After this Red Sox loss, I have seen everything

DAVE ARRIGO/PIRATES

Baseball is a sport where so much is tied to chance.

In close games, the difference between winning and losing is a bounce here or there. A tiny piece of timing goes one way instead of another and a losing team can be a winner.

Last year a lot of bounces went the Red Sox way.

This year, not so much.

Last night, the Red Sox were rallying in the 9th inning, down by a run, with Jemile Weeks on third base representing the tying tun.

Will Middlebrooks chopped one towards third. Weeks tried to get out of the way of the ball.

It hit him barely in fair territory.

Instead of a game tying single it was a runner out at third base, rally all but killed.

Not that this game meant a lot to the Red Sox, it did to the Brewers, Cardinals and Pirates.

A slightly different bounce and the Red Sox are playing spoilers.

Instead Weeks gets hit… and I’ve never seen that happen in a 9th inning rally before.

I guess I should update the Dodged Bullet/Teeth Grinder tally.

An explanation of what this is all about can be found HERE.

 

GIANTS DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

56 Dodged Bullets 50 Teeth Grinders

TOTAL: +6

 

A’S DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

Rangers complete an improbable sweep with a 4 run first and squashed any big rallies as the A’s lost 7-2. TEETH GRINDER

52 Dodged Bullets 56 Teeth Grinders

TOTAL: -4

 

 

RED SOX DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

A ball hits Jemile Weeks in fair territory, derailing a 9th inning rally and sending the Red Sox to a 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh. TEETH GRINDER

Dodged Bullets 63 Teeth Grinders 75

TOTAL: -12

 

OK, A’s. How about winning some games and not making this a fruitless exercise?

Sully Baseball Daily Podcast – September 18, 2014

Was this rock bottom for the A’s? Either the A’s will be remembered for a huge collapse forever or nobody will remember it on October 1. That’s quite a swing!

Hang on for the ride! It is the latest episode of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast.

Adam Wainwright, Carlos Carasco, CJ Cron, Charlie Blackmon, Mike Fiers, Jeff Samardzjia, Lucas Duda and Miguel Cabrera  all added to their totals for Who Owns Baseball?

Maybe this was rock bottom for the A’s

Ben Margot – AP

There have been several times over the last few weeks I have thought “Well, it can’t get worse than THAT for the A’s.”

Then there was last night. 1-0 in the 9th with 1 out and nobody on.

6-1 final.

Out of respect for anyone’s sanity, I will not review that final inning.

Friend of The Sully Baseball Daily Podcast Sean Doolittle did not have his stuff.

He summed it up best after the game on SFGate.com when he said:

” After the season’s over, are we going to look back and point at tonight and be like, ‘This is the game where the wheels came off for good,’ or are we going to be able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and talk about how resilient we are as a team and how we were able to overcome a game like this and still get it done?”

They have 11 games left. Play well over 11 games and nobody remembers this.

Don’t and this will be all anyone will remember.

No pressure.

I guess I should update the Dodged Bullet/Teeth Grinder tally.

An explanation of what this is all about can be found HERE.

 

GIANTS DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

Brandon Crawford got 4 hits and Matt Duffy drove home 2 in the 9th as the Giants beat the Diamondbacks 4-2 and pulled to within 2 games of the Dodgers.. DODGED BULLET

56 Dodged Bullets 50 Teeth Grinders

TOTAL: +6

 

A’S DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

Jeff Samardzija was brilliant over 8 but the bullpen melted down and lost a 6-1 stunner in the 9th. TEETH GRINDER

52 Dodged Bullets 55 Teeth Grinders

TOTAL: -3

 

 

RED SOX DODGED BULLET – TEETH GRINDER Tally

Dodged Bullets 63 Teeth Grinders 74

TOTAL: -11

 

Oakland plays in a few hours. I don’t think I can bear to watch.