That's a lot of games to still matter on September 27th. Lord, You are bountiful indeed. You and LaRussa.

1

I'm not liberal but i am of the progressive frame of mind.

Lowe should stick with his sinker & work the corners.

Ran 20 sims of the Phillies/Nats game. The Nats won 14 out of 20 or 70% of them. Using the pythagorean win expectancy formula using my sim data they should win 70.6% of the time. Sim says the score should be around 7 to 4.5 ... Top four hitters for Philly are tough. The Nats have some inexperience in the lineup in the #1 and #6 spots.
vr, Xei

Jon must have sensed that I was writing a long thought-out plan for the offseason and decided to ruin my thunder by starting a new thread ;)

4 That's a lot of faith in old friend Pedro Astacio.

4,6. Oops, that should read the Phillies won 14 out of 20 times. vr, Xei

I'm not sure I understand how 2 responded to my 1. I was just trying to say we're lucky it's so exciting so late in the year, and then pointing out it's mostly because the Cardinals are tanking. I wasn't trying to be Harriet or anything.

From the end of last thread:

"I've said it before and I'll say it again though, it's a looooong offseason and there is only so much material JWtPK can come up with every day. Enjoy this last week (?) of games while you can!"

New: is anybody else blacked out of the Phils/Nats game? Sam? GRRR

5 I enjoyed your plan very much. A few names are glaring omissions which could cause great angst in the local fish wrap- namely Lofton, Nomar and Maddux.

9 Nah, I haven't even started drinking yet

In the last thread there was mention of Penny's problems--

Following is a reposted version of a comment from a few days back:

From a game story about Penny's last good start, vs. Cubs:

"Penny had command of a fastball that touched 96 mph, but he said the key was his curveball, which he threw for strikes in any count. In 12 starts since the All-Star break, this was only the second time he made it as far as seven innings and the first time he held the opposition scoreless since June 9.

"Even when I get beat, I usually have command of my fastball," Penny said. "My_ problem usually is the curve_, and for whatever reason I had it tonight and the defense was great, and we scored early."

10 I would be okay with signing Nomar for next year, although I'm pretty sure it would be considered a very bad idea come 2008.

13 Nomar has San Francisco Giant written all over him...

10 Lofton's career is built on moving on year to year, Maddux will probably retire, the wild card, so to speak, is Nomar, there is no question to me that he has replaced Gagne as the face of the ballclub, you know upper management (e.g. the owners) loves him and hurt or not he has made significant contributions despite his slow second half. So, I think we will have to see how banged up he really is but in the end I do see a deal for Nomar.

13

i think very much of Loney for that to happened, but i would understand the signing.

15

him being of Mexican roots does not hurt at all, can you imagine if he had started his career as a Dodger!? wow

And they're off in DC, Phillies 1, Nats 0 in the 1st.

15 I like Nomar but he's blocking Loney; it's time for him to move on. I hope the club can be logical and dispassionate about this.

Top of first (1 out), man on first for Utley and possibly Howard. vr, Xei

Let's hope Hamels gets those rookie jitters and starts walking guys like I know he can.

19

Are you a Sabr guy or old school like me 50YD'erfan?

Lineups in St. Louis
Padres
Roberts LF
Sledge RF
Walker 2B
Piazza C
Gonzalez 1B
Cameron CF
Branyan SS
Blum SS
Young P

Cards
Miles SS
Duncan RF
Pujols 1B
Spiezio LF
Rolen 3B
Edmonds CF
Belliard 2B
Molina C
Reyes P

23 If Branyan was playing SS than I would think that Bochy is pulling for the Cardinals.

Utley has decided to no longer pull the ball but Astacio striking out Ryan Howard is a surprise.

The perils of not cutting and pasting....

Let's just say Russell Branyan and Geoff Blum will be over on the left side of the infield. Khalil Greene may be back for the playoffs although I can't imagine why the Padres would want him all that much.

why does everyone think nomar is going to sign with the giants?

Spezio batting cleanup? The mind boggles....

25 Other than his sweet muppet haircut? He and Eric Byrnes should start a band.

13 Nomar will be far too young to be with the Giants next year. He doesn't turn 34 until July 2007.

6 Our old friend Astacio has been with seven clubs since the Dodgers traded him to the Rockies for Eric Young during the 1997 season: Rockies, Astros, Mets, Red Sox, Rangers, Padres and Nationals.

22 Probably neither. I just make up my own mind, such as it is. It's like Democrat or Republican; no matter which side you join, you're half wrong. There's a lot of logic in SABR decisions and they probably work out as well as their mathematical model. But baseball is in the entertainment business and public perception is probably more important than the numbers of reality. If we lose 2 or 3 games this week, we'll end up pretty much the same place we did last year (I'm assuming no WildCard), close to but still behind the Padres. But the public, and management, saw DePo as a failure; They will give Colletti plaudits and awards, simply because he was more visible and did 'all the right things' according to the book. That's life...

That Zimmerman kid is pretty good.

New Dodger hero, Ryan Zimmerman ties the game with a solo homer in the second.

ryan zimmerman looks so comfortable at the plate, and he was drafted in 2005.

Zimmerman for ROY! (Which I'm fairly sure will happen anyway)

Cole Hamels Facts...

Cole Hamels is so good he will lose this game on purpose just to inspire his teammates for next season.

Nook!

Double for Church. 2-1 Nats.

I worship at the Church of Ryan.

Will that get me next Monday off?

The ESPN announcers just spent 5 minutes talking about the NL Rookie of the Year Candidates and never mentioned Ethier or Martin.

Woo hoo! 2-1 Nats!

Church for ROY!!

Oh wait...

Is that John Kruk doing the color commentary? He must have the worst broadcasting voice I've ever heard! He sounds like Bugs Bunny trying to imitate Edward G. Robinson.

Was Zimmerman better in the minors than Andy LaRoche?

43
It is Buck Martinez.

31

i'm not a Sabr guy at all but i know it is a valuable tool to have.

i still think andrea ethier is the front runner for ROY.

40 Ethier had it locked and played his way out of it. Martin was always under the radar. A pity for both. I nominate them as Co-Rookie of the Year for the Dodgers.

40 - Considering they're most likely not the ROY of their own team (Saito, for me), I don't disagree with that. I guess a mention would be nice...

If Andrea Ethier is the female version of Andre Ethier, I imagine she'd be pretty cute.

If Andrea Ethier is the female version of Andre Ethier, I imagine she'd be pretty cute.

I did nothing to deserve that.

45

his hair went grey faster than enybody i know.

48 - Ethier wasn't going to have the counting stats, so his percentages were going to have to be overwhelming. I thought he'd have to hit at least .340 to get in the running, but that was really wishful thinking.

46 You say "sabr guy" like "neo-nazi." Sabermetrics is about science and the search for evidence of fact- nothing to be ashamed of.

54

you have to have Eric Karros, Mike Piazza, Raul Mondesi, Hideo #'s to really make a case for you're self.IMO.

Karros hit .257 with 20 homers and a .730 OPS as a 1B to win ROY. I believe it was an off-year.

His ROY season probably doesn't get him into the top-10 this year.

All this time I thought the Nationals sucked.

Dodgers lineup is out, Lowe is batting 9th.
vr, Xei

Victorino's route on that ball was pretty Loftonesque.

56

I think Ethier had the lead in ROY voting in mid-August. SI.com and others were running profiles on him as the leader. Plus, he had the chance to contribute on a playoff team.

I do think Martin's been vastly underrated on a national scale. I can't think of five more impressive rookie campaigns for a catcher.

I'd vote for Martin for ROY myself, for his defense and gamecalling in the heat of a race as much as for his (sometimes clutch) offense, but you can make a case for a good 10 or so guys this year. The runners up can't feel too bad about themselves. It's not like the Todd Hollandsworth year.

48 - I totally agree, but their topic was how deep the NL rookie crop is. They certainly deserve a mention in that context. I'm just complaining about more anti-West Coast ESPN bias.

55

Not at all, why would you say that? if i were in the business i'd really take up knowing Sabr BUT i'm also even minded to know that Sabr does not tell the whole story.

I just flipped over to ESPN 2, where these ugly sportswriters were looking at the Utley non-home-run. They're calling for NFL-style instant replay, and they say if the Phils lose the WC by just a game, it will "have to happen."

I don't know about that, but it was clearly a home run. Imagine, a break going the Dodgers' way!

3 - 1 Nats on a Lopez single.

63 - Then I agree as well.

Did they mention Josh Barfield or Matt Cain?

61

agreed, but what about the Twins catcher? is he as good as our back stop? catching & calling a game only

65
Anything to further infuriate Philadelphians is worth it.

65 Did the Phillies argue much at the time? I haven't seen any of the replays

67
They mentioned Barfield.

68 - The Twins catcher (Joe Mauer) is the gold-standard for catchers right now.

67 - They gave a quick mention of Barfield at the end of the discussion, but that undermined my point, so I ignored it. :-)

Jeff Salazar, Troy Tulowitzki... 2 people who have never been in my kitchen. vr, Xei

Link to Maddux interview from about 10 days ago===

Some of it's known. But it's a good snapshot of how he thinks. IMO that mental game has played a part in his success.

Mentions learning from Goose Gossage, gives his take on Dodger Stadium reputation as a pitcher's park, other stuff.

http://tinyurl.com/gv2uw

That's right Utley remember your roots.

i'm gonna turn on the t.v. right about now, let's see what this day/night brings.

64 Even the Red Sox look at personality profiles etc. They would prefer Manny wasn't a nut. There aren't any robots running teams that I know of.

My friend is friends with Troy Tulowitzki, they played baseball with each other.

Anybody else hear someone yell out "Nounan!" when Howard was catching that pop-up?

Zimmerman bunted for a single with a runner on?

You know, Ryan, there's a reason why Philly wasn't expecting that particular play out of you.

Looks like 36 may well be a fact.

Jose Vidro's run scoring play seems to have killed GameDay

J. Vidro grounded into fielder's choice, F. Lopez to third, R. Zimmerman out at second, F. Lopez scored, J. Vidro to second on second baseman C. Utley's throwing error

4-1 Nats, end of 3.

Pedro Astacio is pitching?

Thank you, Chase Utley.

68. THis is something that's always bugged me. Other than the testimonies of pitchers, how the sam-hill would we ever know if a catcher were good or bad at calling a game? It seems to me to be one of those myths perpetuated by all the ex-catchers who become broadcasters. Joe Garagiola was probably the St. Peter of this particular church.

In fact, except perhaps when a veteran catcher is handling a rookie pitcher, it seems to me that pitchers are the ones calling the game. Mechanically, it has to be the catcher giving the sign and the pitcher either accepting it or waving it off until he gets the one he wants, because if the pitcher were to give the sign, the batter would know what's coming.

Heck, sometimes, managers even call the game, sending signals to the catcher, that he relays to the pitcher.

I certainly believe that there are catching skills (blocking bad pitches, throwing, etc.) but I do not believe that "calling the game" is one of them.

Tune in for our next episode: "Framing the pitch."

Oops. That was pretty dastardly, Utley.

Er, damn. I rescind my thanks.

Utley giveth. Utley taketh away.

(I love making obscure and slightly strained cartoon references.)

85 So the Law of Negative Momentum has caught the Phillies.

75- That Maddox interview is fantastic. He really is a wise and sensible guy. But that is to be expected of a fine wine afficianado.

79

my friend that i worked with in LAX played right along side Edmonds (football) black guy that had no body fat & was/is pure muscle

88 myself, I was going purely by the testimony of Dodgers pitchers when commenting on Martin's "game calling" ability. Also have observed the way he's been with pitchers when they're stressed out - like Lowe a few times. Hasn't always been able to save Penny from himself, but dunno who could.

Houston's juggernaut is temporarily slowed at least so far, by the Pittsburgh Scrappys.

94 - "aficionado". Oops. Too much fine wine.

Even on Gameday...

...Utley has a sweet swing:

- C. Utley homered to deep right

...and Ryan Howard scares the bejeezus out of me:

- R. Howard lined out to deep left

I really like the racing ex-presidents in D.C.

Nook!

Tonight's game is the toughest one for the Astros. Jason Hirsh may be great, but right now he's just a kid from the South Bay. Or at least I think he's from the South Bay.

Ok, ran 20 sims of tonight's Dodger/Rockies game. The Dodgers won 16 out of 20 (80%). The average score of a game had the Dodgers winning 5-2. The Rockies offense looks pretty pathetic and Lowe is the best the Dodgers have to offer (of late). vr, Xei

96. Well, I'll accept that there's an art to "handling pitchers" when it comes to being a pitching coach/psychologist on the field. I was just referring to the "calling a good game" chestnut, which seems like balderdash to me.

88

agreed to a certain extent, i would ask you questions on how you would handle certain batters, but i don't feel that way today, good point though.

101. Not sure where Hirsh grew up, but he played college ball here in Vta Co.
vr, Xei

Detroit's losing and the Twins play the Royals tonight. Hm.

Hey, bigcpa...Have to tell you I watched 'War of the Worlds' over the weekend.

I know I should be ashamed, but in my defense, it's pretty dull in Carson City.

68

I'll talk Martin's rookie season over Mauer's, if only because Martin didn't blow out his knee and miss 130 games (knock on wood).

While I know that the defensive element of catching is important, I'm at a complete loss for how to compare catchers defensively. It seems like you need to watch a specific catcher everyday to really get a feel for how good they are. Watching Martin everyday has been a joy.

But I'm pretty sure that that I would trade Martin for Mauer straight up.

Hirsh was born in Santa Monica, I have no idea where he grew up though.

Jason Hirsh was born in Santa Monica, attended Cal Lutheran, but lives in Burbank in the offseason.

He's Mr. Southern California!

Funny Fact

If you google Jason Hirsh you will see a link to his profile on baseball prospectus and it says he's probably very handsome.

103

my old catcher told me in mexico "these guys are laughing at how skinny you are" i stroke out 16 batters to win our jalisco championship (he knew i was very sensitive to my weight)

107 Hey Jim- never saw that one. I strongly recommend Thank You For Smoking on DVD next Tues.

113

That's one I'm looking forward to, Big.

Just mentioned WOTW because it starred, you know, the Tom who will go unnamed.

Pads up 1-0 thanks to old friend Piazza. I really hope the Cards choke this lead just for the pure entertainment value of it.

Its early, but it seems that the Padres are poking at the corpse of the St. Louis Cardinals again.

115 I really hope the Cards choke just because I read "3 Nights in August."

It must be hilarious listening to sports-talk radio in St. Louis right now.

How can you walk Roberts to leadoff an inning? Hideous. And Reyes was a control freak in AAA.

115 - the run of course scored by old friend Dave Roberts, who walked and swiped a bag

119
AAA is not the big leagues.

121 Didn't you see Hoosiers? The plate is still 17" wide!

yeah, but players swing and miss at pitches in AAA that big league hitters spit on.

i've mentioned it lots of times but i really dislike the Padres.

108 Mauer's not only the king of Minnesota, he's dating Miss America or Miss USA or something like that.

Ryan Zimmermann's birthday is the same as my brother's: tomorrow. Minus the 21-year age difference.

118
I have. It's not pretty. But that's year round.

123 I heard Ted Williams could do that.

LaRussa's gone insane.

Batting cleanup for your St. Louis Cardinals tonight...Scott Spezio.

Abreu is having quite a Sept for the Yanks. Still can't believe they got him for 4 undistinguished prospects just because they took on his whole salary. Only team that could lose Sheffield and Matsui and get a better player without giving up squat in the middle of the year. If he had been a Yankee his whole career he'd already have a statue.

Chase Utley is doing his part to keep the Phillies in the race tonight.

123

if i had a 90 mph fastball i could strike out Kemp, or even Shawn Green or even better Choi.

and Pujols K's on three pitches. Chris Young is rough duty.

129
Rolen has had one good game in six weeks. Who would you use?

123 You're the Mainstream Media aren't you? I knew it!

Trying to post excerpts from a Toronto Globe & Mail story 9/16 mentioning Martin and Maddux. Try to link to it and it throws you to a premium content screen. What's here is from page 1 (of 3), which is all I could finangle==

MARTIN CATCHES FIRE/
JEFF BLAIR
BASEBALL REPORTER

Call it part of a rookie catcher's education: Every fifth day or so, Russell Martin pulls up a chair and gets to experience the fastest two minutes in baseball.

"Greg Maddux just has a way of simplifying everything," says Martin, a Toronto native and catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"You run into a lot of people who like to make things more complicated than they are. That's just the way some people are. But Greg, well, he doesn't want to talk to you about eight different things when you're going over the other team's lineup."

"It's like he takes 10 seconds with every hitter," adds Martin, who was raised in Montreal. "He'll mention a guy's name, and say: 'Down and away, changeup is better against him than a curveball,' . . . and then he's on to the next guy. That's one of the reasons so many guys try to sit beside him in the dugout. D-Lowe [pitcher Derek Lowe], it's like he won't leave him."....

Question (mine): Is Maddux's influence partly responsible for DLo's outstanding pitching late in the year?

IIRC, seems like elsewhere in this story Pedro is quoted saying if Maddux threw 95 all other pitchers would have to quit. Told of that, Maddux responded that "Pedro doesn't have to pitch. But he does."

Batting cleanup for your St. Louis Cardinals tonight...Scott Spezio.

didn't he also bat for McGuire in his last MLB at bat?

132, kemp and choi are not big league hitters. shawn green used to be.

124 - You're not alone.

I think Spezio's 480 slug is higher then any Dodger unless JD has passed that number recently. He's had a good year in a part time role.

The Cardinals are just inventing new ways to suck, aren't they?

how are Furcal's chances at the silver slugger at short?

Vinny, who knows everything about everybody in the orginization, refuses to cal Stan JOHNSTON anyhthing other that Stan JOHNSON. I think I first made this very important point in May.

Houston trailing now, 6-1.

134 Duncan? Edmonds? Even Encarnacion has more home runs.

140
Nomar is .509
Drew is .486
Ethier is .483
Saenz is .599
Anderson is .504

Einar Diaz and Eric Stults have higher ones too but that does not really count.

A Xavier Nady single + error brought in three runs.

Somebody distract me from the nonstop, around the clock coverage of the alleged TO football suicide attempt here in Dallas. I think LA matches up well with the Mets... How's that for optimism?

Pedro getting lit up by the Braves. Mets can't be pleased with this tuneup before the playoffs. No offense to Martin but Brian McCann is the best young offensive catcher in the NL.

380-foot single for Nomar?

Nomar needs a designated runner.

Nomar just had what might have been the longest single I've ever seen. 390 feet. He's really running with Jason Phillips speed there.

Remember my Gameday trick: Highlight "Away Hits" or "Away Outs" - sometimes the result appears there before it appears in the text window.

150 It's Home Run or nothing tonight for Nomar.

"Anderson is 504"

That is as awesome as Lugo's sub 250 is disturbing.

Heh.

He really does - can repko or someone come in and run for him every time? Otherwise, I don't see why we can't just have Saenz or Loney in there until Nomar's able to move a little better.

150 Seriously?

156 Because he keeps hitting home runs that win the game and don't require him to run.

Furcal is having a great season but Reyes will get the award. Also having good years at short are Henley Ramirez (Fla), Bill Hall (Milw.), Jimmy Rollins (Phil) and Omar Vizquel (S.F.)

So Nomar can move Nomar. /witty pun

Couldn't we just save Nomar for the 9th inning on and let someone play the first 8 innings who can actually move. How is he possibly going to score a run?

Hah hah. I was just entering some upcoming DVD releases into our catalog, and ran across this one, obviously straight to video fare:
"San Franpsycho":
A Bay Area madman is slicing and dicing the denizens of San Francisco and taunting the press with a series of cryptic letters in this edge-of-your-seat thriller starring Todd Bridges, Joe Estevez... {and I stopped there.}

158 He can do that as a pinch hitter. In fact, even more so, as he'd be gaureenteed to bat with the game on the line if it comes up. (unless it comes up in Furcal, Kent, or Drew's spot)

158 Right, but it kind of puts pressure on him to do that, and only that, since he can't move. But hopefully the move will prove prophetic.

Spezio's Yahoo! picture looks like someone scribbed his soul patch on with a red Sharpie.

While the Dodgers were in Arizona, Lowe shot a 79 from the back tees at the TPC Scottsdale. Of course Maddux smoked him by 5 strokes. These guys are good.

Brian McCann .332/.389/.569 23 HR, 2 SB, 0 CS
Joe Mauer .349/.432/.503 12 HR, 8 SB, 3 CS

nice DP.

153 I've used the trick and it can work
Nice Dp. Thats what Lowe needs!

D. Lowe got 2 ground balls (1 hit) and a strikeout, I like it when I hear Vin say groundball when Lowe is on the mound.

i was at that game when holliday hit that moon shot. the thing that shocked me the most was that andre ethier in left actually took 2 steps back.

166 Probably the only thing bumming them out is that they can't go hit the links at Olympic or San Francisco Golf Club this weekend.

Nice lineup-when did they get hip to batting Martin 6th?(though he could be a good #2 or 5#.

And, continuing to make the NL Central interesting, the Astros quickly get three runs back with none out in the sixth inning. Tying run is now at bat with one out.

Lance went yard... 6-4 Bucs... the Astros are smoking right now. Of course, now I'll jinx them.

I'm surprised Anderson is only .504. It seems like a few days ago he was in the .800s.

Eight more outs needed in D.C.

175 - Not if I jinx 'em first.

172 Incentive to wrap this thing up by Friday. SFGC is a tough invite, though, probably even for pro athletes.

You people are really hilarious.

-OK Nomahh, get over there and get one of your homers now, we need it.

BTW You're forgetting that Nomar can come with someone in base... and get some ribbies.

Wow. Soriano is really not a left fielder is he. Makes Lofton look like Edmonds.

Josh Sharpless - remember him? - is in the game for Pittsburgh.

176
.504 is for his season as a whole. It may be near .800 for the Dodgers.

Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have combined for (58 + 32 = ) 90 home runs this season. How many did the LAD have before The Marlon Game?

Wow, Abraham Nunez has over 300 at bats for the Cardinals for a .208 batting average.

Why must Vinny use cutesy nicknames for opposing players like Cookie and Silky Sullivan? Honestly!

183 Oh. Wow. That is amazing.

182 It was awesome to hear Vin try to say things like ~"Sharpless was anything but sharp tonight" every time he gave up a hit or a walk. Vin makes you smile even when he is predictable.

sharpless played minor league ball with my brother in north carolina. hes a good guy with great potential.

Uh oh... Ryan Wagner in a game with a 3 run lead or less... Dodgers are going to have to win tonight to stay up.

I'll let Jon update that the Astros have cut the lead to one, 6-5 Bucs... but I am still very excited. :)

Ryan Wagner's gameday picture makes him look drunk. And perhaps he is since he just gave up the lead.

jimmy rollins had an ugly hit.

I've been tearing my hair out all week trying to make these scenarios work out...

Pads lose West and Astros win Central and Philly win WC, coz I'd rather play them at home than the Mets away. Won't happen obviously, but it's been fun trying to figure out how the heck it would happen. I guess Pads would have to lose every game, LAD win every game, PHI win every game and HOU win every game, and oh, STL not win 2-3 more games. See, it's a hair-tearing out scenario, and I'm still not sure if the Phils would overtake the Pods.

Boom goes the Betemit

Go Jose Valentin 2006.

Wilson Bettahit!

A Wilson Betemit sighting

BeteMEET!!!

I'm saying my ideal NLDS scenarios would be

NYM - HOU
LAD - PHI

As the Rockies announcer just said, that was a sinker that failed to sink and Betemit smoked it.

460 feet for those of you watching in silence.

43. dzzrtRatt
Is that John Kruk doing the color commentary? He must have the worst broadcasting voice I've ever heard! He sounds like Bugs Bunny trying to imitate Edward G. Robinson.

I've agreed with your posts all year long but this one is dead on. And it's not Buck Martinez. Must be the other guy (Duke somebody). You've hit it on the head with your description.

203 That analogy cracked me up too. Kruk: "It's curtains for you, Mugsy... nyah."

Nice. We could really use his bat coming back to life.

Hasn't anyone told the Dodgers that Cook has about the lowest K rate in the National League?

203 Sorry, it probably IS Buck Martinez. I was thinking that it's not TINO Martinez who also has a ridiculous voice.

Yeesh -- well, I see another snoozer in DC. Seems from the thread like another episode of Revenge of the Nats Defense is on.

Someone asked above, Zimmerman only spent a couple of months in the minors -- went to U VA, also played on the US national team, drafted in June 2005, two months in the minors (SAL and AA), then called up last September.

Jon -- assume your 126 was an unentional tribute to our Bob . . .

And someone would tell me if Teddy won the President's race, right?

208. He did not. TJ took it.

203 One of the better descriptions I've heard of someone's voice: "sounds like 1000 bullfrogs being run over by a gravel truck on a bumpy road at midnight."

Calls up some vivid imagery, it does...

Pirates loaded the bases v. Houston with one out but Bay GIDP.

Buck Martinez said Maddux is 120-0 career with 5 runs of support.

Soriano up with a runner on second and two out. Manuel makes a pitching change, bringing in Ryan Madsen.

Okay Alfonso, time to redeem yourself.

212 That is seriously sick.

Soriano redeems nothing. First pitch flyout to CF>

It's almost hard to believe. I have to research that one.

Harry Caray's voice wasn't exactly great either, we all loved him though.

217 I saw that in a game story in one of the local papers.

212. Really amazing when you think of the Dodger starters who have lost this year with that much support. All of them?

Leadoff double for Ryan Howard...Drat.

How's this for best trade of last offseason: Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Terrmel Sledge for Adam Eaton, Akinori Otsuka and Billy Killian?? That trade is probably the single biggest reason why SD is even competitive in the NL West this year.

Howard caught in a rundown!

No, the Nats didn't throw it in the dugout. He is out. I'm as shocked as you are.

I can't even hear Harry Caray's voice in my head anymore. All I can hear is Will Farrell's version; "If I was a scientist, do you know what I'd clone? Hot dogs!"

222

agreed, but what about Hoffman?

212 That stat is not just scoring 5 runs, it is when his team is ahead by 5 runs such as when it was 6-1, though I'm sure his percentage of wins is high when his team scores 5 runs for him, I doubt he is undefeated.

Rolen knocks in the tying run in St. Louis!
Still 2 on with 2 out.

Rolen up -- runners on the corners, two outs.

222 Otsuka pitched pretty well for the Rangers, the problem is Eaton got hurt and now he is a free agent.

This is no way to break the team LOB or XBH record!

Well, it takes a while for the electrons to get all the way through the tubes and out the pipes and to my couch and stuff.

224

"here's a guy...." i can still hear him. shame on you.

Actually Sam, I just made a prediction and went with it.

224 Dawson spelled backwards is Noswad.

Thanks Harry!

Aww heck.

Pujols stole a base off of Piazza. Cool. Pujols has 16 stolen bases last season compared to only 2 caught stealings. This season he's only stolen 6. Maybe 7.

218 Surely I'm not the only person in the world who can't stand Caray, am I?

"i just don't get it" Harry Carry

212 226 Here's at least 1 game Maddux lost with 5 runs of support:

http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B06300CHN2005.htm

darn!

At bat: Mr. Dodger Killer

The prototypical Coors Field inning here.

Runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out for the Nats.

My brain is about as scrambled as Harry Caray's, trying to follow three games and make dinner.

But while you all watch Lowe have a rough inning, the Nats are starting to rally. Two on, nobody out.

1st, 2nd nobody down for Los Nats.

I've just realized I have to go to the laundromat tonight and do a ton of laundry. I've got tomorrow off, but they're all day games tomorrow!

Baseball before clean underwear!

Tampa Bay 11, Boston 0.

The entirety of this is too mind-blowing to contemplate.

An exchange between Harry Caray and Steve Stone on a Cubs broadcast which I never will forget==

Caray: (a player, don't recall who) ...."fielded that ball and made the throw with effortless grace..."

Stone: "Effortless Grace....I remember her!"

Caray, spluttering: "This is a family show, you....."

Frank Robinson is bringing in a pinch hitter to bunt with two on and nobody out.

247 - with Josh Beckett giving up eight of those, all earned.

Hmmm . . . Phils may have another reasonable beef with the umpiring there (I think Howard beat Zimm back to the bag).

The Reds could lose today, be 78-80 with four games left and they still won't be eliminated.

With first and third and one in already, not bad to escape giving up only one more, you are not going win by scoring 1 run in Coors anyway.

251 It was a bad call. Yay bad calls!

Nook Logan strikes out on three pitches. Two out, two on in DC.

Well, I forgot to hit "submit" when I posted "I'd pinch hit for Nook here" three minutes ago.

But boy am I prescient.

Wait a minute, I got it

it's "when given a lead of five runs or more" according to the Dodgers.com notes

Oopsies

Merlin!

257 I imagine the average winning percentage for starting pitchers given a 5+ run lead is at least .975.

257
How many pitchers ever lose more than a handful of games when given a lead of five or more. There are only so many Odalis Perezes in the world.

Man this lefty is killing Church with those curves.

Church flies out. Inning over.

Nook Logan is on notice. Frank Robinson is already dead.

Dang. Nearly identical situations in Colorado and DC, and both come up empty.

260 There was a great stat in the first Bill James Historical Abstract where he took 2 seasons that Koufax pitched and figured out he won 3 out of 4 games when he got 3 or less runs of support, not a lead, just 3, 2, or 1 run.

You get the feeling that Frank could have used Marlon Anderson in the 8th inning.

Ugggh.

unbelieveable, heres an idea wilson, bend.

Houston heading to the 9th in Pittsburgh, trailing 6-5.

Zimmerman is a stud with the glove. But you knew that already.

great Beltre-ish pickup by Zimmerman(n) to rob Rollins of a IF hit.

zimmerman and beltre for 3b gold gloves this year

270
gmta

ok, Lowe doesn't do too well immediately following a balk

Walk Utley! Pitch to Howard instead!

Lowe now leads all Dodger pitchers in balks.

He has 2.

Salomon Torres pitching at PNC. One out, one out.

Well, Utley walks. Howard up first and third.

Walk the Beast!

IBB for Howard.

Come on Nomar. If you hit a home run you don't have to run.

The captions on my tv just said "Gonna make co9 beat you."

Who's Chris Booker?

basehit for scott .... astros tie it up

Tampa Bay 11, Boston 0.

The entirety of this is too mind-blowing to contemplate.

Walking Lance Berkman to get to .354-hitting, 1.107-OPSing Luke Scott wasn't a good idea.

the dodgers really gotta give nomar a break tomorrow.

Luuuukkkkeeee.

283
Diane weeps...

283 - oops, browser malfunction.

nice hit by Drew.

Boy I wish Nomar had at least given it his all getting to 2nd. You could see him give a little extra at the very end.

Mr. Consistent!

oh my god, drew murdered that ball.

Chris Booker throws various and sundry frisbees, co9 grounds into fielders choice. Inning over.

287

sigh .... the geek in me is now rooting for 4 straight t.b. losses

"Chris Booker RH RP - Booker was picked up from the Cincinnati Reds after the 2005 season. He was selected in the Rule 5 draft and bounced between Kansas City and Philadelphia before being returned to Washington on July 14. In his 14 games in New Orleans, Booker has thrown 15.1 innings allowing 7 runs on 14 hits and 13 walks with 27 strikeouts. If Felix Rodriguez is not recalled , expect Booker to get the nod."

http://farmauthority.dcsportsnet.com/?p=705

Schneider, Castro, and Lopez due up in the 9th?

Was Drew's ball close to a home run? My MLBTV pooped out right before that, confarnit. (But I'll take it.)

296. Yes

296
Would you rather have anyone else?

Don't answer that.

297 Hit the wall.

Interesting to bring the guy with this background -- "Booker has thrown 15.1 innings allowing 7 runs on 14 hits and 13 walks " -- into a bases loaded situation.

297

by about 5 to 3 feet.

lowe needs to lock down. right now.

Base hit to start the 9th for Washington's Schneider.

Schneider's had a good second half.

Castro -- I just can't imagine he'll get to bat.

Well, I can imagine it . . .

Leadoff hit for Schneider.

I'm slow tonight.

No greenies.

305 Robinson is out of position players.

c'mon, pinch-run for schneider!

[305] you're kidding me. what an idiot.

Officially, Gameday lists Nick Johnson as being available for Washington.

Castro walks! 2 on nobody out.

oops, speaking of idiots, i meant [308].

1st and 2nd nobody out for the Nats.

313 Hey, you callin' me an idiot, pal?!

Has George Lombard been in?

316 Lombard pinch-ran in the seventh.

did anyone here that story about tom gordon in the ALCS in 2004 he was so nervous out in the bullpen he was throwing up?

2nd and 3rd for Soriano with one out after the bunt.

I saw Abraham fumbling that bunt with Martin, Bobby, and John.

soriano with yet another chance.

[315] nah dude, i was referring to frank robinson. how do you run out of position players before the 9th inning in september??

soriano with yet another chance.

whoops nevermind.

IBB for Soriano. Bases loaded, one out for Sam's dreamboat, Mr. Zimmerman.

Walking Soriano. Zimmerman up with the bases loaded and 1 out.

Do you walk Soriano to pick up the force play, he doesn't really matter as far as the run counts.

ryan zimmerman is trying to run away with dodgers team mvp.

Frank Robinson is a better manager than Charlie Manuel, therefore there's a good bet that the Nationals will win. Frank Robinson could be one of the worst managers ever and he'd still be better than Manuel.

I would have pitched to Soriano

329 At least in terms of game strategy, it's been proven that Robinson is the worst manager ever.

This is one of those situations where we started getting to Cook and Hurdle left him in, lets see if we can get a few more runs here.

#$^#$^E come on... felipe lopez had the count 2-0, why did he sacrifice with soriano on deck?? at least zimmerman is credible, but when the winning run is already on base, of COURSE soriano is going to get walked. ridiculous.

I can hear JoeyP right now...........

331- yea, but he's had more opportunities to screw up. The bunt was a dumb play. Manuel makes Jimbo look like a brilliant strategist.

Hey, Dodgers have a runner on 3rd. How'd that happen?
Too much to watch!

OH HECK YES

Zimmerman for lead Prince of the Confederation of the Rhine!

He walked. Tie game.

Give that guy the ROY.

YES!

I sense a rant from Mike Carminati soon.

333 - Couldn't agree more. He traded an out and taking the bat out of the hands of his best hitter, to move the runner up one base...

[336] merlin tripled.

Nice at bat by Zimmermann. Manuel loses again.

Robert Fick is a Dodger fan.

Who pinch-hits for Booker?

Yes, way to walk Zim.

Woot! Marlon "The Beast" Anderson triples and Zimmerman walks to score the tying run, all in the same refresh.

Kearns, apparently.

So sweet!!! Go Nationals!

That was up in Fick's eyes.

c'mon, fick. deep fly ball to center, that's all you need.

Kearns is probably praying that he gets hit by the pitch.

This could be one sweet night for the Dodgers.

I couldn't watch that replay. Ugh.

THOW BALLS!

if we didn't NEED them to win, i'd say that the nationals deserve to lose this game.

OH HECK YES (Dodger version)

Andre!

Awww that was your pitch Kearns.

Andre, enfin!

The Reds lose to Florida 7-2.

Ethier gets a hit and Raffy better not bunt.

Sure looks like those swings hurt.

Great take on ball 3.

3-2 to Kearns.

No Raffy, no, no bunts.

Extras, anyone?

If Kearns comes through, this will def. be a sweet couple of ...

Argh, he just popped up. Extras in DC.

Free baseball in Washington.

Phillies escape the jam.

That's okay Raffy, you can steal 2B.

all three games are now tied.

Well, with Livan gone, the Nats don't do to well in the pitchers who can pinch hit department.

Ramon Ortiz has pinch run a few times (should have used him instead of Lombard!)

SD has two aboard in the 8th, one out.

stupid nationals. booooooo.

andre ethier, yayy!!

sigh... three tied games at once to watch... i'm going to fail out of school

not any more.

I would hate to think how nerve-wracking the 9th inning was a Phillies fan. That inning was a Tribute to Antacids.

Way to do it Troy!!! Maybe he listened to my friend and did try to sabotage the game.

Marlon Anderson has been a pleasant surprise.

The preceding obvious comment brought to you by the Baltimore Opera Hat Company.

So 3.5 made it 4-4.

Yes, there you go, now its the bullpen, come on Nomar just one 390 foot single.

[375] 4 tied games: phils-nats, dodgers-rocks, pirates-stros, and pads-cards.

Loney in for Nomar, por favor

Too bad the Nats are going into extras without a bench.

I can't believe he kept Cook in there for all those at bats.

sweet, scratch our game off the list!

382
I would check the score of the Dodgers game again.

385 - Same here.

384 Phillies are out of their good pitchers, but the Nationals did only score 1 run despite having runners in scoring positon twice with less than two out.

Ok, cool. Give Young some PT.

I'd like to thank Clint Hurdle for leaving Aaron in there long after he'd been cooked. (Not that all the balls in that inning were hit that hard but he was definitely done...)

Double for Phillies makes it 6-5.

crap... phillies score off cordero to also take a 1-run lead

Argh, I forgot the Nats had traded most of their bullpen to Cincinnati earlier.

And now.. .a Joe Thurston sighting!

The color man on the Phils-Nats broadcast - I think it's Buck Martinez - sounds like Shake from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

Old friend Joe Thurston in to pinch hit.

I saw Abraham with an RBI double with Bobby, Martin, and John.

See last nites thread for disclaimers and warnings re Chad Cordero.

Awesome. I love how Delwyn actually tried to knock him instead of just letting himself get tagged.

What's going on, Bob?

Dang, out the plate. That third run would have been sweet.

So he's Shake meets Bugs meets Edward G Robinson...?

oh man... props to Closser for holding onto Delwyn Young's attempted assault and battery. The Rockies should get an extra run for his efforts. Wait, what am I saying?

Was the play at the plate close?

397
Yes, but can you tell me where he's gone?

I just looked around, and he's gone.

395

Buck Martinez ... #1 in the 'hood, G

If I were in Fantasy contention, that would have been painful last inning for me in DC since I had both Gordon and Cordero.

Ah Delwyn!! Nomar would have totally scored on that one. ;-)

397 - Ha!
They don't make songs that poltical - or that depressing - nowadays.

Pads have runners at second and third, two out.

Thurston still has that ugly swing. I thought he was with the Yankees.

Abraham Nunez is dead to me.

These games and this race is too dramatic for me. For some reason I can hardly watch.
But yes, Loney please. I hope in the confusion of this division race, the D's don't lose sight of their young talent. The D's could field a very competent 8 position players for ~16 mil. Imagine the pitching they could afford. Although some think good pitching is coming from the farm.

so... does this mean Broxton is going two innings? (assuming he doesn't get chased)

404. Delwyn absolutely leveled the catcher. Throw had him by about two steps but he put a nasty (but clean) hit on the catcher. Amazing that he held the ball/got up.

Big bad John comes in.
Hold 'em, Bull.

Somehow I get the feeling that Washington's chance to win this game came in the 9th inning.

414 Its possible that Beimel comes in to pitch to the Holliday, Helton, and Haupe group.

417 Or the 8th.

Wild pitch gives SD the go-ahead run, but a second runner is thrown out, 2-1.

Cardinals are cursed, go ahead run scores on wild pitch with the last out coming at home plate.

Young is listed 5-8 210. I imagine he would go barrelling into the catcher.

420 - The 2-1 is both the score, and the scoring on the runner thrown out at the plate.

Houston has Berkman first up if they can get out this inning.

2-1 pads. 6-5 phils. we've gotta win today.

frank robinson = public enemy

Great bunt!

Scrappy bunt by Nook!

Nook never touched first when he passed the bag.

Nook Logan aboard with bunt single/horrible throw to first.

Take your pick...Probably a hit.

425. Did he fail to get a run home with the bases loaded and 1 out?

what a crazy night of baseball. that collision at home pretty much sums it up, this is what its all about, baby! September Baseball! Wooo!

Bunt single, hope springs eternal in DC.

429 - My mental scoreboard flashes H

"Throw strikes!"

Good job by Frank to let Church swing the bat. I think I'd run Nook here.

Bucs with the winning run at second, one out, bottom eleventh. Jack Wilson batting.

1-2-3 inning for Broxton. Nice.

Who pitches the eighth?

Phillies and Padres have most phenomenal luck. Looks like they will both win. Well we won 16 of 17 or whatever.

YYYYEEEEEESSS nats score!

Base hit. Tie game. Holy Smokes.

PIT has the NL batting lead up with the winning run on third and two out.

439. OR NOT!

Tie game!

439
Not so fast my friend.

HUZZAH! The Nats come through and tie it again!

Gotta admire their pluck. Or spunk. Or scrap. Or something.

Freddy Sanchez LEADS the NL in batting with men in scor. pos ... .395!

wow

This is just getting funny now.

HOU is walking Sanchez to pitch to Bay.

Incredible.

garner has lost his mind .... 2 out with a runner on 3rd in tie game, and he ibb's next 2 batters

450 What happened, all I have is one out and a runner on first (which I think is wrong).

they ibb'ed bay also! :-O

That's just a general comment covering the last 450 comments and related real-world events.

IBBs to Sanchez and Bay. X-Man up with the bases loaded.

Linebrink's been worked pretty hard lately... 2 on for Albert Pujols (but two out)

I'd like to personally thank Frank Robinson for his leadership in rousing the Nats to such glorious heights.

446 I admire their Hutzpah greatly. Please let them win.

Those Philly fans they just showed look like those annoying Gotti kids. One more reason to root against them.

what happened?? yahoo is frozen.

No really, how did the Nats tie score in the 10th.

Pujols up with two on, two out.

I hope SamDC is around and pulling!

Best. Night. Of baseball. Ever.

Astros escape! To the 12th!

[451] yeah, but he's on the road in extra innings; the runner on 3rd is the only one that matters.

OH MY!

Dan Wheeler has a horrible ratio but apparently the walking the bases loaded works tonight.

oh my!

Oh my lord, Rollins just coughed up a horrible error on an easy ground ball that should have ended the inning. Gotta laugh.

Rollins bobbles a ball, and throws it to...you guessed it...absolutely nobody in particular.

Two on, two out in Washington.

Gen. Cla Meredith, CSA, comes in to face Pujols.

Pujols homers!

463 Am around -- see 20 comments above in the last hour.

Nats scored by Nook Logan bunting on, Ryan Church grounding him over, Brian Schneider singling him in.

Now Soriano up two on two out.

"in play, run scoring play" for Pujols.

... and Pujols comes through!!

I can't keep up!

Gen. Cla Meredith, CSA surrenders...

A home run, that is.

I guess a homer would count as a run scoring play. I feel like I have to beat the information out of Game Day. It was a hit! (Whack) Okay, it was a run-scoring hit! (Whack) She's my sister AND my daughter! (Whack)

twins lose 6-4 .... tigers losing 7-4 top 9th

Soriano is single handedly losing this game for the Nats.

478 I was really torn about the great collapse or wanting the Padres to feel some heat.

479 Forget about it, Ratt...It's GameDayTown.

This is dizzying.

Soriano is just lost these days. It's pretty disappointing as he was 2004 Beltre-locked-in for so long this year and it was fun to watch.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to notice Scott Spezio's Cardinal-red extra-hairy soul patch on his Gameday pic.

482 Let the Cards win this one, then lose out while the Astros win out. Everybody wins!

464 That is hard to argue with.

Why would the Pads bring in Meredith to face Pujols after Linebrink got him out last night on a routine fly ball?

487 Sorry, I was there last Monday, I reserve that night if we make the playoffs.

I'm not going to say anything about the Cardinals game until it is over. Don't want to jinx anything.

You gotta love the A's lineup; it includes 3 former Dodgers (and Milton Bradley isn't one of them).

488
Strategery.

464 487 I agree as well. I was a bit out of commision while out to dinner with my ex-girlfriend, but once I got back in my car and heard how close all the games were I couldn't help but feel giddy. THIS is what September baseball is all about.

bottom of the order coming up for SD.

Or as Ross Porter would say, "the bo'om of the order."

I knew Pujols was gonna homer, I just knew it.

Ratt, you must have beaten GameDay so senseless it made him hit it out.

"Either you bring the playoffs to L.A. or you bring L.A. to the playoffs."

489 I was there too and that was the best. game. ever. This is the best all-around night. I declare it to be so!

The tastefully spelled Jason Bergmann in to pitch for the Nats.

Hey, Bob, I probably missed this, but what does the 4 team LOB do to the Dodgers' pace for the record?

"It feels like it's election night, and returns are coming in from everywhere."

--Vin Scully, a few seconds ago.

Amen.

Vin: "It feels like it's election night, and reports are coming in from everywhere."

Vinny just said: "Feels like election night and the results are coming in from everywhere". Classic.

Thank you Mr. Pujols.

I guess we all liked that one.

The Dodgers need to average 6.4 LOB per game to break the record.

464 Second to last Monday, you mean.

Ooh, you dirty Ratt.

Janus:
http://tinyurl.com/o5wyh

Talk about your jinxing.

Wasn't Lewinski Clinton's intern? Oh TuLewinski.

that point 4 of a man left on base is gonna be messy ...

They better stop showing close ups of that Phillie fan unless they want to deal with some FCC fines.

Nice 2 innings for Brox, he's probably done until Friday but give me some runs for Sammy Saito.

That Vin Scully, he's gonna be a good announcer some day.

It's snowing in Pittsburgh.

510*510. dianagramr
that point 4 of a man left on base is gonna be messy ... * Nah, that's just Lugo.

All I know is that after watching Charlie Manuel vs. Frank Robinson the past two nights, I'm going to have to pour bleach in my eyes.

This is a time when a bit of offense in the ninth would be noble.

Yes, the guy with 7 ERA gets through the meat of the Phillies lineup.

Game over in the Mound City.

Cards magic number is 4.

Oh good, Rick White is now pitching for Philly. Wasn't he a fairly terrible non-roster invitee for the Dodgers a few springs back?

LaRussa avoids the angry mob for one day, the D-Backs have their best 3 pitchers scheduled for the Padres so who knows.

Okay, I think the Phils and Nats are just pulling guys in off the street to pitch.

Rick White in to pitch. Atlee Hammaker warming up.

Players used so far tonight:

Houston 23
Washington 22
Philadelphia 20
Pittsburgh 19

what a great vin line. worth reading 3 different interpretations :)

i'm also glad that the annoyingly-named cla (i pronounce it "claw") meredith surrendered the homer to pujols. c'mon nats!

512 Hopefully we score a bunch of runs in the 9th and can save Sammy for 2 IP tomorrow.

523 Because they did not make wholesale callups in September, the Nationals have no more position players remaining. Their pitcher is due up third in this inning.

The Nats should not even get the bats off their shoulders.

516 Makes you appreciate Grady all the more, doesn't it?

On the east coast, it's an hour until Zimmerman's birthday.

Hey, the Phillies pitcher has a swarm of bees on his face!

rick white is the evil spawn of wickman and wells

insurance run would be good here, nevermind.

516 - As I said to my family, describing the doings surrounding Bay to Breakers: "There are some things you just can't unsee."

531

exactly :o)

are the Nats (expos) STILL so cheap as to not call a lot of people up after 9/1?

Philly relievers have walked four in 2-plus innings.

530 Naw, just hold him upside down and the metal beads will give him hair on his head instead.

As for Vin's Election Night comment, 40 percent of the precincts are in?

535
Partly cheap and partly because there wasn't much worth calling up.

537

roflmao!!!!

that's a keeper!

Buccos have runners at the corners, two out.

No politics here I know, but does the next potential AG for the State of California think that by running ads (both sides) is really effective use of their money on Dodger radio broadcasts.

Two outs, runner at 2nd for Nats...

The key to the race is:
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON

Hey, it's about time Washington DC was meaningful in an election!

Matsui vs. Saito!
Bob, I'm sure you have the breakdown on this matchup.

Come on, Matsui: Seppuku for you.

Sir, you can't have bees in a jail.

Nats called up around 6 players, I think.

No bees!

They've found weapons of bat destruction in Washington

To the 12th in DC.

[490] i got antonio perez and hiram bocachica off the bat, but it took me a second to remember that adam melhuse was briefly a dodger. so i double-checked and sure enough, he has 1 single career at-bat with LA. apparently it was his first major-league at-bat. it was a strikeout.

If the Nats game keeps going I fear for Frank Robinson's health. I am sure Bob doesn't.

The Nationals ran out of position players in September?

Houston escapes yet again.

542

I think those AG ads are kind of funny. They're sort of matching "I hate you" ads.

The Phils pitcher looks like someone from an Idaho prison gang.

"Hello, Duffy's Tavern. Nah, Duffy's not here. He's out flying out to end the 12th in Pittsburgh."

33% of Today Agenda, DONE!

Sam, can we depend on another scoreless inning by a guy who I think has the same name as a model/actress.

It sure is annoying living in Philly and not being able to watch the Phillies game... stupid comcast.

One more out!

Jamey Carroll looks like the alien on the cover of "Communion" in his GameDay picture.

Callups:

"The Washington Nationals tomorrow are expected to purchase the contracts of infielder Melvin Dorta, outfielder George Lombard and right-handed pitchers Chris Booker and Brett Campbell from New Orleans of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. Right-handed pitcher Beltran Perez is also expected to have his contract purchased from Harrisburg of the Double-A Eastern League. Nationals Vice President/General Manager Jim Bowden made the announcement."

Plus they acquired Nook Logan right at the turn of September as well.

554 They brought up five players for September.

556 I know, but really I don't think any likely voters are listening.

i knew i couldn't count on a stress free 9th

542 He should just play up that he hasn't spied on his spouse...

564 Lombard is already with them. I don't know about Dorta. The rest are pitchers.

great pitchers pitch by Saito on Salazar

I love Takashi Saito and I'm proud!

542 Dodger broadcasts surely skew toward an older audience. Not only do older folks vote in higher numbers, but they are about to get or just got their absentee ballots in the mail, which older folks like to use.

For political ad buyers, every night in the next three weeks is like Election Night. I guess Vin was right.

YES!

Back to the Nationals game.

Saito is our MVP, i don't care what anybody says.

554: I think they ran out in the ninth.

Nick Johnson is not available, though on the roster still.

We win!

Is this fun or what?

OK, now to water the front yard - in the dark.

Tremendous win.

66% of Today Agenda, DONE!!!!

Saito really needs to stay in the US!

dodgers are now 1 game back of san diego. their magic number for the division remains at 3, with 4 games left to play.

I don't think I can watch the Nats-Phils game any more, it's too... ugly.

Night all!

Let's not forget Broxton tonight. Comes in with a 2 run lead in Coors field and burns right through 2 quick innings to get to Saito.

[583] ("their" was in reference to san diego)

We can celebrate the Dodger win with a LOBlolly!

On your toes with all these low pitches, Schneider -- I need Vin to check the numbers with a runner on third!

I see Tim Salmon got a homer tonight. Nice.

Wow, what an incredible night of ballgames so far, the only game I get in here is the 'stros/Pirates and it is still one of the most important ones!

557 - Has anybody ever seen Rick White and Sal Fasano in the same place at the same time?

And where on earth is NATE?

The Dodgers magic number to win the division is 6. To make the playoffs, it's 4.

The Phillies and Nats don't want me to do my laundry do they?

583

against the D-Backs.

Players used update:

Houston 23
Washington 22
Philadelphia 21
Pittsburgh 20

Three wild pitches this year for Jason Bergmann.

584

if anything the Phills will be tired tomorrow.

592 you don't have a PC monitor built into the washer???

who's pitching the 12th for philadelphia?

598 Steve Carlton

clay condrey .... now pitching

597
The laundromat says it has free wi-fi, but it really doesn't.

It has wi-fi that doesn't work.

But it is free!

GO Nats, Complete the Agenda!

Is Frank Robinson still awake or does he fell on his nose?

Maybe it's just me, but is anyone else here a bit scared of the upcoming Giants series? If I were a Giant fan right now, I'd be chomping at the bit, waiting for the chance to ruin the season of my hated rivals. It's going to be a crazy atmosphere up there, for sure.

I can already begin to hear the "Beat L.A." chants. Ugh.

BTW, congratulations on a great career at UCLA Sue Enquist.

hmmm .... clay "hypo" condrey (ack!)

598

the kitchen sink? bad joke i know.

Houston is now using its starting pitcher from Monday.

So are the Dodgers and Padres tied again?

Freddy Sanchez with a clutch groundout in Pitt...

I didn't even realize ESPN was showing the Phillies game!

I prefer Bob Carpenter and Tom Paciorek to ESPN.

No

603. MMSMikey, is that you?

Hopefully it will be less tight by the time we get up there.

609

you mean they stopped covering the terrell owens "was it a suicide attempt" marathon?

[608] no, LA is 1 game back now.

[603] i've had the same thought. it'll definitely be a playoff atmosphere, and the giants would LOVE to be spoilers. but on the other hand it would be sweet to clinch a playoff spot right in their faces :)

603 - The Giants are playing out the string now. Rather lifeless set against the D-Backs.
But I'm not about to call them dead, and I'm sure the fans will be up for the Dodgers.

609

thanks for the heads up Jon

613 Who's this Terrell Owens person of which you speak?

Felipe Alou pretty much has said he won't be back as manager. Barry Bonds will play sparingly. Jason Schmidt might miss his start. But Matt Cain will be pitching one game and that should be interesting.

well, at least the bottom of the 13th will feature lopez, soriano, and zimmerman.

Can you imagine what Buck Martinez would sound like with a bad cold?

stupid for Dodger get's a hit.

Berkman gets the IBB with two down, nobody on, top 14th in the 'burgh.

621

i meant stupid former Dodger, sorry

So, washingtonpost.com has put up an article from tomorrow's paper reporting that the Nationals have decided to part ways with Frank Robinson and plan to tell him soon, possibly tomorrow.

Good thing there's no computer in Frank's dugout.

http://tinyurl.com/hs3zd

So, the Bucs are gonna give Berkman the IBB every time?

620

like Charlie Steiner?

IBB to Howard, putting the winning run on second.

Okay.

howard gets ibb'ed with 2 out and runner on 1st .... grrrrrrr

You've got to be kidding me.

Wow. Bonds/Ruth like respect for Howard.

624 there is no computer in frank's head either

There have been 7 IBBs given out in the Hou-Pitt game. The record for an extra inning game though is 11!

[623] i didn't mind that you abbreviated the word "former". the unnecessary apostrophe on gets was more egregious in my opinion ;)

of course, i have howard on my roto team .... sigh

Martinez makes Steiner sounds like Michael Crawford on opening night at the Met.

Rough night for co9

Got to love the UCLA guys blowing it for the Phils.

631

there is how ever a fearse competitor in there.

Frank Robinson- Super Genius!

ok .... NOW I think Philly misses Abreu ....

Aaaaand we're goin to 15 in Pittsburgh!!

Bergmannnnnnnnnn!

[630] well, to be fair, the dude is OPSing about 1.100 this season, and should be the NL MVP, while guy hitting behind him is... jeff conine.

this can only be good for the Dodgers no matter who wins.

636 LOL

629- I don't think I would have intentionally walked him, but I would have pitched around him. Jeff Conine isn't exactly a dangerous hitter. I realize that Manuel didn't want to have two lefties in a row, but he would have been much better off having a quality hitter like Dellucci bat behind Howard.

I want a "players used" update :-)

643. I like the move. Like it even more now that it worked.

can someone smell victory in this inning for the Nats?

All I smell is Soriano.

the nats announcer just joked that the studio guy would have an update on the tokyo-hiroshima game .... :-)

I've seen a few scattered anti-ESPN comments on the list tonight. Here's more: Anybody check espn.com? The headline baseball story is not any of these games being played by obvious minor-leaguers from unimportant cities west of NY, but rather a comparison of Derek Jeter and Jose Reyes.

Hopefully, the Twins (or Tigers) will sweep the Yunks out in three straight.

650

i smell another inning

All this baseball and The Griddle's got nothing to say?

c'mon zim, i named my DT fantasy team after you. gimme some home run love!

smells like metamucil spirit

652 - My response to that would definitely violate Rule #1.

Biggio on 3rd in Pitts with one out...

Conine for ROY (pro-rated)
Frank Robinson for MOY
vr, Xei

647 -

Los Angeles 15

:)

The Dodgers are now 8 short of the LA record for hits.
They need to average 7 LOB per game to tie the record.
There are 5 total bases short of the LA record.
They are 3 XBHs short.
The team batting average went up (they hit .333 for the game)
The team OBP went up (it was .351 for the game and they came in at .346.
The SLG went up too. (.429 coming and they slugged over .550)

654 I think I smell fresh laundry.

Unfortunately, I think tonight's marathon will be better for the Phillies for tomorrow since Lieber is a pretty big innings-eater and O'Connor is a 5 inning rookie. Better hope the Nats pull tonight's game out.

Another inning to be played.

657

it smells like bate to me also.

The Nationals needed Marlon Anderson

Stros take the lead 7-6.

Ausmus = clutch!!

the giants.

One of the best baseball nights in years. Sure is fun to be involved in Sept baseball again and ESPN picked a great game to broadcast. Vin is in top form. The bigger the game the better he gets.

Shoot, missed it.

BTW, my laundromat is open 24 hours.

[657] mine too. ESPN can go do things to itself. anatomically improbable things.

Time for one of Jose's patented strikeouts.

you can tell Vinnie is having fun as well.

654
The Griddle's busy watching all the games and updating the standings.

And the Griddle is worried about his laundry and a severe underwear shortage.

Rollins has seemed to be clutch lately, hopefully not tonight

Another old friend. I smell trouble.

675 Go Commando. This is September baseball!

675

TMI on the undies situation

Dammit

Jose Bautista, Pitcher's spot, and Chris Duffy due up in the bottom of the 15th in the Steel City.

Drat.

Well... I guess we'll just have to do this thing ourselves.

J Roll likely just won the game for the Phillies with that triple.

8-6 phills

A lot of Phillies fans in DC.

[675] perhaps a commando griddle is in order? the season is coming down to the wire; sacrifices must be made for the greater good, bob!

Time for blown save #3 for the Phillies. Fabio Castro, it's your turn!

i still believe in the Nats!!

678 lol

Everybody's favorite SS comes through in the clutch!!! Wahoo!!

Darn diddly do-dum doodily =(.

Bob, you need your own washer and dryer. Come to think of it, I have an extra dryer, but you'd have to come to SLC to get it.

687
It's a 24/7 laundromat. I'm not worried.

d'oh. a 4th inning from bergmann was definitely too much to ask for. what, did the nationals run out of pitchers too??

Don't let the Phillies fans go home happy Nats.

DUDE
What the hell is this?

WALTER
My dirty undies. Laundry, Dude. The whites.

DUDE
Walter, I'm sure there's a reason you brought your dirty undies—

WALTER
Thaaaat's right, Dude. The weight. The ringer can't look empty.

692

ladies and gentlemen, we have a ned flanders sighting

Aaaand Garner makes a pitching change with two out, bottom 15th. Oy.

being a bluebleeder saying i still believe in anybody other than the Dodgers was kind of weird for me.

Castro has Sharpless-like control issues.

693
If you could lower real estate prices here in Southern California, I'm game!

Fick could've ended this hours ago, in a happy way.

[691] dude, who are you rooting for, anyway? i know you live in philly and follow the team but i thought it was like sam and the nats, and that you were really a dodger fan.

704
Like Ishi, das411 lives in two worlds.

Old friend Trever Miller in for the save in the 15th.

Beltran Perez to the plate . . .

702 There are some things that are beyond my powers. Why do you think I left LA in the first place? I felt like owning a house some day.

Hope lives (barely). Fick singles.

One on, no out.

Sure, why not.

8 in a row for Houston keeps the heat on the Cards.

Perez singles!

First and second, no out.

Oh man, the Phillies don't deserve to win this game.

our collective DODGER MOJO seems to work peeps!!

Wow, the Phillies really don't want to win this game.

It's now bases loaded, no outs.

Trev Miller seals the deal!

Vish, I've only been an LAD semi-fan since I found this place during that '04 NLDS. Phillies all the way dude!

We're heading to Mets-Braves July 4/5, 1986 territory here.

I told you Frank was a genius

Okay. There's September baseball, and then there's a gigantic bowl of stupid.

This game is one gigantic bowl of stupid.

I leave to get Thai, and mayhem breaks out!

This guy is one serious arsonist.

botched bunt .... bases loaded no out for nats

Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.

718

rick camp in the on deck circle

8-7, one out on a sac fly.

[705] after reading the book in 4th grade, for several years afterward my friends would occasionally refer to me as Vishi (last of my tribe).

Happy Birthday, Ryan Zimmerman! (My brother has to wait three more hours.)

I wouldn't be surprised to see a play at the play.

I feel bad for this pitcher, what a spot to be in when nothing has been expected of you all year.

Oh no! Double play, game over.

Son of a gun

uggggh!

This game is absolute insanity.

And here I am, waiting for "La Fea Mas Bella" to end so I can catch the rest of the game.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Brian Schneider is not a Dodgers fan

Heckuva game.

Happy Birthday Zimm.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I must admit, I'm not used to announcers that moan and groan when their team loses. Thank you Vin, for being so professional.

Couple of those Philly fans looked like they had consumed a few adult beverages.
vr, Xei

wow, what a ride. only a tad bit disappointing, though. i'll feel it next week though pending the dodgers' playoff fortunes.

ok .... bedtime for this east-coaster .... g'night

I'd rather have gained a game on the Phillies than on the Padres, but beggers can't be Dodgers. vr, Xei

I can't believe they didn't try to work the count more against Castro. He has over a walk per inning. Well, at least the Dodgers won. So ends a great night of baseball.

734

i just asked my chick about a "telenovela" with that name & she said yeah, funny.

Oh man, I can't wait to read what the guys at www.pabaseball.blogspot.com have to say about this one. Xei, if you want to know what those Phils fans would blog like, check that out.

Everyone else, time to do hw! Same time tomorrow?

746 - oh yeah, that. Yay physics.

745 -- hehehe. Yup, my wife is totally addicted.

All things considered, a very positive result for the Dodgers. Not the absolute best result, but they're still in a good position for the last 4 games.

Now to put the pressure on and take the last game in Colorado.

What a great night of baseball. And any time we win this week, it's a good night (or day). Pads losing makes it better but Phils win keeps it short of elation. Dodgers just need to keep taking care of their business.

746 You can come back at same time tomorrow but you'll be reading the game wrap up.

the Phills suffered during this game no? how many pitchers did they used.

744- oopsies, forgot to carry the one. 12 BB in 29 innings, that isn't a walk per inning. I take back all those things I said about Castro (but only the pitcher, of course - I might want to run for office in Florida some day)

New post up top!

753

i can't smell what it's about.

743 - Still, definately a good night. I would rather win the division obviously, since I think we play better at home. Plus, like they say in poker, now we have more outs.

I can't believe he kept Cook in there for all those at bats.

C'mon. Its Clint Hurdle.

Am I the only one wondering how you can run out of players with a 40 man roster?

Or why teams pitch to Albert Pujols?

today was a great baseball night. I tried to catch most of it between my class, group meetings, sushi bar and so forth. 2 out of 3 aint bad for tonight although i seriously thought the Nats were gunna pull through.

minor league news,

Affiliation change: The Dodgers switched Class A affiliations, leaving Columbus of the South Atlantic League and adding Midland, Mich., in the Midwest League.