casimir Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, buddha said: taking the family to wrigley tonight. 9 year old's first game! How awesome, have a great time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casimir Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, oblong said: I wonder if the team is staying in the same hotel the entire time. I don't know why I concern myself with these things but I do.... Ha! I wondered about that, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMRivdogs Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 Just looked it up, in the past most MLB teams stayed at the Westin on Michigan Ave. I cant vouch for this weekend. I'm sure there is a standing agreement between MLB and Westin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 1 hour ago, CMRivdogs said: Just looked it up, in the past most MLB teams stayed at the Westin on Michigan Ave. I cant vouch for this weekend. I'm sure there is a standing agreement between MLB and Westin. good news then! no bomb threat at the westin. yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoBert Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 It sure would make sense if NL teams played both the Giants and the Dodgers back to back in the olden days. But scheduling would’ve had to have been predicated on those two teams being in town back to back so it’s possible it may have occurred, but perhaps not often. It might’ve been seen as giving an edge to the visitor team and hence something to be avoided. I don’t know, though. I’m just thinking off the top of my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gilmore Posted August 20 Share Posted August 20 I wasn’t getting very agitated by the bomb threats, but upon reading they included a bowling alley lounge I have upped my concern level appropriately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddha Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 9 hours ago, casimir said: How awesome, have a great time! a good time (and snacks) was had by all. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobrob2004 Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 Tyler Holton needs to be a starting pitcher next year. It's not unheard of to transition a reliever to a starter (Michael Lorenzen did it at age 30, Holton will be 29 next year). Holton has started 5 games this year, but all of them have been "bullpen" days and he hasn't gone past the 3rd inning in any of them. No, he needs to be a full fledged starting pitcher that goes at least 5 innings. And he definitely has the numbers to do it. Last year, Holton pitched 85 1/3 innings. This is a lot for a primary reliver (only Jake Bird, 89 IP, and Jakub Junis, 86 IP had more innings pitched while starting less than 5 games). This year, he had 70 2/3 IP, again one of the highest innings total for a primary reliever. Let's look at the stats. Over the last 2 years in 156 innings, Holton has a 2.31 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 0.85 WHIP. 7.4 K/9, 1.8 BB/9 and 0.8 HR/9. As a southpaw, he is obviously better against lefties (.144/.189/.196 career batting against) but he can get righties out too (.215/.267/.360 career batting against). Finally, just look at his numbers on Baseball Savant: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/tyler-holton-663947?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb Pitching Run Value: 93 percentile. Fastball Run Value: 97 percentile. xERA: 86 percentile. Average Exit Velocity: 93 percentile. Chase%: 98 percentile. He was great last year and is even better this year. Something I find interesting is that he exclusively throws cutters and changeups to RHB and sinkers and sliders to LHB. He seems like a smart pitcher in this way, and I'm attributing most of that to Chris Fetter. No, Tyler Holton is not going to turn into a Cy Young pitcher as a starter, but he is being wasted in the bullpen. There is no doubt in my mind that he can be an effective starting pitcher at the ML level and now is a great time to start stretching him out, since he is already "starting" with all the injuries and the Flaherty trade. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1984Echoes Posted August 21 Share Posted August 21 19 hours ago, buddha said: a good time (and snacks) was had by all. Look at that SMILE!!! on that first timer!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casimir Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Think about all of the pitching issues this team has had. League average run prevention is 4.42. The Tigers clock in at 4.16, 10th best in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyMarsh Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Chris Fetter effect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alex Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 (edited) 22 minutes ago, casimir said: Think about all of the pitching issues this team has had. League average run prevention is 4.42. The Tigers clock in at 4.16, 10th best in the league. Perhaps the 'pitching issues' you are talking about are the 'norm' for this day and age. The outliers are the teams only using 6-7 SPs at this time - if there are any at all. There simply are many injuries. As an example the 2006 Tigers only had 7 SPs of 2 starts or more! Kind of like the back of the Don Wert baseball card (RIP). Back then and well before, even for a decade or two after, the position players played/started 140+ games quite often. This is a different day and game today. Organizational depth is of utmost importance today. Edited August 27 by alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casimir Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 27 minutes ago, alex said: Perhaps the 'pitching issues' you are talking about are the 'norm' for this day and age. The outliers are the teams only using 6-7 SPs at this time - if there are any at all. There simply are many injuries. As an example the 2006 Tigers only had 7 SPs of 2 starts or more! Kind of like the back of the Don Wert baseball card (RIP). Back then and well before, even for a decade or two after, the position players played/started 140+ games quite often. This is a different day and game today. Organizational depth is of utmost importance today. Agree, there are too many injuries. With all of the health regimen advances over the years, the game as is played now just counteracts all of that advancement and won't allow stamina to be any more than a 7 inning appearance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motor City Sonics Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Can we play the White Sox some more? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RatkoVarda Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 5 minutes ago, Motor City Sonics said: Can we play the White Sox some more? Last 3 games of the year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasfh Posted August 27 Author Share Posted August 27 We talk about the games that start with Tyler Holton or Beau Brieske or Alex Faedo as being "bullpen games", but that's not really what they are, are they? A bullpen game is one in which we waste seven pitchers going one to two innings apiece in a bid to rest starters. But really, isn't what we have are doing actually "opener" games, in which A.J. puts a bullpen arm out there based on whatever seems to be the best matchup against the first time through the top of or completely through this particular order, and then we bring long guys Maeda or Sammons or Hurter to come in during the second and then chow innings until the seventh or so? I think A.J.'s strategy is to get a good start against a time first time through the order while hopefully we can steal a run or two ourselves and take an early lead. Please forgive me if this has already been reported, but I haven't seen anything written about it in this precise vein, so, sorry for the Captain Obvious routine here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 (edited) 14 minutes ago, chasfh said: We talk about the games that start with Tyler Holton or Beau Brieske or Alex Faedo as being "bullpen games", but that's not really what they are, are they? A bullpen game is one in which we waste seven pitchers going one to two innings apiece in a bid to rest starters. But really, isn't what we have are doing actually "opener" games, in which A.J. puts a bullpen arm out there based on whatever seems to be the best matchup against the first time through the top of or completely through this particular order, and then we bring long guys Maeda or Sammons or Hurter to come in during the second and then chow innings until the seventh or so? I think A.J.'s strategy is to get a good start against a time first time through the order while hopefully we can steal a run or two ourselves and take an early lead. Please forgive me if this has already been reported, but I haven't seen anything written about it in this precise vein, so, sorry for the Captain Obvious routine here. Good question. Maybe they do it for 'political' reasons. I get the impression there are powers that be in league management who don't like teams using openers and since the bulk guys we are using have come from the minors and never started for Detroit, Hinch can maintain a fig leaf that these are true bullpen days forced by our injury depleted condition instead of openers being used to grease the skids for low quality LH starters. Maeda is the exception (and also right handed) but a failed starter being demoted the the bullpen as a long man is SOP enough not to raise eyebrows. Edited August 27 by gehringer_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasfh Posted August 27 Author Share Posted August 27 2 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: Good question. Maybe they do it for 'political' reasons. Cynical take. I don't think so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 2 minutes ago, chasfh said: Cynical take. I don't think so. yes, yes it is OK - here is the flip side: You follow Hinch close enough to know he hates labeling anything because he feel labels put him in boxes he doesn't want to operate in. So he resists calling someone he uses as closer the closer, moves guys around the batting order enough that no-one is really strictly a 'leadoff' or 'clean-up' hitter and uses an opener without calling it that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oblong Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 I remember some casual joking around back in JV's early days that we needed an "opener" for his starts since he "always strugged" in the 1st inning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chasfh Posted August 27 Author Share Posted August 27 7 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said: yes, yes it is OK - here is the flip side: You follow Hinch close enough to know he hates labeling anything because he feel labels put him in boxes he doesn't want to operate in. So he resists calling someone he uses as closer the closer, moves guys around the batting order enough that no-one is really strictly a 'leadoff' or 'clean-up' hitter and uses an opener without calling it that. Does this mean A.J.'s intent is more about politics than it is about trying to win? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 (edited) 6 minutes ago, chasfh said: Does this mean A.J.'s intent is more about politics than it is about trying to win? I'd say the opposite (talking the 1st take here). He wants to do something to win that might be frowned on so he obfuscates that something is just sort of happening accidentally when he is doing what he is doing with studied intention. "we're just piecing it together as we go....." Edited August 27 by gehringer_2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casimir Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 33 minutes ago, chasfh said: We talk about the games that start with Tyler Holton or Beau Brieske or Alex Faedo as being "bullpen games", but that's not really what they are, are they? A bullpen game is one in which we waste seven pitchers going one to two innings apiece in a bid to rest starters. But really, isn't what we have are doing actually "opener" games, in which A.J. puts a bullpen arm out there based on whatever seems to be the best matchup against the first time through the top of or completely through this particular order, and then we bring long guys Maeda or Sammons or Hurter to come in during the second and then chow innings until the seventh or so? I think A.J.'s strategy is to get a good start against a time first time through the order while hopefully we can steal a run or two ourselves and take an early lead. Please forgive me if this has already been reported, but I haven't seen anything written about it in this precise vein, so, sorry for the Captain Obvious routine here. Hinch addressed this on camera and it was shown during the Sunday game. One of his points was that he can pick (assuming a good opener) the leadoff hitter that the bulk reliever will face. So, kind of what you you are alluding to with the "top of", the pitching braintrust can pick where the bulk pitcher goes in based on matchup and/or avoid a 3rd plate appearance vs a certain string of opposing batters. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casimir Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 13 minutes ago, oblong said: I remember some casual joking around back in JV's early days that we needed an "opener" for his starts since he "always strugged" in the 1st inning. Was that Verlander? I remember it was definitely an issue with Bonderman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gehringer_2 Posted August 27 Share Posted August 27 Just now, casimir said: Was that Verlander? I remember it was definitely an issue with Bonderman. I think so with JV Just checking - 2006 wasn't so much an issue but I was just looking at his splits and '07, '07, '09 his 1st inning ERA was definitely elevated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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