Hart

So ridiculous.

If he touched the plate, I think he was safe. But there is no angle that shows he for sure hit the plate.

Javy might have bailed the third base coach out there with an amazing slide but we got to stop running guys into outs. I said this last night too. If the throw beats a runner by a few steps, it was a mistake to send him.

Cabrera should be getting one start per series…if we are going to play along with this farewell tour. Now that we are winning, it’s even more important to minimize the number of his at bats.

We are getting thrown out at home by too many steps too often. It has to be a closer play than that if you are going to send him.

It seems like we keep getting burned by left handed hitters this year down at the bottom of the zone. That's the sweet spot for almost every one of them. If you are going to throw it down, you need to bury it.

Do we lead the league in close wins? Feels like every win we get is a nail biter. Maton and Carpenter have really made their hits count this year.

Hard to believe a player would need to be benched to improve his focus but I wouldn't put it past him.

I don't know if there is statistical data to back this up but I get the feeling Greene is trying to hit for more power while sacrificing batting average and plate discipline. He's taken some cuts this year that seem a lot more sell-outish than what I remember seeing from him last year. This mentality is fine for Carpenter. Maybe even Torkelson. But it doesn't seem the best use of Green's skills to me.

That's why you leave Carpenter in the lineup against lefties. Not only does he need the practice to be an everyday player long term, he is one of the few decent hitters in this lineup.

Just went back and looked at the box score. We pinch hit for Carpenter in the 8th. It did help in producing a run but we got to start letting Carpenter face lefties to see if he can hit them and be more than the strong side of a platoon.

Maton does need to take a seat for a few games. Maybe go to AAA. You got to think Malloy is extremely close to being called up with the way he and Maton are trending.

The throw was definitely an issue but I would be somewhat more forgiving of the throw if he didn't take his time. You need to assume the running is going in that situation and rush it.

So that's another annoying thing about Hinch. Hinch gives off Ausmus vibes to me where he is well spoken and a former catcher so people think he's a good manager but mostly he just does annoying things.

It sucks when you see all out effort from a guy like Vierling with that slide and then Baddoo blow it for the team with effort like that.

I agree with this too. Hinch is annoying.

That's on Baddoo. No urgency and poor effort.

As far as Ivey's defense, at some point we need to see consistent good effort there to know if he can even be a good defender. You would think with his physical gifts, it would be a no brainer. But given he was not known for his defense in college either, I am a little concerned about that side of the ball long term for him.

They just need the right coach to make sure Cade and Ivey gel. I do think you need to take these games with a grain a salt because there is a lot of very lax defense being played. But the skills are definitely there to be a great backcourt combo for a long time.

I cannot believe how much the technique on Ivey's shot has improved since his days at Purdue. And even it seems like since the beginning of the season. I never thought it would get this far. I was always kind of hoping just for a Shawn Marion type deal where it looks ugly but can at least be somewhat effective at times. But it seems like it can be much more than that now. It's actually a decent looking stroke now.

If the Pistons can get Ivey to play hard on defense consistently next year, I think Weaver is going to survive. Ivey has shown enough now on offense that I do believe he will be a star. He's a safer bet to get there at this point than Cade.

I kind of question how the Tigers handled Boyd at the end of Spring Training. I am sure he got work in the background but he went a long time without facing live game action after the Tigers cancelled his last start.

It's amazing what good defense can do for you. We saw it with Tampa against us and then we saw it in that inning with Vierling and Maton having a huge effect in opposite directions.

Yeah. His control was lacking but he battled thru it with a tough lineup. It's hindsight at this point but Boyd at 70 something pitches vs our bullpen seems like an easy decision.

I thought he struggled with his control tonight but he was just getting into a groove right before the Tigers extended inning at the plate. I think that hurt him. I agree with you though...Boyd should have been kept in.