HotCuts & Bridges

Pham doubles, Fowler doubles—it's tied at two on the North Side of Chicago.  Day baseball on a Friday at Wrigley!  Arrieta snaps off a curve to Gyorko, the count goes to 1-and-2.  Gyorko lines out to second. Zobrist kicks off the third by hooking a CarMart change into the left-field corner.  That's six hits for the Cubs.  RiZzo, FC 6-3, Zobrist moves up to third base.  Willson Contreras, who hit a two-run homer earlier lines out to second.  Here's Kyle Schwarber.  He knocks a squibbler, fair, to Carpenter, who takes it to the bag himself, 3-U. I went out to cut a handful or zinnia, which were quickly wilting with pain just a few minutes later.  It's 101°, pushing 102° here.  Arrieta sneaks a ball through Paul DeJong's legs.  It looks like it's about 86° at Wrigley.  A ball to DeJong goes 6-5 FC, Arrieta out at third.  Ron Coomer, on the CubCast, wonders why DeJong didn't go to second to begin a double play.  (Heyw...

Hamels works to Machado, Cole to Manny, in Baltimore.  It's 1-0 Texas, bottom one.  Beltre sliced a long fly down the right field line, landing on the dirt triangle somewhere between the warning track and the foul line.  Machado, 9. Miley to Odor, top 2, 1 out.  Odor lines a ball over Miley's head into left center.  Here's Lucroy, 1-for-7 this series with a double and an RBI.  He's out 5-3, Odor advances to second.  Carlos Gómez up now, Miley the lefty, has two outs, the count goes to 1-and-1.  A check swing, a strike.  This is the only game in town.  Taillon and the Pirates bested Nelson and the Brewers in day action earlier.  I heard some of it; watched some of it.  I saw Josh Harrison single in Chris Stewart to put Pittsburgh up 3-2.  I saw McCutchen single softly over the second baseman on the next play to make the score 4-2.  McCutchen then stole second but Josh Bell went 3-U and that was all I saw. Odor runn...

Berríos can really make the ball bend and dive.  But he's thrown the last ball out of the zone.  Client FraZier has yielded his number 30 to the newly arriving—the returning—David Robertson?  I guess there was a trade.  I had been checking RotoWorld all morning, then went to lunch.  The Yanks now have two on, FraZier singling.  One out, top two, in Minnesota. Later.  Pedroia bats with the bases loaded, bottom two in Boston, two out, Aaron Sanchez at 43 pitches, Sox up 2-0.  He singles, two runs score.  César Valdéz warms, 4-0 Boston.  Pedroia has 48 RBI.  Moreland, 8. To Cincinnati.  Greinke deals high to Hamilton.  Another fastball and Hamilton singles to left, where new Diamondback J.D. Martinez bobbles the ball, briefly.  CoZart now.  Hamilton runs and is caught.  Mathis made an excellent throw.  Votto stomps around on deck.  CoZart loses one down the left field line, 2-1 Reds.  That wa...

But tomorrow is Return of the HotCut. Our Text exchange earlier today 'No baseball is the worst'                                  'Yeah but news now of the Grubs dealing for Quintana.' 'My Grubs Assistant just broke the news' 'Terrible'

I am watching the first half's penultimate game, which has gone bridge.  To be exact, this is a Sunday Golden Gate Bridge — er — a Sunday Golden Gate Suspension Bridge.  It's Fish at Giants, 7-7, bottom ten.  Wittgren deals to Crawford.  There is no other action at the moment but Indians hosting Tigers starts in about fifteen minutes.  Crawford is batting .226 if you can believe it.  He fans.  He looked at a prime fastball on 2-and-0.  Mac Williamson now.  He looks at 93 down the middle to begin.  Williamson looks at another fastball on 1-and-1, looks at it.  Then swings through a hanging slider on 1-and-2, over.  Nick Hundley skies one, 8, to a Yelich who fights the sun.  To the 11th, and this bridge looks like it will be completed. Leading off, Realmuto hits a grounder to Crawford...easy...but...Crawford airmails it, past and above Belt, Realmuto to second.  Riddle goes 9 to Pence but it's deep enough to get Realm...

These are my ranks for the Top 13 Baseball podcasts as of June 30, 2017.  Most of these are "fantasy" focused but nonetheless sate my baseball appetite.  Only a few don't mention fantasy baseball at all.  The list is fantasy heavy because there aren't that many eclectic-minded, team-agnostic baseball podcasts.  I enumerate my list running from the thirteenth-ranked podcast on down to the top.  I will eventually include capsules with my summation and exposition of each podcast: what it is, who does it, what I like about it, etc. 13.  MLB.com Fantasy Baseball 411. 12.  There is No Offseason. 11.  Effectively Wild:  A FanGraphs Baseball Podcast. 10.  Fantasy Focus Baseball, ESPN. 9.  Friends with Fantasy Benefits—Baseball Podcast. 8.  Flags Fly Forever Fantasy Baseball. 7.  RotoWire Fantasy Baseball Podcast. 6.  Baseballholics Anonymous. 5.  In This League Fantasy Baseball. 4.  Short Hops Podcast. ...

It was a minute shy of 8:00 central daylight when I got word: D'Back HotCut.  And then you busted out:  GrayRayallDay.  I thought you were trying to text something about the Royals.  Then I thought about auto racing a la Bobby Rahal .  But it wasn't a typo and after puzzling over it for a few more seconds it dawned on me that you were giving me the pitchers for this HotCut tonight in the desert.  It will be Jon Gray in his return to the field for the Rockies against Robby Ray at 20:40 central daylight. Gray, an Oklahoma native, has not pitched since April 13th, a HotCut featuring Gray opposite San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner.  Gray went three innings in that outing, allowing one hit and two walks against one strikeout, no runs, 34 pitches.  He left in the fourth after aggravating a left toe injury.  (Incidentally, Bumgarner would make just one more start after that 'Cut before derailing his season on a motorbike.)  This will be Gray'...