HotCuts & Bridges

Céspedes is hurt.  He hop-limps home.  The ball hit the ump.  Terry Collins is TC.  It hit the second-base umpire in the right leg.  Is it a cramp?  FP Santangelo says Céspedes has been known not to drink water because he doesn't like the taste.  It's D'Arnaud d'now.  The score was briefly 2-0 but now the runner—no longer Céspedes—has to go back to third so the score goes back to being 1-0.  Matt Reynolds will run for Céspedes.  What's Reynolds up to?  Sixty-three at-bats, .520 OPS.  D'Arnaud strikes out. Late and Yankees David Phelps works to Aaron Judge, bottom 8.  The count runneth full.  Up and just away, a walk.  It's Didi time.  Seattle leads this game 1-0.  Zunino homered, I only heard about it.  B is on the couch, Hugo is in my seat and I am in the rocker.  Didi bangs one to left-center, that's Guillermo Heredia, he muffs it.  Judge is really moving, he's going to score from first on the play. Starlin Castro is back from the DL and batt

At 9:28 central daylight the HotCut was strong and necessary, like my second cup of coffee:  KeuchelCut. Preview Stephen Strasburg will take the mound tonight in Houston, appearing in his fifth HotCut this season and his first since July 3rd.  Continuing a theme of elite starters reappearing in the HotCut after relatively long, injury-based hiatuses, Dallas Keuchel pitches for the Astros in his first HotCut since June 2nd, his fourth overall appearance in the 'Cut this year. That game doesn't start until 19:40 central daylight but folks we are four minutes away from the day's first pitch, from Flushing, where Robbie Ray will make his return from the concussion DL after taking a Luke Voit liner to the head in St Louis late last month. The Bridge of Hope On top of that, there are three noon-hour games (@ PHI, @ DET, @ TB); one 13:15 game (Rockies at Royals); and the early game I'm most interested in because it will be integral in bridging today's action fro

I was typing up an older entry when a bird landed on my shoulder.  It tweeted at me:  KluberCut. HotCut Preview It's Drew Pomeranz and the Boston Red Sox in Cleveland tonight at 18:10 central daylight to face Corey Kluber and the Indians.  I raised my eyebrows slightly at the listing of PomeranZ because last I saw him he was walking off the mound with some sort of injury, scrambling Brandon Workman in the Boston bullpen.  In that outing on August 18th, Pomeranz went 3 1/3 scoreless against the Yankees before leaving with what turned out to be back spasms, reportedly. Kluber will look to continue his torrid summer of sneaky breaking balls.  He posted a 2.66 ERA in July and his August ERA is a spiffy 1.78.  The Red Sox are 72-53, 4 1/2 games clear of NYY in the American League East.  Cleveland, at 69-55, have a similar margin clear of Minnesota in the Central. Wednesday Afternoon Baseball The slate kicks off at 14:05 central daylight in Baltimore, Maryland where Dylan Bundy

I am listening to Marlins at Phillies.  It is tied at three, top six, two out, Aaron Nola on the mound.  Nola gets Derek Dietrich on a breaking ball and the Phillies will bat.  I have heard one bit and one piece of this game.  I heard the Stanton laser double that tied the game three-up.  It was Stanton's 98th RBI, putting him second on that list in the National League (Nolan Arenado has 105). Ichiro Makes My Day Ichiro will pinch-hit for Dan Straily.  Nola is in trouble, top seven.  This is the first game of a doubleheader.  Ben Davis "will join us for game two of this twin bill."  I take that to mean Larry Andersen will not provide color on the second game.  I am also assuming this is the Ben Davis who used to catch and wielded the bat behind one of the most infamous bunts in baseball history. Ichiro is hitting .243.  Ichiro homers!  Oh man, this is why I do this.  It's a 3-run, pinch-hit home run for Ichiro Suzuki.  Straily struck out ten, allowed only two

Hunter Wendelstedt took a Joe Kelly warmup pitch to his mask, only slightly deflected by Christian Vázquez's glove.  A trainer came out.  Kelly halted his warmup and walked to the plate where a small group was gathered.  The game was held up a bit.  There were shots of the crowd.  One fan held a sign saying, "Eclipse this!" Welke Tosses Wendelstedt Wendelstedt stayed in the game for a half inning but as the commercial break preceding the top of the seventh ended the television shot showed another conference of umpires.  Bill Welke then talked his colleague into walking off the field.  I somehow knew that the umpire that was struggling behind home plate was Hunter Wendelstedt.  The delay continues.  They have replayed the damaging Kelly warmup pitch several times.  It was a fastball for sure.  Kelly throws as hard as just about any other major leaguer but I'm not sure why Vázquez so badly failed to get his glove on it.  It seems like I've seen Wendelstedt leave