IndianaTwin

Concur.

I greatly enjoyed congregational ministry, but have shifted into denominational ministry. I’ll pick up the conversation with you via email as well.

The snapshot has gained a smidge more focus from Wednesday morning, but not much. Here’s an updated look at things heading into Thursday’s action. Current standings: Baltimore (99-59), Tampa Bay (97-62), Texas (89-69), Toronto (87-71), Houston (87-72), Seattle (85-73), Minnesota (85-73). Tiebreaker procedure: If there is a three (or more)-way tie that involves the division leader and wild card position(s), the division leader tiebreaker will be resolved first. Then, remaining ties will be broken as needed to determine wild card berths and seeds. Magic numbers/seed scenarios: Baltimore and Tampa Bay will be the 1 and 4 seeds. Baltimore's magic number to win the division and be the 1 seed has dropped to two. The best the Twins can do is get to 89 wins. If they do not win out, they will be the 3 seed. If Texas wins at least one against Seattle, they will have at least 90 wins and make the Twins the 3 seed. If Seattle sweeps Texas and the Twins win out, all three teams will have 89 wins. In that scenario… If Houston wins all three against Arizona, they will have 90 wins, win the division and make the Twins the 3 seed. If Houston wins two of three, the West becomes a three-way tie. In that scenario, Seattle wins the tiebreaker in those three teams. They have the tiebreaker over the Twins, so they would be the 2 seed and the Twins the 3. If Houston wins 0 or 1 against Arizona, the West is a two-way tie between Seattle and Texas. Texas wins the tiebreaker for the division, but the Twins have the tiebreaker over Texas, so Minnesota would be the 2 seed and Texas the 3. This is the only remaining scenario where the Twins earn the 2 seed. For the previous sub-bullet, if games were coin flips, there’s a 1 in 256 chance of the Twins and Seattle winning out. There is a 4 in 8 (1 in 2) chance of Houston winning 0 or 1. Combine those, and there’s a 1 in 512 chance of the Twins being the 2 seed. That’s 0.195 percent. I’d encourage having snacks on hand for Tuesday. Toronto lost Wednesday, but Seattle lost, so Toronto’s magic number to make the playoffs is now three. Their magic number to be the 5 seed is also three. These do not take tiebreakers into account. Texas's magic number to win the West is two. Remaining schedule: Here's the remaining schedule of games involving Toronto and the three West division teams. Teams have only announced their starters through the current series, but I've added the person who would be starting if they continue in the same pattern they've been in. Thursday: NYY @ Toronto (Bassitt). Texas (Montgomery) @ Seattle (Gilbert). Friday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Ryu). Houston (France) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Eovaldi) @ Seattle (TBA-Woo). Saturday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Kikuchi). Houston (Verlander) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Gray) @ Seattle (TBA-Castillo). Sunday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Gausman). Houston (TBA-Javier/Brown) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Bradford) @ Seattle (TBA-Kirby). Other notes: Gray left Monday's start early for Texas. Without an off day, he would be scheduled to start him Saturday. if Texas skips him, they would either need to use Bradford on short rest or slot someone else in his spot (including the Opener option). Bradford went only 73 pitches Tuesday night, so it's conceivable. Then on Sunday, they would either need to use Gray with an extra day, Dunning on short rest or someone else. Houston has named Verlander as their starter for Saturday, keeping him on four days rest, skipping Brown’s spot in the rotation. Sunday’s starter could either be Javier on four days rest or Brown on six. The significance of Verlander moving to Saturday is that increases his availability for the wild card round. See the next item, Any team which clinches would likely revise their rotation the remainder of the way. Wednesday starters could pitch next Game 1 on an extra day's rest. Thursday starters could pitch Game 1 on their regular schedule. Friday's starters could start Game 1 on short rest or Game 2 on normal rest. Saturday's starters could start Game 2 on short rest or Game 3 on normal. Sunday's starters could pitch Game 3 on short rest. Also of importance: The White Sox lost Wednesday night, so they have to win three of their remaining four to avoid 100 losses. They have one with Arizona and three with San Diego. The last time they’ve won three of four was part of a four of five streak that ended August 9. Their previous time of winning three was four was part of a six of seven and seven of nine streak that ended June 9. At that point, they were 29-36, so they’ve gone 31-62 since that point. That’s actually 108-loss pace. Let's go, D’Backs and Padres!

See Nine of Twelve’s post above for the explanation, but Seattle wins a three-way tie.

I would certainly be able to make connections in a church, being an ordained Mennonite minister and all. Two of the three folks I mentioned above fit the profile you’re referencing. 😄 In our community, the niche is primarily furniture, though I’m sure I could find someone, perhaps at the local retirement home that has a pretty excellent woodworking shop for the residents in independent living What you are describing sounds really sweet, though I’m pretty sure the net would indeed exceed my budget (see aforementioned minister reference in a denomination that practices simplicity [also, 😄]. The art pieces also sound awesome — I’d love to see a pic and hear the story behind them. Feel free to share by email if you prefer.

I didn’t see it, but it sounded like he was lights out the first inning and not so much in the second. I could easily imagine him being amped up for the inning to the point that he was bound for a letdown. After throwing last night, I’m guessing he’s on the docket for an inning or two on Thursday or Friday, so we’ll see how that goes

@USAFChief's high school principal walked around showing off the abacus they were using to keep score on.

Indeed, I did. Thanks -- it's corrected.

Cool video. If I was my father-in-law (pre-dementia) or one of two brothers-in-law (who live several hours away), this could be a beautiful option. I'm not good enough with wood to pull this off well. I'm intrigued, however -- how would you display the cards in that set up?

I trust my son quite a bit (host of http://blog.unnecessarysportsresearch.com/, where you can find such tidbits as when Cris Collinsworth recently became the fourth person to be color commentator on at least 450 NFL games) when it comes to broadcasting assignments. He's usually pretty good at predicting who gets each slot as well. He said Tuesday's games are currently set for 2, 4, 7 and 10 p.m. Eastern, though sometimes they get shifted a bit. The 4, 7 and 10 p.m. games would be on ESPN. ESPN2 is used for the overflow -- as in, to show the beginning of the 7 p.m. game if the 4 p.m. game runs long. The 2 p.m. game is on ABC. That hits the sweet spot in their programming of being before the evening news in Eastern time and after Good Morning America in Pacific time. As noted by a previous commenter, the time slots are determined after knowing the pairings. Of note is that as of now, we know that there will be an AL game in the Eastern time zone (mostly likely Tampa Bay, but conceivably Baltimore) and likely one in the Central (most likely the Twins, though it could still be Texas or Houston, with a small chance of the Pacific zone with Seattle). In the NL, we know there will be a Central time (Milwaukee) and most likely an Eastern (Philly needs a win or an Arizona loss to be hosting as the 4 seed). The next update on start times could come when Seattle loses any chance of hosting and ESPN knows it's dealing with two Eastern and two Central times. That increases the likelihood of the 10 p.m. Eastern start getting moved up. If moved to 9 p.m. Eastern, that's an 8 p.m. local start in Minnesota or Milwaukee. Less than ideal, but a sacrifice that gets made for TV. So assuming two Eastern and two Central games (and significantly, no Pacific), it's also worth taking into account the visiting teams. The Cubs are still in the race and are probably the biggest ratings draw among possible teams. If they make it, that series has a good chance of being in prime time. If the Twins would get Seattle, they are a little more likely to be later in the day, since you have a Central team and a Pacific team. Similarly, if Arizona is playing, you have a Pacific team (technically, Mountain Standard, which acts like Pacific Daylight, since Arizona doesn't use Daylight time), which increases the likelihood of them starting later in the day. Recognize as well that there are four games on both Tuesday and Wednesday. They won't necessarily have the same schedule, though they also probably aren't going to turn around and have the Tuesday 10 p.m. series play on Wednesday at 2 p.m. There's not yet a precedent for this setup being played as midweek games. Last year, they were on the weekend. Thursday's schedule won't be set until they know how many games are to be played.

I think Keuchel is around for Sunday. I'm guessing he'll get the start, followed by a couple innings from another pitcher that won't be on the Wild Card roster. Or else Keuchel gets Saturday, with a short start from Ober on Sunday in anticipation of the following Friday.

Every team is different, so I don't buy the 0-18 streak. Buxton, Kepler and Polanco are 0-6, Garver is 0-5 and a maybe a couple others are 0-2. The vast majority of the team is 0-0 in the postseason as a Twin.

This may be what you are saying, but just to clarify -- if Twins, Astros and Rangers all end up with 89 losses, it would not be a three-team tie. It would actually be two two-team ties. That is, first the tiebreaker would be used between the Astros and Rangers to determine the division winner. The Rangers have already clinched that, thanks to an 8-1 advantage going into the weekend. With that established, then there would be the tiebreaker between the Twins and Rangers to determine seeding and the Twins would win out. After that, seeding between the Wild Cards would be determined. Baltimore or Tampa Bay has the No. 4. Beyond that: If Toronto ends up with 90, they would be the 5 seed outright and Houston is the 6. If Toronto ends up with 89 wins, they would be the 5 seed by virtue of a 4-3 edge over Houston. It gets even more interesting if Toronto ends up with 88. Astros now have the No. 5 (89) wins and Toronto would be in a tie with Seattle at 88 wins for the No. 6 seed. They split the regular season 3-3. I think the next tiebreaker is how each team did within its own division. Seattle is currently 30-17 against the West and Toronto is 19-28 against the East, so Seattle would get the No. 6 and Toronto would get the couch.

Here's a snapshot (though perhaps a blurry 8x10) of how I think things are sitting as it relates to the playoffs and seeding in the American League: Current standings: Baltimore (98-59), Tampa Bay (96-62), Texas (88-69), Toronto (87-70), Houston (86-72), Seattle (85-72), Minnesota (84-73). Magic numbers/seed scenarios: Baltimore and Tampa Bay will be the 1 and 4 seeds. Baltimore's magic number to win the division and be the 1 seed is three. Because Texas and Seattle have four games remaining with each other, the West division winner will have at least 89 wins, so the magic number for the Twins to be locked into the 3 seed is one. That can be either a Twins loss or the West winner reaching 90 games. If the Twins are the 3 seed, the West winner will be the 2 seed and have a first-round bye. Toronto's magic number to make the playoffs is four. I think their magic number to be the 5 seed is four. This ignores any tiebreaker scenarios. Texas's magic number to win the West is three. Tiebreaker procedure: If there is a three (or more)-way tie that involves the division leader and a wild card position(s), the division leader tiebreaker will be resolved first. Then, remaining ties will be broken as needed to determine wild cards and seeds. Remaining schedule: Here's the remaining schedule of games involving Toronto and the three West division teams. Teams have only announced their starters through the current series, but I've added the person who would be starting if they continue in the same pattern they've been in. Wednesday: NYY @ Toronto (Berrios). Texas (Dunning) @ LAA. Houston (Valdez) @ Seattle (Miller). Thursday: NYY @ Toronto (Bassitt). Texas (TBA-Montgomery) @ Seattle (TBA-Gilbert). Friday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Ryu). Houston (TBA-France) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Eovaldi) @ Seattle (TBA-Woo). Saturday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Kikuchi). Houston (TBA-Brown) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Gray) @ Seattle (TBA-Castillo). Sunday: Tampa Bay @ Toronto (TBA-Gausman). Houston (TBA-Verlander) @ Arizona. Texas (TBA-Bradford) @ Seattle (TBA-Kirby). Other notes: Gray left Monday's start early. Without an off day, if Texas skips him, they would either need to use Bradford on short rest or slot someone else in his spot on Saturday. Bradford went only 73 pitches last night, so it's conceivable. Then on Sunday, they would either need to use Gray with an extra day, Dunning on short rest or someone else. Houston's other starter is Javier. He went Tuesday, so could come back on Sunday if they wanted to use him instead of Verlander. Any team which clinches would likely revise their rotation the remainder of the way. Wednesday starters could pitch next Game 1 on an extra day's rest. Thursday starters could pitch Game 1 on their regular schedule. Friday's starters could start Game 1 on short rest or Game 2 on normal. Saturday's starters could start Game 2 on short rest or Game 3 on normal. Sunday's starters could pitch Game 3 on short rest. Also of importance: The White Sox have to win three of their remaining five to avoid 100 losses. They have two with Arizona and three with San Diego. Since the All-Star break, there have been only eight times when they could end a game and say, “Wow! We’ve won three out of our last five.” It last happened on Sept. 12 and on Aug. 30. Let's go, D’Backs and Padres!

Goshen. But I need a way to display the cards. I'd have enough space to have the Fathead and have a separate display, but I'd like to integrate them together. Or are you casting a vote for 4?

From NBCSports.com: Gray was pulled from Monday night’s start against the Angels after six innings — but after throwing only 81 pitches — due to tightness in his right wrist. It doesn’t sound as though he’s heading for a stint on the injured list, but the Rangers were concerned enough to have imaging done, which is obviously worrisome. Expect manager Bruce Bochy to provide an update as soon one becomes available.

So efficent we dn't even need all r vowls.

From Texas. Known to wear a cowboy hat.

Hey, friends, I could use some help deciding what colors to use for my baseball card wall. I just wrote a blog post, Help Design My Man Cave, but here's a teaser:

He was on first, so he may have been a lefty. EDIT: Sorta ninja'ed by Chief.

Alrighty, folks. Mrs. IT thinks I spend too much time on TD, but I tell her it's a community worth trusting. I could use your help in proving me right. Here's the deal. When Tony O got elected to the Hall of Fame last year, I took it upon myself to collect each of his baseball cards, including the All-Stars, League Leaders and other special cards, from Topps, Hostess, Kellogg and a couple more. There's a total of 38 cards, including two which are oversized. Then I decided they need to be on display in my home office. I called it a man cave in the title, because that sounds sexier, but it's really just a bedroom that got opened out when my younger son got married, so we've converted it into a space with a couple desk. I started by purchasing this Fathead that will serve as the background for this shrine: It's 44 x 33 inches if you're keeping score at home. (And if you are, that's even more lame than what I'm doing!) Next, I got a piece of 5/8-inch MDF (kinda like plywood, but better) and ripped it into 5/8-inch strips. With a table saw, I put an eighth-inch groove in each strip so slide the cards into. Then I created a pattern for these strips to nail these strips on top of the Fathead, allowing Minnie and Paul to be seen. Though I've got 36 Oliva cards, I decided to display my Killebrews and Carews (about a dozen each), along with miscellaneous guys I've liked over the years (Hrbek, Puckett, Gaetti, and I might have to grab some of the current guys as well. Since I've room, I'll also stick in a few HOFers I like, such as Brock, Gibson, Aaron, Clemente, etc. The whole thing ends up being 78 inches by about 40 inches or so. Here comes the part where I need your help -- deciding what color to paint the strips. Take a look at the following options and give me your vote in the comments. Now, if any of you are graphic designers, you're going to say, "What an idiot. He created these in Microsoft Word." Unfortunately, yeah. I don't have a real graphic design package. And I know Word reasonably well, well enough to make some simulations. In each of these, the cream color is pretty close to the color of the existing wall. I couldn't match colors perfectly, but what you see as blue, red or white matches the respective colors in the logo. What you see as a cream would be to paint the boards Similarly, the red and white match, and I could also go with having boards match the color of the wall, The wall color will show up a little darker on the designs. First we'll show some options where all the boards are the same color: Then I went artsy-fartsy and mocked up some with some variety in the boards: Again, please consider giving me a vote in the comments, along with other ideas or suggestions. And yeah, I'll show the finished product when it's done.

I'll be there by the 4th, if not before.

Wallner: "Watch out, Royce. I'm coming after you."

With the way Gray pitched, if the Twins were 14-17 in his starts, I think the more logical response is, "Thank goodness for Gray. If it hadn't been for him, the Twins likely would have been 10-21 in those games" (or some other number, but you get the point).

As noted in my comments above, I'd flip to Maeda for Game 3, Ober to bullpen and Ryan to ALDS Game 1. But in any case, again to the crowd, doesn't it feel good to not be thinking about Dobnak for Game 2 and instead be thinking of a staff that has one of these guys as its weakest link?