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...the Cubs' struck out 4 batters in the 2nd inning
Reminds me that yesterday Colorado had to get five outs to get through the 6th inning. It made no difference in the outcome, SF won 7-1, but in the sixth Angel Pagan got a gift infield single when the ump ruled him safe and the replay established that was incorrect. Right after that Pagan was ruled safe on a stolen base attempt, and once more the replay proved that he was actually out. He eventually scored the 7th run of the game.
I posted the Pablo Sandoval splits showing how his performance had deteriorated badly since the AS break. Just to defy me, in his last three games the Panda is 7 for 11 with three home runs (two of them three run blasts), seven RBI and four runs scored.
You have to watch him doing this sort of thing again and again to recognize that it isn't a fluke...but check out the pitch location and Pablo's swing on his home run last night....
The video isn't up on MLB.com yet, but his first homer today came on a pitch even lower and more inside.
Pablo's Strike Zone Without Walls approach to hitting is made even more entertaining by the fact he usually is coming up just before or after Buster Posey who is the anti-Panda in his approach to hitting. Posey is all science and discipline. He comes to the plate with a plan based on what he thinks the pitcher will probably be throwing and he waits until he gets what he has been expecting before swinging. The consequence is that you almost never see Posey checking his swing or having an awkward, off balance swing. When he swings and misses, it is still a straight, strong stroke through the zone where he was expecting the ball.
Sandoval seems to neither know nor care what might be coming and he will swing at anything that he thinks he can somehow or other reach with his bat, regardless of how close or far from the strikezone it may be. And that is the hell of it....he swings like that, all twisted up and off balance, falling across or away from the plate....and he still manages to smack line drives.
Tonight begins the final homestand for the Astros as members of the National League. I'll be at tonight's Astros-Pirates game to watch the goings-on.
And the Orioles keep hanging on. My hat's off to that team for being in contention for the first time in years. They go to Fenway tonight just one game behind the Yanks. That race will be fun to watch.
Congrats, by the way, to the Nationals on their newly-won NL East division title. Well-done!
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