[Bub13]

September 1-2 @ HOUSTON
Finishing up the three-game set against the Astros.

#132: LOSS 5-6...four solo home runs are not enough to win...Key gives up 2-run pinch hit homer in the 8th to lose it
#133: WIN 2-1...our turn for the 2-run winning bomb, as McArthur goes deep in the 9th...Brock goes a strong 7 innings, 5 hits, 5 K

Few hits, but we still get two wins. Still 5.5 up on the A's....Elsewhere, Boston and Toronto are now tied, as are Philly and the Mets.


September 4-6 vs. SEATTLE
The Mariners hung tough all season, but injuries have hurt them down the stretch. They're 69-64, 10.5 games behind us, and 5 behind the A's in the wildcard chase. So there's still a chance...Hitting has been their bugaboo, with a league-worst .246 BA, and 15th place OBP at .320. They're also 16th in home runs. Pitching has kept them in the race, in the top third of most AL stats, but the bottom of their rotation is a disaster, thanks to having three starters on the DL.

#134: LOSS 1-9...four hits for, sixteen against...what else is there to say?
#135: WIN 5-4...Groff finally gets his 40th...Wunderlich is meh, but the bullpen gives up just one hit over the last four innings
#136: WIN 7-5...a four-run 8th wins it for us...Clark yields four runs in six innings, no walks though

Two out of three here keeps us 5.5 up on Oakland. Fingers crossed that everyone stays healthy for the rest of the season....Elsewhere, Boston is back to 2 up on Toronto, the Mets a game over Philly, and the Padres are surging, having won 7 in a row now to go 1.5 up on the Dodgers (who have lost 5 in a row).


September 7-9 vs. NY YANKEES
Another lost season in the Bronx, as the Yanks will miss the playoffs for 8th straight season, and 12th of the last 13th. They're 60-76, solidly in fifth place, 23.5 games back. Other than hitting a barrelful of home runs (188, 4th place), nothing stands out, and no individual has had a season worth remembering.

#137: WIN 6-5...DiFranco pitches well but misses a chance to get closer to 20 wins...3 runs in the last two innings seal the comeback win
#138: LOSS 5-8...everyone gets a hit, but non-existent pitching causes us all kinds of grief...Brock backslides dramatically
#139: WIN 8-1...Partida's line: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 8 K...Groff back to hitting again, now at .351 and tops in the AL

We gain a game on Oakland, now up 6.5 games. Magic Number is 17....Elsewhere, Cleveland is the only other team with a lead larger than 1.5 games: they're up on Milwaukee by 4, KC by 5. Boston is over Toronto by 1, likewise the Mets over Philly. Pittsburgh is 1.5 up on the Cubs, and the Padres are hanging on to a half game lead over the Dodgers....Pittsburgh's Mike Flynn pitches the league's first no-hitter of the season, a 2-0 win over Philadelphia.


September 11-13 @ TAMPA BAY
The Rays are working on the third worst record in baseball (52-86). They're speedy, third in steals, but 16th in runs scored and 17th in runs against. Throw in 15th in team defense and you've got a very bad team on your hands. Eighteenth in home runs too, and no one has hit 20 on the season. The good news is their system is ranked 8th overall, with seven prospects in the top 100.

#140: LOSS 4-6...yes, by all means lose to the team I just thoroughly insulted...Wunderlich still can't strike anyone out, 3 here in 6 innings
#141: WIN 4-0...NO HITTER! Ken Clark strikes out 13 and walks just two, one in the 7th and one in the 9th...ok, I feel better now
#142: LOSS 5-7...DiFranco is dominant, but the bullpen sucks hard, giving up 5 runs in 2 innings...he's not getting 20 wins, is he

Clark's no hitter is the only thing that livens up this sh*t show. Oakland gained a game on us. We have to do better....Elsewhere, San Diego has lost 5 and is now 2.5 games behind the Dodgers. Boston and Toronto are tied again. And Atlanta has won 9 straight and is just a game behind the Mets.


September 14-16 @ BOSTON
It won't be easy to get hot again versus the Red Sox. Tied for first with the Jays at 87-54, with good hitting and top-flight pitching. CF Jason McColl has been dynamite, at .288/41/123.

#143: WIN 2-1...Dunklee's 2-run single in the sixth is all we need...Brock goes six and the pen yields just three runners in three innings
#144: WIN 5-1...Partida throws a seven-hit complete game, and we score five in the first four innings to put it away
#145: WIN 8-5...Wunderlich has an ugly start, but McArthur's four hits and six RBI carry the day

Well, that was unexpected. Now the Sox are 2.5 in back of the Jays. Sorry about that! The bad news is that Chris Wiggins gets hurt; his diagnosis is pending. Elsewhere, the Mets have gotten hot again and opened up a 2.5 game lead over the Braves, San Diego has lost 7 now and is 4.5 behind the Dodgers, and the Pirates are holding on to their 2 game lead over the Cubs. Finally, the Mets Nate Johnson hit his 50th HR.


September 18-20 vs. TEXAS
Currently 67-79, tied for last in the division with the Angels. They are 8th in home runs, and 1B Raul Molina has done his best this season, at .302/42/93. RF Sean Holliday has had a good year as well, at .291/32/83. Very little else has gone right for the Rangers.

#146: LOSS 3-5...Clark comes back from his no hitter by giving up three more home runs, now up to 38 for the season (tied for fifth most in MLB)
#147: WIN 2-1...McArthur singles home Drayton in the 12th for the win...bullpen goes 5 strong innings...we suffer two injuries, both pending
#148: WIN 6-5...three runs in the bottom of the ninth and then a 2-run HR in the 10th for another squeaker...Groff now has 43 HR

Not exactly convincing wins, but maybe we're just practicing our clutch batting for the playoffs. Yeah, that's it....Shewmake suffers a 6-day dtd injury, so I put him on "low usage" for a few days; Edgar Martinez is still pending....PLAYOFF FEVER update: Toronto has now won 12 in a row and the Sox have lost 6 straight, giving the Jays a 6 game lead in the East. Toronto also becomes the first team to clinch a playoff spot; Cleveland's 2.5 up on Milwaukee now; We're 7 up on Oakland, and our magic number is down to 7; It's still a four-team race in the NL East, with the Braves and Mets tied in first, and Philly and Richmond 3 and 4 games back; Pittsburgh's a game-and-a-half up on the Cubs in the Central; the Dodgers are 3.5 up on the Padres, with Portland hanging out just behind SD.


September 21-23 @ SEATTLE
Really nothing new to add about the Mariners, to the above. Currently at 74-75, third place.

#149: WIN 4-1...another strong start for Partida: 8 IP, 7 H, 1 R...Dunklee gets his 23rd HR, now at 95 RBI (Groff and Drayton have 97 each)
#150: WIN 14-8...20 hits...Drayton and Groff now at 100 RBI, Groff also hits 2 HR
#151: WIN 5-1...Clark complete game three-hitter, 13 strikeouts...Groff hits another HR, now up to 46

With the sweep our magic number for the division is down to 2, but we clinched a playoff spot!...Groff is leading the league in average at .344, 12 points over Toronto's Preston Sorensen (probably the leading MVP candidate); he's also on top with 46 HR and 1.145 OPS....PENNANT FEVER: Chicago has won 9 straight and has surged past the Pirates to take a 2.5 game lead in the NL Central.


September 24-27 vs. LA ANGELS
At 68-84, last place. Fun fact: 14th in batting average, 5th in OBP (lead the AL with 598 walks).

#152: LOSS 2-4...poor DiFranco has lost or no-decisioned every start in September, losing his chance at 20 wins...he's terrible here today
#153: WIN 7-1...Dunklee finishing strong with another HR (25th) and now up to .322...Brock throws 7 good innings, yields 5 hits
#154: LOSS 2-8...blecch. Moving on.
#155: LOSS 4-11...wow, everone sucks today. Pitching especially. Gotta nip this in the bud now.

Not a good series, here, and not how you want the season to wind down...Magic number is one, and Oakland is now 7 games back. PENNANT FEVER UPDATE: Braves are two up on both the Phillies and the Mets, and the Cubs are two up on the Pirates.


September 28-30, October 1 vs. OAKLAND
Oakland is seven games behind us, so we're pretty likely to take the division, and five games up on Milwaukee for the second wild card spot.

#156: LOSS 2-9...seriously, wtf? Not the time for this. Pitching terrible, only six hits. Extra practice, please.
#157: LOSS 3-10...Well, that didn't work. At least we injured two of their players.
#158: LOSS 2-10...Now it's time to worry. Pitching especially has been tragic.
#159: WIN 9-3...Ah, finally, jeez. But Oakland gets their revenge by injuring Wiggins for six weeks. Sigh.

Finally, we clinch the division. Still not playing with any confidence and the playoffs just around the corner. Plus, RF Chris Wiggins is lost for the season. This is a serious loss, as he's our leadoff hitter and was hitting .322....PENNANT FEVER: Toronto and Cleveland also clinch; Boston and Oakland are the wildcard teams; Atlanta two up on both Philly and the Mets; Chicago and Pittsburgh are tied; LA has clinched over San Diego, eliminating the Padres.


October 2-4 vs. HOUSTON
Houston's better play and the Mariners slump have put the Astros into third place (80-79). I still want to pound them into dust, however. Nothing personal.

#160: WIN 9-2...Dust! Wunderlich complete game, five hits...replacement OF Jason Raymer has a great game: 3B, HR, SB, 3 runs
#161: LOSS 2-6...Clark gives up three more #!@$#@ home runs, for 42 on the season
#162: LOSS 1-3...Rob Hart makes his big league debut with a complete game six-hitter, but we're three-hit ourselves...Bad end to the season

Well, we still suck. Pitching dropped off the table, and even Groff slumped his way out of winning the batting title (awww). In better news, I like the debut from Rob Hart, who I'm hoping has a great Spring Training and makes the rotation next year. And we went ahead and signed Ken Clark to an extension, ten years for $130M, but with a buyout after year three....PENNANT FEVER: AL was already set; NL, Atlanta won the East, but Philly and New York are tied with 95 wins; Chicago and Pittsburgh also ended up tied (97 wins). We'll have two one-game playoffs tomorrow to break those ties.

Playoff race update: Pittsburgh beats the Cubs, wins the Central for the sixth consecutive year. And the Mets pound the Phillies to take the second wildcard spot and make the playoffs for the first time since 2027.

Next up: Playoffs and More