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April 29, DesertHotCut.

Today at 11:18 pacific daylight word came down:  DesertHotCut.  In his third 'Cut, Tyler Anderson, he of the 1-3 record and 7.11 ERA, will oppose Zack Greinke.  Rox at Snakes, at 17:10 pacific daylight.  Yesterday the Rockies beat the Snakes 3-1 behind Kyle Freeland, whose ERA is at 2.93.  You took the loss but it was your first losing decision and your ERA is 3.56.  Greg Holland got his tenth save.  YowZa.

For my part I have tuned into the matchup I was watching last night before alcohol and smoke reduced me to a non-thinking being: Mets at Nats.  Strasburg has pitched well enough, 6 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HR (Conforto).  He's back out there now for the seventh, 84 pitches.  Wheeler needed 96 pitches to go 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K.  Game score 48.

Stras continues to eschew the windup.  He's still hitting 97 mph, throwing mostly fastballs, the odd curve.  Change at 89 dives in to the righty T.J. Rivera.  Fastball up and Rivera is on with one out, not hit hard.  Big curve at 80 for a strike to d'Arnaud.  Fastball up d'Arnaud buries it a few feet out, GIDP.  Stras through seven, 94 pitches.

I'm running out of room in this inaugural volume of HotCuts and Bridges.  Perhaps I will even finish it tomorrow, the last day of April.  I am thinking about what I will do next, I need to keep writing about baseball.  I want to start compiling some lists: mound dippers; beards; batting helmet flap wearers; players with non-eponymous nicknames.  There are all of these stats over-marinating the game: exit velocity, zone rate, swinging strike percentage, even WAR.  I want to watch and describe this game and convey some of the essence those stats pretend to deliver without relying on them.  Who are the dynamic players and what is it they do that makes them elite?  Who is fun to watch and why?  My dream, ultimately, is a podcast along these lines.  I think I could do one and a good one.  I'd want you on it, as part of my rotation.

Toothpick sighting!

Blevins comes on to face Bryce Harper, who is 0-for-3 with 2K and a GIDP.  He struck out and has apparently lost the discipline he has maintained up until this point in the season.  The Mets can get him out.

Ray, I'm here to tell ya right now:  Michael Conforto has arrived.  He takes one to left-center, his first career HR against a lefty.  Beautiful swing.  I really want to put a comp on him.  Who does that swing remind me of?  Let me work on it.  Two homers and a bag today.  B lost Eaton to the DL on her fantasy team overnight and who did she go out and get?  Conforto—though that roster move isn't effective until tomorrow.  I am making terribly few moves, only when necessary, and I am content.  Left-handed Jeff Bagwell?

Addison Reed on.  16K, 0BB, this year but Gary and Ron say he had a bad night last night.  R-Zim, the NL RBI leader (!), stands in.  Gone!  Eleven homers.  This guy is the fountain of youth.  Fastball in and he went sledge-hammer on it.  Reed has allowed 4 HRs this year, same amount he gave up all last year.  Could bad Addison, he of the Snakes, have re-surfaced?  It calls to my mind that life lay in the margins—the raZors edge difference between success and mediocrity—or worse: failure.  Rendon, 5-3.  The Orioles blew an 8-run lead last night?  Ouch.  They are getting pounded today.

Later.  Familia fans Michael Taylor, Mets win, two in a row against the Nats.  It's time for Cubs - Red Sox.  Lackey is "at odds right away with Bill Welke."  Moreland, he of the 12 doubles, walks.  Pedroia, .609 OPS, 1B.  Now JBJ, or as B likes to call him Jackie Bradley Jr Jr.  He's got a .679 OPS and one home run.  The Yankees and Orioles are now tied atop the AL East.  Bradley singles and the Red Sox send Moreland, testing Jon Jay in left, whose throw doesn't get it done.  Lackey is spitting salt.

...

Lackey went six.  It rained monsoon-style here.  Schwarber dink-n-dunks one, Jay scores.  It's 5-4 Cubs.  All five earned are charged to Steven Wright, so...the knuckler wasn't knuckling?



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