MUSINGS
In the “things you can’t code for” category, Carson Fulmer — a former high draft pick who’d be bouncing around the majors but never pitched more than 32 innings in any year and had missed all of 2022 — got into a game with the Angels on Sept 24 and threw 70 pitches…the very next day he pitched again and threw another inning…and he was better in the second appearance…every year as we pass through the dog days of the baseball season, football starts and my attention shifts for about two weeks…then I realize there are pennant races going on and my TV is back on baseball games first…I am really enjoying the competitive races for the last playoff spots…
NATIONAL LEAGUE RACES
The Braves and Phillies are having a run…the Braves are up by a game and both teams went 5-2 this week…and they’re in a 4-team race with the Dodgers and Rays for the best record in the league…gotta hand it to Ben Leckie, as the actual Rays have take on a little water he’s found a way to keep them in the elite teams…all four of those teams are pretty good in real life and all four owners have them in positive WOR territory…Cubs and Dodgers have their divisions wrapped up and whoever doesn’t win the East will get the top wildcard spot…Brewers sitting in the second spot with 83 wins and coming off a 5-2 week…and just behind are the 81-win Padres, the Diamondbacks with 80, and a dark-horse Met team with 79. The combined record for the top 4 wildcard contenders in the NL was 18-7…the Mets limped along at 2-5…it was the Phillie buzzsaw that did in the New Yorkers, who swept 4 games at home…Miami also took a game in a 3-contest set…where there is life there is hope, and the Giants have 77 wins and would need a sweep and some luck, but in a world where Carson Fulmer can throw 70 pitches and talk his manager into putting him in the next day, I guess anything is possible.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Rays and Twins are safely atop their divisions, and the AL West will likely go down to the wire…while contenders Houston, Texas, and Anaheim couldn’t crack .500 this week, the Oakland team went 5-2…if the season ended today, all the wildcard teams would come from the east, with Toronto at 91 wins, followed by Baltimore (83) and Boston (82)…of that group, only the Jays topped .500 on the week…Anaheim sits only 1 game behind Boston, and they close the season at Oakland…that’s either a favora+ble schedule or a huge spoiler opportunity depending on whether Oakland can put up another 5-win week…in the “We Believe in Miracles” contest Cleveland has 76 wins, so with a perfect week and a collapse by the other 3 wildcard teams the Guardians could sneak in…
BIG SERIES COMING UP
Texas and Anaheim is relevant to the playoffs for both teams…Boston draws Tampa and Baltimore while the Orioles play Washington in addition to the Bosox…man, that Baltimore-Boston series looks big…Padres play the Giants and Chisox, Brewers have Cards and Cubs, and DBacks have Chisox and Astros. Giants, Cubs, A’s, and Nationals have serious spoiler potential…
BETTER THAN REALITY
Kansas City is +17 and has been dominating this category all year, but Oakland is now only a game back. Leo’s Chisox are a real team not good enough to contend, but he’s got them +14 and in 3rd overall…special shout out to Adam Symonds who has made a really good Philly team even better, and Greg Achten who’s made a really bad Anaheim team a relevant playoff force…I live 10 minutes from Anaheim Stadium, and I don’t anticipate the Angel-Oakland season-ending series is going to result in traffic delays along the freeway…it’s easy to say that Oakland has the worst owner in baseball, but for my money Moreno is a strong contender, and he’s ahead in the “number of federal indictments” metric…
FEATS AND FAILURES
J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia) hit 6 RBI (on 9/18/2023 against Atlanta)
Hunter Greene (Cincinnati) struck out 11 batters (on 9/18/2023 against Minnesota)
Pablo Lopez (Minnesota) struck out 11 batters (on 9/19/2023 against Cincinnati)
Heston Kjerstad (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 9/19/2023 against Houston)
Rafael Ortega (Texas) stole 3 bases (on 9/19/2023 against Boston)
Logan Gilbert (Seattle) threw a no-hitter! (on 9/20/2023 against Oakland)
Cade Marlowe (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 9/20/2023 against Oakland)
Brandon Drury (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 9/20/2023 against Tampa Bay)
Bobby Dalbec (Boston) struck out 4 times (on 9/20/2023 against Texas)
Jack Suwinski (Pittsburgh) hit 3 homers (on 9/22/2023 against Cincinnati)
Adolis Garcia (Texas) struck out 4 times (on 9/22/2023 against Seattle)
Wilyer Abreu (Boston) struck out 5 times (on 9/23/2023 against Chicago (CWS))
Hunter Greene (Cincinnati) struck out 12 batters (on 9/23/2023 against Pittsburgh)
Brett Phillips (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 9/23/2023 against Minnesota)
Mark Canha (Arizona) hit 10 RBI (on 9/23/2023 against New York (NYY))
Seth Brown (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 9/23/2023 against Atlanta)
Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado) hit 3 homers (on 9/24/2023 against Chicago (CC))
Ezequiel Tovar (Colorado) hit 9 RBI (on 9/24/2023 against Chicago (CC))
Liover Peguero (Pittsburgh) struck out 4 times (on 9/24/2023 against Cincinnati)
Gabriel Moreno (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 9/24/2023 against Houston)
Blake Snell (Tampa Bay) struck out 11 batters (on 9/24/2023 against Toronto)
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