As a small girl, my niece Vicky called a fried egg “A big egg.” And a “big egg” is what the Baltimore Orioles laid last night. The home standing Orioles had beaten the Mets Wednesday night on a thrilling walk-off home run. they had a chance to gain a full game on the Yankees and they knew it because their game was delayed by rain until nearly the end of the Yankees 3-2 loss to Cleveland in the Bronx. So what did they do in response? They took their worst beating in over 4 years, 15-2 to a Twins team that had just dropped 3 in a row to the Yankees. The O’s could do nothing with Twins pitcher Tyler Duffey, who was making his third major league start. While the Birds’ starter Miguel Gonzalez fell to 9-9 for the year. Both series continue tonight, while the Bluejays have the unenviable task of starting a 3-game week-end series in Anaheim, the toughest assignment of any of the top 3 teams in the American League East.

The New Era of the Pitcher continued with two one-hitters in the American League, the circuit that has a designated hitter to increase hitting. In Houston, where one source says the left-field fence is right behind shortstop, Rays’ pitcher Chris Archer twirled a one-hitter against the first-place Astros. Meantime in the Motor City, Tigers’ starter Alfredo Simon baffled the Rangers with his own one-hitter. The Tigers needed such a showing on the night they had to put Anibal Sanchez, one of their best pitchers, on the disabled list with a strained rotator cuff in his pitching arm. Speaking as a non-athlete who has torn my rotator cuff twice, it’s no day at the beach. Mine still troubles me most nights, 30 years after the last injury to it.

Make Sure Your Heart is Safe Enough for Mets Games:

If Mets fans don’t already have a cardiologist on speed dial, they might consider it by the end of the year. Even some of their most exciting wins have come on nights the bull pen didn’t do their remarkable starting pitchers any favors. For a few examples: May 18: With the Mets up 1-0 in the 9th, starter Matt Harvey was removed, the Cardinals tied the game, and it took until the 14th for the Mets to win. On July 19, ahead 1-0 in the last of the 13th, the Cards tied the game and the Mets finally won in 18 sweltering innings in St. Louis. And just this past Tuesday night, ahead 5-1 in the last of the 9th in Baltimore, it looked for all the world like the Orioles would ambush their visitors. With two outs and two on, Steve Clevenger collected an infield hit which was originally called an error. That loaded the bases. The next two batters walked with the bases full, making it 5-3 Mets with the Birds’ Mr. Everything, Manny Machado coming up. He grounded out, saving the win. Mets fans the world over could exhale. Then there have been the losses which should have been wins. While the most recent was this Wednesday night’s walkoff loss, the most painful has to be July 30 at home. The Mets were up 7-1 after 6, and 7-5 in the top of the 9th when a rain storm passed through. Following a 46-minute rain delay, the Padres scored 3 to steal the win.
This weekend it’s off to Coors Canaveral for the Mets, while their nearest rival the Washington Nationals welcome Milwaukee to the nation’s capital. No pitcher-home or visiting-has an easy time of it in the rare air at the park on Blake Street in Denver.

While the Rockies are not a contender, no lead is safe in their lair. So while the Nationals should have a soft weekend ahead, (after all the Brewers are 52-70 and 26 games behind the Cardinals,)  the Mets and their fans want to avoid bacon, french fries and stuffed crust pizzas – their hearts need all the help they can get. But that’s just baseball as I see it.