9-17-21 Tigers @ Rays 7:10 PM

[gehringer_2]

Ump is in the tank for the home team.

Not that it mattered as he missed by a mile with the next one.....

Edited September 18, 2021 by gehringer_2

[mtutiger]

Brutal. Just brutal 

Edited September 18, 2021 by mtutiger

[IdahoBert]

3-run home run ends with Devil Rays dismembering their hapless prey. 

[gehringer_2]

Bryan Garcia is a wreck. He looked really promising at one point but it's just gone bye-bye for him.

[IdahoBert]

I don’t feel bad about it. We don’t have any skin in the playoffs or anything and this team played hard and had some bad luck. I’m excited at how the team plays in general and next year will be a real treat.

[mtutiger]

That game was lost in the 9th.... they really needed to get Soto out after the walk.

That said, Garcia showed little in that inning to suggest he's a piece of the bullpen going forward 

[chasfh]

Tough loss tonight. I think we’ve been spoiled of late expecting the Tigers to hold leads and win games, and in fact, stealing games in the late innings from other teams. I’ll be happy to get out of Tampa with one now.

[mtutiger]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:30 AM, IdahoBert said:

I don’t feel bad about it. We don’t have any skin in the playoffs or anything and this team played hard and had some bad luck. I’m excited at how the team plays in general and next year will be a real treat.

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This one hurt, but in the grand scheme you are right. 

[chasfh]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:31 AM, mtutiger said:

That game was lost in the 9th.... they really needed to get Soto out after the walk.

That said, Garcia showed little in that inning to suggest he's a piece of the bullpen going forward 

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Haase’s failure to block that pitch in the dirt in the ninth, allowing the runner to get to third and eventually letting him score the tying run on the sac fly—that was the game.

Edited September 18, 2021 by chasfh

[mtutiger]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:33 AM, chasfh said:

Haase’s failure to block that pitch in the dirt in the ninth, allowing the runner to get to third and eventually score the tying run on the sac fly—that was the game.

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That didn't help, obviously, I just kinda operate under the assumption that bases loaded, no out against this team, they'd be lucky to get out of that inning tied.

Soto was left in a bit too long imo.

Edited September 18, 2021 by mtutiger

[gehringer_2]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:31 AM, mtutiger said:

That game was lost in the 9th.... they really needed to get Soto out after the walk.

That said, Garcia showed little in that inning to suggest he's a piece of the bullpen going forward 

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  On 9/18/2021 at 2:33 AM, chasfh said:

Haase’s failure to block that pitch in the dirt in the ninth, allowing the runner to get to third and eventually letting him score the tying run on the sac fly—that was the game.

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pretty much a multi-modal failure. This is probably an easy win in a world where Casey pitches 6. And TBF, the Tigers had some bad BaBIP luck - the lead could have been bigger. But Garcia's continuing failure is probably the primary takeaway. Be a shame if they can't fix him.

[chasfh]

Bally Detroit is telling us this is just the 4th game this season the Tigers have lost after leading at the end of the 7th. That’s super impressive.

[IdahoBert]

There’s a lot of noise in the background. Are the clubhouses right next to each other? 

[mtutiger]

They should have pulled him

[IdahoBert]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:46 AM, mtutiger said:

They should have pulled him

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Yeah if they were so careful with someone’s butt they should’ve been more careful with someone’s hand. They did end up using nine pitchers. I think AJ was trying to save the bullpen as much as possible and errored on the side of being positive about how Soto felt. 

[IdahoBert]

Having a star pitcher go only three innings on purpose is already conceding a large aspect of the game. There’s a good reason for it, it had to be done, but losing a game under these circumstances is not surprising especially against a team like Tampa Bay. 

[mtutiger]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:53 AM, IdahoBert said:

Having a star pitcher go only three innings on purpose is already conceding a large aspect of the game. There’s a good reason for it, it had to be done, but losing a game under these circumstances is not surprising especially against a team like Tampa Bay. 

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They have a ceiling for sure because of their constraints pitching wise.

I've been thinking 75 wins is that ceiling as the season has evolved, but they keep pushing the envelope. Tonight is one of those games that would have been nice to put in the bank to reach that goal, but it is what it is.

Move on, and try to get out of St. Petersburg with at least one W

Edited September 18, 2021 by mtutiger

[Blue Square Thing]

  On 9/17/2021 at 6:57 PM, MotownWebGuy said:

Worst stadium in baseball...

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This all happened in the middle of my night, but probably the second worst stadium in any sport in the world as far as I can tell.

I've been to Portman Road...

[casimir]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:31 AM, mtutiger said:

That game was lost in the 9th.... they really needed to get Soto out after the walk.

That said, Garcia showed little in that inning to suggest he's a piece of the bullpen going forward 

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Relievers are just odd.  What did Funkhouser show in 2019 & 2020?

I wouldn't want to count on either Garcia or Funkhouser as a part of the "late & close" subgrouping of the bullpen going forward.

[chasfh]

  On 9/18/2021 at 9:02 AM, Blue Square Thing said:

This all happened in the middle of my night, but probably the second worst stadium in any sport in the world as far as I can tell.

I've been to Portman Road...

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But have you been to the Homerdome? Yikes!

[MotownWebGuy]

  On 9/18/2021 at 1:15 PM, chasfh said:

But have you been to the Homerdome? Yikes!

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I’ve been to both… I can give the Homerdome a pass since it was a multi-purpose stadium. Tropicana is baseball only and still fails.

[casimir]

  On 9/18/2021 at 1:45 PM, MotownWebGuy said:

I’ve been to both… I can give the Homerdome a pass since it was a multi-purpose stadium. Tropicana is baseball only and still fails.

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Wasn't Tropicana developed as a multipurpose?

I think one of the things that baseball fans maybe forget or don't realize is that it was opened in 1990.  Camden Yards, which has become the standard for the new era of stadia, opened in 1992.  Tropicana should be more comparable to Toronto's Roger's Centre (opened as SkyDome in 1989).  But I think that because it didn't have a baseball tenant until 1998, it's sterile/unpleasant nature gets magnified a bit.  The Rays were created in the retro park era, but started and have only played in a cookie cutter.  And of course, the lack of attendance adds into the perception as well.

[MotownWebGuy]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:05 PM, casimir said:

Wasn't Tropicana developed as a multipurpose?

I think one of the things that baseball fans maybe forget or don't realize is that it was opened in 1990.  Camden Yards, which has become the standard for the new era of stadia, opened in 1992.  Tropicana should be more comparable to Toronto's Roger's Centre (opened as SkyDome in 1989).  But I think that because it didn't have a baseball tenant until 1998, it's sterile/unpleasant nature gets magnified a bit.  The Rays were created in the retro park era, but started and have only played in a cookie cutter.  And of course, the lack of attendance adds into the perception as well.

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I believe Tropicana Field was built specifically to try and lure a baseball team to the area, with the White Sox and Giants the targets at that time. The stadium was used for other sports (it was the early home for the Lightening), but that was primarily because it wasn’t being used much until the Rays came along. I don’t believe multipurpose was the idea behind it, but may be wrong. 

[casimir]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:16 PM, MotownWebGuy said:

I believe Tropicana Field was built specifically to try and lure a baseball team to the area, with the White Sox and Giants the targets at that time. The stadium was used for other sports (it was the early home for the Lightening), but that was primarily because it wasn’t being used much until the Rays came along. I don’t believe multipurpose was the idea behind it, but may be wrong. 

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I remember the White Sox and Giants rumors.  And there was also the attempt at the 1993 expansion.

Its kind of funny to think of the current situation in the Bay Area and how in some alternate universe the A's became the only team around after the Tampa Giants became a thing.

[gehringer_2]

  On 9/18/2021 at 2:16 PM, MotownWebGuy said:

I believe Tropicana Field was built specifically to try and lure a baseball team to the area, with the White Sox and Giants the targets at that time. The stadium was used for other sports (it was the early home for the Lightening), but that was primarily because it wasn’t being used much until the Rays came along. I don’t believe multipurpose was the idea behind it, but may be wrong. 

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I guess as long as you have an ownership group willing to pony up the entry fees the other owners are not going to complain about getting paid, but I don't get how they ever thought a team in St. Pete had enough accessible fan base to fill a ballpark irrespective of whether it was attractive or not.

Edited September 18, 2021 by gehringer_2