M's 6, BoSox 5 (five hours)
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GUILLERMO HEREDIA
Most amusing for the Dungeon Master that just as he declared Heredia the Billy Beane Wandering Monster off the 1d8 behind his Mainframe screen ... that Heredia promptly tore the Boston delver party to shreds with his bare claws. And cleats. His sting attack into the short LF porch took out 70% of the Boston hit points in the first round and then --- > Heredia finished them with his gaze weapon in the 13th:
√ Gamel on 1B two out
√ Fister quickly worked an 0-2 or 1-2 count; you could hear the resignation in the booth
√ Heredia stared at the mound and ticked pitches away from the strike zone for 30-40 minutes
√ Finally he waited long, lonnnnggg ere he took a fliner the other way into right central. Somewhere Derek Jeter sobbed quietly for joy
Then the Sox' pitching coach came out to comfort Fister, who looked as needful of comfort as Mo' Dawg on a practice putting green with a half piece of chewing gum in his front teeth. Fister, impressively calm, tossed the ball to the backstop scoring Gamel ... and Heredia took third. I mean he took it epically. He jetted down to 2B, slowed to a glide around the bag and assessed the catcher with precision -- before hitting the turbojets into a 1B-to-3B critical hit on the Sox' master cleric.
Which was the ballgame, since Heredia could then score on Jean-Jean's infield hit. Not since Willie Mays' 1954 World Series catch has such an on-field miracle come at such an important time. Well, we don't think.
....
Beane wants "young outfielders" and these clubs most definitely send augury scouts to the combat sites. Heredia couldn't possibly have wow'ed them any more than he did, on any more levels than he did.
It's what, maybe a 5% or 10% chance that we finish first in the Gray sweepstakes, that only due to Jerry Dipoto's 18 charisma. Roll 19-20 on 1d20, delvers. The DM is fine with Guillermo Heredia right where he is, if that's what it comes to. Why are low minor leaguers so much more important than a 6-year player who is rocking it in the big leagues?
... um, no offense to minor leaguers that the local sage has forecast as future Aragorns. ... if a miracle occurs and Dr. D's suggestion occurs and Heredia does exit, here's a vote for signing Jarrod "4 WAR" Dyson back up. Then you could get back to 4 OF's relatively quickly.
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MIKE ZUNINO
Rick had just waxed ecstatic -- okay, waxed moderately pleased -- about Zuumball's progress. His HR was a semi-front arm sweep of a low cutter ... into the singles patio. Slap me silly the man has PWR.
We don't imagine that his OBP is going to hit 400 any time soon but he's got 41 RBI in 72 games off a .463 season SLG. In that 2010 season, Adam Moore led Mariners' catchers with 15 RBI. That was 15 RBI in October, rather than 41 in July, despite time off for mental health days. We could post algebraic formulae to the effect that Zunino is helping the club, or we could simply post a DVR of the July 25 Red Sox game. Without Zunino we don't get the big win there.
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KING FELIX
Threw the ball like a TOR. They got to him late, in the 6th, but that was more to the Red Sox' credit. They've got a rather long lineup, too, you know.
Actually in this game, Dr. D gave Felix the season's highest marks for Fister-type weaponization of his fastball into various locations. As Geoff Baker pointed out, the fastball becomes sort of like three different pitches if you are actually hitting spots in Iwakuma fashion. Since it's his 3rd pitch now (the fastball) when it's weaponized he's reminiscent of the Cy Young version.
The box score wasn't quite there this time but the Yankee line certainly was (3-hitter with a 9:0 CTL). That's now 4 games in a row for him at Opening Day levels of performance, 24 IP only 15 H and a 26:7:2 fip line.
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BULLPEN
If your eyes are blurry, in this game it looked like the M's have 7 closers.
Tie* game, Servais was able to bring in one single-inning relief ace* after another. They all performed great. David Phelps, Tony Vincent, Edwin Diaz ... whoop! Almost forgot they even have Tony Zych and he was dominant, about 97% back to rookie form. Steve Cishek, who used to close games for the Cardinals or somebody is wayyyy down the totem pole but throwing his game. The two lefties, one an MLB(TM) specialist and the other a firebrand.
Wow.
I mean, it ain't Miller-Chapman-and co. but in a nervy, playoff atmosphere that entire bullpen crew went face-up against a championship team and --- > in that game anyway, they looked the part and then some. They looked the part of two (2) contending bullpens, actually. Kudos to Skip who matched them up all night and came away with Re. Sults.
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BABVA,
Dr D