gehringer_2

No they don't, not really, because *nobody* knows how this combination of players will play, it hasn't happened yet so there is no statistical record about it. That is the thing about sports metrics. You use statistics to try and pick out a signal from noise, but you are still assuming there is a true unchanging signal there to measure. The reality in sports is that the thing you are measuring is changing all the time, so your measurements are actually far more precise that the real certainty of the underlying phenomena. It's especially true with a bunch of young players whose current track records are short enough that there is even less certainly about whether they are better or worse they you think today.

To a point. The playoff odds are only a measure of the accumulated past up to a point - your win/loss record and the number of teams ahead of you, and the records of who you and they have left to play. The Crux of the bet for Harris is whether the team that took the field on July 14 is different/better team than the one that played the first half. The current odds alone can't tell him that because they are primariy the results for that 'other' team.

Hitting the road bridge is symbolic, getting the rail bridge again would be more important.

In hindsight (which of course is easy), they probably should have just left Javy alone - he's only gotten progressively worse for all the things they have him 'working on'. He's ended up sacrificing all his power to 'control the zone' but there has been no benefit in his OBP and definitely not in his net OPS. That's the thing about hitting, you never know when you start out to change a guy if you aren't going to make him worse - it happens all the time. Sometimes a player isn't doing it right because he's never had the benefit of the right coaching so for that guy you unlock improvement, but the devil is that some guys evolve into 'doing it wrong' because for them doing it wrong is the only way it works at all and if you start messing with them it's only grief. When you decide to demand a 10yr vet deconstruct his approach you better be sure you have an alternative that's going to work. IMHO, the Tigers have had a little too much confidence in their own smarts in handling Javy. YMMV

no - you don't know if you'd be selling low. You're going to get back value based on what Tork is now when the unknows with him are mostly to the upside - you'd end up giving up the upside chance for pretty much nothing. His case is not like Micheal Fulmer's was where he had started out hot but you already had an inkling based on his pitch shapes and health history that there was downside risk in the future.

unfortunately they don't have another SS in the system that woudn't do worse, unless lightning strikes Kreidler and turns him into a hitter. Avila probably brought in an average of a least 4 SS hopefulls per year (at least until 2021!) between trades, the draft and international and the sum total we have to show is Wenceel still in AA and playing mostly 2B, and a very maybe guy in A ball. Ironic - if they had just held on to Iggy they would be net ahead over the last 5 yrs, we would not have suffered through Niko and we wouldn't have Baez's contract. Thanks McCann (and probably Gardenhire). The worst moves by GMs are often dumping players they don't like wihout obtaining a replacement they won't like even less. (Yeah, I know, Jeimer says, "Hi").

I'd like to see the umpire bias report on this game - that wasn't the 1st call that went the M's way. The zone has been generally huge, which is part of why the score is low, but I don't think it's been very uniformly huge.

that would be 12?

Reese got behind one too many batters there...

Miller throwing a lot of high sliders but the Tigers not banging any hangers.

good play by Maton. He comes in well - lateral not always so much.

If Greene is in CF, Vierling is probably in RF, Carpenter is in left there and maybe doesn't do any better. Of course if Marisnik were out there he'd likely have caught it. Baddoo? Who knows. Parker Meadows on the other hand......

Maton so close to the plate his toes are on the batter's box chalk.

LOL - McKinstrey didn't get very close to that!

Mudhens winners. Parker 2/4 2B, BB. Keith 0/4 BB, Malloy - DNP

he certainly could have - that would be the conventional play, and he'd be moving in on the throw, which is helpful. But I hesitate to say a guy did it wrong if he got the out - adding the time for the transfer might have ended up IFH. Conversely, deciding to use your right hand adds risk because even if you are good with your right hand if the ball picks up some spin you're not likely to hold on. It all depends on how fast Keith believed he could make the transfer and throw if he charges and whether he was right about what he believed.

So do I, but if Hinch is all about playiing situational edges, there it is.

real men don't use batting gloves.

Hinch has a real bug up his rear about Maton at 3B. Makes no sense at all. There are at least 3 better 3B on the roster. If you want to play him, fine. Put his asz at 2B. Not to mention that if wants numbers, Maton's OPS at 2B is 756. It's 580 at 3B.

Pretty sure I saw Boyd in the dugout with the boys last night.

How they play could change their view on what talent they might be willing to give up, but the two main moves to make, Lorenzen and ERod, don't depend on how they play, but on whether they will agree to be extened. They could go undefeated to the deadline, they still *have* to move ERod & ML if they dont sign to new deals.

This is a good example of that. This play had the hot dog but little meat. It didn't tell you anything about range - it was right to him, nor quickness, it was not hit hard, and the throw was on the short side, he was playing shallow. So nice play to look at, but not a particularly helpful one for overall evaluation.

The pick-up was nice but if one is looking to be critical, I’m not sure the throw anything more than adequate.

they haven't won (or lost) more than two in a row since the 9 game swoon. Time for that to end.

Cabrera opened his stance a little?