casimir

You might need to get that CAPS LOCK button recalibrated in Toledo.

But I think the rationale there would be a short term reset for long term benefit. Is there something Meadows can get done in Toledo which would bump that 30+ up to around 80+ going forward upon his return? Maybe there isn't. While the Tigers seem to have the pitching side of the game figured out, the hitting is questionable. Is it coaching/development or is it the players? Keith might be a barometer of that for Harris given the contract that was signed.

Karma from the baseball gods?

Is that a standard practice? It came across to me like it was a unique clause, but I don't know.

I have the feeling Malloy won't be called up. but I'd be fine with it. I'm not sure any non40 would be called up right now, but that's just how I think the Tigers would operate right now. I think they'd rather pull up Baddoo and use Canha at 1B. Greene LF Canha 1B Perez CF Carpenter RF Malloy DH Vierling 3B Keith/Ibanez 2B Baez SS Catcher Vierling can back up CF with Urshela backfilling him. Torkelson and Carpenter down to Toledo. I'm not sure how long Perez can keep things up, but there's not much choice but to ride whatever hot bats they have right now.

Kind of goes to show how well the pitching has performed in order to keep this team up in the playoff contention part of the standings.

Human element. Some people like it. Until they don't.

I must have missed Beverly’s punishment from the league.

But could Mobley plus something be better than Cunningham? Edit: Probably not with Weaver.

If you’re hearing my typing, no wonder we can’t agree. 😆

OK, boomer.

Greene LF, Perez CF, Canha RF, Carpenter DH, Vierling 3B. These are the best bats right now. I can see movement among this group from spot to spot. I think saying 7 black holes is quite thoughtless, but that's just my opinion. Keith 2B. He's got a good approach right now. The results aren't necessarily evident, at least the traditional stats. Torkelson 1B, Baez SS, Catcher. This group is what it is right now.

He had a much deeper lineup to use. What's your lineup, 1 through 9? All your bitching and moaning about Greene leading off and the rest of the lineup, but you never suggest a "better" lineup.

So, one guy who might be the beneficiary of beginner's luck until the league gets a book on him? How about the entire lineup? It's not really that complicated?

Alright, what should the lineup be?

Might as well win this game.

You’re right about Meadows needing reps. He’s probably the one on thin ice once Urshela is ready to come back, unless Perez suddenly bottoms out. I’m not sure Keith is going anywhere soon. His defense seems to be better than advertised. He also has shown in his past that he has a bit of a slower performance upon promotion, but eventually catches on. And, politically, there’s the contract, which shouldn’t matter.

I don’t know if benching the “core” players is the solution. I think they need to play. If that’s in Toledo while another option is tried in Detroit, even if only temporarily or to spark something, it is what it is. Specifically in regards to Torkelson, his asset is his bat. It’s not defense. It’s not versatility. It’s not base running. I’m not sure he has any value as a bench option. Contrast that with Meadows. He can be a late game pinch runner and/or defensive substitution at a prime defensive position. Its odd because we normally don’t look at it in these terms. But while Torkelson is arguably the better overall prospect and has shown a better MLB resume, Meadows is the better bench/depth option. And if they can both get back to what we think they can be, that starter/bench value relationship will still exist (even if Meadows can carve out a starting role in CF).

Apparently it was buntable enough. 😆 He attempted earlier in the count and then briefly showed again on the next pitch. So, as the plate appearance went, it was somewhat on and never fully off. I don’t know if that’s Verdugo, the coaching, a combo of both. But I’m the current game of baseball, that opportunity was prime to deploy a bunt.

I'd take Allen and Mobley on the Pistons. I was hoping the Pistons traded down from 1-1 in order to draft Mobley plus get other stuff.

And before this play gets forgotten, I tip my hat to Verdugo. He placed that bunt perfectly against a defense that was ignoring it. He read that situation perfectly and dropped the ball in a pretty good spot to take advantage of it.

Did he concede defeat at that point and decide to conserve pitch counts for another day? No manager would admit to it. I'm sure at that point most of us would have wondered how they escaped allowing only one run to get into extra innings. What was run expectancy at that point? Maybe that's what went into the decision to not set up a force everywhere. Here is the problem. None out, runners at 2nd and 3rd, bottom of the 9th, tie game. If you're pitching to the Tigers, you can probably figure out a way to get out of that inning and on to the next. But it was the Tigers pitching to a team with a legitimate offense.

Has the SOP changed given how much more the strikeout plays in the current era? I'd have loaded them up and set up the force at home. But I'm a hack sitting on a recliner not privy to the data and feel of the dugout. Plus I was watching on delay, so even if I would have called in my suggestion, it'd have been too late.

My only retort here is that Harris may have some influence on keeping Torkelson in Detroit. I've been waffling on sending him down, but its gotten more one sided lately. And the Tigers are probably getting to that point, too. They could move Canha to 1B and recall Baddoo. Or they could time it with Urshela's return, with Canha to 1B and Vierling playing more OF. I kind of wonder if they might be looking at this road trip as a bit of a marker in the sand. These are some high stakes games in order to keep up in the playoff chase. Its a tough ask to get through the Yankee lineup unscathed. Its obvious that the offense needs something right now.

Not sure that’s the right dimensions for a clarinet. Looks different than my kid’s, anyway.