May 20, GutCut!!!

At 10:02 the 'Cut was issued:  GutCut!!!

The Oldness of Bartolo Colón

At 15:12 Bartolo Colón threw the game's first pitch, a strike to Trea Turner.  Max ScherZer takes the mound for Washington in this suburban Atlanta affair.  There is a graphic showing some of the highest combined age totals from various pitcher-batter matchups.  In 2007 Roger Clemens and Julio Franco combined for 92 years of age.  Jamie Moyer is on that list totaling 89 with Henry Blanco and again with Chipper Jones.  Bartolo pitching to Werth adds up to 81 years—Werth turns 38 today.  Colón is 43 and I do believe he is the eldest statesman of baseball.

National League on-base percentage leaders:  Harper .468;  Freeman .461;  J Turner .453;  Posey .350;  Goldschmidt .444.  Colón is also the last remaining active major leaguer to have played for the Montreal Expos.

Brandon Phillips gets into one, and watches it, and watches it.  Werth could've caught it, but didn't.  Phillips could be on third, but isn't.  High fastball for a strike but Markakis takes it, the count 2-and-1.  Then he swings on the slider down and in.  Another, not as in, it goes 9.  F. P. Santangelo, "It could be 1-0 if Phillips was hustling."  Kemp swings over an 84 mph slider, center-cut.  Slider away, ball.  Fastball fouled back.  A 2-2 slider catches some plate but no strike call.  Another slider, hanging, but Kemp gets it toward the handle and it goes 6-3.

The crowd is healthy in Atlanta.  Twelve doubles so far for Daniel Murphy.  He fouls off a 3-1 fastball.  Two more fouls.  Another.  Another.  8.  Rendon singles.  Then gets thrown out trying to steal.  Full count to Wieters, K.  That threat evaporated quickly.

A bit later.  It is hot in Atlanta.  ScherZer is sweating and perhaps a bit winded.  It's 2-0 Atlanta.  Rio Ruiz hit his first MLB homer.  Now the Braves look at and run into a strike-em-out-throw-em-out double play.

John and Suzyn Love Aaron Judge

B wanted to see the Yankees so we warped over to Tampa.  It's a pretty good crowd there, too.  Andriese has allowed a single to Castro, a double to Judge, and now a two-run double to Headley.  There are plenty of NYY fans in this crowd.  The game is tied at three.

John and Suzyn were waxing virtuous of Judge.  I said that they love Judge.  B said, "At least they're loving their players and not themselves like some other announcers."  Dickerson has homered, Longoria has homered.  Daniel Robertson leads off the bottom of the fourth with a double.  Sucre fans but reaches on a wily splitter.  First and third, no one out.  Dickerson bats, hitting .341.  Gone.  A bomb.  His 11th.  It's 6-3 Tampa.  Kiermaier single, Longoria singles.  That's all for Tanaka.

Mike Clevinger Goes for a No-No

Meanwhile, in Houston.  Altuve, Correa, Beltrán due up, last half of the seventh, to face Mike Clevinger who is through six no-hit innings, though by way of— Dangit, Altuve just singled down the line.  I was going to say that Clevinger had thrown 93 pitches through six.  Eight strikeouts to two walks.  Correa now rolls out a double-play ball.  Curve for a strike at 73.  He throws a sinker I guess...88 mph.  Beltrán punches one at 89 mph to the warning track in left, 7.  That'll be all for Clevinger:  7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K, 84 game score.

Colón Doesn't Last

A storm is heading to SunTrust Park, Nats threatening too.  Ian Krol crosses up Tyler Flowers.  Two out, runners on first and second for R-Zim.  I note that Colón is out of the GutCut after four-and-a-third innings and 97 pitches.  That's 22 pitches an inning.   But Krol gets R-Zim backwards K and Atlanta leads 3-2 mid 5.  ScherZer has thrown 92 pitches in four innings.  "It's about ready to open up here," says F.P.  Twenty-three pitches per inning for ScherZer.  He gets Inciarte on one pitch.  Ender is 0-for-3.

Back to Tampa, Where the Plate Gets Covered

Where it isn't raining.  LoMo bats with the bases loaded, 7-4 Rays.  I realiZe now, looking at some of the signage in Tampa that the Rays have snagged some of what could be great URLs for you, including raysbaseball.com and raysbeisbol.com.  Aww, man!  LoMo fouls another one off.  LoMo sends one back up the middle, maybe Gallegos got a piece, Castro booted it, it's 9-4 Tampa and I'm done with this game.  Except Girardi is out and he's arguing with the home plate ump.  He gets tossed by Scott Barry and Girardi covers home plate with dirt.  "That's from the Piniella book," says John S.  Play resumed.  "The plate is still half-covered with dirt," says a surprised Suzyn Waldman.  John says, "Maybe he doesn't want to give Girardi the satisfaction."  Apparently Larry Rothschild had been tossed on a recent visit to the mound, that's what led to Girardi coming out.  Ah, well.  How about the Preakness?  My trifecta looks like: Always Dreaming / Looking at Lee / Gunnevera.