At 7:17 central, 5:17 pacific, you issued word: Gotta be a CapitolCut. The series started with two games in Baltimore but it shifts to D.C. tonight, Miley and Strasburg, at 18:05 central.
I have Giants at Mets on the radio, WOR out of New York, Howie Rose and Josh Lewin. Posey homered for the third straight game—he has five home runs and eight RBI—but the Giants trail Tommy Milone and NYM 3-1. I heard Bruce homer, I heard a Granderson RBI double.
...90 minutes elapse...
Top nine in Flushing, Familia trying to close out a 3-2 game. Nuñez sends a grounder to third, this could be the game, Wilmer throws...high to second...Panik is safe there, Nuñez on first. One out, Pence up. He singles. Panik comes around to score, the Giants have tied the game at three, and here comes Posey. Familia is the seventh Mets pitcher to work today. Milone went 5 IP, 2 ER, 87 pitches. Then the parade began: Salas 1 IP, Edgin 1/3 IP, Robles 2/3 IP, Reed 2/3 IP, Blevins 1/3 IP. The Met broadcast suggests these guys are appearing too often. Posey hits a pop foul but T. J. Rivera can't quite get there. Now Posey walks. They're loaded. Arroyo sends one to the gap, Arroyo has cleared the bases and it's 6-3 Giants. Familia collapsed after Wilmer flubbed that potential game-ending GIDP.
On a check swing, Bruce is punched out at third. One out. Neil Walker singles, now Curtis G. Grandy is fighting off a succession of Derek Law sinkers. Melancon would otherwise be working to close this game but he has gone on the disabled list with a forearm problem. Granderson, 9. Wilmer is the Mets' last chance, "the ultimate opportunity for baseball redemption". A fastball is hit deep...Ruggiano can't get it...two runs score and it's 6-5 with Wilmer on second. Law gets Plawecki and it's over.
...
I heard the last inning of Braves at Astros. Giles closed it out, the Astros swept the brief 2-game series, and the Astros, at 23-11, are off to their best start in team history. I go now to Cubs at Rockies. The Cubs are banged up, missing RiZzo and Russell from the lineup. The lineup does include: Jay, Candelario, and La Stella ... three players that either weren't integral or weren't around at all for the Cubs last year. I realiZe now that German Márquez hasn't yet given up a hit in this game. He's 1-2-3 and through six.
Bryan doubles to lead off the seventh. But it leads to nowhere. Márquez ends up going 8 scoreless: 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 99 pitches, 88 game score. Holland is on now and he has gotten two quick outs. Holland fans Candelario and the Rockies take two of three from the Cubs.
...
Buck is dippin' in the 'Cut. It's 3-0 O's, top 3. I saw Adam Jones take a good Strasburg slider—isn't that the pitch he wasn't going to throw as much this year?—the other way. Stras has the change going now, "incredible downward action," he gets C Davis and then Trumbo, who has fanned both times up. Schoop, who's tenth-best in the AL in batting average, rips a breaker down the left field line, his tenth double. Leaving a local restaurant we saw Yelich launch a Lynn pitch to straightaway center in Miami ... lookout Clevelander patrons! Hardy, 8. Harper whiffs, Miley is rolling, and the Nat bats have finally cooled off. This is the absence of Eaton setting in—he has season-ending surgery today. A Scott Coolbaugh reference; he is the Baltimore hitting coach. Someone is filling in for Jim Palmer on the Oriole TV feed. Palmer's fine but this substitute is good, too, and he and Gary Thorne have good chemistry. Strasburg fans the side, seven for the game, he's through four: 71 pitches.
Trumbo goes jumbo, hits one way out, it's 5-1.
Strasburg went six. Treinen came on. Manny got him, making it 6-2. Strasburg's line: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 100 pitches, game score 44. Miley lasted only five innings, walking four and striking out five, but he stands in line for the win. You text me now, 20:24 central daylight: Crads on top!! Werth hits a squibber that both Givens and Chris Davis go after, Givens comes up with it, Schoop sprints to cover first but Werth gets there first. B says, "Davis just chawin' on his chaw." He has the biggest wad of chaw in his left cheek you're ever gonna see. Buck lifts Givens for the lefty Donnie Hart. Low ERA, high WHIP this guy Hart. Double switch: Rickard replaces Smith...oh yeah...this is an NL park. Harper. He takes the first; swings out of his shoes on the second; fouls the third as a cue shot; fouls the fourth; then PO 4. R Zim then goes 6-4-3 and his average falls below .400.
Brach is on the ropes bottom nine in the 'Cut. He blows one by Rendon at 96 but then Rendon singles. Based loaded, 1 out, Orioles trying to hold on. Wieters! That's the game. 7-6 Nats, Wieters walks it off.
I brought back my fake or imagined newspaper headlines and sent:
"Washington Post: Wieters Walk-Off Rescues 'Cut from O's"
You texted right back saying: 'The first headline of the season!'
I'm not sure I sent any last year. It was right after Squirt died that baseball began. I didn't let myself get jubilated. The newspaper headlines call upon and require a certain energy...but I was thinking about them recently, wanting to formulate a few. This was the perfect opportunity.
...
I tried to toggle to CLE-TOR, tied 7-7 bottom nine but when I hit 'enter' the feed selection screen listed the score as 8-7 Toronto. The game had ended. I didn't have to go home but I couldn't go to Toronto so I went to Chavez Ravine instead. Chris Taylor made a diving stop on a grounder to his right, took a moment to gather himself, made a sharp throw to first, barely got the runner. He has been hitting, too. Let's get a look. Puig now, 1-and-2 the count. Single to right. It's Maeda. I've missed Utley and I forgot to say it was to him Taylor made the throw. Adrián on the DL and Toles's knee injury have freed up room in this lineup. Pederson 4-6-3 GIDP, quite a play by the Pirate second baseman,
Mercer sends a ball right down the first base line, it hits the front of the bag and shoehorns up and into the field of play, Utley spins to re-direct himself, barehands the ball on one bounce and underhands it to an in-stride Maeda covering first. Pretty play.
...
Miami. Rooney just announced Steve LombardoZzi was hitting. I was certain he was out of the league. He rips a foul down the line. I thought I was pulling that name out of my arse when I was trying to think of players who had two Zs in their last name. Lo, he is still playing. Crads win, LombadoZzi goes 1-3 and the Crads have swept their road trip, three in Atlanta and three in Miami.
Back to LA. Utley's hair is gray...there's no way he's 38. That day when a day of baseball is played and there isn't a player older than me, that's the day I'll first feel old. Utley is older than I am, older than you are, but not by much. DOB 12.17.1978. Supposedly. I'll go turn off Cradio. Seager pops out to left, 7, not a surprise. Turner gets under one, 8. Here's Bellinger. He puts the buggy whip on one ... just ... barely ... foul, five feet. I credit the Detroit radio announcer for my employ of the term 'buggy whip'. Jim Price. I don't know why I haven't learned these guys' names yet. Dan Dickerson does play-by-play, former Tiger catcher Jim Price is the analyst, 1270 WXYT AM and 97.1 WXYT FM in Detroit.
McCutchen goes 6-3. Utley now. I sent you "Utley is 49." He doubles and is 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, batting .148. Max Moroff for Pittsburgh grounds one right of first base, Utley goes to field it, it's under his glove, but Taylor's behind him, fielding, throwing, Maeda is there again, the throw meeting him in stride, 4-1. Taylor and Maeda are smiling, Utley is chagrined. This is along the lines of Maeda's best start of the year. Mercer swings and strikes out on a wide-bending, east-west slider and that's five in the books for Kenta.
Kuhl works to Seager. A tight 90's slider on the inner half evens the count at one-and-one. Something in the dirt entices Seager at 90 m.p.h., a splitter? One-and-two. Same pitch at 91 stays off the ground, probably a ball, Seager puts a pull swing on it, K. Kuhl has given up four runs, Maeda none, but Kuhl's "stuff" is better. Turner, 9.
...
Well, it had to happen. Corey Seager got into one, stroked it to left center, Cutch dove but couldn't quite get it. Double. Barbato walks Turner. Bellinger, FC 4-6. A fastball to the bottom of the zone or just below is the first-pitch approach I saw tonight to Harper and Bellinger. Grandal pounds a chopper double into the ground and down the first-base line, Turner scores, Bellinger to third. Barbato brings a hard slider and Taylor swings through it, inning over.
This is the only game going. There are two noon games tomorrow but then not another until 18:00. So I'll sleep some from about 15:30 to 16:59. Maeda is still in this game, trying to complete it. 91 pitches, top nine. A Maddux is still possible but unlikely. Cutch fouls pitch 93. And 94. Maddux is slipping away. It's not even McCutche, it's Harrison, sorry, another foul ball. A shot of Maeda's interpreter in the dugout. Another foul, 96 pitches. Single. Harrison is better this year than last, near peak, which was All-Star level. Cervelli just homered, down the left field line, over that very short, four-foot wall out there. It strikes me that it used to be even lower. I remember a Will Clark home run hit in that exact spot, shown in the nightly highlights on Channel five, back before we had access to the internet and MLB.TV. I longed for news of the players I liked to show up in that thirty or forty-five seconds the newscast could allot to action from "around the league", it was the only change to get some news on what had happened around the league before the box scores arrived in the morning paper early the next day. Clark, W...two-for-four with two RBI, one run scored...looking lower...a home run, yes! Maeda fans Cutch. Roberts lifts him.
I have Giants at Mets on the radio, WOR out of New York, Howie Rose and Josh Lewin. Posey homered for the third straight game—he has five home runs and eight RBI—but the Giants trail Tommy Milone and NYM 3-1. I heard Bruce homer, I heard a Granderson RBI double.
...90 minutes elapse...
Top nine in Flushing, Familia trying to close out a 3-2 game. Nuñez sends a grounder to third, this could be the game, Wilmer throws...high to second...Panik is safe there, Nuñez on first. One out, Pence up. He singles. Panik comes around to score, the Giants have tied the game at three, and here comes Posey. Familia is the seventh Mets pitcher to work today. Milone went 5 IP, 2 ER, 87 pitches. Then the parade began: Salas 1 IP, Edgin 1/3 IP, Robles 2/3 IP, Reed 2/3 IP, Blevins 1/3 IP. The Met broadcast suggests these guys are appearing too often. Posey hits a pop foul but T. J. Rivera can't quite get there. Now Posey walks. They're loaded. Arroyo sends one to the gap, Arroyo has cleared the bases and it's 6-3 Giants. Familia collapsed after Wilmer flubbed that potential game-ending GIDP.
On a check swing, Bruce is punched out at third. One out. Neil Walker singles, now Curtis G. Grandy is fighting off a succession of Derek Law sinkers. Melancon would otherwise be working to close this game but he has gone on the disabled list with a forearm problem. Granderson, 9. Wilmer is the Mets' last chance, "the ultimate opportunity for baseball redemption". A fastball is hit deep...Ruggiano can't get it...two runs score and it's 6-5 with Wilmer on second. Law gets Plawecki and it's over.
...
I heard the last inning of Braves at Astros. Giles closed it out, the Astros swept the brief 2-game series, and the Astros, at 23-11, are off to their best start in team history. I go now to Cubs at Rockies. The Cubs are banged up, missing RiZzo and Russell from the lineup. The lineup does include: Jay, Candelario, and La Stella ... three players that either weren't integral or weren't around at all for the Cubs last year. I realiZe now that German Márquez hasn't yet given up a hit in this game. He's 1-2-3 and through six.
Bryan doubles to lead off the seventh. But it leads to nowhere. Márquez ends up going 8 scoreless: 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K, 99 pitches, 88 game score. Holland is on now and he has gotten two quick outs. Holland fans Candelario and the Rockies take two of three from the Cubs.
...
Buck is dippin' in the 'Cut. It's 3-0 O's, top 3. I saw Adam Jones take a good Strasburg slider—isn't that the pitch he wasn't going to throw as much this year?—the other way. Stras has the change going now, "incredible downward action," he gets C Davis and then Trumbo, who has fanned both times up. Schoop, who's tenth-best in the AL in batting average, rips a breaker down the left field line, his tenth double. Leaving a local restaurant we saw Yelich launch a Lynn pitch to straightaway center in Miami ... lookout Clevelander patrons! Hardy, 8. Harper whiffs, Miley is rolling, and the Nat bats have finally cooled off. This is the absence of Eaton setting in—he has season-ending surgery today. A Scott Coolbaugh reference; he is the Baltimore hitting coach. Someone is filling in for Jim Palmer on the Oriole TV feed. Palmer's fine but this substitute is good, too, and he and Gary Thorne have good chemistry. Strasburg fans the side, seven for the game, he's through four: 71 pitches.
Trumbo goes jumbo, hits one way out, it's 5-1.
Strasburg went six. Treinen came on. Manny got him, making it 6-2. Strasburg's line: 6 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 100 pitches, game score 44. Miley lasted only five innings, walking four and striking out five, but he stands in line for the win. You text me now, 20:24 central daylight: Crads on top!! Werth hits a squibber that both Givens and Chris Davis go after, Givens comes up with it, Schoop sprints to cover first but Werth gets there first. B says, "Davis just chawin' on his chaw." He has the biggest wad of chaw in his left cheek you're ever gonna see. Buck lifts Givens for the lefty Donnie Hart. Low ERA, high WHIP this guy Hart. Double switch: Rickard replaces Smith...oh yeah...this is an NL park. Harper. He takes the first; swings out of his shoes on the second; fouls the third as a cue shot; fouls the fourth; then PO 4. R Zim then goes 6-4-3 and his average falls below .400.
Brach is on the ropes bottom nine in the 'Cut. He blows one by Rendon at 96 but then Rendon singles. Based loaded, 1 out, Orioles trying to hold on. Wieters! That's the game. 7-6 Nats, Wieters walks it off.
I brought back my fake or imagined newspaper headlines and sent:
"Washington Post: Wieters Walk-Off Rescues 'Cut from O's"
You texted right back saying: 'The first headline of the season!'
I'm not sure I sent any last year. It was right after Squirt died that baseball began. I didn't let myself get jubilated. The newspaper headlines call upon and require a certain energy...but I was thinking about them recently, wanting to formulate a few. This was the perfect opportunity.
...
I tried to toggle to CLE-TOR, tied 7-7 bottom nine but when I hit 'enter' the feed selection screen listed the score as 8-7 Toronto. The game had ended. I didn't have to go home but I couldn't go to Toronto so I went to Chavez Ravine instead. Chris Taylor made a diving stop on a grounder to his right, took a moment to gather himself, made a sharp throw to first, barely got the runner. He has been hitting, too. Let's get a look. Puig now, 1-and-2 the count. Single to right. It's Maeda. I've missed Utley and I forgot to say it was to him Taylor made the throw. Adrián on the DL and Toles's knee injury have freed up room in this lineup. Pederson 4-6-3 GIDP, quite a play by the Pirate second baseman,
Mercer sends a ball right down the first base line, it hits the front of the bag and shoehorns up and into the field of play, Utley spins to re-direct himself, barehands the ball on one bounce and underhands it to an in-stride Maeda covering first. Pretty play.
...
Miami. Rooney just announced Steve LombardoZzi was hitting. I was certain he was out of the league. He rips a foul down the line. I thought I was pulling that name out of my arse when I was trying to think of players who had two Zs in their last name. Lo, he is still playing. Crads win, LombadoZzi goes 1-3 and the Crads have swept their road trip, three in Atlanta and three in Miami.
Back to LA. Utley's hair is gray...there's no way he's 38. That day when a day of baseball is played and there isn't a player older than me, that's the day I'll first feel old. Utley is older than I am, older than you are, but not by much. DOB 12.17.1978. Supposedly. I'll go turn off Cradio. Seager pops out to left, 7, not a surprise. Turner gets under one, 8. Here's Bellinger. He puts the buggy whip on one ... just ... barely ... foul, five feet. I credit the Detroit radio announcer for my employ of the term 'buggy whip'. Jim Price. I don't know why I haven't learned these guys' names yet. Dan Dickerson does play-by-play, former Tiger catcher Jim Price is the analyst, 1270 WXYT AM and 97.1 WXYT FM in Detroit.
McCutchen goes 6-3. Utley now. I sent you "Utley is 49." He doubles and is 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, batting .148. Max Moroff for Pittsburgh grounds one right of first base, Utley goes to field it, it's under his glove, but Taylor's behind him, fielding, throwing, Maeda is there again, the throw meeting him in stride, 4-1. Taylor and Maeda are smiling, Utley is chagrined. This is along the lines of Maeda's best start of the year. Mercer swings and strikes out on a wide-bending, east-west slider and that's five in the books for Kenta.
Kuhl works to Seager. A tight 90's slider on the inner half evens the count at one-and-one. Something in the dirt entices Seager at 90 m.p.h., a splitter? One-and-two. Same pitch at 91 stays off the ground, probably a ball, Seager puts a pull swing on it, K. Kuhl has given up four runs, Maeda none, but Kuhl's "stuff" is better. Turner, 9.
...
Well, it had to happen. Corey Seager got into one, stroked it to left center, Cutch dove but couldn't quite get it. Double. Barbato walks Turner. Bellinger, FC 4-6. A fastball to the bottom of the zone or just below is the first-pitch approach I saw tonight to Harper and Bellinger. Grandal pounds a chopper double into the ground and down the first-base line, Turner scores, Bellinger to third. Barbato brings a hard slider and Taylor swings through it, inning over.
This is the only game going. There are two noon games tomorrow but then not another until 18:00. So I'll sleep some from about 15:30 to 16:59. Maeda is still in this game, trying to complete it. 91 pitches, top nine. A Maddux is still possible but unlikely. Cutch fouls pitch 93. And 94. Maddux is slipping away. It's not even McCutche, it's Harrison, sorry, another foul ball. A shot of Maeda's interpreter in the dugout. Another foul, 96 pitches. Single. Harrison is better this year than last, near peak, which was All-Star level. Cervelli just homered, down the left field line, over that very short, four-foot wall out there. It strikes me that it used to be even lower. I remember a Will Clark home run hit in that exact spot, shown in the nightly highlights on Channel five, back before we had access to the internet and MLB.TV. I longed for news of the players I liked to show up in that thirty or forty-five seconds the newscast could allot to action from "around the league", it was the only change to get some news on what had happened around the league before the box scores arrived in the morning paper early the next day. Clark, W...two-for-four with two RBI, one run scored...looking lower...a home run, yes! Maeda fans Cutch. Roberts lifts him.
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