NYM 9, KC 3

In the early going, when a sharply struck ball sailed over Cespedes a...gain, I wailed, "STOP METSING!"

They did! Mostly. But it was really looking like the beltway into Sweepville for that first hour, and while I'm not necessarily about "momentum" or "been there before" as determining factors -- if the Royals win, as they probably will, it won't be because they're juniors and the Mets are frosh; it'll be because they have a hitting attack that scoffs at 98+ -- those things do exist.

Which brings us to that sailer up and in to Escobar to start the game, welllllll I surely don't condone a guy with Thunderpants's velocity throwing at a guy's head or anywhere else on his person on purpose because it's dangerous BUT: Mets fans have been listening to everyone from the Baseball Tonight podcast crew to Kevin Burkhardt to Ned Yost be head-pat condescending about how little realistic chance the Mets had against the Gold-Glove defense and the Good-Oliver Cueto and the Classic experience of the Royals, but hey, you'll be back next year, pat-pat-pat, the grown-ups are talking, [shooing motion]. What's worse, the Mets were looking like they'd started to believe it. We're not ready. We don't belong here.

When that ball whistled past Escobar's ear all "hey: don't talk about us like we're not here" it told me that at least two people, Thor and Trav, wouldn't settle for that. And it worked, and here's how I know: Moustakas wanted to fight some dudes.

And he's not wrong, and again, I don't want anyone to get hurt. But it kinda felt, prior to that, like an Escobar plunking would have gotten...an eye-roll. Or, like, Chris Young calmly keep-awaying the eye-black out of reach while Wilmer Flores jumped around him trying to get it. You know: little-brother mad.

Moustakas was grown-man, took-my-money mad. Good. Means he's taking us seriously, or should. Juan Uribe got a hit with a broken chest. We might not be as good as y'all, but we're not fucking around.

ANYWAY, POINTS after the jump.

KC 7, NYM 1

This is what I was afraid of: that the break would not rejuvenate the Mets, that to the contrary they would take that Wile E. Coyote look down at the canyon instead of continuing to run. A lot could change back at Citi...but then again, not much might. And I think we've seen the last of deGrom's usefulness in the 2015 season, alas.

Points:

Cain -4
Gordon 5
Hosmer 4
Morales -2
Moose 4

Cueto 13 (9 IP - 3 BB + 4 K + 3 for the CG)

Cespedes -3
Conforto 0
Duda 3
Grando 0
Murph 1
Wright -1

deGrom 4

New standings after the jump!

KC 5, NYM 4 (14)

I blame myself. After close to half an hour of physically holding open my exhausted eyelids, the one-in-the-morningness broke me and I fell asleep, and when I woke up, Brady was turning the TV off. "Did we win?" "Let's go upstairs."

They don't stay down, this club.

Points, keeping in mind that this situation is kind of the definition of leaving people on base...

Cain -1
Gordon 4
Hosmer 1
Morales -2
Moustakas 1

Volquez 8

Cespedes -1
Conforto -1
Duda 2
Granderson 6
Murphy 3
Wright -2

Colon, obliged to issue IBBs that your correspondent deeply resents -0.67
Harvey 6

Standings after the jump!

KC 4, TOR 3 (Jays eliminated)

Did that series seem to take a long time to anyone else -- like a protracted, doomed struggle? It's hard to explain; I just kind of feel like we were waiting for the inevitable for like a week, like the dominant Jays we were expecting to roll through October had been replaced by an emotionally unprepared and overwhelmed squad that didn't have a real chance. Even Game 6 was like that, with the rain delay, like, what are we doing here.

Not to take away from the Royals' win here; I'm not exactly psyched to face them next week.

Buncha housekeeping to do in here today so let's get to it. Points!

Cain 2
Gordon -1
Hoz 0
Morales 1
Moose 6

Ventura 8.33

Bautista 12 (!)
Donaldson -6 (!!)
Encarnacion 1
Tulowitzki -3 (!&$(*#)

Price 13.67

Leaving us:

Bats
Cecil
Dickey
Donaldson
Encarnacion
Price
Tulo

We'll get to which poolies are leaving us a bit later. First, your current standings as we head into the Classic, after the jump.

NYM 8, CHC 3; Cubs elimurphated

First let me say that this is surreal. I'm as baffled as Cub fans/pickers probably are, just in a happier way. Until last night that series was much closer than a sweep would tell you it was. But then Schwarber made the exact same dive he'd made at least twice before and the ball went up through his armpit the exact same way it did both other times and I thought, you know, I like Joe Maddon and his specs a lot, but all the good-time John-Keating one-game-at-a-time stuff is no replacement for learning to read the ball in your own park. Kyle Schwarber is going to be a big star, no question. The 2015 Cubs are a good team.

Postseason's different, though, and a fearsome regular-season offense is not necessarily going to get it done against this rotation. And didn't.

Also, Durph. And as someone who picked the guy: the hell? I mean, I expected a handful of doubles. This is Hamilton-at-Yankee-Stadium shit over here.

...Aight, let's do this. Points!

Bryant 5
Rizzo 1

Cespedes -1
Conforto 0
Duda 14 (!!)
Granderson 1
NLCS MVP and inventor of fire Maniel Durphy 11
Wright 0

Colon 1.33

Leaving us:
Arrieta
Bryant
Lester
Rizzo

Notes and comment after the jump.

TOR 7, KC 1

Toronto sends it back to KC with a burst of runs; I didn't get to watch the game because I doing a cubic foot of trade-in paperwork, but it looks like a fun one from the highlights.

And Encarnacion got a ton of points!

JUST KIDDING!

Cain 0
Gordon 1
Hosmer -1
Morales Moustakas LLC 0

Volquez 3

Bats 5
Donaldson 4
Encarnacion zee-row
Tulowitzki 7

The money changes hands once again:

MacEachern 131.01
Brady 130.34
Cameron 2 129.01

120s Yuhan Yuhan Currie Cheatham & Howe
110s Williams, Bunting 2
100s Powell, Green, Drake, Stempel

90s Bingham 1, Elodie, Bunting 1, Tormey 1, Simone, Shee/Bell
80s Winklepleck, the Reids, Cameron 1

70s Tormey 2, Rogers

50s Bingham 2

Mets/Cubs in progress; see you back here with full scores after that game's over.

NYM 5, CHC 2

This series, meanwhile, is a strange beast (and so is Daniel Murphy; rimshot!): Mets are up 3-0, but I don't feel like the Cubs have checked out or are overmatched. They're just getting beat.

Bryant -2
Rizzo 0

Cespedes 6
Conforto -1
Duda 0
Grando 0
Murphtober 4
Cap'n 6

deGrom 9

Money/standings after the jump!