Monday, April 30, 2012

Mets 6, Rockies 5 (11) - Forget the Game, Look at This Picture



Ok so wow.  Johan Santana finally got some run support, but it didn't mean a flip since the bullpen detonated in the eighth inning as the bases got loaded and Todd Helton hit a two-out pinch hit grand slam to tie the game at four and force extras.  Then the Mets eked out a run in the 10th only for Francisco to serve up a solo homer to Carlos Gonzalez.  Then the Mets got one more run in the 11th and Ramon Ramirez was able to close the door and secure the series victory for the Mets.  

It's nice to leave Colorado and head to Houston (the reason all the Mets dressed like cowboys for the flight and THAT PICTURE MY GOD), and be out of a park where no lead feels safe.  Also, goddamn, that Rockies lineup, especially with Scutaro swinging a hot bat this weekend it was like him, Carlos Gonzalez and Tulo all coming up was just bad for business.  I am not sorry to not be playing those guys for awhile.  

So now the Mets are 13-9 and, thanks to the Nats having trouble with the Dodgers, find themselves just one game out of first behind Washington and the Braves.  Dickey tomorrow against the Lee-less Astros!  Perfect game incoming!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 2: E5 again? Aw yeah, again and again.

two rad guys, one of whom is currently playing radly
Another home run? And a stolen base? Even if it was just on the tail end of a double steal, I don't care: E5 is cold killing it, and we should all embrace and celebrate him. Hey, you know who else homered? Back-up-catcher-who-can't-hit Jeff Mathis, who has been raking on those rare occasions he actually gets to play. Good for him! Good for us all! I am just excited generally right now, but I am particularly excited about my main man Henderson Alvarez, who allowed but a solitary run in his six innings today. Not excited about: Francisco Cordero, who needs to settle down and not be bad at pitching, in this observer's view. 

Tomorrow night is Kyle Drabek vs. Yu Darvish! Whose smoke shall be smokiest? Tune in! 



Also I wanted to mention that I caught a bunch of the Padres/Giants the other night as the MLB.tv free game of the day, and woah did it look awesome on my computer because that ballpark is the best and also woah did it sound awesome on my computer because John Miller is the best. And Lincecum pitched well! Well, everybody did, but the Padres got burnt on a bad call at first and that was the game, pretty much. 


Baseball,


KS

Sad DC 14-8

swept by the Dodgers, 4 game losing streak
back to earth we go
yet look at the young Ultimate Harper's hair
so naive so innocent which is essentially the spirit of our team
we will come back to earth yes
but we will walk a proud path towards our destiny
(haha, I'm trippin yall...
but I dig those road reds, might have to order one from China)

Mets 6, Rockies 4 - Coors Field Pitching Duel

"Don't forget the flourish..."

Well thank God that the Mets didn't suffer any ill effects of their humiliating defeat on Friday night as they bounced back nicely to beat the Rockies last night.  Duda had a homer and four RBI, and Dillon Gee was serviceable.  Francisco gave me a slight case of agita by giving up a homer to Dexter Fowler of all people and then a triple to Tyler Colvin, but got out of it by getting a fly ball by Jason Giambi that I thought was a homer for a sec. 


Now it's back to three games over .500 with a 12-9 record, and Santana is going today!  Good times!

Sad DC 14-7

a stifling outing for Strasburg
a go-ahead RBI in the 9th by Harper
it was just like we had always dreamed
until Hank Rodriguez came into the game
and then it all went to shit

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Blue Jays 7, Mariners 0: E5 BABY YEEEEAH

mostly they are happy they look so fresh in those new uniforms
A very good way to break an especially depressing four-game losing streak is for Brandon Morrow to pitch six innings, striking out nine and walking nary a dude, and for E5 to hit an opposite-field grand slam, complete with cocky bat flip, to cap off a 7-0 drubbing on a Saturday afternoon. This is so much more like it, you have no idea. 


DO IT EDWIN DO IT.


Edwin, doing it
KS

Sad DC 14-6

another day, another west coast loss last night
but today begins the quest of The Ultimate Harper
and is Strasburg/Harper, in the flesh
first time ever

Mariners 9, Blue Jays 5 (F/10): I Renounce the Blue Jays Bullpen

guess which of these two guys just gave up a game-winning grand slam. seriously, guess.
Gosh, man. I don't even know. This was a pretty excellent game, in a way, but not a way that I am completely into right now. I could kind of appreciate Ichiro throwing J. P. Arencibia out at the plate in the late going, even though it was a play that obviously did not serve my overall interest here, because Ichiro is neat and good for him, I guess. But this Michael Saunders business, this home run in the ninth inning (and all the horseshit that followed for the tie) and then a grand slam to win it in the tenth, I am not doing as well with that. Romero pitched pretty OK-ly and would have left with the lead were it not for an early unearned run (in an inning he would have gotten out of anyway had he been quicker on a double play ball, so whatever). But the bullpen, man. The bullpen.


KS 

Rockies ???, Mets ??? - I HAVE TO GO TO SLEEP


There's a story that Howie Rose, the radio play-by-play guy for the Mets loves to tell about the late Bob Murphy, the legendary announcer that he replaced and his first trip to Coors.  

The story goes that the Mets and Rockies played a Coors Field special, one of those 14-12, four hour affairs or whatever, and as the announcing team left the press box and rode in the elevator to depart the stadium, all was silent, everyone still digesting what they'd just seen.  



Murphy, Rose explains, broke the silence.  "I don't know what I just saw....but it sure wasn't baseball."


***

Ok, so, for awhile this was a completely normal baseball game, with Chris Schwinden getting the start to replace the dearly departed Mike Pelfrey, but that didn't last very long as strange things happened in the fifth.  


After the Rockies starter left the game with some arm discomfort, the Mets scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning, all with two outs, to grab a 6-2 lead.  "Cool," I thought, "The Mets never win in Colorado!"


Well....


That's when things got ridiculous.  The Mets committed five errors in the bottom of the fifth and the pitching staff completely pooed their pants to the tune of 11 runs given up, including three-run homers by Carlos Gonzalez and Dexter Fowler.   Then, Scott Hairston hit for the cycle, the Mets immediately scored three runs to pull back within four, and I was like "Oh I'm watching this shit until the end."


Then Ramon Hernandez hit an opposite-field grand slam in the seventh and I lost all capacity for rational thought and just prayed for the end. 


It sure wasn't baseball, but I couldn't look away.  



Friday, April 27, 2012

Orioles 5, Blue Jays 2: Don't Sweep Me Bro

shucks
I am a bad Blue Jays fan. I turned the game off when the Orioles scored their first run off Drew Hutchison on a mere sacrifice fly, figuring the way they've been swinging the bats this week, they were sunk. Not exactly, as it turned out, as they did manage a whopping two runs before kicking the ball around and then getting dinged by dingers. 


A sweep at the hands of the (first place!) Orioles is shameful. But Ricky Romero takes the hill at home tonight, and I expect him to get through the Mariners in about two hours. Maybe it will be great! 


KS

Sad DC 14-5

stupid Tyler Clippard
when I went to bed it was 1-0 and he had 2 outs in the 8th
when I woke up it was 2-1 the Padres having scored 2 in the 8th
oh well, our starting pitching has not given up a run in like 30 innings
too bad starters don't pitch whole games anymore

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Mets 3, Marlins 2 - I Guess I'd Better Learn How to Spell 'Nieuwenhuis'

Bow down, bitches.

When Andres Torres pulled up lame in the first game of the season, it seemed like the same old story for the Mets, who have been snakebit when it comes to injuries for the past couple of years.  However, Torres' injury opened the door for KirNieuwenhuis, one of the most touted prospects on the Mets' AAA team in Buffalo.  I'd heard that he was pretty good, but he himself was coming off an injury sustained last season, so I wasn't sure what they'd be getting.  

Well...

All they've gotten is a center fielder playing superb defense and batting .333 with two homers and some huge hits, none bigger than the double over Giancarlo Stanton's head off of Heath Bell to win the game on Thursday and seal the sweep over Miami.  

Of course, Nieuwenhuis never would have had the opportunity to bat if it wasn't for Justin Turner, who had a 13-pitch battle with Bell, fouling off pitch after pitch and eventually drawing a walk to force in the tying run.  In something of an awkward moment, Turner was being interviewed by Eddie Coleman, the long-time WFAN radio announcer at the same time that Nieuwenhuis was talking to Kevin Burkhardt, the talking head from the SNY television station after the game.  Only problem is, Turner is the Mets' shaving cream pie guy, which resulted in a really awkward moment where Turner had one of the clubhouse guys try to pie Kirk, but he did a really lousy job and basically none of it got on him.  Bad job, clubhouse guy!




Anyway, the Mets bounced back incredibly well after their turd of a series against the Giants, and now sit at 11-8 as they head to Colorado, where they've never really fared well, for the weekend.  Here's hopign Troy Tulowitzki will remain cold until at least Monday, and that the pitching won't be too horrible.  Lots of homers for Ike Davis, please, he looks so bad at the plate right now it is bumming me out.  

Orioles 3, Blue Jays 0: The Baltimore Juggernaut Rolls On

dang
A don't know, man. Kyle Drabek threw some measure of smoke, but gave up a couple of home runs. The defense kicked the ball around pretty good, but it didn't really matter. Nobody hit. Perhaps they will tonight? 


KS

Mets 5, Marlins 1 - Two Good Guys Do Some Good Things

(Airplane noises)

One of the best things about baseball season is that you can time long drives so that you are never  stuck hoping for a good string of songs on the radio, or playing the same iPod songs you've heard a zillion times.  That was the case this evening as I was able to tune into the game in the middle of the fifth pretty much as soon as Omar Infante hit a homer off of St. Dickey to give the Fish a 1-0.  

"Oh wonderful," I thought, "I am the worst luck."

However, the Mets bounced back, in large part thanks to a superb effort by Dickey and a 2-run bomb to center field by David Wright, who took sole possession of the franchise record for RBI after sharing it with Darryl Strawberry for five games. 

Jose Reyes did basically nothing again and the bullpen nailed down the victory, the second straight for the Mets after losing that doubleheader on Monday in EXCRUCIATING fashion.  They'll go for the sweep tomorrow as they were thoughtful enough to schedule the game in the afternoon so as not to make fans of both their team and the NY Rangers have to make an impossible decision.  

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Curly W 14-4

this team has given birth to HOPE
also the game was a matinee which means normal time where I am
I AM STILL DRINKING ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA THOUGH
I JUST DO NOT GIVE A FUCK

Orioles 2, Blue Jays 1: Best of Times, Blurst of Times for Eric Thames

best
So in the third inning, Eric Thames drew the Blue Jays even with the Orioles at one with a solo home run that made it into, like, the warehouse part of Camden Yards. You know, the like, warehouse part? He crushed it. 


In the fourth, however, a Matt Weiters opposite-field fly to the track totally bounced off Eric Thames and into the crowd for what would prove to be the winning run. Oops:


blurst
Kind of a drag, too, because Henderson Alvarez was really rolling last night, at least after that bases-loaded situation in the first that led to a run scoring on a double play. Two runs on five hits in seven innings? Even against the Orioles that is a solid.


Ah well.


KS


EDIT: the unstoppable DJF has it all covered in animated .gif form!







Curly W 13-4

did not see a ball game as it is west coast
& I masturbate and have my chamomile tea strictly at 10:15 nightly then go to bed
but apparently Gio was triumphant in his west coast return
and Nats scored 3 runs on 4 hits (how do you do that?)
and Wilson Ramos that loveable kidnappee scored 2 runs on 0 hits (how did he do that?)
tonight perhaps I will have some English breakfast tea instead at 10:15
a big warm cup, and perhaps listen to the baseballs audio thru my robot

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Mets 2, Marlins 1 - Welcome Back, Have an Oh-for

Go back to Marlinland with its mile-high atrocity

Ok, well that's over.  After all of the chatter speculating as to the kind of reception Jose Reyes would receive in his first trip back to Citi Field, the Mets and Marlins were finally able to get down to the business of playing the actual baseball game...but not before the Mets presented Reyes with a video tribute of his team on the team.  

I'm kind of ambivalent about it, since I'm a fan of Reyes and can't really blame him for leaving, giving all of the...unpleasantness the Mets found themselves in this past offseason.  I'm not sure if it was the right time, maybe this would not have been as ill-received if, say, they had presented it to him during his farewell tour in 8 years or whatever.  

Anyway, after all of that, Reyes thanked the Mets in turn by going 0-for-4.  I think he might be below .200 at this point.  Johan Santana and Josh Johnson had themselves an awesome little pitching duel and when Daniel Murphy was thrown out at home attempting to break a scoreless tie to end the fourth, I assumed the worst.  

The Marlins had two balls scalded to start the seventh inning, but they were perfectly handled by Murphy and Wright, but after that, things sort of unraveled.  Giancarlo Stanton hit a broken-bat single through the hole into left and Gaby Sanchez, who kind of owns the Mets, followed that up with a double off the wall to score Stanton and chase Santana.  So once again, the Mets failed to score a single run for Santana, which is a disturbing trend in this early season.  

However, the Mets responded nicely in the bottom of the seventh by drawing four walks from four different Marlins pitchers to tie it up.  Then in the bottom of the eighth Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who had another amazing catch in the field and is quickly becoming the story of the Mets in the early goings - apart from Ike Davis' extreme troubles at the plate (he was pulled for a pinch hitter in the seventh and did NOT look happy) led off with a single, moved to third on Daniel Murphy's one-out single and scored when Lucas Duda ricocheted a line drive off of the Marlins pitcher that hit him and bounced under him and it was kind of awesome.  

Then Frank Francisco came in to close it out in impressive fashion, considering he has been a real butt in the past couple of appearanced and the Mets once again went a game above .500 and, more importantly, got a win against a division rival. 

Tomorrow its St. Dickey vs. Mark Buehrle with an estimated game time of 56 minutes.  

Looks Like You're Attempting to Ford the River Into the Playoffs



Also Jason Bay has dysentery but until its official, he doesn't get a tombstone. 

Jose Bautista: Bag Tagger


Take that, Henderson Alvarez's groin.


KS

Giants 7, Mets 2 - Mercifully, I Didn't See Much of This One

Hey guys, I made my own Agony of Defeat

Alternate caption:  "I fell on my keys."

Yes, that reference to one of the greatest lines in one of the greatest movies is about the only superlative I'm going to use when describing this mess.  

Between a fussy baby and the Rangers winning their elimination game against Ottawa, my priorities were elsewhere this evening.  It's probably just as well.  Just about the only thing I did catch were two absolutely ridiculous strike calls against Jason Bay in the bottom of the eighth that led to him being called out on strikes with the bases loaded and the tying run on deck.  The second strike called was in the right-handed batter's box! 




Ah well, that's gonna happen when you got umpires at the end of calling two games I suppose.  

So now the Mets have hit the .500 mark ne'er to rise above it again.  They dropped three of four to the Giants and now Jose Reyes is coming into town with his new buddies.  All that good stuff I said about doubleheaders before?  I take it all back.   

Monday, April 23, 2012

Blue Jays 4, Royals 1: Joseph Batstista is The Best

high five high five high five high five high five high five high five
Yes, Kelly Johnson hit a solo shot, and Brandon Morrow pitched well enough into the seventh, even managing to strand runners, which is not something he seemed to do even once ever last season, but what I would like to focus on here is how Bruce Chen walked Johnson in the sixth and was probably like "well dang" because Bautista was due up next and then sure enough, next pitch, dinger. Loved it. Also acquitting himself beautifully tonight: Blue Jays colour guy Alan Ashby, who commented on Brandon Morrow throwing away a bunted ball, and he said something like, so that's a bunt single and an error to put a man on second, and had he made it all the way to third on that play all the moms would have really been cheering hard at the little league diamond, and it was like oh man burn. Finally, proving that I do not understand anything about our beloved sport, the word from Bautista himself is that he has been trying too hard to hit the ball to right, and he's decided he needs to just pull the shit out of everything, and sure enough, home run to left. This is the first piece of evidence we have that Jose Bautista knows more about hitting than I do, but even though it is but a single datum I think we should treat it seriously. 

KS

Giants 6, Mets 1 - Something I Don't Get

"Man, I hate that guy."

So, to the surprise of absolutely nobody, Tim Lincecum outpitched Miguel Batista as the Giants topped the Mets in the first game of today's doubleheader.  The Giants got homers from Posey and Schierholtz and Ike Davis left eight runners on base over three at-bats as the Mets couldn't cash in on Lincecum's erratic performance.  Timmy barely got through his fifth inning of work, as he was giving out walks all over the place, but the Mets were unable to cash in their chances.  That wasn't the most frustrating part of this game for me though.  

It was announced yesterday that Santana would be getting an extra day of rest, and wouldn't be pitching today, and Gee was going to make his start from yesterday.  When it came time to decide who would get the spot start, Alderson called up starting pitcher Jeremy Hefner for his first trip to the majors, and everyone thought he might get the call.  However, it was Batista who took the hill, which left me utterly baffled.  If you're going to throw Batista out there against Lincecum, you're already waving the white flag, why not let the rookie go out there and see what you have in him?  Where's the sense in trotting out a 40-year old pitcher with multiple arm surgeries under his belt in this season, which has been so far a NICE rebuilding year, but a rebuilding year all the same.  

As it turns out, Hefner DID get into the game to relieve the ineffective Batista and pitched three innings, allowing just one walk.  Hindsight is 20-20, I know, but there is no reason that Batista should be doing anything but mop-up duty.  

No Baseball!? WHAAAAT


He speaks for all of us.  Thankfully, the Mets were able to recover from the incident that caused this reaction  from Mr. Collins.  Will they be so lucky next time?  Tune in for today's doubleheader to find out!

Terry's motion up there pretty much mimicked mine when I logged onto mlb.com yesterday afternoon, a lazy Sunday with church already attended, my two-month old daughter asleep in her pack-and-play, and enough rain outside to get me out of mowing the lawn.  I was excited to watch Lincecum v. Gee, but didn't factor into my equation that if there was enough rain to get me out of my chores in Philadelphia, there was probably enough rain to postpone baseball in Queens.  My disappointment was tempered slightly when I found out that there would be a doubleheader today.  Doubleheaders are rarely positive for a team; they usually result in your bullpen being shot to hell for a week, a juggling of your starting pitchers, and the necessity to rest your veteran players in one of the games that you wouldn't ordinarily need if the games were played on separate days.  

However, what you get for all of these negatives is wonderful, a kind of baseball coma that you can slip into for about eight hours of your day.  The inning-by-inning grind becomes less abrasive and urgent, "eh, so the sixth didn't work out, we'll get 'em in the seventh" becomes "Eh, we'll get them in the second game," if it so happens that there is an early blowout in the first. 

There's also the chance that a doubleheader will result in the best-case scenario, a two-game sweep which will put a hop in your step as a fan for a week, or some really gaudy numbers, like a three-homer day for Ike Davis or 7 RBI from David Wright.  

I much prefer hearing that a rainout will be replaced by a doubleheader the following day than "Due to be made up on like August 10th of the year WHENEVER," because I hate messing with off days late in the season, and at this juncture of the young  season every game is precious as we shake off the gloomy malaise of winter.  By late summer, an off day is appreciated by fan and player alike, a reprieve from scoreboard watching and playoff pressures (may not apply to all teams). 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Blue Jays 5, Royals 3: Poor KC

just a plain old foul ball but a neat photo imo
Despite lacklustre performances thus far from a few key players, the Toronto Blue Jays sit tied atop the American League East with the New York Yankees, each team with a record of nine wins and six losses; the Kansas City Royals, on the other hand, trail every other team in both leagues with their three wins and twelve losses (0-9 at home!), a mark that puts them in a statistical tie with my butt. All the evils that have befallen the Royals have been deserved, kind of, because it is all about totally dumb choices, but they still make you sad, a little.


But only a little, really, in all honesty. Most of my baseball feeling energy today was devoted to appreciating yet another bosslike performance from Ricky Romero who allowed only two runs on five hits in eight excellent innings of work, and had the infield not botched a big double play, that line would have been choicer still. But whatever, that's fine. On the offensive side of things, no single Blue Jay really stood out with the stick today, but it was nice to see Bausista walk a million times, which augers well, I think. He's struggling, but at least he's not just hacking up there, right? Stay selective, bro; stay selective. Tip of the cap to Brett Lawrie for scoring on a double steal today, a way better play than the attempted straight steal of home on an 0-2 count and the bases loaded and two outs and Jose Bautista at the dish that's right nobody will ever forget that you tried to do that that one time Brett Lawrie.


So tomorrow night it's Brandon Morrow, in whom I have no confidence, taking the hill against Bruce Chen as the Blue Jays go for the four-game streak that obviously I am totally up for, but at the same time it would not break my heart if the poor dumb Royals finally got a win at home, because I realize we are all just people, trying to be happy. 


KS

Blue Jays 9, Royals 4: Two Home Runs from Colby Rasmus, of All People

hey alright
This was a good one, with some back-and-forthery and a bunch of home runs and the somewhat surprising Major League debut of Drew Hutchison, who wasn't terrific or anything but left in the sixth inning with the lead and ended up the pitcher of record in the win, so good for him. What would be really cool right now though is if Jose Bautista would stop trying to pull literally every pitch for a minute: he gets into these runs where that's all he does, and he jerks everything foul, and it sucks. But he'll figure it out. I'm not actually worried. It's weird that the guy who is the best hitter in the AL over the last couple years is a dude with constant mechanical issues he totally needs to stay on top of, and has these pretty lengthy stretches where his timing is all messed up and you can totally see it. Like, I'm not being a dick here; Bautista talks about it himself. He manages to be the raddest guy and also in some ways a pretty flawed hitter. He is fantastically compelling!


KS   

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Mets 5, Giants 4 - Rest of Series to Feature Actual Circus Clowns

"Hey this was fun, we should just do this every time."

Oh man, my friends, there is way too much chicanery coming out of this game to fit into one post, especially when you consider that the author spent 95% of the game watching it from a far corner of a bar with the sound off, and the final 5% driving around (and actually out of the car when the game-winning event actually occurred).  

However, I saw perfectly when Ruben Tejada and Captain Kirk absolutely refused to catch the ball that would have ended the game, allowing the tying run to score (conjuring awful, just hideous memories of the Luis Castillo incident), and figured that the season was over.  Thankfully, the Giants were in a giving mood, and handed the game right back to even up the series at a game apiece and bring the Mets back to two games above .500.  

Absolutely lost in all of these shenanigans is that DON'T LOOK NOW, but Mike Pelfrey is doing some things, in this case throwing eight innings of one-run ball, and has an ERA in the low 3's.  What in heaven's name is going on?  I expect he will allow 15 dingers in his next start (5 to Jose Reyes).  

Blue Jays 4, Royals 3: Well I Didn't Catch An Inning of This One

not his smokiest performance in truth
It is a rare thing indeed that a Blue Jays game goes by without me having the radio (or computer radio) on for at least a few minutes, but such was the case hier soir, and the Blue Jays responded with a three-run eighth to win it and also a triple play. Good job boys!

KS

Curly W 12-4

Brad Lidge does what he can to blow what could've been
another Strasborg W but still this is a team
where dudes just sort of make it happen
like Tom Gorzelanny, the goat of the other night
the winner today
but who the fuck cares bro
the Caps are on TV

Curly W 11-4

I did not know "Curly W" was a thing the radio guy said but apparently it is
another thing they've tried to push on people this year is NATTITUDE!
which has been translated as dumbass fans where dumbass shit
Nattitude is corny as fuck yo
you can't push crazy, you have to grow crazy
trust me, I've been growing it for 39 years

Giants 4, Mets 3 - More Disappointing than any Mid-April Loss Has any Right to Be

This guy, this friggin' guy.

Sometime last season I wrote that it seemed like the Mets were in a perfect balance where for every positive thing that happened, an equally awful thing had to occur to set the universe back on its axis.  Well, that couldn't be more true than tonight when the Mets were just stumbling along like a bunch of fools, decided to play baseball for a couple of innings, but only just enough to get fans' hopes up before dashing them with some truly terrible extra innings play.  

Look, I'm not going to hide from the fact that one of my favorite targets on the team is Jason Bay, but he has looked, dare I say, dangerous in the box lately, hitting some big home runs against Philadelphia and Atlanta, and then another one this evening when the Mets had fallen behind, 3-0.  

He was also able to leg out the infield single in the bottom of the ninth that started the Mets rally, and came around to tie the game after Josh Thole capped a wonderful at-bat by singling just past a diving second baseman into right field.  However, all that being said....

How the HELL do you have the tying run and third and the winner at second and take the absolute MEATBALL you take for strike two, and then swing at the CLEARLY OUTSIDE pitch to become the second out in the 10th inning?  I need to give more credit to pitchers but I absolutely abhor when there is a runner at third with fewer than two outs and a team is unable to drive him in, it is against the very nature of a game that some of these men have been playing for UPWARDS OF 25 YEARS.  

And Kirk Nieuwenhuis.  Ah, how you know me too well.  Nothing puts a hop in my step like a homegrown talent made good coming up and just fitting right in, doing what he's called to do, and even surprising at times, (as was the case with his dramatic game-tying home run against the Nationals in the season's first week, and tonight's opposite field shot that made it 3-2.)  

Then you work a walk after Bay's infield single and demonstrate some smarts on the base paths by making it to third from first on Thole's single, putting yourself into position to score the winning run.  

And then you run into a tag play at home and become the second out. 

Look, I cannot give Brandon Belt enough credit for the absolutely amazing play he made to keep the Mets from winning the game, but Kirk, you need to protect yourself there.  

At any rate, this feels like one of those games that, either way, has the power to tip a season. If you win it early, it goes down as a chemistry win, pulling victory from defeat and everyone doing their part to get a W.  If you win, you are 8-5 and your mini-skid is over, the bad taste from a pretty bad series in Atlanta washed clean.  

However, if you lose, you are 7-6, deflated, your bullpen is spent, and you are just kicking yourself over what could have been.  This was pretty lame, guys.  

Friday, April 20, 2012

Giants Vs. Mets: The Series That Threatens To Tear Baseball Feelings APAAAARRRTTT

San Francisco Giants baserunner Melky Cabrera is congratulated by mascot Lou Seal after Cabrera made a walk off base hit during the 11th inning of his MLB National League baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in San Francisco, California, April...

or whatever

Rays 9, Blue Jays 4: Come On, Guys, You're Better Than This, Maybe

a throw hit Henderson Alvarez in the neck and also probably heart
Last evening I had a professional engagement because I am probably the most professional person ever, so I only caught like the first inning and then some nonsense from I guess the sixth on. It was in that sixth, in fact the bottom of it, that Adam Lind lined out to Carlos Pena with two outs and the bases loaded and upset me very badly. So many dudes left on base last night, just so many dudes


Kansas City this weekend, though. So everything will be cool?


KS

Sad DC 10-4

Edwin Jackson (who I love)
came out the gate giving up runs
but D. Johnson kept him in
then the Nats almost came back
then Tom Gorzelanny (who I thought was dead or from the ‘80s or something)
came out and gave up even more runs
letting the first 7 dudes he faced on base
but D. Johnson kept him in
it is only one game, thus no one cared
as the Nats had already won 3 of 3 from the ‘stros
essentially, this is why I stop caring
actual human beings paid actual money to watch an actual game
but the teams didn’t have to give a fuck
thus why should I?
stupid fucking baseball

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Curly W 10-3

this Nats team is impressive
(although it is early,
in both the year & their upward mobility)
but solid as fuck pitching
combined with bats that decide to just barely get busy
in the later innings of close games
it is a recipe for happy ulcers

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Braves 14, Mets 6 - Dang Rain

Well, you can't knuckleball in the rain as evidenced by St. Dickey's purification this afternoon, allowing three home runs to lesser mortals Dan Uggla, Juan Francisco, and Freddie Freeman.  It didn't help that the Mets ran themselves into two outs, one at home plate where Wright was out by so, so much when Tim Teufel sent him when he shouldn't have, and another time when Daniel Murphy broke for home on a grounder to first with no outs.  

I also feel like the Mets perpetually had first and third no outs, first and third one out, second and third...well you get the idea, and they just couldn't bring them home.  Lost in this loss is the fact that David Wright had three RBI today, which tied him with Darryl Strawberry on the Mets all-time list.  Congratulations, David!  Don't ruin your life and career with illicit drugs please!

One cool thing was that Ike Davis socked another dinger today, this time to lead off the top of the second, and this intrepid Braves fan tried to protect themselves by opening an umbrella at it.  Because when I have a hard object flying at me in excess of 100 miles an hour my first instinct is to make myself unable to see it.  


Some other, more skilled fan caught Francisco's homer on the fly and then stood there holding it like the heart in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but I didn't grab it because screw that guy.  

So now the Mets are 7-5, all against the NL East and are on their way home to play the Giants this weekend.  It started out as a really good road trip, taking the first two in Philadelphia, but then turned into a mediocre 3-3.  The old adage is split on the road, win 2 out of 3 at home, but this could have been better.  

Rays 12, Blue Jays 2: Well That One Got A Little Crazy At The End

this one he did not in fact catch
Obviously it didn't actually matter, but that six-run top of the ninth was a hell of a thing, was it not? But the long and the short of this one is that David Price always kills the Blue Jays, and I still have no faith in Brandon Morrow, and so here we are. Jose Bautista made a cool catch in the first, and if Adam Lind wasn't lollygagging in the infield he might have thrown a dude out on a sharply struck ball to right in the same inning, but of course Adam Lind was lollygagging around the infield because he is just so awesome a guy that he doesn't even have to play smart or hard and we will all forgive him because of his astounding production. Oh hey also: a lady who was at the park today with her awesome dog was telling this guy, "You know that home run Bautista hit last night? One of the guys I just went to Cuba with caught that ball! I read about it on Facebook." So there you go, that's a thing that happened. 


Anyway, my contention is that we'll get 'em tomorrow. 


KS

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Blue Jays 7, Rays 3: I May Have Correctly Interpreted an Omen!

bawse
This morning, there was a lone blue jay in my yard, and (s)he was not being a dick, which any birdwatcher will tell you is rare and uncharacteristic behaviour from a blue jay. I chose to interpret this as a friendly omen! If this particular blue jay could find it in his or her heart to not be a dick to me on this day, perhaps the Blue Jays could be the same? And so it came to pass: another bosslike start from R. Romero, Bossquire; a well-sassed second deck shot from Joseph Bats; an opposite-field dinger on a hanging curve from the generally execrable Adam Lind (who I just typo'd as "Adam Linda," which I am going to file away for possibly future implicitly misogynistic dissing); and a blast to straightaway centre from Brett Lawrie (who[m] Bautista, in his wisdom, is not mad at for that ridiculous attempted steal of home the other day: "He’s an aggressive player and that’s what led him here. So whenever he feels like he needs to take a chance on a play like that, he has to, in order to stay true to his nature.") Also Bautista threw Pena out by a mile tonight!  


Is it too early in the season to be scoreboard watching? Should I not actually have the Orioles game up right now, hoping they blow it, so the Blue Jays will be alone in first? Man, if the Blue Jays are actually in it this year (and I am willing to interpret "in it" in the broadest possible sense), I might not make it.

KS

Braves 9, Mets 3 - Upon My Word

This game was a big old butt.  An ass, even.  ASS TO ASS.  



Santana got rocked for all of his extremely short outing, the shortest of his career, as it were, with 1.1 innings pitched.  The Braves hit double down the line after double down the line until I was ready to tear my hair out in frustration.  Bay had a hideous error in left just one day after robbing a home run, and the Mets left like a billion guys on base when they had chances to claw back into it.  St. Dickey tomorrow, though.  Courage.  

Curly W 9-3

it is nearly impossible not to love
Gio Gonzalez
this pitching staff is not only good
but damn man
Gio & Edwin Jackson
are wacky motherfuckers
it is impossible not to feel good
w/ this fucked up team