What a couple of days here at BJ. I think the Braves should never have an off day because 1) it drives me crazy with no Braves baseball to watch and 2) BJ goes crazy without real time things going on…… sheesh. So tonight’s game should have been expected to be a barn-burner with Keuchel vs. Nola. And so it was for most of the game.
Dallas Keuchel pitched very well for the most part. There’s not a lot to talk about for this game as there was not a lot going on except good pitching and bad hitting. Keuchel made it work for 7 innings. With his stuff (and yes, I still think he’s LH Julio), he has to be nearly perfect to succeed. He really was near perfect except for two bad pitches. One was a 2-run 2B in the 4th to Jay Bruce (arggh, Jay freaking Bruce – he should never beat us). The other was a 2B to Realmuto in the 6th which put men on 2nd and 3rd with one out. And Dallas wriggled out of that one with two sharply hit grounders right to fielders (first to Freddie and the second to Dansby).
Aaron Nola sure did his job, but I don’t believe that it was just Nola’s pitching. The Braves seem to have lost their edge after a big June. With the exception of the “tired” veterans – Markakis and McCann – no one got nuthin’. There was “warning track power” and hard hit grounders, but none of the other guys were on their game. Austin Riley, especially, is struggling to make good contact. In the last 30 days he’s hitting .235 with a .789 OPS. That’s Markakis territory for the last month. Although, I’ll admit Riley’s OPS is over .900 for the last week. Only Donaldson managed to see that the curve is almost never a strike and got two walks for his efforts. Ozzie swinging at every first pitch is not gonna work against Nola. Nola lasted 8 innings virtually eliminating any chance we had to get a good look at the Phillies bullpen.
I wasn’t exactly sure whose bullpen would fail first. Sobotka came on in the 8th and looked pretty good (I was gonna say “fantastic” until he walked Hoskins and threw a wild pitch). He seems to have turned a corner and may be the guy he was last year again. And, OK, another questionable Snitker move. He put in Blevins in the 9th to get his lefty (Bruce) which he did easily but then left him in for 2 righties, the first of which singled. Franco failed to cash in on a Blevins meatball so Snit’s move didn’t turn out as bad as it could have. Tomlin came in and got the last out to get us to the bottom of the 9th. I wish there had been more drama but there was none. Neris came in and put up three strikeouts and that was the end of that.
In the end, a great pitching performance by Keuchel mattered not a whit because the Braves never scored. The best thing about the game was Harper’s 0/4 with a GIDP. The Braves struck out 11 times – more than once on balls out of the zone. Riley was the official goat with his four LOBs. Acuna walked once but scored a hat trick (3 Ks). And it’s Tuesday.
One note I’d like to close on. I noticed that Nola did most of his damage against the young guys (Freddie’s mini-slump notwithstanding). Donaldson, Markakis, and McCann were 3/9 with 2 walks and 3 Ks (and the only EBH). Acuna, Dansby, Riley, and Ozzie were 1/14 with 1 walk and 5 Ks. When playoff time comes, the TORs will find weaknesses and experience will make a big difference. The young guys need to make adjustments to hit the best pitchers or it won’t matter how good our pitchers are.
And may I be the first to say….. DOOMED!!
We’re definitely due for like a 5-12 stretch at some point. Don’t freak out. We’re not gonna score 9 runs a game. Hopefully we can take one of these next two and move on.
@2 According to Roster Resource, Ender had 4.157 years of service prior to 2019. I was taking that to mean about 5 1/8 years but if it means 4 years 157 days then KN is probably correct.
If Ender chooses free agency rather than accept an optional assignment, wouldn’t that invalidate the rest of his contract? It’s not like he was DFA’d.
Whatever would be true for Ender would also be true for Gausman who has one option left. He had 4 years 151 days at the beginning of 2019.
thoughtful Roger, as usual…ta!
Aaron Nola
he’s so like a right handed Frankie ‘sweet music’ Viola
located deception the essence
of pace, of flight, we could not escape the tumescence.
Gausman is only under contract for this year and is arb-eligible for next year. But yes, if Braves tried to option Gausman, he could become a FA and still get paid this year’s full salary.
Ender’s extension is guaranteed and because he has over 5 years of service in the MLB, he can refuse the assignment and still get paid.
See below, Rog.
Braves AA, AAA, and MLB team gave up a total of 6 runs tonight and all lost.
Let Me Make a Comment About Your Comments.
“…But going forward, if someone crosses The Line, then you’re going to get one warning, and then you’re gone. And just like Mac, I’m going to be making The Line.”
Rob, assuming there are not two lines, one for you and one for the rest of us, you are creating some thin ice for yourself here, more so than for most who do not share your self described aggressiveness.
Mean is your chosen word though, not just aggressive. Remember you quite openly said a couple of months ago that not only were you ‘mean’ but you enjoyed being mean! So much so that you had started a new blog where you could be as mean as you wanted, and thus be considerate here. Hard to do on every occasion. The leopard and his spots.
And then what do the rest of us do?
It’s late. TBC in the morning. Sam on my mind. Not that he needs me.
In the news tonight RIP
Lee Iacocca 98
Tyler Skaggs 27
We reap what we sow. Or those of us who are given the chance do.
Last night’s was a well played game. The play Dansby made in the hole was beautiful, although it didn’t produce an out. The old folks in need of rest hit. The kids did not. Dallas pitched well, Nola better. Oh, well.
That was yesterday. Go get them today, Braves. They ain’t all that.
Aaron Nola came in third, behind only Jake DeGrom and Max Scherzer, for last year’s Cy Young Award.
Aaron Nola is one of the best starters in the game today, and when he’s on, he’s amazingly good.
Getting shut down by Aaron Nola isn’t the end of the world by any means.
Statements like “[t]he Braves seem to have lost their edge after a big June,” on July 3, where July 2 was an off day, is sort of why a few of us Meanie McMeanypants sometimes troll you guys with the whole “DOOOOMED” thing.
Going to link Boggy’s breakdown on the Ender situation.
Boggy here. Gonna give a long-form answer to Ryan’s question.
Ender & Gausman are in similar situations:
– rehabbing from injury
– might not have obvious place on #Braves 25-man anymore
– have at least one option left
– started season w/ 5 yrs
Barring add’l injury, ATL has 4 courses of action:
1. Add to 25-man when rehab is up.
For Ender, that’s 7/21 (bookmark that date). For Gausman, it’s 30 days from the day he’s assigned to an MiLB team for rehab. He’s currently throwing at #Braves facility in FL, awaiting official rehab assignment.
2. Trade
This one is pretty obvious, but keep in mind that neither Ender nor Gausman has a very high trade value right now – they’ve both produced negative WAR across the board for 2019.
3. Release
Also obvious, but the caveat here is that the #Braves would owe them the balance of their contract. For Ender, that’s roughly $18.4M. For Gausman, it’s $4.4M.
4. DFA
You might be asking “But Boggy, if they have options left, why can’t we just option them to AAA?”
Well, since they both have > 5 yrs MLB service, it’s their collectively-bargained right to refuse a minor league assignment.
They could be DFA’d though.
If one of them is DFA’d, he could be sent to the minors, but he would have to clear outright waivers first.
If another teams claims him, he goes to that team and the #Braves get nothing but salary relief, since the claiming team assumes the balance of his salary.
Neither of those guys is getting released. Just not happening.
Agreed. I don’t think Boggy believes that either. I feel best course of action is trade for Ender and recreating Gausman as a bullpen guy.
Expanding our bench at the expense of a reliever is also an option (for Ender at least). I don’t think that’s all that likely either though. A trade seems like the best way out here.
It really just depends on how Ender does in his rehab assignment. If — a big if — Ender is fresh, healthy, and able to get back to his pre-2019 form, are the Braves really going to trade Ender to keep Matt Joyce? It’d be hard for me to see that.
They have offdays on July 22nd and 25th and August 12th, 19th, and and 29th. If they really really wanted to, you could carry a 4-man rotation for about 60% of the time, cycling out your 5th spot to Wright, Touki, Wilson, Allard, etc. during that time. I saw that proposed somewhere, and at minimum, it would keep you from trading Ender simply for roster management ideas.
only this…
Sam is the best writer in our group. Writing of this quality earns latitude. You can/should put up with his pleasing buffoonery some of the time. Angered, over stimulated perhaps at times, he reacts. Yesterday he publicly retracted an adjective. As did his opposition, in effect. We are all one, happy and lucky to be so.
@13 Sam, yes, the reason I posted the “DOOMED” @1. I was also thinking about how they were not able to take advantage of the Mets’ bullpen on the 1st. That game was driven by the three at the top with no help from the rest of the order. I just don’t think Nola pitched as well as the results. Maybe I’m wrong, but I saw a lot of Braves swinging at pitches out of the zone and Ozzie seeing four pitches all night long as an indication that they may be overconfident (or tired) and need to reboot. Hopefully, Pivetta will help us reboot tonight. Also, it seems that Freddie has hit a bump in the road the last few games and that alone would make the whole offense seem different.
None of that means that I think the Braves are about to fall into last place – just that the “magic” has taken a brief hiatus. With all the talk about tired regulars, I would expect to see the most issue right before the All Star Break and again at the end of August.
If Riley really cools off and Acuna maintains his current production (as opposed to the stratospheric production from last year’s 2nd half), then the offense will not continue at the same level we saw from June. It will still be good but not THAT good.
@8 thanks, Ryan
I don’t think Ender would object to a minor league assignment. After all, he’s already taken one for the team, quietly falling on his sword and moving to the IL so that Riley could make his debut. (Yes, I’m implying that no major injury occurred. What specifics on the injury do we have? Details remain vague at best.)
Ender has been biding his time, preparing himself for his return to the lineup. He realizes that the best way for him to help his team is as a pinch runner/late-inning defensive replacement. He’ll make significant contributions in the second half. Just watch.
I get that, Roger. I’m just saying. Baseball. Marathon. Not sprint. Long season. Play all 162. Sometimes it rains. Tip your hat. I mean, it’s *possible* that the wear and tear of playing almost every game of half a season has worn down these young, tuned, extremely talented physical specimens of professional athletes and July is the kill-by date. It’s also possible that it’s a rough patch of two games.
I also want to note publicly that the comment from the previous thread about BJ Upton having apparently been “very tired” was absolute gold and deserved far more love.
@Roger
No worries. That stuff is hard to find.
@Remy
Braves have until 7/21 to figure it out, conveniently right when the trade deadline will be full steam. I think Rob has a good point about a shuffle of the 5th man in the rotation, but I feel like the Braves will also shuffle a 6th man, not just a 5th man, altering call-ups between Bryse, Allard, Touki, and maybe even Ian Anderson when off days are fewer. In between starts, they’ll have an extra arm. They did this last year and they’ll likely try to keep Soroka and Fried’s innings in the 150ish range.
So, if Ender comes up, I think they’ll be a whole lot of moving parts in the system and playing time gets weird for 1/3 of the roster.
I am generally Team Sam, but while he is certainly very high on the list, he is *not* the best writer in our group; that honor belongs to the great JonathanF.
There are still several good’uns around, but we’ve lost some of the best over the years. Mac, obviously, but also ububba, sansho1, spike…miss those folks.
I’ve come around on not trading Ender simply because I think the best teams right now have even deeper benches and 25-man rosters than we do. I think it’d be short-sighted to trade Ender at the bottom of his value because of Matt Joyce. I mean, figure it out. Are you really going to have a ball drop down the left field line in the 7th inning of game 6 of the NLCS because in July you really wanted Matt Joyce?
The offense is important, but keep in mind that we, statistically, don’t have an elite defense anymore. I know advanced metrics can be misleading in-season, but I see a trend:
-DRS: 14th
-UZR: 24th
-UZR/150: 22nd
-Defensive WAR: 26th
-Fielding percentage: 17th
-Errors: 16th
-Passed balls: 30th (I recognize framing has been the trade-off for that, which there is no stat to quantify at the moment)
I like the way the Braves have handled this now that I understand that Ender was able to refuse an outright assignment. Shut him down, make him work out, make him get his body in the best shape possible. I really like the idea of a healthy, fresh, hopefully stronger (what’s he been doing for the last month? Drinking cocktails?) Ender that can play some against RHP and be a late-inning defensive replacement. And if it means we either have to make due without Matt Joyce, we jettison the long reliever, or we get creative with rotation spots, then so be it.
Cool. While I recognize that few people will publicly or privately criticize me since that’s just the nature of people being kind, and I appreciate that, but I’m getting a bunch of public defenses of Sam, and about a half dozen private emails in complaint of Sam, and public complaints about me. Yep, it’s really fun running a random Braves blog.
Guys, I’m sorry, but if you can’t decipher the difference between me going after the board trolls, and Sam degrading and belittling people depending on which side of the bed he woke up on and whether or not he likes the way the conversation is going in the comments, then I genuinely don’t know what to tell you. I don’t care anymore.
Be strong, Rob. I do not want your job.
Rob you are doing a great job. I hope nobody is emailing telling you that you suck. If they are, that says more about them (that he/she is a douche) than it does about you.
Most of the posters here (as opposed to many other blogs) are not idiots.So if you disagree with a post, respond without making it personal and all will be well.
I fully support Rob and Ryan as editors of Braves Journal because I know how hard it is.
It’s really hard when we get into fights in the comments. Sometimes one person is clearly in the wrong; sometimes a bunch of people are; sometimes no one is. Mac hated banning people, and so did I.
(Other than ILoveEmmaStone and gadfly, who definitely had it coming.)
The goal is always the same: love your neighbor and hate the Mets. If you’re going to call anyone an idiot, make it someone who isn’t a commenter on the blog. No one’s perfect and no one has absolute moral authority, other than Mac. We’re all just doing the best we can.
Ryan C. wrote about being nervous to write for Braves Journal, but I don’t feel that way at all. I aim to do the best I can each week, but I know that if I don’t have anything insightful to add to the conversation, there is still going to be a great discussion in the comments.
(sorry, will finish this thought in a moment..)
Oorah, AAR.
@33 Anyway, this was true when Mac was writing, and is true now. The reason for this above any other is “Be nice to me, and be nice to your fellow posters.”
If one finds this corny, you may be right and you may be wrong, but probably there are other places on the internet better suited your particular outlook on life.
I’m not nervous to write anymore but definitely was back in the day. Now, I feel like I can provide information that not many others can provide (especially with the MiLB stuff because I actually watch a lot of the games on MiLBTV). Arguing is part of a blog and keeps it real and whole. No one wants to be part of a bunch of head-nodders.
And thanks for the nod, AAR! You’re a good man.
If the Braves are going to get beyond being a marginal playoff team they will have to have a combination of good pitching and good hitting. We averaged an unsustainable 7.5 runs per game from June 1 through June 22. Since then we’ve been much more down to earth, averaging 4.2 runs. Saying that the Braves have lost their edge is extremely defendable. Hopefully they can get it back, at least averaging closer to 5 runs per game. Still, starting pitching has got to improve. The start last night by Keichel was a step in the right direction.
Russo in fine form this morning taking the mickey out of Yankee fans distraught at losing to the Mets last night – the Mets!
He also had some kind words to say about John Sterling who is now 81 and is having to break a very long sequence of Yankee broadcasts, in the thousands, due to ill health.
To celebrate him Russo played – yes, you’ve guessed it – the Rick Camp home run.
Dominique is Magnifique. Seems almost a half lifetime ago.
If Ender is healthy and on the 25-man then Snit will probably play him. If instead he winds up simply taking Matt Joyce’s 5 ABs per week, then I’m fine with that. It makes us slightly weaker, but barely noticeable.
At the end of the day, I’m not at all worried about our offense. The bats will hit, even if they take the occasional nap.
As always, the pitching is the big if. What will Touki and Newcomb show the Braves, in terms of their long term future? Will we ever see 2018 Folty again? Will Wilson, Wright, or any of the other guys take a Fried-like step forward this year? Thus far, Soroka is really the only guy to show up and be as advertised pretty much from day one, though his tender shoulder is enough to make your heart leap into your throat.
And the pen, as always, is another question. Webb and Jackson have turned the corner and become weapons. But Minter just can’t find the plate, and Swarzak’s ugly history of shoulder injuries makes me worry that we won’t see the same guy when he comes back.
So, as the Firesign Theatre put it:
Who am us, anyway?
Stirling being 81 blows my mind, I never realized he was that old, I live the NYC suburbs so have been listening to him what feels like forever now. What an Iron Man he is.
Boy…an off day and then a loss really brought out the worst. I’ve been a fan of this site since the days of Mac and have some few comments over the years. And I tend to get tired of Sam’s shtick both here and on FB in a separate group , but I have to say that it’s not trolling to push back on the “doomed” outlook from time to time. I think that you have done well, Rob, and I know what it is to moderate an internet forum, but an honest back and forth is no bad thing. It’s a long season. Fans (fanatics) can get heated. The team is doing well, even with some questionable decisions by both manager and front office. I come here to read what we’ve done last night (every day) and how happy or unhappy we might be. What I don’t come here to read is an attack on a member (read that as you will) or talk of soccer (yes you, Sam.) Don’t really care for the clerihues either, but one can scroll. I generally don’t have much to say as I just enjoy reading. Was really surprised by this latest dust up. It’s a long season and we may go to the playoffs. I’d rather enjoy the joy of it rather than see pettiness from either side. There are jerks and then there are martinet moderators. I say, don’t be either and let’s just enjoy this team as much as we can. My two cents and I’ll go back to lurking.
@41: there’s hamburger all over the highway in Mystic, Connecticut.
I specifically do not see anyone coming to the defense of Sam’s personal attacks and name-calling, which tells me that that is indeed The Line.
Here’s the deal: don’t call people stupid. I know I never have, because for me, that’s The Line. Sam’s been calling people — themselves, not what they say — stupid for going on a couple decades. No more. I feel like if you can avoid calling people stupid, you probably won’t rub up on anything that is detrimental to the discussion on the board.
That’s The Line. And unless someone can give a defense for Sam’s name-calling and personal attacks, then I think the conversation has run its course.
@43
Al Hurd
yes, to scroll eases the pain but have you heard
there’s an easier way
at least two lines are short, a glance kills all 4 so they say.
Cheers.
I wouldn’t defend the approach or manner in which Sam often disagreed with other people’s opinions. I’ve always found it dismissive. The best outcome is an argument and the worst one is shutting people down and trending them towards just not commenting.
I’d rather people ask me questions if they disagree with something I’m saying rather than appear to disprove me and conclude it with “Better luck next time, Snowflake.”
Take Dylan’s last piece. I actually found a lot of it questionable. I hit the backspace many times while Sam was quick to respond to Dylan and Ryan. I wanted to call out many of the same things Sam was going after. In the end, I simply had a lot of questions that would have gone ignored because there was a I-am-right war raging on…
So just to be clear… if I say “you’re stupid” that’s obviously calling someone stupid but if I say “you’re being stupid” is that calling someone stupid? Because I have been known to say that exact phrase in real, meatspace, conversations with actual friends. And they do not take offense; sure, they defend their statement and try to argue why they are not being stupid but I’ve never had a friend get upset and think I called them stupid. In my opinion it is a common enough phrase that one hears during debate conversation. I’m not trying to stir the pudding but just want to be sure The Line is as clearly delineated as it can be.
I call my friends all kinds of horrible things and they give the same back. It’s just friendly joking/banter. Doesn’t translate well to the internet.
@Roger
In talking with BOGGY, I realized the first piece of info that I gave you is from the old CBA. If the Braves were to DFA Ender (which isn’t going to happen), and he passes through waivers without being claimed, he can become a free agent BUT will sacrifice his money. Here’s clarification:
I like the pun and to be honest, I have always appreciated the attempt, blazon. Just not my bag, in general. Frankly, neither is Sam. If one wishes to see someone coming to his personal defense however, Rob…here I stand. For over a decade I have read his comments and maybe they are irritating but they remain on key. One may not like them, or him, but I don’t see that he’s done anything wrong.
I occasionally post and have followed the blog since the usenet days, I think around the time that DeRosa got called up to fill in for Furcal. I understand why Mac set that rule, because back then, there were a handful of people who incessantly talked politics and insulted people. They got in the way of baseball discussion. Some of them weren’t even Braves fans.
Sam has always been Sam. He hasn’t changed. Mac certainly never felt a need to ban him. And for good reason. His insight is valuable. He makes this blog interesting to read.
I think it’s fair enough to make “the line” calling someone names. Or talking politics. But belittling someone’s ideas should be something one should be able to do here. Because they’re ideas. And some deserve belittlement. And if you make it, Rob, so that ideas can’t be mocked and harshly criticized, this is going to become a pretty bland place.
I think the first thing I ever posted I got ridiculed for. All I remember was that the response to what I wrote was funny.
When I get really ticked off at someone on the internet, I’m not afraid to go ahead and call them the worst name I can– “you Phillies fan!” 😉
Seriously though, I believe all of you that contribute to this site do a great job. Regardless of if I agree or disagree, everything is always well thought out and written. So kudos to y’all! That’s why I come here. It’s also full of a very baseball savvy crowd. No one ever suggests in the comments how the Braves should package Gausman, Ender and Kolby Allard for Mike Trout.
I just wanted to take a moment to applaud this blog.
Mac said that “don’t say something you wouldn’t want your mother to hear you say.” That’s a good thing to follow if you are unsure.
@52 But belittling someone’s ideas should be something one should be able to do here. Because they’re ideas. And some deserve belittlement. And if you make it, Rob, so that ideas can’t be mocked and harshly criticized, this is going to become a pretty bland place.
But this is baseball we’re talking about (most of the time). What can someone possibly say about the game of baseball that should be mocked or harshly criticized? It’s a game.
The problem with having a contrarian is that he has to be kept honest by someone who is diligently running the blog. I’ve no doubt that Mac must have kept Sam in check a lot of the time.
How about this standard: don’t say something that would get your lights punched out in a bar. Of the hundreds of commenters we’ve had, only one person, IMO, has done that.
Respond aggressively, argue, call someone out for saying something stupid, no problem. That’s what the blog is for. Don’t call people names. Don’t say something that I’d deck you for if you had the audacity to say it to my face in a bar. Pretty freaking simple. Twitter is pretty ripe with that garbage, and that will never be a part of Braves Journal. And if it ever does, then a lot of you would probably leave, and I won’t be far behind. That’s what makes us different.
@43 OMG…. a new word…. clerihew…. I had to look that up. So rare to get new vocab. Really cool word.
@50 Thanks, Ryan….. Side note: I hate contracts and contract language 🙂 Obtuse or overly complex language is almost always an attempt to gain advantage through language alone as opposed to any logical merit.
@51
Good post, Al Hurd, all round. Open minded, civil, sense of humor -a worthy target for the rest of us.
Cody Birdsong
no toady he but hoped to be drafted third as the draft went along
sadly 5 million became 5k
i’ll take it he said,can’t think of any other way.
Go Cody!!
@57…here you go Roger, a clerihew. You clearly havent been paying attention – about 100 this year. Too much time on the baseball books, my friend, smell the roses!
Regardless of how Bryse pitches tonight, I expect that he will be optioned since we won’t need a 5th starter again until after the break.
Doubt he sees the order a third time through.
@56 I don’t want to argue with you, but I don’t like this. What bar? Who’s doing the punching? An excitable hothead?
Sam has been around since the beginning. Alex never felt the need to level public threats against him. Nor did Mac. I read the offending posts. They’re not horrible. Tell him to be nice. That’s all you have to do.
It’s baseball. We’re not talking about war. And we’re all rooting for the same team. A pretty cool one. Relax already.
Rio Ruiz is up to 5 home runs with his most recent home run a few seconds ago. Good for that guy. On the other hand, he has a .650 OPS.
But the second time through the order Wilson is throwing as many off speed pitches as fastballs (and throwing them for strikes). That’s a great sign.
@62
I can tell you this, I’ve never been spoken to in person the way Sam speaks to people here sometimes.
Seriously, you’re defending someone who regularly calls people “snowflakes”. What are we, 5?
JOSH DONALDSON YOU MULLETED SCAMP!
JD has been sitting breaking ball all game. My whipping boy lookin smart today.
@62, I’m sorry, but that’s not my memory.
The rain done been brought!
Chip: “No argument from Acuña on the checked swing.”
What, you expected him to call Franco Garcia out of the dugout to translate for him?
Bryse has spun a good one. I hope we’re watching him closely from here on.
Dansby has played good defense this series.
Wilson got through six. That will do. Be stellar, pen; and score some runs, Braves.
Austin is a strong young man.
Cheat code!
In a slump but still very dangerous!
Couldn’t be happier with Wilson tonight. I thought to myself today that I’d be asking too much to ask for 6 IP, 2 ER, and that’s exactly what he ended up with.
Matt Joyce is a good bench bat. Woo!
Matt Joyce wants you gents to know that he has no desire to be DFA’d!
That was a big league play on both ends.
Earl Weaver baseball tonight.
Anyone up for a discussion about Keith Law’s stance on the Betsy Ross flag?
https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/1146590271049818112
@81–no.
Mac was wonderful for many reasons. The “no politics” rule is one of his many terrific legacies here
Just for the record, my #81 post was a joke because of yesterday’s post about Keith Law and whatnot.
Thanks—good one.
Huge KLaw fan here.
Phils need a dominant pitching performance from their ace to win 2-0. We come back and win 9-2.
Good game. See y’all tomorrow.
Recapped