2014 MLB Thread

[357]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

Great games last night. Well, the Tigers/Orioles was good up until the Tigers bullpen took over in the 8th.

That's been the chorus in Detroit since April.

Originally Posted by kelmac07

Can the Tigers bullpen really be that bad??

Originally Posted by jonumberone

So far the Postseason has been great, but, my God, the managing has been awful.

The Tigers paid dearly for their managers mistakes.
Game 1, you go to your bullpen guys in their roles. I get it. But you can't go back to them in game 2
Dombrowski has to take a hit too.
His team is a perennial playoff competitor, but he's has the same problem every year.
The bullpen has been his Achilles heel.

Unfortunately yes, yes they ARE that bad. Some want to run Dave Dombrowski (GM) out of town but you have to think about it. If last year someone said our bad bullpen would be adding Joba, Soria, Nathan, and Johnson for the upcoming season, you would have expected improvement. Clearly that wasn't the case.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by 357

If last year someone said our bad bullpen would be adding Joba, Soria, Nathan, and Johnson for the upcoming season, you would have expected improvement.

I'm not trying to pick on the Tigers or their GM, but every one of those guys is or was damaged goods.
Nathan probably had the best track record of the lot, but he's always been terrible in a big spot. Nathan has a bit of Trevor Hoffman in him.
Dombrowski signed players with a potential upside, but with just as big of a downside IMO.

Another great night of baseball!
I don't know if I ever saw a ballpark as electric as Busch was in the 7th after Adams hit that HR.
Feeling bad for Mattingly this morning. He's probably going to get killed by the fans, and some in the media, plus he might find himself without a job.
The truth of the matter is, he went down with the best pitcher in baseball on the mound, twice.
FWIW, the Dodgers need to get Puig off of that team. As great as he can be, he's a cancer.

Watching the SF game, after Posey singles in the 7th, with Pence and Sandoval coming up, I say to myself they're going to break it open and take the lead.
They got the lead, but it was Washington that handed it to them. Sandoval or Pence didn't even make contact, and next thing you know, they were winning.
FWIW, I though Washington looked tight after the 2nd. I thought Matt Williams made a mistake by getting a pitcher up in the pen.
I know it's an elimination game, and you don't want it to get away from you, but the situation they were in wasn't because Gio was pitching bad.
I just feel like hit hit the panic button too early, and his team played tight after that.
Williams won't be long for DC, especially if he can't get along with Harper. Harper was the only Nat that didn't tighten up.

Originally Posted by jonumberone

I'm not trying to pick on the Tigers or their GM, but every one of those guys is or was damaged goods.
Nathan probably had the best track record of the lot, but he's always been terrible in a big spot. Nathan has a bit of Trevor Hoffman in him.
Dombrowski signed players with a potential upside, but with just as big of a downside IMO.

I agree, those guys were signed on the downside. Of course it's easy to say after the fact, but Nathan was obvious to me.

What's the consensus on Max Scherzer? Do the Tigers have room to sign him? I think they probably can but I'm not sure they do. They need to work out something with Price to avoid arbitration, and they also need*(at least I think so) to sign VMart. You look at their rotation without Max and you wonder if it's really necessary for them to offer a lucrative multi year contract to him. I guess what I'm saying is: Max sign with the White Sox!!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by ChicagoWhiteSox

Cards/Giants game was pretty boring last night. That series better get more interesting.

Tonight interesting enough for you, Nate? Wow!

Originally Posted by ChicagoWhiteSox

What's the consensus on Max Scherzer? Do the Tigers have room to sign him? I think they probably can but I'm not sure they do. They need to work out something with Price to avoid arbitration, and they also need*(at least I think so) to sign VMart. You look at their rotation without Max and you wonder if it's really necessary for them to offer a lucrative multi year contract to him. I guess what I'm saying is: Max sign with the White Sox!!

Tigers apparently are going to let Max walk. If they can keep Price, he, Verlander, Sanchez and Porcello make a pretty competitive starting foursome.

I have heard the VMart wants 3 years and it is a possibility the Tigers won't give him that. I think the Tigers will be making a mistake if they let him go, Cabrera is going to take a lot of walks if VMart isn't following him.

[kansashat]

I'm not really up to date in baseball, but have been a Cards fan my whole life.

I had the pleasure of going to Cards games in the latter 1960's when I was "ahem" slightly younger. I got to see Roger Maris play in the last cpl years of his career...he was impressive, even in the twilight of his years in baseball...I watched him look like he was crawling up the right field wall on his shoulder blades to catch a fly ball. Bob Gibson, Lou Brock, Julian Javier, Dal Maxvill, etc. What a great team!

I told someone once that I used to listen to Cards games on the radio when I was a kid & the announcer was a really colorful, & possibly, slightly inebriated guy & he was very entertaining. He said, "Who? Jack Buck?" I said, "No." "Harry Carey?" "Nope." "Who then?" "Dizzy Dean!" I replied. He laughed & said you don't look quite that old Alan.

To the Royals fans...my apologies, but the Royals did not exist back then & the A's sucked before they went to Oakland.

To sum up my perhaps boring rant...Here's to another I-70 series.

[jonumberone]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Tonight interesting enough for you, Nate? Wow!

Switched off the Football Giants in time to see the last few innings of this.
2 teams that just don't know how to lose.
This is going to be a tremendous series.

One of the best postseasons in recent memory, thus far!

Originally Posted by icehog3

Tonight interesting enough for you, Nate? Wow!

It was! Walk off home runs in the post season are the best.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by ChicagoWhiteSox

It was! Walk off home runs in the post season are the best.

Not to mention the homers in the 7th and 8th, and the Giants scoring from second base on a wild pitch in the top of the 9th! I don't think you even watched it, Nate.

[357]

Originally Posted by ChicagoWhiteSox

What's the consensus on Max Scherzer? Do the Tigers have room to sign him? I think they probably can but I'm not sure they do. They need to work out something with Price to avoid arbitration, and they also need*(at least I think so) to sign VMart. You look at their rotation without Max and you wonder if it's really necessary for them to offer a lucrative multi year contract to him. I guess what I'm saying is: Max sign with the White Sox!!

Tom is right. The Tigers gave Max their best offer and he refused. It's all but official that he's gone. I think they're still stinging from the Verlander deal. He' was bad this year and only pitched well in Sept/Oct in 2013. They have $55 million tied up in him and Cabrera each year. I also agree that V-Mart HAS to come back if the Tigers don't want Miggy to break Barry Bond's walk record in 2015.

I am OK if the Tigers let Max walk as long as they spend the money they offered him ($20-25 million) on other upgrades like CF, Catcher, RF, and most of all the BULLPEN!!!!

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by 357

I am OK if the Tigers let Max walk as long as they spend the money they offered him ($20-25 million) on other upgrades like CF, Catcher, RF, and most of all the BULLPEN!!!!

Sadly you are right, Mike, I like Avila, but he just seems to be damaged goods at this point. I would be shocked if he can catch more than a couple more years, and he doesn't have the bat to play 1st or DH.