I missed only one full day in this baseball journal but it feels like I stepped away for longer than that. Yesterday's entry was small and perfunctory. I'm jonesing for day baseball but it's a Monday. As of 13:35, there is not yet word of today's HotCut.
Marco hit Beckham in the foot with the bases loaded, putting the O's up 5-4. I told her the 'Cut was 1-1 in the fifth and that I wanted to watch it. She flipped back to it and bang! there went an Ellsbury double to deep left-center. I got a nasty look and now she's left the room.
Todd Frazier is in the hole, there are two out, bottom five. "A wasted pitch high, 1-and-2," says John Sterling (WFAN overlay). A slider outside. Frazier singles to left, Austin Jackson comes up throwing but his throw was way off line, Frazier taking second. B had come back into the room just as the base hit found its way through the shortstop hole. She's gone again. Gardner looking, end of five.
Yelich singles on the first pitch he sees. Here's Marcell Ozuna. Scherzer throws three straight balls. Ozuna swings on 3-and-0, a 94 mph fastball over the inner part of the plate, fouling it back. A ball inside and Ozuna is aboard as well. Scherzer stomps off the back of the mound to collect himself. This is Realmuto, 0-for-2 tonight. He cuts on a nasty slider at 86 and misses it. That was a tight slider over the plate that would have been a low strike. A change at 85 falling fast and running a little in, Realmuto swings and isn't close, K. Derek Dietrich cuts at the first pitch he sees. The second pitch is a groundball to second, 4-3. Scherzer escapes a minor jam, quickly.
Fourteen pitches later, Kluber induces an Aaron Hicks flyout to medium-deep center and the inning is over. That'll be all for the KluBot. Cody Allen was already warming in the Cleveland bullpen. Austin Jackson homered in the top of the inning to give Cleveland a little extra cushion at 5-2. The Yankees are going to need to find their magic bats to take this 'Cut. Chasen Shreve is on to keep the deficit at three runs.
Starlin Castro is the Yankees' final hope, down to his last strike. He fans on an 84 mph Cody Allen slider, ballgame. Kluber pads his Cy Young case, Sale can respond tomorrow in Toronto.
Zach Britton is on for the save. Last I encountered him was his meltdown against the Oakland A's. He buries one, another, the count 3-and-1 to Guillermo Heredia. After that wretched outing on August 23rd Britton had an MRI on his knee but it showed nothing. He gets Heredia to swing over a 96 mph pitch that I never would've guessed was that fast because it managed the arc of a breaking ball. I guess that's his sinker. But he's missing with it to Segura, the count is 3-and-0. Segura keeps the bat on his shoulder and looks at a strike, 3-and-1. Now a ball outside, not close. That's why I cringe at the rash of batters swinging on 3-and-0. Yeah, the 3-and-0 pitch might be a strike but the 3-and-1 probably won't be. Only Eduardo Nuñez has hit a homer out of all of the 3-and-0 swings I've seen this year—at least a dozen, probably double that, maybe triple. Haniger rolls over one, Beckham has it, takes it to second himself, throws a bouncer to first but That Chris Davis handles the low throw as well as anyone. This game is over, 7-6 Orioles.
Back to Toronto, 6-3 Red Sox, top nine. I would go Trout Fishing in Anaheim but Mike is not in the lineup tonight. It seems he has a sore neck after banging into the outfield wall on Sunday. He is, by the way, 0-for-his last 17 and 3-for-his last 31. Maybe he is still feeling that thumb he tore up in May.
Leonel Campos gets Bogaerts to pop out to first, ending the top of the ninth. Anjelica Huston has been busted again, out from behind the curtain, out the front door. Commercial break in progress, Jake.
Cutless, Supreme
As of 15:54 there is no word yet of today's HotCut. There are at least a couple of 'Cut-worthy matchups. Old Blue Eye, Max Scherzer returns from the DL tonight against Giancarlo L Stanton and the Miami Marlins—that's HotStuff. Or, for those looking for an AL playoff preview how about a KluberCut: Corey and Company got to the Bronx to match up against Luis Severino and the Yankees—Hot and Heavy!The 'Cut Has Landed, Long Live the 'Cut
At 16:02 central daylight, we had touch-down: KluberCut.The 'Cut Was On, The 'Cut Was Gone
I was doing dishes after dinner but B had turned on the Indians at the Yankees. When I checked in again a few minutes later, though, Mariners at Orioles was on. Schoop singled in Machado, Marco Gonzales on the mound. B said she turned off the 'Cut because Kluber allowed a home run to Chase Headley.Marco hit Beckham in the foot with the bases loaded, putting the O's up 5-4. I told her the 'Cut was 1-1 in the fifth and that I wanted to watch it. She flipped back to it and bang! there went an Ellsbury double to deep left-center. I got a nasty look and now she's left the room.
Todd Frazier is in the hole, there are two out, bottom five. "A wasted pitch high, 1-and-2," says John Sterling (WFAN overlay). A slider outside. Frazier singles to left, Austin Jackson comes up throwing but his throw was way off line, Frazier taking second. B had come back into the room just as the base hit found its way through the shortstop hole. She's gone again. Gardner looking, end of five.
I Went to Marlins at Nats
Stanton strikes out on a high fastball, one out top six. It wasn't a good swing from Stanton. He took a called strike on the pitch before, which looked like a strike to me but Stanton was miffed and said to the ump, "That was up." Scherzer went back to the same spot but five inches higher and Stanton chased it.Yelich singles on the first pitch he sees. Here's Marcell Ozuna. Scherzer throws three straight balls. Ozuna swings on 3-and-0, a 94 mph fastball over the inner part of the plate, fouling it back. A ball inside and Ozuna is aboard as well. Scherzer stomps off the back of the mound to collect himself. This is Realmuto, 0-for-2 tonight. He cuts on a nasty slider at 86 and misses it. That was a tight slider over the plate that would have been a low strike. A change at 85 falling fast and running a little in, Realmuto swings and isn't close, K. Derek Dietrich cuts at the first pitch he sees. The second pitch is a groundball to second, 4-3. Scherzer escapes a minor jam, quickly.
Toothpick Sighting!
Jayson Werth put together a good at-bat against Dustin McGowan, running the count full before pulling a single to left. Difo followed with a single. Wieters had led off with a single. Now Max bats with the bases loaded and no outs. It's quiet in here. I put the game on mute because the same commercials continue to run and are starting to bother me. Max rips one to left but right at Ozuna, 7. Howie Kendrick, a real godsend for this lineup, is in the hole. McGowan buries a slider away. Howie lines a ball to center—Yelich can't decide if he wants to shoestring it or play it on a hop. He manages to do neither and Kendrick is on third with a bases-clearing triple. It's 7-1 Nats and I'm done with the game.Back in the Bronx
Headley grounds out, Ellsbury grounds out, Kluber is through seven, the Indians are up 4-2. Kluber has allowed two runs on three hits and one walk. He's fanned seven on 95 pitches. He'll be back out there for the 8th.Fourteen pitches later, Kluber induces an Aaron Hicks flyout to medium-deep center and the inning is over. That'll be all for the KluBot. Cody Allen was already warming in the Cleveland bullpen. Austin Jackson homered in the top of the inning to give Cleveland a little extra cushion at 5-2. The Yankees are going to need to find their magic bats to take this 'Cut. Chasen Shreve is on to keep the deficit at three runs.
Starlin Castro is the Yankees' final hope, down to his last strike. He fans on an 84 mph Cody Allen slider, ballgame. Kluber pads his Cy Young case, Sale can respond tomorrow in Toronto.
Night of the Eldest Game
The rubric took me back to Camden Yards, one of the oldest stadiums around. I saw Manny rip a single to left. Jim Palmer quoted the Stat Cast radar gun reading of 113 mph. I know this: he hit it hard, it was a single. Manny stole second but he went into and then got up form the bag like a 37-year-old, a-grimace.Zach Britton is on for the save. Last I encountered him was his meltdown against the Oakland A's. He buries one, another, the count 3-and-1 to Guillermo Heredia. After that wretched outing on August 23rd Britton had an MRI on his knee but it showed nothing. He gets Heredia to swing over a 96 mph pitch that I never would've guessed was that fast because it managed the arc of a breaking ball. I guess that's his sinker. But he's missing with it to Segura, the count is 3-and-0. Segura keeps the bat on his shoulder and looks at a strike, 3-and-1. Now a ball outside, not close. That's why I cringe at the rash of batters swinging on 3-and-0. Yeah, the 3-and-0 pitch might be a strike but the 3-and-1 probably won't be. Only Eduardo Nuñez has hit a homer out of all of the 3-and-0 swings I've seen this year—at least a dozen, probably double that, maybe triple. Haniger rolls over one, Beckham has it, takes it to second himself, throws a bouncer to first but That Chris Davis handles the low throw as well as anyone. This game is over, 7-6 Orioles.
Night of the Eldest Game, Part Deux.
"You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme..."
Leonel Campos gets Bogaerts to pop out to first, ending the top of the ninth. Anjelica Huston has been busted again, out from behind the curtain, out the front door. Commercial break in progress, Jake.
This is Kimbrel
Bird of prey, raptor, Klingon warship. Yet, he walks Raffy Lopez, a player I could not recognize, a cross between Kendrys Morales and José Bautista, batting from the left. Steve Pearce gets into one but he'll tell you he just missed it. Benintendi catches it at the 400' sign, 8. Donaldson hacks at the first pitch he sees, front-footing a poke-fly to right, 9. Smoak is all that's left at the Sky Dome tonight. Smoak Monster! He got all of that, home run, it's a one-run lead.
Bautista here. He does a flinch swing at a slider down. He lays off 99 and rising. He fouls back 100. Slider low and away, 89. A fastball up at 98 is way up, the count runneth full. A fastball away, Bautista checks up, it's a close call but he walks. Carrera will pinch-run for him. Kendrys steps in. He swings at and misses 98 on the outside corner. Kimbrel's 18th pitch is up and away. He throws over to keep Carrera close. Kimbrel misses way away with 98. Another throw over. Kendrys sees 98 center-cut but he can't touch it. Now a fastball up turns into a pop-up, 6, and the game is over.
Where Does this Leave Us?
Uff da. Bottom 8, Tampa is 8-0 Kansas City. The Royals are in a complete and total capitulative freefall after getting Buxton-bombed yesterday. Top 8 at Wrigley, Cubs 5-1 Pirates. Eh. Tigers at Rockies is 4-3 mid 4. Not bad. Otherwise it's A's at Angels, 1-0 LAA, top 2 and Giants at Padres no score mid 2. Maybe I'm just out of gas. I can watch a little more but I can't watch and write, so goodnight for tonight.
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