At 9:09 central daylight I saw light at the end of the tunnel. It was a text from you. It was the HotCut: The 'Cut stays in AriZona.
Lamet works slowly. Tucker Barnhart doubles in a pair and the Reds take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Pirates at Tigers is underway in Detroit. Here's Jesse Winker, sporting a .352 on-base percentage.
A little later, 3-and-1 to Votto. A back-door breaker misses and Votto is on first with a one-out walk. Time for a quick catnap. I can sleep to some baseball.
Preview
It's Yu Darvish and his new-crew Dodgers in the desert to face Anthony Banda and the Diamondbacks. The game begins at 20:40 central daylight. I have a friend from high school visiting me later today. I haven't seen him in fifteen years. There are two early games today, but apart from those my dictation of the slate will probably be light. Baseball in 128 minutes, from Cincinnati. Dinelson Lamet and San Diego face Luis Castillo.Padres at Reds
I am listening to Padres at Reds. Votto flew out to Pírela. A Reds reporter joined Jeff Brantley and Marty Brenneman. After they talked about the reporter's upcoming trip to Las Vegas for a wedding, they turned to baseball. It sounds to me like Billy Hamilton will be on the block this winter. There are numerous teams that could use a true centerfielder.Lamet works slowly. Tucker Barnhart doubles in a pair and the Reds take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Pirates at Tigers is underway in Detroit. Here's Jesse Winker, sporting a .352 on-base percentage.
A little later, 3-and-1 to Votto. A back-door breaker misses and Votto is on first with a one-out walk. Time for a quick catnap. I can sleep to some baseball.
Going to Hand Early
Same game, later. I slept through an inning or two. As I doZed I heard the Wil Myers homer. I got up and took Hugo to the park. When we got back the Padres were up 3-2 but in a bit of a jam, bottom seven. In the middle of a Votto at-bat Andy Green lifted Kirby Yates in favor of Brad Hand, who inherited the 2-and-2 count on Votto. He walked Votto, fanned Duvall, and then allowed a grand slam to the slumping Scooter Gennett. Eugenio Suarez then went back-to-back jacks. Ouch. Maybe that's why crusty old managers like to give their relievers "defined roles" instead of mixing and matching to address so-called "high leverage" situations whenever they arise. Per the Padres radio broadcast Yates wasn't pitching poorly. It is odd to see him lifted mid at-bat.
Cole Train
"Gerritt Cole is rolling right now." "Boy, he sure is." That's Dan Dickerson and Jim Price on the Tigers radio call. The Cole Train is running again, right on into the 8th inning. I am in one of the cell phone lots at St Louis Lambert International Airport. It's 88° at 14:49 central daylight. Two up, two down in the 8th for Cole. The Padres-Reds tilt is final, 10-3 in favor of Cincy.
Late and Close at Comiskey
Later, for sure. Luke Gregerson has a monster wad of chaw in his mouth. Avisaíl García bounces one to third, slow, 1B. Nicky "The Steak" Delmonico swinging bunts one out in front of the plate. Astros catcher Juan Centeno grabs, throws, airmails it over Bregman's head at second. Bregman isn't tall but Aaron Judge wouldn't have had that, E-2. Now a wild pitch and The Steak moves up to second. There are runners at second and third, no one out. Yolmer Sánchez, K (dropped third strike, 2-3).
Somehow, Gregerson and the Astros escaped that mess. Petricka relieves Carlos Rodón; faces Bregman. It's still 2-1 Houston. Bregman has his average up to .276. 96 away evens the count at 2-and-2. Bregman fouls an 87 mph low bender. Another foul, that's eight pitches to Bregman. Foul again. 95 in, a foul. Offspeed inside, the count is full. Bregman, 5-3. Here's MarWin, whom I mentioned often in these pages early on but not at all lately. A very close-up shot of a moth clinging to some netting behind home plate. Very cool.
It's getting a bit late here, for me. 21:51 central daylight. I was nervous about my high school friend coming into town, after all this time. It's been a good visit though, and it could mean substantial structural changes for this baseball blog that's been shining in a vacuum.
Bottom 9, 2-1 HOU. Giles fans Leury García. Moncada is next. On 2-and-0 Moncada leaves the yard and this game is tied. The list of batters who've homered off of Giles this year: Moncada, Moustakas, Beltre. Avisaíl García, BB. The Steak, BB. Yolmer is in the hole. Extras.
It's getting a bit late here, for me. 21:51 central daylight. I was nervous about my high school friend coming into town, after all this time. It's been a good visit though, and it could mean substantial structural changes for this baseball blog that's been shining in a vacuum.
Bottom 9, 2-1 HOU. Giles fans Leury García. Moncada is next. On 2-and-0 Moncada leaves the yard and this game is tied. The list of batters who've homered off of Giles this year: Moncada, Moustakas, Beltre. Avisaíl García, BB. The Steak, BB. Yolmer is in the hole. Extras.
'Cut of Darvish
To the 'Cut. I saw the last pitch of the fourth. Darvish fanned Drury, whom we had in the hole. The Diamondbacks stranded two but a J.D. Martinez homer cut the Dodger lead to 3-2. Darvish beat his chest as he walked off the mound.
The Diamondbacks are in their pinstripe vest uniforms, with the purple t-shirts beneath. There was a shot of Senator McCain taking a photo with a fan. He looked alright. Then Chris Taylor took Jake Barrett deep, 4-2 LAD. Here's Corey Seager. Walk. Justin Turner chops one to third, gets his legs tangled in his bat, trips and falls less than gracefully. Bellinger now. On an excuse-me swing, Iannetta scrambles and throws a little high. Goldy thought he could hold the bag and still make the catch, but no. The throw whizzed into right, Seager scored and Bellinger went to second. On a Forsythe grounder into the first base hole, Jake Barrett becomes the latest in a rash of pitchers hesitating to cover first on a ball hit to the right side.
I am flagging bad. The Dodgers are too good for the Diamondbacks. This inning should be over. Forsythe reached on the botched 3-1 only after a replay review. Now Austin Barnes shatter-bats a ball to Ketel Marte who has no play and Bellinger scores. When AriZona makes a mistake or just catches a bad break the Dodgers turn it into an extra base and eventually a run. To boot, it seems like there are a ton of Dodgers fans at Bank One Ballpark. Inning over, 6-2 LAD.
General Console
For no particular reason, I can't quit this slate. But I need to appeal to a more practised authority. What say you, General Console? Astros at White Sox is still going, 2-2, top 11, two out. The aforementioned Dodgers game at the Dodgers' Arizona facility is still 6-2 LAD. The Orioles lead 3-1 in Oakland. The Angels are up 3-0 on James Paxton and the Mariners in Seattle, mid 6. That is all.
Shall we peek at tomorrow? It's a Friday. A coin-flip Friday. Are the Cubs at home or are they away? I say, if the Cubs ever stop playing Friday day games a little piece of me will die away eleven times a year until I am completely gone at once. The Cubs are in AriZona tomorrow, alas.
Red Line Winner
I'm a hop on the red line, go back to the South Side. García grab bag, this is Leury. He sends a base hit into right center, a ball Altuve might've gotten to but Altuve bit some dust in the midst of ranging for the ball (for the second night in a row, it's probably nothing). Leury bid for second as Marisnick flubbed the pick-up in right center. Moncada now. In a shift alignment, MarWin is playing right up the middle. Moncada hits it hard, just about right at MarWin, who can't get a glove on it, and Leury scores easily. Yoan Moncada now, ya hear?
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