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  • Game Thread Tigers@Twins 4/27 7:10PM

    Riverbrian

    By Riverbrian

    It's almost like Groundhog Day... We are going back in time to the beginning of the season and facing David Price in the series opener once again. I suppose that means that we will also face the top of the rotation once again. However... There is a difference... This Time we are at home and that should make all the difference in the world. You gotta believe... That's all... YOU GOTTA Believe!!!

    Time to drop a net on those Tigers... Ship them to a Zoo and charge admission to view them.

    Here are some Things to Think About:

    Twins Video

    1. The Tigers -- I realize that 96% of you agree with every single word I say. So I know that my pre-season thoughts on the Tigers are going to be controversial with the 4% who occasionally find my thoughts quirky and more applicable to the discussion of banana's. Controversy be damned... Here goes. Despite losing Scherzer and Porcello... I felt going into this season that the Tigers were going to be stronger this year and defense is why. Getting Iglasias back at SS and adding Cespedes and Gose to that outfield is a game changer... It balances out the team... It addresses holes that were there in years past. I also understand that the team is now eating at the same restaurants together. They formed singing groups and are practicing harmony and performing at old folks homes (Chief's House for example). They are watching over each other's children and wife swapping for unity. This is going to make them very hard to beat.

    2. Excitement in Michigan -- I think the people of Michigan are very excited about this team. In a way... That's Good... because the people of Michigan need something to get excited about. I have no idea why anyone would want to live in Michigan. The State really needs to start recruiting talented people and it looks like the state is rebounding in that department. There are many famous people from Michigan... There's Umm... Bob Seger... and... Grand Funk Railroad... Tim Allen... President Ford... Umm... Some other people... Mike Modano. But... all those people have left the state. Seger... Grand Funk... Tim Allen I believe all reside in California... President Ford is in Heaven so he left the state. Dyersville Iowa is where he and Betty are I believe. The Tigers are good for the state... All those hard working Americans that built my Dodge Dart... Oops... No that was built in Illinois. Sorry... Never mind.

    3. David Price -- David Price is on the mound tonight... The big question... What will be the Price for Price when he hits Free Agency? Bob Barker... or Drew Carey... David Price come on down. You're the next contestant on...

    One thing is for sure... He's going to be very expensive. Here are some other things that are very expensive.

    Indoor Pools -- It turns out that they cost a lot. Almost as much as you paid for your entire house. If you are serious about such things... You may want to consider running through the sprinkler instead. Or... You know what just Flood your Basement. That seems reasonable.

    Lobster -- It always says Market Price and the Market Price is?... I don't know what Market is driving it up. I like Lobster but not enough to take out a loan to have it. There is something tasty about a creature that eats dead stuff off the bottom of the ocean.

    Medication -- Yeah... You need Medicine to take care of that giant thing growing on your eyeball. Bring your wallet until it goes generic.

    Hockey -- Hockey is very expensive... and you don't always get to keep your teeth either.

    The Crap that the Top Models wear walking down that Runway -- The Designers are rich.. The Models are rich... Yet... You can't help wonder who is actually buying this stuff. You don't see a lot of ladies walking around in a dress made of an actual net that they use to trap bears. They don't wear this stuff at the PTA meetings I've been to and I haven't found any of these products at K-Mart.

    Puppies -- Go to a shelter and get yourself a Puppy. It's at least $200 Bucks... Go ahead and try to get a purebred from a breeder... You'll drop a thousand easy... Meanwhile... Puppies are getting put to sleep every day because they can't find homes for them. Whatever happened to the big box of puppies with a sign that says "Free". That works... It's exactly how Ash met his wife. He was in Box with a sign that says "Free".

    Wallets -- A really nice wallet can be costly. So you buy it and have nothing to keep in it.

    4. Winning the Series -- The Twins are on a nice roll... Winning another Series this weekend. After the start they had... If they keep doing that... They will be playing .500 ball by July. Go Twins

    5. Cooking -- I don't have a lot of experience preparing food but I learned something yesterday. The Smoke Detector in the house will tell you when its done. Also... If something is pecking itself out of the egg you were going to use... You'll have to be a little more creative with The Eggs Benedict. I also learned that most food can't be kept longer than the lifespan of a Hamster... So I now keep a Hamster in the fridge to stay on top of this.

    --------

    Game-time forecast: 66 deg F, sunny and clear (sunset at 8:13pm), no chance of rain, winds from the N at 6mph. (I hope you all realize ... it is 20 degrees WARMER there than it is here in Chicago.)

    TIGERS:

    Kinsler 2B

    Iglesias SS

    Cabrera 1B

    Martinez, V DH

    Martinez, JD RF

    Cespedes LF

    Avila C

    Perez 3B

    Gose CF

    Price P

    TWINS:

    Dozier 2B

    Hunter RF

    Mauer 1B

    Plouffe 3B

    Nunez DH

    Suzuki C

    Robinson LF

    Schafer CF

    Santana SS

    Milone P

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    Featured Comments

    Blake

    Blake 12,585

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Ah, Escobar's pinch hitting appearance: the perfect example of small sample size versus larger sample size.

     

    If I heard Dick and Bert correctly, Escobar is 2 for 3, now 2 for 4 against Chamberlain.

     

    For the year, in, what, 30 PA's, Escobar is hitting a .150.

     

    Ah, well, the Twins didn't roll over. And the Tigers looked a bit desperate.

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    stringer bell

    stringer bell 12,723

  • Community Leader

    • Posted

    OK, I know "the book" says you play for a tie at home, but I don't like the idea of bunting Santana in the ninth.  First of all Schafer is a real threat to steal second by himself.  Secondly, if he doesn't go, it gives Santana a big hole to shoot through and Soria's attention would be divided between home and first.  I really would have liked to see both speedsters get on to start that inning.  Putting the game on the shoulders of Dozier and Hunter isn't really wise, since neither are hitting that red-hot this spring.

     

    Regarding pinch-hitting Escobar, I think we should give him some credit for last year and a small amount for the way he hit in spring training.  In addition, Shane Robinson isn't a .350 hitter.  I haven't liked the way Escobar has been swinging since the season started and three or four ABs  isn't enough information to base a decision for pinch-hitting.

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    Platoon

    Platoon 8,711

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Regarding pinch hitting Escobar, what are your choices? Mauer is the only one that is hitting at all. Plouffe maybe? And they were both in the lineup. This is really not a good offensive team. Dozier has completely sold out on the inside pitch, and seems to be getting more and more frustrated. Virtually every young hitter in the orginisation is struggling. It's like it's a disease.

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    USAFChief

    USAFChief 58,010

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    Yeah, that's the ticket: Escobar and his buck fifty average for Robinson and his defense. Oh, did I mention that Robinson is actually hitting?

     

    Again with the lefty-righty matchup using someone who is not hitting. 

     

    Not pinch hitting for Robinson could be easily explained. Pinch hitting Escobar for Robinson? Not as easily explained in my book.

    I guess I'd have the opposite reaction. To rip off a great line..."Pinch hitter for Robinson? Great move Molitor! Who's the pinch hitter?"

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    Blake

    Blake 12,585

  • Verified Member

    • Posted (edited)

     

    OK, I know "the book" says you play for a tie at home, but I don't like the idea of bunting Santana in the ninth.  First of all Schafer is a real threat to steal second by himself.  Secondly, if he doesn't go, it gives Santana a big hole to shoot through and Soria's attention would be divided between home and first.  I really would have liked to see both speedsters get on to start that inning.  Putting the game on the shoulders of Dozier and Hunter isn't really wise, since neither are hitting that red-hot this spring.

     

    Regarding pinch-hitting Escobar, I think we should give him some credit for last year and a small amount for the way he hit in spring training.  In addition, Shane Robinson isn't a .350 hitter.  I haven't liked the way Escobar has been swinging since the season started and three or four ABs  isn't enough information to base a decision for pinch-hitting.

    This is one of my problems with the Moneyball approach to pinch hitting, etc. I think people like Molitor may get to caught up in Sabremetrics to the point of ignoring who is currently producing. Sabermetrics may be all well and good for long term trends but it isn't all about numbers. It is also about judgement. Sometimes, you have to play the cards you're dealt.

    Edited by Blake
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    Mike Sixel

    Mike Sixel 41,021

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

     

    Ah, Escobar's pinch hitting appearance: the perfect example of small sample size versus larger sample size.

     

    If I heard Dick and Bert correctly, Escobar is 2 for 3, now 2 for 4 against Chamberlain.

     

    For the year, in, what, 30 PA's, Escobar is hitting a .150.

     

    Ah, well, the Twins didn't roll over. And the Tigers looked a bit desperate.

     

    Wait, you are complaining about small sample size, then saying 30 PAs this year is more relevant than their careers? I'm confused.

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    stringer bell

    stringer bell 12,723

  • Community Leader

    • Posted

     

    Wait, you are complaining about small sample size, then saying 30 PAs this year is more relevant than their careers? I'm confused.

    Exactly, Mike.  If you want to win the game against the setup guy, probably it would be best to go with a guy with power (Arcia, Vargas) even though they are scuffling.  The Twins had the catcher (slow runner) on first and two outs.  Escobar and the next guy (Schafer, now hitting .190) would most likely need to get hits to tie the game.  In summary, there weren't a lot of good options, but a home run hitter would have a slugger's chance of handing the ball to Perkins with a lead in the ninth.

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    Blake

    Blake 12,585

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

     

    Wait, you are complaining about small sample size, then saying 30 PAs this year is more relevant than their careers? I'm confused.

    Dick and Bert made the point that Escobar was 2 for 3 against Chamberlain, which is 5 PA's. Small sample size compared to Escobars current lack of hitting. (30 PA's > 5 PA's)* Career numbers are all well and good however, at some point, the here and now needs to be factored in. I do not believe Molitor is doing a good job of balancing the here and now with long term player trends.

     

    It's my opinion, nothing more. If managing a baseball team were easy, it would be a minimum wage job and anyone could do it, yours truly included.

     

     

    *30 PA's is a WAG, I admit.

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