gehringer_2

this is one thing that works for me, when I stick to it, which is not often enough.

too late. But that bottom of the 8th was one of the best Tiger relief performances of the season. Maybe Nido goes to the pen when Jake gets back.

yeah - the Wings need to make a significant upgrade to at least 2 lines to be a decent team. I'd settle for a couple of not necessarily great scorers who can skate and forecheck better than average because adding those skills will leverage the game for the offensively talented players already here.

exactly. These people apparently have black holes where their souls should be. People will dump on the court again, but I'm not sure how much choice the court has in terms of law. Hard to tell the exec it can't end something it created by its own actions. That's a problem with policy that end-runs Congress no matter which side makes it. But the larger moral point being that even if there is a reasonable policy reason to end such a program (which I'm not arguing either way here), you know this admin will opt for the most needlessly unnecessary draconian methods it can in implementing the change.

true there. Of course we don't know if Baddoo has actually made enough progress with his bat for there to be any interest in slotting him in for more than this little look see. They do seem to like Malloy though - I guess he is sort of specialty weapon to keep the line moving against a reliever with spotty control. But I had also had the impression Ibanez was under-performing, but looking at his line he's pretty much right where he usually is, so probably less risk of him losing his spot than I speculated.

using the bat angle instead of the forward progress of the whole bat is an interesting way to do this. I will be a big benefit to guys who end up twisting forward getting away from an inside pitch but get called for a swing even though the bat head stayed behind their hands. Under this system much less possibility of that being called a strike. It does blow up the conventional wisdom idea that it's a strike if the bat crosses home plate - a concept that was never in the rule book to begin with.

McKinstry has drifted back down to a more normal (for him) 600 OPS in his last 60 PA (since 5/1), which was never a matter of 'if', only 'when', and that's fine. Of course what we don't want to see is Torkelson turn back into a pumpkin - but unlike McKinstry, there is nothing in his BaBIP, xwOBA etc, to indicate he's gotten any particular good luck to get his results.

IDK about from the OF but they said he had no throws in the game he played at 3rd so he'll keep rotating in there until he gets tested.

I can see it setting up for Baddoo and Malloy to rotate back and forth to the Hens depending on what kind of pitching the Tigers are going to see over each couple of week period - and of course whether they keep producing. When one of them goes that makes room for Vierling. Jake will replace Nido. The big question is who gets bumped for Parker? I'm still guessing it will be Andy Ibanez. Or Andy will be saved for the time being by some one else going to the IL.

If Lolich was your model for what a pitcher should be doing, you would burn out a lot of pitchers!

Well, the Leafs held out for 23 minutes before completing the collapse.

He's upholding journalistic objectivity standards. Doesn't want to appear biased against death.

Not quite a Moonlight Graham life story, but in the ballpark.

Matt Manning's BA against was 300 after his last start. In his 5 relief appearances in May since moving to strictly relief, it has been 189. Hope Matt has found his niche.

So on ESPN's Tiger page they have come up with the Tidbit that Jobe is the first pitcher in Tiger history to have the team go 8-0 in his 1st 8 starts. The previous holder of the mark of seven wins out of the gate was one Howie Koplitz, who accomplished same during two late season call-ups in '61 and of '62. (the 61 Tiger team was very good - 101 wins, disgustingly enough, the Yankees were even very gooder - 109 wins). Sadly that was all the starts Howie ever made for the Tigers. He never got out of AAA (Syracuse) for the Tigers in '63, ended up with Senators where he threw 106 innings in '65, then was out of baseball by age 28. We can only hope young Master Jobe is destined for a more memorable career.

I'll wager it will be along the lines of 'see what a disaster it would have been if you'd elected him'. I don't see how that personality resists going there - and resist isn't even the right word, he won't feel any hesitation at all.

There is the old truism about the rain falling both on the just and the unjust, but the truth of the truism isn't very satisfying sometimes.

To be honest, I think it has as much to do with having more time to fill than they have good material for. This is the general problem across virtually all media today - dilution. In recent years the media universe is expanding more rapidly than the material universe and the material universe is having a difficult time trying to fill it.

He's keeping that bonus pick hope alive.

So the win in this game went to the guy we weren't supposed to draft, all the runs were driven in by the guy who wasn't supposed to make the team, and the save went to the guy we tried to give away twice. BASEBALL!

terrible umpiring behind the plate in this series.

Geesh - now we need a four out inning.

So @chasfh, related to the topic yesterday about balls coming into play - note how catchers getting a new ball throw it to the pitcher while they are still holding the old one and don't toss the old one away until after the throw? I'm trying think if I'd ever paid attention to that but my impression of my memory is that it wasn't done that way back in the day.

another bone head play. Tiger's haven't always played their usual brand of flawless ball in this series.

I love Kahnle as *part* of our BP. Not so sure I love him having to be the go to guy. also may be time for Dingler be hitting higher in the order. I know catchers don't necessary like hitting high in the order and AJ like to take care of his catchers,, but that's the tax for being a hitter.