A.L. Central Smack 2015

[RollingHills]

Did you know....

Detroit has played the most home games of any AL team. They are 25-27 at home, which is worse than their .500 record on the road. The Tigers are 3-7 in last 10 games. Detroit has given up 18 more runs than their bats have scored.

At 10 1/2 games out with 66 games to play, Detroit would need to go 51-15 the rest of the way if the Royals continue to win at a .600 rate. If the Royals only play .500 ball the rest of the way, the Tigers would still need to be 45-21 to pass.

The Twins at 52-44 are the 2nd wild-card. If the Twins play .500 the rest of the way, Detroit would need to be 39-27 to pass. If Twins continue at same clip, Tigers need only be 43-23 to pass Twins.

 

[RollingHills]

I think we call up Jose Berrios and Oswaldo Arcia to improve our team down the stretch. We do not trade anything away.... unless it improves our pen dramatically.

Suzuki had 2 RBI hits yesterday, batting near .240. I know he has struggled, but he was pretty good last year, it is still there, I hope. If you are going to replace Suzuki, it should be with a much-better catcher all-around. Like a Vogt. I hate AJ.

As long as Hicks keeps hitting and getting better (up to .259), he appears to be an every day player like Hunter. If Rosario keeps hitting (.281) and provides speed (8 sb) he will continue to get the majority of playing time. Buxton and Arcia would end up mostly sitting. Sano will be DH as long as Plouffe is in the lineup.

Shortstop is an obvious sore spot. Getting a Punto type to play there is stupid, we already have Escobar and Santana. Do we really want to invest in a good shortstop? Then trade draft picks, Arcia, Hicks, Berrios, and/or Santana for Tulo. Or switch prospects with Cubs or Reds and get a Castro, Russell, or Suarez.

 

[RollingHills]

I cannot help but think the Astros need a 'Don Baylor' type player on the bench like we used in 1987.

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Twins need to turn this into another great home stand.

Then we need to start winning games on the road!!

 

[mr.hockey4242]

Not sure it matters but man its fun crushing the Yanks...

I was there!!

Sadly the liquor caught up to me. Didn't even know torri and Plouffe homered til today yikes.

 

[da55bums]

3 year average heading into 2015:

JS - 228 Inn / 3.29 ERA / 1.20 WHIP / 121 ERA+
EV - 182 Inn / 4.24 ERA / 1.42 WHIP / 84 ERA+

All things equal, heading into 2015, I don't think you'd find a GM that would have chosen Volquez over Shields.

Oh, I hated the move, thought Edison was going to be a walk machine. But he decided to trust the defense and he is putting up numbers equal to Shields.

Its the SPs that we didn't change that are costing KC innings as well as getting crushed, Vargas, Ventura, Duffy, Guthrie....the Edison for Shields switching isn't costing KC anything.

 

[da55bums]

"Yep to be top notch, have 3 cy young winners or maybe even have 2 cy young winners. Arguably the best rotation to go into the post season in two seasons and get knocked out. Having great starting pitching really made a difference when the pen just gave up the games anyway. That plan has worked out so well."

lol, to sum up...

Detroit has gone to the post season for the last few years with clearly the best rotation. Having the best rotation hasn't been key to winning.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

"Yep to be top notch, have 3 cy young winners or maybe even have 2 cy young winners. Arguably the best rotation to go into the post season in two seasons and get knocked out. Having great starting pitching really made a difference when the pen just gave up the games anyway. That plan has worked out so well."

lol, to sum up...

Detroit has gone to the post season for the last few years with clearly the best rotation. Having the best rotation hasn't been key to winning.

That clears it up. I thought you were talking about the Royals and I was completely lost.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

I can't be mad about the Volquez deal anymore given how he has pitched. It's everyone else that gets my ire. Ventura is curious though with his peripherals suggesting he's much better than his ERA. Fastball happy, bad luck, combination? Hopefully it gets rectified soon.

Medlen is kind of a hail mary, but it can't be worse than Guthrie I suppose.

I see the Royals are no longer "all-in" on Cueto. Which is fine by me. Prospects usually bust, but hand away enough lottery tickets, and you'll give away the winning ticket, too. I would be very happy with Leake though.

Duffy has looked better with the new delivery, strikeout rates are meh at the moment. Hopefully it comes back a bit tonight, weather permitting.

Young is too variable to be relied on, but there really isn't much choice in the matter unless you want to rush guys like Miguel Almonte, Lamb, etc up to the MLB level.

Got a chuckle out of Gordon claiming he thinks he'll be back 5 weeks early... would certainly be interesting I guess.

Just some scatterbrain thoughts.

 

[dougplayer]

after a tough loss last night...which verlander was razor sharp....
tigers come out today and win..that takes HEART...
is it me or does it seem like the tigers just FLIPPED A SWITCH?

 

[dougplayer]

...against a Red Sox offense that's just been tearing the cover off the ball...

Did he get his ERA under 6?

you just showed your igmo rating on that post......
red sox at home........that's tough any time...
verlander last outing must have been a fluke to
BAWWWWHAAAAAAAAA indian fans sour because they are never in it

 

[RollingHills]

The Tigers can still make the playoffs, no one doubts that. The question is will they?

If they flip a switch, Simon and Greene and Verlander pitch decent, guys like Castellanos hit, the bullpen doesn't implode often.. sure. Cabrera comes back. Life could be good.

Neither the Astros nor Twins are loaded, or have the experience down the stretch.

I do not see how a fan of the Twins could feel confident. Hopeful, excited.. yes. But it feels like smoke and mirrors with a lot of our roster. Still, I think they got the right guy making the calls in the dugout, and there is (like Houston) and abundance of talented prospects from years of ineptness.

Meanwhile, we keep killing it vs. Yankees. Pretty soon this New York team may fear Minnesota.

 

[dougplayer]

Did you know....

Detroit has played the most home games of any AL team. They are 25-27 at home, which is worse than their .500 record on the road. The Tigers are 3-7 in last 10 games. Detroit has given up 18 more runs than their bats have scored.

At 10 1/2 games out with 66 games to play, Detroit would need to go 51-15 the rest of the way if the Royals continue to win at a .600 rate. If the Royals only play .500 ball the rest of the way, the Tigers would still need to be 45-21 to pass.

The Twins at 52-44 are the 2nd wild-card. If the Twins play .500 the rest of the way, Detroit would need to be 39-27 to pass. If Twins continue at same clip, Tigers need only be 43-23 to pass Twins.

rolling...I know you sre tcher...but not a math teacher...
let me do the math..
no way royal go .600 ball. no way no how.
both royals and twins will be lucky to stay close to .500. iam going with the under on both teams...I crunched the numbers and see a tread going bad for both teams..its really over most of you guys heads to splane it....
so....I see tigers getting the wild card...

 

[da55bums]

after a tough loss last night...which verlander was razor sharp....
tigers come out today and win..that takes HEART...
is it me or does it seem like the tigers just FLIPPED A SWITCH?

Dude, you have said they have flipped a switch so many times, I wonder if you wired it correctly?

 

[RollingHills]

i gave us the kiss of death last post... my bad

 

[Fountain City Blues]

Apparently, the Royals were so close to acquiring Cueto last night, the Reds were warming up Lorenzen before the game.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

after a tough loss last night...which verlander was razor sharp....
tigers come out today and win..that takes HEART...
is it me or does it seem like the tigers just FLIPPED A SWITCH?

I don't know anything about a switch, but I'm pretty sure you just turned up the dial.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

you just showed your igmo rating on that post......
red sox at home........that's tough any time...
verlander last outing must have been a fluke to
BAWWWWHAAAAAAAAA indian fans sour because they are never in it

I wonder what has you more excited this morning - the fact that the Tigers beat the worst team in the AL, or that you found Verlander's leaked dick pics online.

 

[SlinkyRedfoot]

I crunched the numbers

I picture dougplayer at the breakfast table, eating a bowl of Alpha-bits, saying, "daaaaa, I'm crunching numbers..."

 

[navamind]

rolling...I know you sre tcher...but not a math teacher...
let me do the math..
no way royal go .600 ball. no way no how.
both royals and twins will be lucky to stay close to .500. iam going with the under on both teams...I crunched the numbers and see a tread going bad for both teams..its really over most of you guys heads to splane it....
so....I see tigers getting the wild card...

And, as evident by your posts, you're not an English teacher.