Red Sox Prevail Over Blue Jays in 19 Innings

I just watched the Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2. It took them 19 innings to do it. But they did it courtesy of a single by Hanley Ramirez which fell in front of Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar.

This isn't the first 19 inning game I've seen involving the Red Sox. I remember seeing the Red Sox and Seattle Mariners play two 19 inning games in 2000 and 2006, respectively. They also had 19 inning affairs against the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Yankees in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

But the Red Sox needed this win. Despite going 18-9 in August, the Red Sox lost three of four to the Yankees and then lost yesterday to the Jays. Red Sox Nation was giving the team the 1964 Phillies treatment. Then came the news that the Sox were using the Apple Watch to steal signs from the Yankees over the weekend. Not that it did them that much good. But it's a big deal because it's the Red Sox-Yankees. If this were the D'Backs-Rockies nobody east of the Rocky Mountains would give a shit.

But hype or not, the Red Sox needed this game. For good measure, the Yankees lost to the Orioles when Dellin Bettances gave up a walk off home run to Manny Machado. The Red Sox gained a game on the Yankees. At least for tonight, Red Sox Nation loves Machado.

It is also worth noting that Carson Smith finally made his long awaited Red Sox debut. He was acquired from the Seattle Mariners following the 2015 season, but injured his elbow during spring training in 2016 requiring Tommy John surgery.

This is the kind of game the starts positive momentum and keeps a team loose and relaxed. At least until the next loss.

Obama Created The DACA Mess, But Trump Will Probably Make It Worse

That this country cannot come to a reasonable decision regarding the fate of people who came to this country illegally when they were children represents everything I cannot stand about American politics.

It should surprise no one that President Trump was going to end DACA. But how can I have confidence Congress can pass legislation to remedy this matter if they cannot pass a bill to replace Obamacare? (And even if they do what if Trump says no?) How can the Trump White House work with Congress when the Trump White House cannot function on its own?

Most important of all how does the Trump Administration proceed to deport thousands of people to countries they have never called home? After all, many of the people affected have served in our armed forces. They serve our country and we tell them to get the hell out. What is the public good in deporting these people? If the Trump Administration actually embarks on deporting these DREAMers he will do this country far more harm than good?

Now I must say that we are in this state of affairs due to former President Barack Obama. Not surprisingly, Obama saw fit to weigh in on Trump's decision characterizing it as "self-defeating" and "cruel". The problem here, of course, is that Obama overstepped his authority when he instituted and expanded the program via Executive Order and the Supreme Court put the kabosh on the program last year. Now one can certainly argue that it would have been probably been impossible for Obama and a Republican Congress to agree where it concerned immigration. But there was a Democratic majority in Congress during his first two years in office. If this matter was of such importance why didn't he make it a priority for the early days of his administration? Or was passing the Stimulus Bill and Obamacare all that mattered? 

If one were to take a more Machiavellian point of view, Obama wanted to wait for a Republican controlled Congress and use the DREAMers as a wedge issue? But let us say for argument's sake that Obama's intentions were good. He still didn't cover himself in glory. At best, Obama did not make this matter a priority when his party controlled Congress and then embarked on unilateral action with the knowledge that it would likely be thwarted by the judiciary. Or perhaps because Obama is so full of himself he probably thought he could get away with doing an end run around the Constitution. Or maybe Obama simply thought the ends justified the means. 

Whatever Obama's reasoning concerning DACA, this is now in Donald Trump's lap. As we saw with Obamacare, Trump possesses an infinite capacity to turn the poor decisions Obama made far, far worse. In which case, nothing good can come of this state of affairs. 

J.D. Martinez Belts Four Home Runs as D'Backs Extend Winning Streak to 11 Games

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder J.D. Martinez slammed four home runs and drove in six runs en route to a 13-0 shellacking of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This extends their winning streak to 11 games.

Martinez is the 18th player in MLB history to blast four home runs in a game and the second in 2017. On June 6th, Cincinnati Reds second baseman Scooter Gennett hit four dingers in a game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

It should be noted that D'Backs starter Robbie Ray struck out 14 batters in seven innings pitched.

Although the Dodgers still own the best record in MLB and have a 13.5 game lead over the D'Backs, they have lost five in a row and 9 of their last 10 games.

But the man of the hour is J.D. Martinez. Not only did he hit 4 home runs today, he has belted 11 home runs and driven in 20 runs in his past 17 games going back to August 16th. Interestingly, Martinez now has more home runs and RBI this season with the D'Backs than he does with the Tigers despite playing fewer games. In 57 games with Detroit, Martinez hit 16 HR and 39 RBI. In 40 games with the D'Backs, Martinez has hit 18 HR and 40 RBI and counting. Martinez is a big reason why the D'Backs have won 11 consecutive games.

D'Backs Win 10 in a Row (Or Why Torey Lovullo Should Win NL Manager of the Year)

A day after the Cleveland Indians won their 10th game of the row, the Arizona Diamondbacks matched that feat with a 5-1 victory over their NL West rival Colorado Rockies. In the space of a week, the D'Backs have swept both the Rockies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The D'Backs might be 14 games back of the Dodgers, but they sure aren't playing like it. Yes, there's Paul Goldschmidt and Zack Greinke, but the D'Backs are largely a cast of unknowns - David Peralta, Brandon Drury and Ketel Marte.

The big difference, of course, is manager Torey Lovullo. In 2016, the D'Backs were 69-93 and finished 22 games back of the Dodgers. No one expected much of the D'Backs when Lovullo was named manager in the off-season. But Lovullo got a lot out of the Boston Red Sox when he managed them when John Farrell fell ill late in the 2015 season. Indeed, many in Red Sox Nation wish Lovullo were managing the club now notwithstanding their current first place lead in the AL East.

In the eighth inning, Lovullo brought in Jimmie Sherfy with runners on first and second with nobody out. It was only his third big league appearance. He promptly struck out the side including NL MVP candidate Nolan Arenado. Sherfy came back in the ninth and had a 1-2-3 inning for his first big league save. I like that Lovullo isn't afraid to bring in untested players into a critical situation.

As for the Rockies, they now only have a half game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the second NL Wild Card spot.

It will be interesting to see if the D'Backs can continue their hot play in Chavez Ravine against the Dodgers. At the moment they are firmly ensconced in the top spot in the NL Wild Card spot. For this, Torey Lovullo should be named NL Manager of the Year.

Walter Becker, R.I.P.

Walter Becker, co-founder of the 1970's rock group Steely Dan, has passed away of an undisclosed illness at the age of 67.

Becker was the Steely Dan's bass player and later it's lead guitarist after Jeff "Skunk" Baxter left for The Doobie Brothers and co-wrote all of the group's songs with Donald Fagen. During the 1970's, Steely Dan released seven albums including Katy Lied, Pretzel Logic & Aja and hit singles such as "Do It Again", "Reelin' in The Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". In 2001, Steely Dan would win Record of the Year Grammy for Two Against Nature. 

The two would meet as students at Bard College fifty years ago. Fagen described how they met in a 2006 Entertainment Weekly article:

One day in 1967, Fagen happened by a long-gone campus coffee shop, the Red Balloon. ”I hear this guy practicing, and it sounded very professional and contemporary,” he says. ”It sounded like, you know, like a black person, really. And that was Walter. I walked in and introduced myself to him. I just said, ‘Do you want to be in a band?”

Talk about serendipity. What if Fagen had stayed in his dorm that day? Or decided to go somewhere other than the Red Balloon? Or went to the Red Balloon when Becker wasn't playing guitar? And what if Becker wasn't at the Red Balloon? If Fagen walks into the Red Balloon a few seconds or minutes later there is a distinct possibility the world misses out on some wonderful music as exemplified by "Rikki Don't Lose That Number". R.I.P.

Indians Win 10 in a Row

The Cleveland Indians have won their tenth consecutive game on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. This streak puts the Indians' lead in the AL Central over the Minnesota Twins to eight games. The Tribe becomes the third team in MLB to win at least 10 consecutive games in 2017. The others are the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers (twice). There is a very distinct possibility the Tribe could face the Astros in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series.

MLB Notes for August: Brewers Still Have a Chance at NL Central Title or Wild Card Spot

At the end of August there isn't much of a pennant race in the National League. The Washington Nationals lead the NL East by 15 games and despite losing five in a row, the Los Angeles Dodgers enjoy a 16 game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West. No one need feel sorry for the D'Backs though. They finished August winning seven in row and 9 of their last 10 games and are in the driver's seat in the NL Wild Card race.

The only two races that are close are the NL Central and the second NL Wild Card spot. The Cubs have a 3.5 game lead and the Colorado Rockies have a 2.5 game cushion in the second NL Wild Card spot. The team chasing the Cubs and the Rockies is the Milwaukee Brewers who, at this point, are the only NL team who could upset the apple cart at this point. Both the St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins did look promising at times in August. As recently as August 18th, the Cardinals were only 1.5 games back of the Cubs but the Cards have lost 7 out of their last 10 games and are now 6.5 games back. There was also excitement in South Beach as Giancarlo Stanton blasted 18 home runs in August and now has 51 for the season. Even more exciting was the Marlins were winning and by August 27th had come within 4.5 games of the Rockies. But the Marlins have come back down to earth after being swept by the Nationals and losing to the Phillies last night are now six back of the Rockies. 

Unless the Brewers step up in September, the NL playoff picture is all set.

The same, however, cannot be said in the AL. To be sure, the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians have virtually locked up the AL West and AL Central, respectively. Although the Astros were a subpar 11-18 in August they still have an 11.5 game cushion over the Los Angeles Angels. In light of what has happened in Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Astros will play a much larger role in lifting the city's morale. The team's morale certainly got a boost with the last minute acquisition of Justin Verlander from the Detroit Tigers. As for the Tribe, they finished August with seven straight wins and victories in 8 of their last 10 games and have a comfortable 6.5 game lead on the Minnesota Twins.

Although the Boston Red Sox went 18-9 in August their 4.5 game lead over the New York Yankees is too close for comfort for many in Red Sox Nation considering the Yankees finished the month under .500. Should the Yankees sweep the Sox this weekend they will be within 1.5 games of the division. But if the Red Sox rebound, the Yankees still have the top seed in the AL Wild Card race.

It is the second AL Wild Card spot where things get really interesting. At the moment, the Minnesota Twins have this spot following a 20-10 August. But hot on their heels are the Los Angeles Angels (18-10) and the Baltimore Orioles (17-12) who are 1.5 and 2.5 games back of the Twins, respectively. Despite having sub .500 records the Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners cannot be counted out just yet. However, the odds are strongly against the Mariners who have lost five in a row and seven of their last 10 games in no small part due to nearly the entire starting rotation being on the DL. The Mariners had to get a struggling Mike Leake from the Cardinals just to find a healthy arm. Nevertheless, they cannot be counted out. After all, the Twins, Angels and Orioles began August with sub .500 records and look where they are now. 

Of course, what counts is where they will be on October 1st.