Live Blogging Baseball 9/27/11

9:43 PM
Jones grounds to third. Game over, and we're tied for the AL wild card going to game 162.

Meanwhile, St. Louis leads 9-6, and I'm shutting down for the night.

*****

9:42 PM
Full count, 3-2 to Adam Jones. 26 pitches for Papelbon this inning.

And one more. Foul ball. Still 3-2.

*****

9:41 PM
And a foul ball. Still 2-2.

Meanwhile, the Mets and Reds are tied in the 11th. Yeah, I know; no one cares but me.

*****

9:39 PM
1-2 on Adam Jones, and the Sox announcers think the home plate umpire should have called strike three on the last pitch. According to the MLB graph, he should have, but what are you gonna do?

Ball, outside (this one really was). 2-2 count.

*****

9:35 PM
Back in Baltimore, the Red Sox catch a break and get an out on a nubber. Now it's 8-7 (Hardy scored on the play). Tying run on second, two out. I guess they pitch to Adam Jones, but don't give him anything good to hit -- a base hit ties the game, a home run wins it.

*****

9:35 PM
Ryan Theriot just hit a triple. Cardinals lead, 8-6.

*****

9:32 PM
Vladimir Guerrero has a base hit. So runners on first and third, one out. And the O's are pinch-running for Guerrero. If the runner on first (Matt Angle) steals second, do you walk the winning run to fill the bases?

*****

9:30 PM
Five foul balls in a row on a 3-2 count. Yeah, I know there's no action in baseball. If you can't deal with it, go watch a soccer game. 95 percent more action, 93 percent of which is meaningless.

Okay, Markakis out at first, Hardy moves to second.

*****

9:27 PM
Cardinals have tied up their game on a single by Berkman and a double by Allan Craig, whoever he is. In Baltimore, J.J. Hardy singled, and Nick Markakis has worked a full count. Still nobody out. I'm surprised they haven't pinch-run for Hardy, who isn't very fast, but I guess the logic is the next guy has to be the speedy one, anyway.

*****

9:22 PM
Bottom of the ninth. Let's see if the Red Sox can hang on. Wait, J.J. Hardy has 29 home runs? When did that happen? (I've got to start following the American League more closely.)

*****

9:12 PM
I'm surprised Houston's staying in this; they have an awful, awful team. And they'll probably be awful for the next couple of years. The good news is they're in a major market (6th in population overall in the U.S.), so they should be able to dig their way out of the hole a little quicker. Nobody talks about this much, but perpetual losers like Pittsburgh and Baltimore are very small markets -- and Baltimore's right next to Washington, DC and Philadelphia, which doesn't help.

*****

9:08 PM
Side retired in the eighth inning, Boston still leads Baltimore by two, 8-6. It's nice listening to the Red Sox radio broadcast, too. I spent a lot of time listening to Mets games this summer (I got the MLB radio package over the internet, which for twenty bucks is totally worth it), but I didn't take advantage of the other teams. Quick note: if you get this during spring training, don't get frustrated -- most teams don't broadcast games over the radio in the spring. All of the regular season games for every team are available.

*****

9:04 PM
Braves have already lost their game. But St. Louis is somehow losing to Houston again. Meanwhile, the Red Sox have given up two runs in the bottom of the eighth to Baltimore.

I guess I'd prefer to see the Red Sox make the playoffs, just to avoid the endless "collapse/choke" stories. But I don't dislike the Rays, and since they've won again tonight, they aren't going away. As for the NL, I'd definitely prefer the Braves. I spent two years in North Carolina, and became sort of a Braves fan by osmosis. I know the Braves and the Mets are rivals, but the Mets had a rivalry with St. Louis in the 1980s -- and I can't stand Tony LaRussa.

*****

8:50 PM
One reason why the Yankees are so tough -- every player on their team is willing to take a walk. Three players have 75 or more. I would be willing to bet that leads the league.

*****

8:48 PM
Red Sox are finally playing a decent game, but Tampa Bay is winning as well. Atlanta is being pounded by the Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals were tied with Houston at last check. Possible to have two ties for the wild card when the season ends tomorrow?