Cup of Coffee: September 28, 2023

Hi folks, welcome to Free Thursday!

Wednesday was full of players reaching individual milestones: Miguel Cabrera hit home run No. 511, Francisco Lindor notched a 30/30 season, and Ronald Acuña Jr. stole his 70th base to secure a 40/70 season. We’ll talk about all of that, plus tempers flaring in Seattle, the Padres’ plans to hold a “significant meeting” involving A.J. Preller and Bob Melvin, a codified Senate dress code, and more.

And That Happened

Here are the scores. Here are the highlights:

Diamondbacks 3, White Sox 0: 2023 hasn’t really gone Brandon Pfaadt’s way, but it did for last least one day on Wednesday against the White Sox. The right-hander scattered five hits, walked none, and struck out eight over 5 2/3 scoreless innings of work, lowering his ERA on the season to 5.72. All three of the Diamondbacks’ runs came in the third on a two-run Corbin Carroll double and a Tommy Pham RBI single.

Mets 11, Marlins 2 (Game 1): Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Mark Vientos. Alonso finished with four hits and Lindor finished with four RBI. Meanwhile, starter Joey Lucchesi — who was apparently in a car accident on Tuesday — was solid yet again, holding the Marlins to a pair of runs over six innings. In three starts since being called up from Triple-A, Lucchesi has a 1.93 ERA.

Marlins 4, Mets 2 (Game 2): After homering in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader, Francisco Lindor went yard twice in the nightcap to notch a 30/30 season, the first of his career. The game was tied 2-2 going into the ninth, but Adam Ottavino gave up a pair of runs to the Marlins on three hits and a walk, and Brett Baty booted a ground ball that allowed the go-ahead run to score. Kodai Senga got a no-decision, but struck out eight in five innings to reach 202 strikeouts on the season.

Guardians 4, Reds 3: Shane Bieber fired six innings of one-run ball as the Guardians narrowly held on to play spoiler to the Reds, whose playoff hopes are close to dashed. Jonathan India doubled twice, including one that drove in a run in the eighth inning to give the Reds a fighting chance, but it wasn’t enough. Fittingly, the Guardians won their final home game as manager Terry Francona heads off into retirement.

Rays 5, Red Sox 0: Tyler Glasnow blanked the Red Sox over five innings, fanning nine in the process. The Rays’ bullpen was even better, scattering a hit and a walk with seven strikeouts in the final four innings. Josh Lowe had three hits, including a solo homer, and Isaac Paredes hit a two-run jack.

Orioles 5, Nationals 1: Until Jake Alu’s RBI single in the fifth inning, the Nationals hadn’t scored against the Orioles at all this season. They lost 1-0 and 4-0 back in April, and dropped Tuesday’s game 1-0. Including the first four innings Tuesday, the Nationals went 31 consecutive innings without a run against Orioles pitching. Nevertheless, the Orioles skated to another win, their 99th of the season. Adley Rutschman homered and knocked in three runs.

Phillies 7, Pirates 6: Despite a lineup mostly comprised of backups after clinching the No. 1 NL Wild Card seed on Tuesday, the Phillies managed to win their seventh consecutive game. A solo home run by Bryce Harper — not a backup — in the seventh inning broke a 6-6 tie. Garrett Stubbs hit his first home run of the season and Edmundo Sosa also went yard for the Phils.

Yankees 6, Blue Jays 0: Aaron Judge hit a pair of two-run home runs, giving him 37 on the year. Gerrit Cole padded his case for the AL Cy Young Award with a two-hit shutout, his second of the season. On 105 pitches, he struck out five and walked none, improving to 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA. The Jays needed to win this series, considering they close out the regular season against the 97-win Rays. Instead, they were shut out in back-to-back games.

Braves 6, Cubs 5 (10 innings): Already the author of Major League Baseball’s first 40/60 season, NL MVP Award frontrunner Ronald Acuña Jr. stole his 70th base of the season on Wednesday to secure the first 40/70 season. He had singled to knock in the tying run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Then, after stealing second base, he scored the winning run when Ozzie Albies ripped a single to right field. A brutal couple of days in Atlanta for the Cubs, losing late in the game on Tuesday on a costly error, then dropping Wednesday’s in extras.

Twins 6, Athletics 4: Ryan Jeffers tied the game at four apiece with a two-run home run in the sixth inning. Trevor Larnach doubled home the go-ahead run in the eighth. The Twins have now won six of their last seven games. The A’s now have 110 losses, the second-most in franchise history, beaten only by the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics who went 36-117.

Dodgers 8, Rockies 2: Emmet Sheehan impressed, allowing just a pair of solo home runs while striking out 10 in six innings. James Outman and Freddie Freeman homered for the Dodgers while the bottom of their lineup combined to go 7-for-10.

Brewers 3, Cardinals 2: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The Brewers’ starting pitcher pitched well. This time, it was Wade Miley, who yielded a lone run over five innings. Tyrone Taylor doubled in a run and later scored the tying run in the sixth, then doubled in the go-ahead run in the seventh.

Rangers 5, Angels 0: Dane Dunning stepped up big time, tossing seven shutout innings. He scattered three hits and a walk, striking out seven before giving way to the bullpen. Adolis García hit an RBI double in the first and drilled a solo homer in the third. Evan Carter and Marcus Semien hit back-to-back homers in the ninth. The Rangers maintain their 2.5-game lead in the AL West.

Astros 8, Mariners 3: Tempers flared (more on that below) and the Astros prevailed. Yordan Alvarez, Mauricio Dubón, and Martín Maldonado all homered in the winning effort for Houston. Every starter in the lineup registered at least one hit. The Mariners have now lost five of their last six games and are 9-16 in the month of September.

Padres 5, Giants 2: A sacrifice fly by Xander Bogaerts broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 10th inning as the Padres won their first extra-inning game of the season and continue to stave off mathematical elimination from the playoffs. Both teams’ starters — Matt Waldron for the Padres, Sean Manaea for the Giants — each gave up two runs in six innings of work. The Padres have won 11 of their last 13 games.

Royals @ Tigers (suspended due to inclement weather): Play will resume on Thursday afternoon in the top of the fifth inning with the Tigers leading 4-0.

🎵 I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more

No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more

Well, I wake up in the morning, fold my hands, and pray for rain

I got a head full of ideas that are drivin' me insane🎵

I’m more a fan of Rage Against the Machine’s cover over Bob Dylan’s original. I do appreciate the original though, as Dylan was supposedly throwing up a middle-finger to disgruntled fans who thought he strayed too far away from his folk music roots. Dylan didn’t want to be pigeonholed into that genre.

The Daily Briefing

Hector Neris causes Astros’, Mariners’ benches to empty

Astros reliever Hector Neris took over for Kendall Graveman in the sixth inning of Wednesday night’s game in Seattle. The Astros were holding onto a 4-3 lead. Neris struck out the first two batters he faced, then walked J.P. Crawford to bring up Julio Rodríguez. After getting ahead 0-2, Neris got J-Rod to go fishing on an inside splitter for strike three to end the inning.

Rodríguez casually headed back towards the Mariners dugout, but Neris stomped angrily towards him, taunting him. A bewildered Rodríguez turned around and watched as Neris continued to stomp and shout. José Abreu came charging in, trying to get Neris headed in the opposite direction, but it was too late. Both teams’ relievers came bounding out of the bullpens and the benches emptied. Cooler heads prevailed, however, and order was quickly restored.

There is history between the two teams, with Neris and Rodríguez specifically. Let’s go back to June 6, 2022, when the Astros hosted the Mariners. After Neris hit Ty France with a pitch, players and coaches in both teams’ dugouts began yelling at each other. It wasn’t long before they converged at home plate in a benches-clearing dispute.

After order was restored, Rodríguez sent a 2-1 Neris fastball to the opposite field for a two-run home run, padding the Mariners’ lead to 7-4 in the top of the ninth. As he rounded the bases, Rodríguez shouted and pounded his chest in celebration. It looked a lot like the taunting Neris was doing in Wednesday’s game.

Neris and perhaps the entire Astros team have been harboring this grudge for at least 16 months.

The Astros went on to score three runs the very next inning after the dust-up, ultimately winning Wednesday’s contest by an 8-3 margin. They’re now 1.5 games ahead of the Mariners for the third AL Wild Card slot. The Astros trail the Blue Jays by a half-game for the second Wild Card slot.

Francisco Lindor homers three times to notch first 30/30 season

As mentioned in the recaps, Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor hit three home runs on Wednesday — one in the first game of the doubleheader, two in the nightcap — to reach 30 home runs on the season. Along with 30 stolen bases, he has the first 30/30 season in his career. He’s the third player with a 30/30 season in 2023, joining Ronald Acuña Jr. and Julio Rodríguez. Bobby Witt Jr. is on the doorstep with 29 home runs and 48 steals, as is Kyle Tucker with 29 and 29.

Lindor’s home run in the first game padded the Mets’ lead to 4-0 in a game they would ultimately win 11-2. In the second game, his first homer tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning. His second blast tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth, but the Mets would fall to the Marlins 4-2.

Lindor, 29, is in the second year of a 10-year, $341 million contract extension signed with the Mets in April 2021. His 2023 season is arguably the best of his three campaigns with the Mets thus far. But not even a nearly 6-WAR season was enough for the Mets to overcome injuries and under-production elsewhere on the roster.

Miguel Cabrera ties Mel Ott with 511th career home run

Miguel Cabrera, soon to retire, slugged the 511th home run of his career on Wednesday night against the Royals, moving him into a tie with Mel Ott for 25th all-time on the home run leaderboard. He swung at the first pitch he saw from Jonathan Bowlan, driving it out to right-center field at Comerica Park, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

If Cabrera is able to hit one more home run, he’ll tie Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews for 23rd all-time at 512.

Next stop, Cooperstown.

(As mentioned above, Wednesday’s Royals/Tigers game was suspended in the top of the fifth inning. The game is not official yet, which means Cabrera’s homer is also not official yet.)

Padres to hold “significant meeting” with A.J. Preller and Bob Melvin

A recent report from The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal described, among other things, a “toxic” Padres organization in which president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and manager Bob Melvin had an “unfixable” relationship. As a result, many are expecting one or both to be handed a pink slip after the season.

Padres chairman Peter Seidler, however, is believed to prefer to retain both Preller and Melvin, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union Tribune reports. Once the season ends, Acee writes, a “significant meeting” will take place involving Preller and Melvin as well as higher-ups in the Padres organization. Seidler won’t be there as he is recovering from a medical procedure. There, the fates of Preller and Melvin will be determined.

Melvin is under contact for one more season. Preller is under contract through 2026.

Acee reported on Monday that the Padres plan to slash payroll closer to $200 million. Right now, as it pertains to the 40-man competitive balance tax, the Padres’ payroll sits north of $280 million, per Cot’s Contracts. The club is set to watch starter Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader head to free agency and they might not be replaced, at least not with players of comparable status.

Other Stuff

Update from England

Good morning, everyone. Eleven stages down and about a 130 miles behind me. Five stages left and around 60 miles to go.

Yesterday was supposed to be an uneventful and boring walk aimed at bridging the gap between national parks. The walk itself was rather unassuming, but it was flat and I did manage to beat Storm Agnes to the next town. The day on the whole, though, was lovely, as I met some new people, was reunited with some folks from earlier in the walk, and had a grand old time.

Here’s the latest Diary entry.

Terry Francona’s scooter stolen… again

Back in January, Guardians manager Terry Francona was in Cleveland for “Guards Fest.” Someone stole his scooter, though police were eventually able to track it down and return it to Francona.

The 64-year-old skipper is nearing the end of his managerial career, so he’s been rightfully getting the royal treatment. A thief must not have been aware of it, as Francona’s scooter, affectionately nicknamed “Hog,” was stolen again last week and irreparably damaged, per The Athletic’s Zack Meisel.

Francona said, “The worst part was they defecated on it.”

Just when you think you can believe in humanity again, they go and do something like this.

Senate codifies business attire in dress code

In the Sept. 19 Cup of Coffee, we talked about a change to the Senate floor dress code that allowed Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) to wear shorts and hoodies instead of the typical suit and tie. Republicans began screeching about it and, as usual, their round-the-clock complaining turned into meaningful legislation.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) passed a bipartisan resolution on Wednesday codifying business attire as the Senate’s dress code: a coat, tie, and slacks for men.

Fetterman responded with nothing other than a picture of actor Kevin James, which has become a meme recently, signifying — as Know Your Meme describes it — “mischief and tomfoolery.”

Amazing that, with so many other pressing issues, it took the Senate a week to come together to teach Fetterman a completely pointless lesson.

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Have a great day, everyone.