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While the M's were spearfishing Drew Smyly and the home plate ump was spearfishing Evan Longoria, what happened to our AL West "rivals"? (Dr. D learned on the BJOL chat boards that you use quotation marks to show contempt for mainstream ideas. He's picked it up like Charly picking up the comma in the second chapter of Flowers for Algernon.)
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ANAHEIM ANGELS
Curb-stomped 8-1 by Mike Leake's 5.10 ERA. The Cardinals piled up 14 hits and 4 homers, while the Angels suffered through innings 6-9 with less than a 1% chance of victory. This dropped them to -6.5 behind the colossus in Seattle. And, of course, they were able to follow the M's early 3-0 lead over the Rays even as their own immolation was occurring:
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Since roughly the time Garrett Richards bit the dust, the Angels have gone from 11-11 (.500) to -6 under (13-19). They boast a run differential of -24 already. On the bright side, Albert Pujols is batting .183.
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ORKLAND ORCS
Serious philosophical question: would you rather lose tomorrow afternoon's game by 1-8 or by 5-13? Factor in the idea that your Big Move, Sean Manea, is going to be thrummed for 10 hits and 8 earnies in two plus innings.
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Last 14 days, Kendall Graveman has a FIP of 8.76; Sonny Gray has a FIP of 6.49 with five walks per game, and Chris Bassitt has one start with 3.2 innings pitched. Adding it all up, the A's have 10 pitchers (!) with FIPs between 5.01 and 10.59 the last two weeks. They too are -6.5 behind the colossus and -11.5 combined back of first place. Not too shabby for May 11th.
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HOUSTON ASTROS
Here we can wallow in the Astro fans' twisting in the wind of a four-hit shutout. Inflicted by Trevor Bauer, whose lifetime ERA of 4.45 is slightly north of Chris Sale's.
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The won-loss record: 13-20. The strikeouts: 327, or 9.9 per ballgame. This creates a slight 327:246 problem in strikeout balance. The playoff probabilities: from 70% on Opening Day to 22% chance of the division now.
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TEXAS stRANGERS
Completely ruined what would have been an utterly epic pennant-race evening, with this sickening string of lucky hits:
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But Derek Holland was again KO'ed in the third.
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SEATTLE MARINERS
Fangraphs has our playoff odds at 54% for the division, 59% to make the playoffs. Obviously the time to order your seats is "yesterday." Scott Servais was asked why the M's are doing fine now in 1-run games. "We have a good team," he replied. Try to trim the fat out a little bit next time, Scott.
As the M's pistol-whip the rest of the division with their right hands, their lefts are reaching behind them for K-Pax starter reinforcements and Edwin Diaz bullpen rescue and Stefen Romeros and Mike Zuninos in case Clevenger fails to do good and who knows what else. Reminds me of little Jeffy, age 5, playing Monopoly with his 15-year-old brother. He'd pile the orange $500's two inches high, have hotels on six color groups, and frantically be trying to swindle me out of the railroads. Jerry DiPoto has an unseemly taste for blood.
Question of the day: why is our chance at the division 54% and Texas' only 16%? I bet STEAMER has Nate Karns down for 26 wins.
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BABVA,
Dr D
