caulfield12

Amaya not bunting? Sigh.

Too much for Vargas to come through twice.

Moncada not injured yet pinch running?

Somehow fitting. Never ending game. Sheets is going to bunt homer or K?

Should have given DLS a cleaner inning.

Not again...former #1-1 pick Moniak scores. 7th game of WS here.

How does that maximize Robert's trade value? Just DFA him like Alex Rios? Hope someone bites on contract?

Nearing bottom of Angels' lineup. Now or never.

LoL. Benintendi comes through again.

Well that pretty much encapsulates the season right there. Then DeLoach trying too hard to be the hero against a guy with pedestrian stuff.

Drury's 472 ops unsurprisingly extends the game to 11. Lopez surely bunting the runner over again.

Wanted Drury...presumably.

Kuhl even worse than Anderson...and Fulmer.

That was fast. Tie game again.

Bunting for Vargas to drive him in? Somehow it worked.

Carson Fulmer out for revenge against his original organization. Still throwing 92-94.

Anderson is excellent at not holding late inning leads. Vaughn climbing towards 20 homers exactly.

Kopech as closer is about the most unproven concept there is...Elias certainly isn't going to take that risk in the post season..

And more fountains...plus the Little K.

Biggest surprise Last year, the Kansas City Royals lost 106 games. Over the winter, they guaranteed around $100 million to sign seven free agents: right-handed starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, outfielder Hunter Renfroe, utilitymen Garrett Hampson and Adam Frazier and relievers Will Smith and Chris Stratton. Today, the Royals are 82-70. They are firmly in possession of the second wild card in the AL and have an outside shot at overtaking Cleveland atop the Central division. They will play in the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2015. They are the perfect example of what can happen when a team -- regardless of its market size -- has an owner commit to winning and backs it up with savvy front-office maneuvering. In addition to urging general manager J.J. Picollo to add via free agency, Royals owner John Sherman greenlit the $288 million contract extension for Witt over the winter as well as a midseason budget expansion to acquire more talent at the trade deadline and via the waiver wire. The Royals have operated with a sense of urgency rarely seen among lower-revenue teams. And their targets have hit. Lugo was among the best signings of the winter and Wacha not far behind. Cole Ragans, acquired for Aroldis Chapman in June 2023, is a top-of-the-rotation starter. Witt is a superstar, Salvador Perez is bolstering his Hall of Fame case by the year and Vinnie Pasquantino is a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat (who they very much miss). And with the work Matt Quatraro is doing in the dugout, the Royals could pull off the rare Manager of the Year/Executive of the Year double. The Royals might be a surprise, but they're certainly not a fluke. espn.com

Well, Eder managed to start his career with a 9.00 ERA. Ones across the board on his stat line, IP run walk hit ER, etc.

They'll probably sign at least 1-2 Flexen-like vets. Cannon and Martin seem like pretty sure bets. Thorpe will be there if he's healthy enough. Burke would be another front-runner at the moment, SSS. I think you mean Hagen Smith later in 2025, but they will probably/undoubtedly play the service time game and hold him back until May 2026. That way they can promote the additions of Montgomery and Schultz for 2025, Smith and ????? for 2026...if they even decide to hold SoxFests.

https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?stats=bat&lg=all&type=8&season=2024&month=0&season1=2024&ind=0&pos=rf&qual=250 Santander, Teoscar, McCarthy, Robles, Tyler O'Neill, Bellinger...would have been typical RF targets in normal years

You can get away with that...Luis Arraez actually has one of the slower bat speeds in the majors, but then you absolutely HAVE to make contact with the ball. 3-0 lead....not looking very promising at the moment.

That works well because you have the 3 rivers and then all the bridges, but especially the Clemente Pedestrian Bridge.