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Gordon Gross:

A bunt, a broken bat infield single/error, a multi-hopper that found a hole, and a chop off the mound. Paxton can't really do more. All the balls in play stretched end to end wouldn't reach the CF fence. And yet 2 runs are in.

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Similarly, a man named Michael Gerardi was once contentedly burping his way out of a New Orleans restaurant when a robber decided to walk up and shoot him in the face.  But at least the wrong man was convicted for it.  With Paxton's five unearned runs, there was no suspect to be found.  Unless you count Willie, of course.  Personally I'll go with Gordon's "CF fence" line.

In Cornelius McGillicuddy's day, they used to call it "a game of inches."  Nowadays we are more urbane:  we speak of probabilities, BIPs and xFIPs.

It's all semantics.  The ball goes 12 inches the other way, Paxton is back in the dugout and we are in an alternate universe.  How many universes had 7 IP, 1 ER statlines wherein two BIPs might have created 2.2 IP, 7 R?  A lot.

Baseball's a weird game.  The redeeming feature:  that there are 162 of them.  Check Paxton's stats after the 162nd; alternatively, trade him to me in roto.

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Gordon Gross:

Yep, wrap that up. Felix needs to teach Paxton how to keep his composure when things are not going his way, to stop a run or two from becoming, say, 6.

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You want to hear something funny?  I didn't see the game :- )

Well, I watched it out of one half-lidded eye until they yanked Paxton.  Then I was sitting in a nice restaurant and checked in on SSI to make sure that it wasn't full of "cuss words," as our minor league expert colloquially put it.  Imagine my surprise when it was full of phrases like "Turn it up!", or "Am I right, ladies?", or "I'm actually angry the next game hasn't started yet.

Say what?  MLB.com ... 11-10.  And Cruz got the walkoff, of course.  You should see my son John's comedy routine, politely asking Cruz to step into the little room for a quick cup fill ... that's another inning, isn't it.

...

"Never hit a QUIT shot," said Jack Nicklaus ... "That move right there was the beginning of the fold," said Bobby Fischer of one master opponent.

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Nobody, and by nobody we mean "not a single human being on earth," plays golf the same way under all conditions.  When PGA-Keith is 3 under par for the front nine, and it's 75 degrees out, and the Mariners just won an all-timer, he plays one way.  He plays another way when he's 4 over par and he just hit another ball into somebody's unreplaced divot.

;- )

Leaving Keith out of it for the moment ... when it's (A) going well, you THINK and you VISUALIZE THE POSITIVE.  You're in rhythm.  You anticipate.

When it's (B) going badly, you (and by "you" I mean "Dr. Detecto") just play your shot real quick and hope for the best.  Maybe something good happens.  Then see (A).

......

Dr. D watched the replay carefully to see if K-Pax did indeed fold after he got shot in the face outside a New Orleans restaurant.  He did.  Not in the sense of throwing a whole bunch of vomit pitches.  But he threw four or five pitches that I felt were "c'mon, I deserve a break somewhere here."

That's all it took.  There was a 3-1 fastball hit for a HR (actually the first two trash pitches that created the bad count).  There was a fastball hit the other way for a double.  That's it.  And that's all it takes, princess.

Moral of the story:  K-Pax isn't a loser, isn't a wimp, isn't a AAA pitcher, none of that shtick.  He lacks the mind-bending focus of a 9th-year Felix Hernandez.  So do you, Dr. D might add.

......

DaddyO:

On the Bloomquist error that opened up that disastrous inning, Blowers suggested that it should have been scored a hit. But replay showed that had WIllie made an accurate throw he would have got his man at first. I will grant that it was not an easy play. But once he got there and actually was able to field the ball in time, IMO "error" is the appropriate scoring.

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The Think Tank has elected Willie "non-shortstop" in a 100% electoral vote.  If that's not where you're coming from, you might tally the collateral damage on the afternoon.

......

SABR Matt:

Why is Paxton so completely worthless all of a sudden?

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Trade him to me in roto?  I can give you Seth Smith and Danny Farquhar...

Paxton right now is 92 MPH rather than 96 MPH, can't get the curve over, and lacks command.  SSI predicted a 5.50 ERA in April, remember dat?

The 92-MPH one pitch Paxton in 15 innings has 12 strikeouts, 3 walks and 18 times being shot in the face.  SSI counsels patience.

But that's just us,

Dr. D