I'm calling this an appropriate time for the untucking of shirts.

Brewers 5, Pirates 1
Win Probability Graph
BR Box Score

Mets 7, Micah Hoffpauir 6
Win Probability Graph
BR Box Score

It appears Ryan Braun still has a little power left. After the game, he talked to Tom H. about his intercostal strain and the difficulties it's created as he tries to hit down the stretch. I'm sure it hurts less after an extra-inning grand slam.

Of course, even if you weren't watching it, you had to know last night's game was close because a certain someone complained relentlessly about umpiring.

My faith in humanity was both restored and destroyed at the same time yesterday. Eric Gagne, who I'll wholly admit I've said some nasty things about this season, stepped up to the plate and gave away 5000 free tickets last night. Combine that with his $200,000 donation to Brewer charities and now he's only making about $9 million more than he's worth this season. At any rate, that's the good part, and kudos to him for doing it.

Of course, there will always be those among us who will take advantage of someone else's generosity. There's only 4 comments on this post at Chuckie Hacks, but one of them is someone who sold their original tickets so they could get free ones, and another is someone who took 4 seats even though they only needed 2. Way to abuse a nice gesture, douchebags.

As noted in the Fanshots, ESPN the Magazine has created a jukebox with every major leaguer's walkup music. This might be the last chance you get in 2008 to hear Mike Rivera's walk-up music: Daddy Yankee's "Bring It On," even though Rivera is hitting .306/.377/.435.

The Brewers are ranked 9th in this weeks Bugs and Cranks Power Rankings.

Only two injuries today:

John Maine has been medically cleared to pitch, and supposedly couldn't do any more damage to his injured elbow, but Mets manager Jerry Manuel says he's done for the year.
Astros RP Chris Sampson has been pitching much of the season with a torn tendon in his elbow, and will undergo surgery once the Astros' postseason hopes are finished.

So the Mets close their season with a 3 game series with the Marlins, but when it will be played is anyone's guess. The weather forecast has rain more or less non-stop for the next several days. But at least they talked Mr. Met off the ledge.

Ichiro is pretty much the last guy I'd expect to write a paragraph like this about: Apparently there are some in the Mariners clubhouse who see Ichiro as selfish and a bad teammate, to the point where there have been concerns about his safety. Reports like this won't exactly make Mariner fans feel better about being the first team ever with a $100 million payroll and 100 losses.

If this picture didn't have a caption, you'd think some teammates had a problem with Ryan Braun, as well.

Diamondbacks 3B Mark Reynolds is hitting .240/.320/.463 (OPS+ of 98) as a corner infielder, which makes it all the more impressive that he got enough plate appearances to set a new major league record with 200 strikeouts. He also struck out for the 201st time. Before this season, no player had ever struck out 200 times, but this year two players might do it, as Ryan Howard has 196 with 3 games to play. A's DH/OF Jack Cust also has 192, meaning 3 of the top 6 strikeout seasons of all time will happen in 2008. All of the top six and eight of the top ten seasons have occured since 2000.

Oh, and Paul DePodesta used the flex offense to explain why Wally Joyner resigned as hitting coach of the Padres.

Drink up.