@Cardinals 12, Cubs 0: We’ve seen a 12-run inning before (right?) — but in the home 7th of a scoreless game? It began with an infield single, a pitching change and a failed sac attempt. Then: double, single, triple, walk, double, walk, popout, pitching change, double, double, double, walk, pitching change, double, double, and SO/reached on WP, before the carousel finally coasted to a halt.
“How could you do this to me…AGAIN!!!” / US PRESSWIRE
Here’s a very quick look at some statistical explanations for why Jon Lester‘s 2012 season isn’t going so well. Continue reading
Braves 11, @Nats 10 (11): As soon as Paul Janish came up in the 11th with the go-ahead run on 3rd, you just knew he would make a monkey out of your humble narrator, who had wondered aloud about this very situation two days ago: “How did it happen that Fredi Gonzalez let such a weak stick as Janish bat with the winning run on 3rd?” (OK, but look at this hit. If the infield wasn’t in, the SS coulda caught it in his hat.)
@Red Sox 3, White Sox 1: “Distinction’s nice, but next time just gimme the W.” When Cody Ross clubbed an inside fastball from Addison Reed for the most dramatic of his two-day, 3-run HR binge, it snatched a well-earned win away from ChiSox rookie Jose Quintana, who tossed 8 scoreless frames. But it did give him a unique(?) distinction:
The former star in Cuban baseball Yoenes Cespedes has 12 homers so far in his debut season in Major League Baseball. Among those playing in their first season in MLB in 2012, the 26-year-old Cespedes has the most homers right now, but Will Middlebrooks is right behind him with 11 for the Red Sox. Other recent debut season home run leaders:
2011 Eric Hosmer, 19 homers
2010 Mike (now Giancarlo) Stanton, 22
2009 Colby Rasmus, 19
2008 Evan Longoria, 27
2007 Dan Uggla, 27
More in the same vein after the jump Continue reading
Here are a few photos all credited to US PRESSWIRE.
First, here are the Red Sox about to go berserk after Cody Ross (7) hit a walk-off homer. Sure, they look happy now, but how do you think Carl Crawford felt 3 second later when he was drenched with Gatorade? But seriously, this could be a turning point for the Red Sox. They already got rid of one problematic guy in Kevin Youkilis. If they can manage to jettison Josh Beckett by the end of the month, they still have a shot at a wild card slot.
Here we see the Orioles’ outfielders (Endy Chavez, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis) having a bit of a rump bump….or a rear smear…or entwined behind…
Kind of a weird shot here, as Ubaldo Jimenez tags Desmond Jennings out at home on what turned out to be a failed attempt at a squeeze play. It’s weird to see the catcher blocking home without the ball–in fact isn’t that obstruction? Jimenez also looks like he could do with a few more cheeseburgers.
Our friend Graham Womack has executed an amazing study over at his website, Baseball: Past and Present. He asked voters to name the top 50 Hall of Famers, and determined the inner circle of Hall of Famers. You’ve got to go check it out. He assembled an all-star team of writers to compose essays on the 50 finalists.
It’s interesting that Tony Gwynn just made it into the inner circle, while Wade Boggs was the last guy to get cut. They got a similar number of votes, and had a lot of similarity as players. Boggs finished with a huge edge in WAR, at 88.3 compared to Gwynn’s 65.3. Boggs played a more important defensive position and played it well. How exactly did Gwynn get the nod?
Giants 9, @Braves 4 (11): Mere box-score trolling could never capture the extra-inning loop-de-loops of this wild ride. Instead, I’ll grab an earlier moment and try to gnaw it to the marrow. (If this ain’t your cuppa, there’s a few other game notes down below.)
David Ortiz, crushing it / US PRESSWIRE
We’re down to just two teams from the Junior Circuit–the Yankees and the Red Sox. These should both be pretty interesting.
The Red Sox playoff history is pretty well known. When they started off as the Boston Americans, they were strong out of the gate, finishing no lower than 3rd each of their first 4 years (1901-1904) and winning the World Series in 1903. After a run as a middling team from 1905 to 1911 (during which they changed their name to the Red Sox), they embarked on a great run from 1912 to 1918, where they appeared in and won 4 World Series.
After that, the team has had some major ups and downs. They had 6 straight last-place finishes from 1925 to 1930. They were quite respectable from the late 1930 through the 1950s, but made just one post-season appearance, losing the World Series in 1946. After being dismal for most of the 1960s, they made the World Series again in 1967, only to lose again. They were great throughout the 1970s but lost another Series in 1975.
Starting in 1986, the team has had a strong run continuing to present day. In the 26 completed season since then, they have finished lower than 3rd only 5 times. However, they also reeled off 7 more post-season exits until finally winning the World Series in 2004. They followed that up with another win in 2007, as well as 3 more playoff losses.
Anyway…let’s dig in. Continue reading
Angels 13, @Tigers 0: I’ve always said, if you absolutely must end a franchise-record 159-game non-shutout streak, you might as well get crushed: