Beaneater

Lombard just had a very strange-looking play to end the game vs. the Twins. Bottom 13, tied 4-4, no one out, ghost runner on 2nd. Victor Caratini hits a 75-ish mph grounder right up the middle – like mathematically up the middle – I think it eventually went over the 2nd base bag. The ghost runner breaks for third, obviously. Lombard charges it and makes a decision to field it in front of the bag rather than letting it get behind the bag, which would have given him more time. As it is, he whiffs entirely on the attempt to field the ball, it trickles into CF, the ghost runner scores, game over. (Scored as a game-winning RBI single, naturally.) I know we talk about the route an outfielder takes to a ball, but this was the first time I've ever thought about the "route" an infielder took. It seems pretty clear to me that if he just let the ball come to him behind the bag, he makes the play, gets the batter-runner out, and holds the ghost-runner at 3rd. By making this weird curling route to field the ball where he did, he ended up failing completely. Odd. Was he just trying to field the ball in front of the bag to ward off any chance of it actually striking the bag (which it didn't, but he couldn't have known that)?

For sure.

28 Ks in the game, 17 of them from the Baltimore line-up. Great game if you like, you know, watching people strike out.

Well, Morán threw about two strikes, but he sent 'em off 1-2-3. Wacky world.

Still can't find the zone, but got some help from the ump and the batter.

I think this is a good indicator of how real the Gasper phenomenon is: the O's want no part of him right now. Lots of walks and HBP in this series.

So, pretty good line for Tolle today, eh?

I think Willson broke Webb.

To follow up on the respective bullpens this series: BOS: 12 IP, 1 R, 1 ER SAC: 15 IP, 9 R, 8 ER In a series where our run differential was +4 overall, that was the difference. Great job by all and sundry in the Sox' bullpen.

Hear me out – tree frogs. I think they have a chance, even without wings.

If the A's bullpen wasn't so putrid, we could have gotten swept this series.

1946 -- 15 in a row, which is the franchise record.

I don't know if I'm madder at Bello or Tracy. In either case, I'm ready to see Bennett back up in Boston.

How incredibly stupid do you have to be to run Bello out there in the first inning at this point?

It's true that both Crochet and especially Chapman are built like dump trucks. Without having done any research, I'm starting to like that build in a pitcher, both for endurance in a single game and durability over the course of a season. Not that there aren't freaks like Pedro who weighed 58 pounds but could pitch all day and twice on Sunday.