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 f...

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 Baltimo...

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 Suzu...

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 s...

You called me this morning, again, and again I missed your call.  You didn't let that phase you.  By 12:22 central daylight you were ready to let bygones be HotCuts:  TwinCityHotCut. HotCut Preview Berríos?  Colón?  No, it's Ervin Santana for the Minnesota Twins and Zack Godley for the visiting AriZona Diamondbacks.  Minnesota is a game away from the second Wild Card in the American League.  Arizona once again has identical records with Colorado, each team four-and-a-half games clear of Milwaukee for National League Wild Card bids. Friday Afternoon Baseball at Wrigley Field Meanwhile, this is a special Friday.  It's a type of Friday afternoon that comes along but thirteen times this year.  The Chicago Cubs are hosting a Friday afternoon baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL at 13:20 central daylight. Confession:  I missed the first fifteen minutes of this game.  I consider this blasphe...

I have sat down with hopes of typing up some recent game logs.  By way of the MLB At Bat app I am listening to the Diamondbacks at the Astros, opting for the Houston feed on KBME.  It's the top of the third, AriZona holds a 1-0 lead. The Jose Ramírez HBP Alarm Clock Earlier I tried to snooze, once again attempting to sleep through Tom Hamilton calling an Indians game and once again I failed.  It wasn't due to Tom's needle-spike inflections but instead I happened to open my eyes just in time to see Jose Ramírez take a Kyle Gibson pitch off his right wrist.  Ramírez didn't make it very far down the first base line before he dropped to a knee in pain.  It struck me that he was in so much discomfort that he had become nauseous, and that in turn made me a little sick to my stomach.  Other forces chimed in to rouse me, too:  the heavy haulers chugging up and down Hanley Road to take the dirt of Clayton away; a neighbor's lawn guy using an insidious leaf ...