the heat, he's trying to treat this as sort of a 'rest game' for some. host: "Um, he's 25 years old." lol

- Mets were 1-1 in the opener last Friday of the key PHI series. bags loaded, none out. Stroman at bat, stands there blankly for 3 strikes and walks away. host is agitated that geesh, even if he hits into a DP, Mets get a run. even more upset to find that MGR ordered that inaction. MGR calmly notes that they feared the corner-C-1B DP for no runs, and up next was Nimmo who never hits into a DP (which he did on the next pitch, of course). Host says he thinks that set the tone for the sweep. MGR calmly says, "I respect that."

- deGrom to lay low for another 2 weeks, host says he thinks he's done for the season. MGR says he's only thinking to the 2-week mark.

- Mets have a preposterous schedule (already the worst all year with endless doubleheaders) of playing the Dodgers at home at 7 pm ET on Sunday Night Baseball, then at the Giants the next night. another classic for amped-up Mets fans to kvetch about. MGR calmly responds that a lot of teams have been thru this, privilege to be on a game that so many people watch, and so on. Host rips MLB some more.

I'm guessing that for diehards (and I concede I don't live and die as they do), it's goodwill venting.

Hombre ... I've never noticed. For a weekend chatter, do you need HOW WILL THE ANGELS BE SWEPT THIS WEEKEND or do we get a TODAY post each day? :-)

That 4-1 Cub lead didn't last long.

Cubs did limit the Marlins juggernaut to 11 runs in the 2nd inning, though
#theyarenotgood

imagine if Ortega and Wisdom ever fall back to their natural levels

Record alert?

One healthy bowel movement (TMI?) and making a sandwich later and the Cubs are now down 12-4 after 2. The Cubs have now surrendered (at least!) 39 runs in their last 3 games. Any idea what the record is? Modern record? How about consecutive games giving up 10 or more?

Many baseballs being hurt in Miami tonight.

Cardinals with back to back homeruns to take a 2-0 lead. 397 doubles in his career for Yadier Molina. Moves to 195th (tied) all time.

Flaherty with one hit allowed going into the 5th inning of his first game back. It's as if he never had a day off.

The ump called the runner out, but there is no way that is correct, but still cool play, ball hits the Cardinals shorstop, deflects to the second baseman and then almost throws out the batter, but not quite, ump got caught in the moment, but it was clear right away he had it wrong.

Stop me if you've heard this before... Joey Votto hit a home run tonight.

If you'd told me 5 years ago that Votto would turn into (a very, very slow) Ichiro, I could see it ... but I didn't expect it would be that Ichiro.

As far as I know, Sosa's 20 HR in June is the record for a month. I have no idea what the record is for any 30-day stretch but Votto now on 15 in 25 days so he might have a shot.

Marquee doing everything it can to sell the pre-natal Cubs. Vizcaino was part of a combined no-hitter by South Bend apparently.

the never-say-immolate Mets get 3 in the 7th to get within 4-3 of the mighty Dodgers.

1st and 3rd, 2 out.

announcer Ron Darling: "the same thing that can make Treinen unhittable also can make him uncatchable. Conforto has to look alive there at third base."

ON THE NEXT FREAKING PITCH, it goes to the backstop and Alonso scores to tie it up.

the Mets booth is like the hot woman in every sitcom who for no apparent reason is linked to the schlub who is the star of the show. you just hope the schlub knows how lucky he is.

Votto has 14 in his last 19 games. On Redszone, someone said that at the beginning of July he was 40th in the NL in hr and RBI. He is now 2nd and 5th

yet another wild Mets game.

4-4, top 9, go ahead run on 2nd, closer Diaz who sucks if no save on line (2.70/6.32 ERA split), RISP God Muncy up, 0-2 count...

and some moron decides to shine a green laser light in Muncy's eyes

he steps away, a couple minute delay gives the Mets crew enough time to utterly eviscerate the idiot, and play resumes. Muncy down swinging on 3 pitches.

if the Mets don't score - well, the Dodgers are 1-12 in extra inning games in 2021

NL LEAST standings after PHI loss

NYM 59-55
PHIL 60-56
ATL 59-56

pending NYM and ATL results tonight
ATL trails 2-0 in 2nd inning after long rain delay

NL BWEST standings so far
SF 74-41
LA 69-46
SD 66-51

SF leads 5-2 in 3rd
SD trails 1-0 in 4th

um, maybe SF isn't a paper tiger?

Cubs make a football game of it at 14-9. Let's see if we can get the onside kick.

Everybody seemed to forget that was the 3rd out.

Paul Goldschmidt has 140 career stolen bases - I had no idea how fast he was when he was younger. He looks like a goof running around the bases - hard to believe he used To be fast

Cubs invoke emergency Canadian rules, score rouge to bring the final to 14-10.

Join us next time for another exciting episode of Walt tries to make the Cubs vaguely entertaining.

Harold Reynolds just verbally soiled himself again on national TV.

reiterates his claim that not only should Guerrero Jr. win the MVP if the Blue Jays gain a wild card - but that he WILL, over Ohtani.

the first part, ok that's just someone being an imbecile.

but it takes a special kind of imbecile to believe that most voters are as stupid as you are.

now I am rooting for a strong stretch run for Guerrero AND the Blue Jays get a wild card.

then I want to watch Harold when the MVP results come in, and he is utterly exposed.

I'm an East Coast guy, rarely see Ohtani (did see him self-immolate at NYY). but in what universe is maybe the best AL Hitter who also may be the best AL Pitcher not getting almost every vote?

did Ernie Banks pitch when he won back-to-back MVPs for the hapless Cubs? I only remember Ernie the feeble 1B late in his career, but I'm confident he didn't pitch. so....

NL LEAST standings
PHI 60-56
ATL 59-56
NYM 59-56

NL BWEST standings
SF 75-41
LA 70-46
SD 66-52

Dodgers avoid a 12th-straight extra inning loss that would have tied the 1969 expansion Expos as worst ever

Padres now 10 games out with 46/44 to play

best to focus on last wild card?

SDP 66-52
CIN 63-54

And Jake McGee with a hold last night. 0.2 4 2 2 0 1 1 .
Who thought of this statistic

From May 25 thru June 25, 1998, Sosa hit 23 hr in 26 games. Votto needs just 9 hr in his next 7 games to tie. He has already done that once in this streak, so it shouldn't be a problem for him. :-)

Just for Walt....

HOW WILL THE ANGELS LOSE TODAY?!

One healthy bowel movement (TMI?) and making a sandwich later

Out with the old, in with the new.

From May 25 thru June 25, 1998, Sosa hit 23 hr in 26 games. Votto needs just 9 hr in his next 7 games to tie. He has already done that once in this streak, so it shouldn't be a problem for him. :-)

I feel like this is a lot more than just a dead cat bounce for Votto. He seems like the kind of hitter that can carry the swing improvements into next year.

I'm not sure if his recent hot streak will help his Hall cause a lot; he's got to impress the traditionalists to have a shot, but is only now about to clear 2000 hits, only 321 home runs, 1041 RBI's. Yeah we all know he has gotten a lot of his value from his walks; for some weird reason he's only @ 2.1 bWAR for this season. He will however benefit from very weak ballots when he becomes eligible, but will definitely need a sea-change in how a good chunk of the voters view walks to have a shot.

The Phillies announcers today are Hawk Harrelson-level fans of the team. One of them threw in a "good guys."

How will the Cubs give up 10 runs today?!

Tyler Stephenson breaks up Archie Bradley's no-hit bid with an oppo homer.

Bryce Harper with a line-drive single that Castellanos missed and turned into a triple, then the Reds fell asleep and Harper jogs home. Oh, Reds, never change.

crap... Lester is pitching, winning streak is over, here I was hoping to gain ground on the Brewers and Reds today.


movable object (Lester) vs a non-resistent force (Royals offense) who is going to come out on top?

DJ LeMahieu double, Aaron Judge SF & Joey Gallo HR give the Yankees a 2-0 lead over the Black Sox in the 1st.

I think you want "resistible" force there CFB.

The Cubs pen is gonna have to work extra hard today to get the Marlins to 10 runs. Davies has them shut out through 5. (1-0 Cubs for those of you keeping a close eye on the 2022 draft order race.)

Looks like tomorrow's Cubs-Marlins game kicks off at about 3 am my time so I will see you next week. Enjoy your chattering.

In the second inning of tonight's Cardinals-Royals game, HP ump Ryan Additon punched out Cards' OF Lars Nootbar after only the second strike. (Then he sheepishly indicated to all that there were were only two strikes). In Nootbar's next AB, in the fifth, Addition *again* punched out Nootbar after only two strikes. (Then he sheepishly indicated to all that there were only two strikes.)

Dude, pay attention!

I think you want "resistible" force there CFB.

Yea, it was a quick ass comment, and I was sure there had to be a better word out there, but just like the Germans attacking Pearl Harbor, I wasn't going to stop while on a roll.

Dude, pay attention!

He's not paid to pay attention... oh wait, that is exactly what he's paid to do.

And apparently nobody knows what the current count is... it's either 1-2 or 2-2...

Lester with his first strikeout of the night....in the fifth inning... (and no one is sure if that first pitch was a ball or a non-pitch still)

I see the Cubs briefly took the lead but the glove of .190-hitting Sergio Alcantra is apparently as pathetic as his bat.

Lester failed to get out of the 6th inning. Drawback is that I never trust relievers against their first batters, I don't care how good they are, and Helsey is only so-so, but relievers have a tendency (at least it feels like it) to give up a mistake to the first guy they face more often than starters.

it worked out...

Shohei Ohtani, #39 to lead off the Angels half of the game.

6-1 Cardinals, not a bad day, Reds lose, Brewers lose 1 out of 2, Padres are behind, there might be a chance. (Yes there is still Phi and Atlanta to jump over also... it's not a good chance, but it's not out of the realm of possibility)

As an optimist, the Cardinals have 13 games remaining against the Brewers, have 4 against the Dodgers, 3 against the Padres, 6 against the reds and 3 against the Mets... so technically the Cardinals are pretty much in control of their own destiny right now (same can be said about a vast majority of the teams of course) but as a fan, even though we are pretty far out of it, it's not impossible.

ALL RISE! Aaron Judge solo HR off Kimbrel gives Yankees a 4-3 lead in 8th.

5 in a row for the Cardinals... Lester wasn't horrible (it helps that we were facing the Royals) 9-4 final score... Going for a sweep tomorrow.

Ho hum. Another no-hitter, this one by someone named Tyler Gilbert in his fourth major league appearance and first start. He had several family members at the game, so that was nice to see.

just inhaled about a half-hour of the last out and post-game celebration.

Gilbert for ARI vs SD.

sure, others have pitched a NO-HITTER in the their first MLB start.

who can forget Ted Breitenstein, for the St. Louis Browns - in the American Association in 1891, on the final day of the season. Ted became a workhorse for the NL Cardinals and Reds, finishing 160-170 in only nine full MLB seasons.

Bumpus Jones also performed the feat a year later, for the Reds - also on the final day of the season. The Bumpmeister settled for a 2-4 career record.

then they moved the mound to 60 feet, 6 inches and - well, there was a lull.

finally Bobo Holloman just did it back in... ok, 1953, also for the St. Louis Browns. Bobo went 3-7 that year, and Satchel Paige saved his final win. and then - it was over.

Ho hum. Another no-hitter

No hitters are always cool, IMO. And a no-hitter in a first start! That's really cool!!

NL LEAST
PHI 61-56
ATL 61-56
NYM 59-57

NLBWEST
SF 75-41*
LA 71-46

*- trail COL 3-1 in the 6th - so a tossup game

NL SECOND WILD CARD
SD 66-53
CIN 63-55
ATL/PHI 61-56
STL 60-56
NYM 59-57

The Yankees bullpen tonight was like a man who got shot through the forest and hit every tree but the last one, which miraculously turned into a pillow.

Lester with 197 tonight. He looks like a lock to get 7-8 more starts but I have to think his career is over at the end of this season. So he needs 3 Ws in 8 starts. It’s a tall order but do-able.

Lester may end up with 2500Ks. Never thought of him as a K pitcher. Will finish in top 40 of career K leaders.

I wonder what the record for most runs allowed in a game, all of which were unearned. Five for the Cubs last night

The plucky Orioles have caught the recently competent Diamondbacks in the all-important win column at the bottom of the standings. The O's have also taken a commanding lead run deficit for the year:

D-backs: 38-80 (-167)
Orioles: 38-77 (-197)
Rangers: 41-76 (-145)
Pirates: 42-75 (-179)

The Yankees entered play on Sunday with 64 games determined by two runs or fewer, the second most in the Majors (Mets, 65). Their 41-23 record in those games leads the Majors.

through 7 in detroit, no tigers have reached base

harold castro's 2-out single in 8th ends the drama

At this rate, the Cubs have a good shot at surpassing their loss total from their worst year of the rebuild.

Lester may end up with 2500Ks. Never thought of him as a K pitcher. Will finish in top 40 of career K leaders.

Career 8.2 K/9... honestly surprised it isn't higher. He did lead the AL in K/9 in 2010 and finished 2nd in 2009. He did see it dip below 8 in 2012-13 but had a 9.0 K/9 from 2014-17.

He's been very durable. Made 31+ starts every year from 2008-19 and made 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He had his first real IL stint since 2007 and missed almost all of April, though he's still made 19 starts.

Cardinals going for their 6th win in a row, currently up 7-2 top of the ninth. Milwaukee and Cincy already won though so no ground to be made up, Cincy is probably looking forward to the weekday series, Cardinals get the Brewers and they get the Cubs.

Cards win 6 in a row (albeit, against terrible teams). And they are doing it with a bunch of retreads on their pitching staff including no names Justin Miller, TJ McFarland, Luis Garcia, wade Leblanc and rotation retreads Lester and Happ. Most of these guys will struggle to get on anyone’s 25 man roster next year.

The division is probably out of reach. Best bet is to climb over Phillies, padres, Mets, reds for the second wild card (assuming braves win East ). Not impossible but too many games against brewers to go on a big run.

The Yankees today have 2 Golden Sombreros (Gallo and Higoshioka) and 2 Hat Tricks (Odor and Wade), 16 strikeouts in all, and yet they've still managed to take a 5-1 lead into the last of the 9th.

And almost managed to blow it. Rescued by a DP with the potential winning run at the plate.

Tatis, first day off the IL, doesn't miss a beat: two homers so far, still another AB to go.

Jason Collette
@jasoncollette
·
20m
Brent Suter [MIL] now has 12 wins in 2021 despite starting just one game. He now has the most wins for any pitcher starting five or fewer games since Jesse Crain won 12 games in 2005

..................

(the top 10 all are from 1950-1978, with 15 or more Ws led by Roy Face's 18-1 in 1959 for PIT.

https://stathead.com/tiny/tO5iY )

Dodgers in the midst of completing a sweep of the Mets, who now finally get a breather.

I'm kidding, of course.

they will take a redeye after the game to arrive in SF for a 3-game series starting not even 24 hours after tonight's game ended because - well, the Mets are not a favored son.

then 2 more in SF, followed by 4 Dodgers games out West, then 3 at home vs Giants who - for reasons unexplained - actually get a travel day to nap before taking on the Mets for 3 in those 3 games in NY.

#westcoastbias

Dodgers, up 14-4, load 'em up with 9 outs in the 9th, so the Mets bring in Pillar in relief of Drury to shut the door.

possibly the first mid-inning pitching change of one reliever for another in baseball history?

and does anyone who finds pitchers batting a travesty also find this nonsense charming?

huh, Dodgers also play on the West Coast Monday night - albeit at home, and even bigger albeit that it's the Pirates.

so multiple stupid schedules