papalawrence

So as much of a fluke/anomaly the comeback from .02% was, this season has been as well, only in the other direction. All of those 1-run losses. Injuries. Bad luck. I still won't be terribly surprised if they go on a 15-5 20 game run

Coach loves Levert though. I agree his salary would likely be needed in any trade scenario.

1971-75 Wilbur Wood averaged 45+ starts per year. He was a knuckler, but that still amazes me

Wow the landscape of the East is turned on its ear. Washington could be tough, Atlanta, Orlando, Philly, and of course NY and Boston. Detroit could take a step back. Still hoping for Murphy

Nail biter at Wrigley today. Swanson had a pretty good game

Clark's ops now sits at .730. Little about his minor league career has wowed me. I know he is only 21, and he has impact in many ways. Following his blazing start to 2026 he hasn't shown much. I am predicting that Ranier will have a greater impact with the big club

Excellent pick up for the spurs. He'll be the calming vet presence they need. And he will likely get a ring

Tobias to the spurs 2/31. He's going to get a ring

There's actually a documentary on their collapse. In part they over expanded and too quickly. Hardee's is the same company and a few times over the years they put the super chef on their menu. In Grand Rapids they had family night on Thursday and you'd get 2 fun meals for a buck.

Message sent to Jansen and Finnegan?

Wow, again, bullpen, suck. Didn't even look at Chisolm letting him waltz to second and third.

Lol I would pile tomatoes and picked 6-8" hi

Melton out after 84 pitches and 6 1/3. Now the Rollercoaster ride begins......

I was 10 in 1976 and baseball and basketball were more important to me than Burger Chef, and I loved their burger bar. It's difficult to compare eras, especially considering innings pitched because of velocity, spin rate etc- pitchers are all-in from pitch 1 now. That said, during Rozema's early rise I certainly thought he'd have an excellent career. About the same hype I felt early in Porcello's career. I realize now that Rozema's WAR was much better early than Porcello, but given my "eye test" that's a good early comparison for me. Skubal had potential ace hype in the minors. Mize was drafted 1:1 and Manning was a hi pick. Even though Skubal was a 9th rd pick, guys like Morris and Petry said there was something different about Skubal. They hyped Skubal above the 1:1 draft pick because his "stuff" looked potentially elite. I never heard that about Rozema. I never thought Rozema was going to win a CY, even during his first 2 seasons. Even though I loved Rozema and met his aunt and uncle several times, and heard what a great, but "naughty" young man he was. Skubal's "stuff is clearly on another level. It was evident in the minors. It took longer to translate to mlb success, but injuries played a big role in that. Took Koufax several years too. Stats aside, I never saw Rozema as a potential generational talent. I was hopeful he might have an excellent career, much the same hope I had for Porcello. But for Skubal I was hopeful he would win a CY. I thought that because of his "stuff" and I started to see that as early as 2023. CY doesn't come from "stuff," it requires the stats. And I agree that in this day of WAR, Rozema's early success would have created more buzz. His "1 of 1" baseball cards would have been in the $thousands after his second year. Don't believe me? Look up what McGonigle's 1 of 1 card commands. But because of "stuff" I would never have seen Rozema as having generational talent. Whereas I did see that potential in Skubal even before he won his first CY.

All 3 have a significant history if injury. They will be fun to watch, but it will suck being in the west with 2 powerhouse teams that are also very young.

Tobias did offer some intangibles, as coach JB often said he was their safety net. He seemed to perform best when others were struggling. They don't get past Orlando without him. Collins is younger and similarly skilled. Tobias is going for the most bank. Can't fault him for that. But I will miss seeing him in a Pistons uni

Rozema clearly benefitted from the stellar managing and coaching of Ralph Houk and Fred Gladding his first 2 years.

I believe that Detroit is 4 games above .500 vs opponents who are above .500. It's all those losses against sub teams, and usually by 1 or 2 runs that crushed their season. One Jansen, Vest and Holton pitch at a time

And with a newer wrinkle in that curve. He had great control of it today

What did AJ say about Jobe? I was a dreaming about a massive plate of hash browns and missed it

That might be the best at-bat I have ever seen from Tork

He has command of his splitter and is using it more often. That's his ace pitch. He could be on the verge of a nice run, yes, if healthy. I would like to see Det keep him

Well that sucks

Set back 10 years? That's silly. If Det goes back to the floor and struggles for a decade to get back to contention it will be about much more than losing Skubal. That said I am all for trading him at this point. If a mammoth offer comes in today, go ahead. More likely they'll keep clawing for a win streak and ultimately trade him in a month.

I predict Lee is going to stick and have a nice career, mostly as IF utility, and will end up with 18.1 career war. And he'll father 4 kids and eventually own a hobby farm.