MLC @ GTB, Vol. 1, Episode 3

A little bit of a delayed release schedule from the MLC editorial team, what with the holiday weekend, and everything. We'll try to do better next week.

This Week(ish) in Red Sox

70-67

9 GB AL East, 4.5 GB Last AL Wild Card

When we last gathered here to talk baseball, I posited that the Sox' upcoming homestand offered a chance to breathe after a pair of tough road series. Then the Sox proceeded to lose seven of 10 to dent their postseason chances none too slightly. 

As we type this, the Sox are locked into a Monday night battle with the Metropolitans. In the past 10 minutes, we've seen New York centerfielder Brandon Nimmo let a hard-hit ball by Ceddanne Rafaela get under him for a triple, which turned into a run-scoring single by Jarren Duran, which in turn became a top-notch TOOTBLAN. After the end of the half-inning, Duran misplayed a Nimmo flyball into a double that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. Right as Mets' color man Keith Hernandez was talking about the putrid nature of the Sox' defense. Sigh.

Let's talk TOOTBLAN a bit, because it's more fun than the Sox right now. It's an acronym for Thrown Out On The Bases Like A Nincompoop, originally coined by Cubs blogger Tony Jewell in 2008. Jewell actually turned it into a statistical measure, defined as "... any non-force out a player makes on the bases, including outs made while attempting to take an extra base, outs on would-be sacrifice flies, pickoffs, double-offs, fielder’s choice outs with an open base, batter and runner interference and getting hit by a batted ball." Whit and I concur that it's one of the better framings out there, fun to say and as silly as the play that causes one to invoke it.

Connor Wong just dropped a foul pop to keep a Jeff McNeil at-bat alive. I assume it'll become a homer. That's the team's 100th error of the season. Maybe I'll workshop a TOOTBLAN-like acronym to capture the absurdity of this team's defense. 

Actual photo of Tyler O'Neill with his glove

It'll be useful for describing what Tyler O'Neill just did, chasing a ball into the corner and then batting it about like a golden retriever puppy learning how to fetch and allowing the keg-shaped D.J. Stewart to score from first. How does Mangled And Muffed Like A Dude With Pan Hands? MAMLADWPH? I'll keep working on it.

The game's settled into a comfortable rhythm, a couple of doubles here and there, bunch of strikeouts, no real threats for either team on a windy evening in Queens. Baseball that matters, at least a little, at this time of year is nice.

Citi Field folks just put up an Amazin' Mets, Amazin' Dunkin advertisement behind the plate. Against the Red Sox? Them's fighting words. 

Sox got runners at 2nd and 3rd with two out in the top of the eighth and Danny Young struggling to find his command. Rafael Devers came to the plate and...dribbled one to second to end the inning. Went down meekly in the ninth to lose, 4-1.

With 25 games to play, the Sox are both going to need to get moving and have one or both of the Twins and Royals to scuffle. The latter have been trying to oblige, losing six of seven while the Sox have slumped. Meanwhile, the Tigers have won eight of 10 to climb within one of Boston, and Seattle are only a half-game further back. It's getting late early for the good guys.

This Mini-Week in Mets

74-64

7.5 GB NL East, 0.5 GB Last NL Wild Card

TOOTBLAN.  MAMLADWPH. WTFMFWTFAYT? These and other disparaging acronyms are, at varying times, more than apropos for the New York Mets. The thing is, right now... dare I say it... we're seeing a fair bit less of the dunder-headed gaffes that have plagued the Mets through their failed seasons.

What we're seeing instead is timely hitting, solid pitching, just enough defense not to be mocked like the Sox (Brandon Nimmo's whoops-a-daisy and DJ Stewart's wik-wik-wonk last night excepted), and the ability to capitalize on the mistakes of opponents. As was live-blogged above.

Us History: After the games of June 2, the Mets were dangling at 24-35 and once again sporting a look that warranted an Office Space caption of "What would ya say... you do here?" It weren't pretty. After the games of last night, precisely three months later, the Mets sit at 74-64. That's a 50-29 clip. To which I tip my cap. 

(Them History: The Sox were at 30-30 on June 2 and they're now 70-68... nothing disastrous, just midgrade.)

That said, all that matters, mathwise, is that the Metros are still on the outside looking in for that last Wild Card slot. By the skinniest of margins but still -- not in. 24 games left. Three solid teams ahead of them, each following every mini-slide with a bigger mini-streak. Gaining ground has been challenging. 

The Mets' David Peterson on the hill at Citi tonight. Solid lately. The Sox send Kutter Crawford out there. His name sounds like Roger Clemens and Mariano Rivera had a baby. Let's hope he doesn't channel either of them tonight. LFGM.