gehringer_2

so you're committing McGonigle for a 1st ballot Hall of Famer? Go for it!

And Tigers have a depressing 9 pitchers on the 60. 3 of those may be back soon though, so a couple of guys like Heuer may already be as good as gone.

They also miss having at least one disruptive base runner. At various times that has been Baddoo or Meadows but with them both out of the picture our base running - while great 1st to 3rd, isn't putting much pressure on any pitchers.

though the question of whether he is going to play SS at MLB sounds like as much a hope as a certainty so far. We just saw a pretty good generalist IF (McKinstry) not turn a DP that a full time MLB SS probably turns. I tend to think they would only bring up a player for the stretch they expected to get at least MLB average defensive play from. Esp since 2b defense on this team is only average at best. Is McGonigle that guy - yet?

Using SGL for a full pass through the order after a hard thrower is good pitcher change of pace sequencing.

I know if rubs every manager the wrong way to do it, but they could probably keep using Flaherty if Hinch would put him on a really short leash. Of course do that and at some point you might as well make him a long reliever

IDK - he looked great, but aside from the hot streak in July, the WSox aren't exactly murderers row either...

combined 2 hitter. Never in doubt!

Tigers unwilling to make it easy on themselves.

Damn - I figured Jake was due against the lefty

no way to turn that DP unless McK charges that ball - which admittedly would have made it a tougher play - but one Javy and maybe even Sweeney probably makes. EDIT: but nothing comes of it. On to the 9th.

Javy not seeing Perez well at all.

I don't know what the long term is going to be for SGL. He has to pitch backward because the FB is too easy to barrel up - If he can command the off-speed well enough not to be behind all the time (like today so far)..... - but he's got a narrow lane to success.

Robert was really sure SGL wouldn't throw him another one. 🤣

this more or less sums it up...

And Jake misses 2 by a few inches. Not much BaBIP luck for the boys today.

pretty bad AB by Javy.

that would be a hit against a lefty for Carp.

Somewhat better 5th than yesterday.

I'm afraid to say it, but Melton looking pretty good there.

remember all those early runs early in the season? Regression to mean. They will tell you the past outcome can't affect the future, but don't ever believe it! 🤔

I don't know if the Tigers have some kind of deep dive metric on this they follow, but just as a long time observer, I've come to where I am always willing to accept that the reliever I bring in may be a crapshoot to fail but I'll accept that risk because I've come to believe a starter out of gas in a long inning is a more near certainty to fail.

yes sadly, but for the argument I was making consider the reference to be to 'peak' Cabrera.

the theory is that under the pressure of having to produce to keep a spot in the majors, a player won't make the adaptations he needs to learn to make because of the fear that some change might take him backward and he's out of a job. You want to hold guy in the minors until they have had to compensate enough times in enough ways that they have the confidence to do it in the majors. Tork is maybe the poster child for this in that he was reluctant to move away from an approach that got him 30 HR in 2023 even though it was strangling him in 2024. Had he spent another 300-500 AB at AAA learning how to make those adjustment and gaining confidence in his ability to make them, would he have gotten to where he is now faster? That is the $64 question. But who really knows? The fact is that every player is different. Of course you always have players that are so good they just can't be adequately challenged until they get to the majors - McGonigle and Clark look like they might both be in that category. So in that case you can hold promotion over their head as leverage to make them work on things they don't really have to do to have good minor league numbers but that you demand they do before you will promote them. I think Harris is in that camp. The idea being that for each player there are particular skill milestones and not just counting stats that have to be achieved to define 'readiness' in the Tiger org.

He is so unbelievably infantile. I just don't understand how any voter can listen to this epic case of arrested development and think it's a good idea to put it in charge of the local dog pound, let alone their government. If it weren't serious it would be funny.