Jim Cowan

Yeah Lorenzen is exceeding expectations.

Meanwhile over in the National League, Ronald Acuna looks like he wants to hit 30 homers, steal 70 bases, and win the slash line triple crown.

Hey guess which hitter leads the entire Tigers' minor league organization in strikeouts. Give up? It's JHC Malloy! He has 40! Of course, he leads in just about everything else too. Dingler's rehab is going well. Project his current pace for 620 AB's and he would have 70 homers, 250 hits, 190 RBI, 50 stolen bases. Here's the problem...none of the catchers at Toledo are particularly awful, they are all sort of decent although none has the prospect pedigree of Dingler. So, what to do? Leave him at Erie for now I guess. If Rogers or Haase gets hurt, Donny Sands gets the call and Dingler goes to Toledo.

I think that belief in Harris is the mainstream opinion here. Excluding of course the few people who freaked out because Harris didn't think Candelario was worth $7 million.

Jonathan Davis OPS on April 30: 1.000. OPS in May: .237.

Well that was a nice surprise. Thank you for the gift Mariners, that was very considerate of you.

I wasn't referring to the service time.

Malloy seems to be cured again. Coaching? Did he figure it out himself?

I don't know why Maton bats so consistently high up in the order. He should be 9th.

Darnell Coles had a long neck.

"Chess piece" was the expression used in that ridiculous article about Hinch's obsession with using people in "clever" ways, the way he always did with Willi and Harold. The dumbass who wrote the article actually listed Greene as a chess piece because he was on the bench for the infamous Ibanez-in-right-field game, even though Greene is almost never absent from the starting lineup. This year's versions of Willi and Harold are Maton, McKinstry and Vierling who fortunately can play some defense, unlike Willi and Harold.

Malloy, batting leadoff, was 3 for 4 with a home run. He's on an 8 for 20 run now with a double and 2 home runs, so maybe he has emerged from that recent funk. Wouldn't it be great if he could prove, over a full season at Toledo, that he could learn to make those adjustments. And at the same get better at playing third base. I want him to stay there all year, under no circumstances do I want to see him as a chess piece in Detroit. I want him to play 150 games at third base in Detroit in 2024, and for the next 7 years after that, and it won't happen if he gets promoted this year.

Oh thank goodness they will have room for Canadians too.

Fire Hinch? Who has been saying that?

Vest and Shreve broke the game open.

Yes, and Kelenic seems to have become what we are hoping for with Tork and Greene

Yes, 6 innings and 3 runs from Faedo is a decent performance.

I see that it is Haase's turn to catch again. This is just about the opposite of chess. Rogers is the better receiver, leads the team in home runs, and should catch 130 games. He'll be lucky to catch 100.

Cover him yes, sponsor him no.

Yeah he's 30, he's only going to have one chance at the open market. He'll enter it as damaged goods though.

Agreed but what we know about Hinch already, confirmed by that beat writer who puckered up, is that guys don't get a chance to settle in at a position in Detroit. I don't know anything about him defensively, nothing at all. Is there an objective way to determine his future at third base?

Yes I think that Schoop is still here because there is not an obvious infielder at Toledo to replace him. Malloy has had some better luck for the past game or so but Harris is going to leave him in Toledo all year, go through the ups and downs of 600 PA's, and get better defensively. And then come out of spring training 2024 as the third baseman who plays 150 games for the next 8 years. That's the plan, and promoting him now, as a "chess piece LOL!!!", is not a tactic that supports the strategy. If you cut Schoop, you're going to see Nevin or Kreidler. Excited yet? Me neither. The most logical replacement for Schoop would be Wenceel but he's in Erie. So step 1 is to get Wenceel to Toledo and have him play second for a whole month.

The day was salvaged somewhat by the Twins and the Guardsmen losing.

Carlos Correa is having an interesting month...he has not hit any singles yet. 5 doubles and 2 home runs.

More chess moves.