caulfield12

Hard to believe he's going to miss just one start and get his velocity back. We'll see. Royals down 3-0 early against Lester. Seems the end of their string is coming tonight, barring a miracle comeback and Jeremy Guthrie to return to his form when he was first acquired by KC.

Alcantara has already been slumping after a nice start. Baez with 13 K's in 33 AB's, although a bit of an improvement over 10/23. OTOH, their young pitcher Hendricks is doing a pretty good impression of Greg Maddux Lite. Or Dylan Axelrod?

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 12:56 PM) Surprisingly, most people that I've talked to agree with me that the kid shouldn't have been on the track and that Stewart isn't culpable. Maybe I just don't associate with idiots. If the NASCAR equivalent of Thome/Konerko/Dye was driving, it would be a non-issue, he'd get the benefit of the doubt and everyone would be be feeling sorrier for the driver and his family. Because Tony Stewart is more or less AJ Pierzynski/Bryce Harper/Yasiel Puig rolled into one, it's not so cut-and-dried for many.

QUOTE (Chisoxfn @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 10:09 AM) Am I mistaking a year, but weren't those games against the Mariners mainly during the day in the shadows where it was extremely difficult to hit? I don't recall the Mariners scoring a bunch of runs against us. I do remember losing one of the games on an infield hit or something like that and Edgar had a homer or two. I remember Mark Johnson not being on the roster (it was Josh Paul instead), Chad Bradford being in the bullpen...and I think it was a Carlos Guillen suicide squeeze that ended it if I'm not mistaken. As far as Butler goes, he was 800+ OPS-wise in June, slumped to .689 in July but has been on fire in August, coinciding with the winning streak and taking over 1st place. 991 so far through today. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/6396/billy-butler You take Butler 100 times over Dunn, IMO. Even looking at Dunn coldly, from a purely statistical point of view the last three seasons...you can't override the bad taste of 2011, no matter what you do. One of the few things fans will remember about this season out of Adam is "Dallas Buyers Club" winning Academy Awards and his pitching performance (lower 80's).

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 01:04 PM) They must have hated Fister to trade him for what they got. https://www.numberfire.com/mlb/news/1474/wh...-never-heard-of Fister actually had a higher WAR than David Price from 2011-2013...according to this. At any rate, it seems the Tigers were unable to trust Fister to stay healthy (last year), that's one theory.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 08:58 AM) Good thing the Tigers traded for Price, huh? They'd be so screwed right now if they hadn't. Yes, but...they've traded away Fister and Smyly now, so any benefit of having traded FOR Price is offset by being yet another pitcher short in the rotation now that Sanchez is also out. Scherzer Price Porcello Robbie Ray (part of the trade with the Nationals for Fister) Buck Farmer (great name, see below) Robbie Ray was Tuesday night’s scheduled starter. Right-hander Buck Farmer, with only two starts higher than the Single A West Michigan level under his belt, will start against the Pirates on Wednesday night at Comerica Park – followed by Max Scherzer, Rick Porcello and David Price. Because of Verlander’s situation, though – and what he described as “the spider web of things that could happen following the results,” the Tigers don’t know what their rotation plans will be beyond Saturday. Of Farmer, Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski said, “Ideally you have more development time, but our guys like him. “We moved him to Double A because we were concerned that if we needed extra pitching down the road, it would give him exposure (at a higher level). “I think he has a chance to come here and pitch well.” But a rotation without Sanchez and Verlander forces the Tigers to improvise. “We have to get our feet back on the ground right now,” said Dombrowski. “We’re bringing guys up, moving them around. “We’ll see what happens.” From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2014081...7#ixzz3ACNcY787

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 08:24 AM) Right, and they also don't mention how difficult it is for these things to stop. They're cruising and they're built to move very, very fast around corners. They aren't meant for leisurely drives around the park on a Sunday. You have the average Joe the Taxi Driver calling in to sports radio shows claiming Stewart's a murderer because he wouldn't hit someone in his taxi (in supposedly the same situation), having no idea the difference between a dirt and asphalt track, windshield visibility, inferior lighting conditions, difficult seeing someone wearing a dark-colored racesuit, etc. I've been listening on and off for the last three nights (body clock is still on China time) and it's almost exactly evenly split 50/50 down the middle for and against Stewart. It will pick up again this weekend if he races (or grow and grown until the first time he does race)...he's definitely not racing in the sprint cars this weekend, that's already out there. Someone compared it to Days of Thunder/Tom Cruise movie and said he was going to be a danger to all of the other drivers...because, Rowdy Gaines/Michael Rooker. Or Tom Cruise after Goose dies in Top Gun.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-colum...cle1200245.html Long but very fun and engaging read about the healthy doses of optimism tempered with perpetual pessimism about the Royals for the past 28 years. It's titled "THE THRILLED CONFUSION AND HONEST HESITATION AROUND THE ROYALS" aka September, 2012 for White Sox fans The Royals will make room for Josh Willingham by getting rid of Scott Downs. There will be much snark on Twitter about Downs.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 08:20 AM) *YOUDAMAN! Guess we're going to hear that more and more often now from Rory McIlroy galleries.

QUOTE (Eminor3rd @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 06:25 AM) Another bonehead move by Robin Ventura last night: the team didn't even play! You want to talk about ruining everything? By neither winning nor losing, RV somehow blew a chance to (1) get a game closer in the 2nd wild card and (2) improve the Sox' draft pick next year. At this point, Juan Pierre would be a better choice as manager. #FIREROBIN #WORSTMANAGERINHISTORYOFBASEBALL #FIRSTPLACEUNDERADIFFERENTMANAGER #LASTPLACEUNDERADIFFERENTMANAGER Just percentage points ahead of the suddenly-hot Padres...nipping at the heels of the 9th pick now, while officially in 10th (one game ahead of the Mets). #changeyourgmteamwillexceltoimpresshim

Except all of these explanations don't matter one bit in the court of public opinion, which formed pretty instantly in the 24 hours after they heard about the incident or saw the footage...it's going to be quite difficult to change anyone's opinion...either way.

QUOTE (SoxAce @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 07:43 AM) What's up with you and your disgust for the Royals? It's almost as bad as Mike's (ss2k5) hate for Maggs or wite's love for Willie Bloomquist. I don't even think Greg hates them that much and he lives (or used to live) in the city. Greg doesn't hate the Royals, far from it...he always gets always gets accused of being more of a fan of the Royals than the Sox, actually. I lived in KC from 1996-2005 and 2006-2007, so, just for the sake of my former city, I'm definitely rooting for them over the Tigers. They have a ton of good, but long-suffering fans. The last 11 home games, they've responded well, except for last night when they had a great pitching match-up of Ventura and Sonny Gray and first place on the line (granted, it was a Monday night). July 24th 7 games back (51-50) 22,000 33,500 29,500 23,500 30,500 20,700 24,000 28,300 35,000 27,500 21,479 (last night, when they took back first place by 1/2 game) Attendance is up 8.7% compared to last season...it will grow even more on weekends, but now they have to deal with school/vacations/less families coming out and the Chiefs on Sundays. Still their best record this late since August, 2003, when the Twins and White Sox were in the process of blowing by them.

Blame Jim Leyland for having Justin Verlander lead the league in pitches in 3 of the last 4 years, and he was 2nd in that other year. That was a train wreck waiting to happen...and one you could easily see coming as early as a couple of years ago.

It would be their first time in the playoffs since 1985 (World Series vs. Cardinals). 29 years.

Basically, you're either trading a #2 starter for a DH, or you're replacing one of your most improved players offensively with a question mark and also blocking Matt Davidson (as well)...

Forgot Good Will Hunting, one of my Top 10 movies of all-time, maybe. He was so understated and genuine in that role, and it was such an abrupt departure from most of his previous work. Few know that he was a Juilliard recruit, along with Christopher Reeve/Superman. And lived in Chicago until he was 8 years old.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Aug 12, 2014 -> 04:24 AM) Bye bye Sale. Q, or Rodon It would take Sale and Hawkins/Montas/T.Anderson/Micah Johnson or Danish if they didn't include Rodon AND Sale. There's just too much possible injury risk for another team to acquire just Sale as a centerpiece for a fellow franchise position player.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/i...-detroit-tigers The Implosion of the Detroit Tigers...Dave Schoenfield because of what the club described as “right shoulder soreness.” In discussing the shoulder trouble that KO’d him, Verlander said, “It’s been lingering for a little while.” Asked to define “a while,” he declined to. Verlander entered Monday 10-10 with a 4.57 ERA. His admission about “a while” raises the possibility that he has been pitching hurt for a while. On Monday night, he might have crossed the line from “hurt” to “injured.” www.freep.com/sports http://www.freep.com/article/20140811/COL3...dyssey=obinsite I'm no longer confident in the Tigers' playoff chances, Jeff Seidel, Detroit Free Press The basic premise being that giving up Drew Smyly (key bullpen component/starter capability), Joaquin Benoit, Austin Jackson, Omar Infante, Peralta and Octavio Dotel, and the trading (or having to trade) Doug Fister were all moves that ended up weakening depth because of so much money being devoted to the star players. JD Martinez (waived by the Astros) and Rajai Davis played over their heads for a half season but have since come back to earth, Torii Hunter's simply gotten old, Nathan as well, Verlander's arm/shoulder have fallen off....Soria and Sanchez are also both hurt, Castellanos is a rookie with all of the ups and downs that go with that in terms of offense and defense. Joba's Joba. Basically, they're relying almost completely on the star wattage of Price (very good, but not quite as dominant as in the past and Smyly was extremely overrated), Scherzer, Miguel Cabera (has declined this season from MVP form, comparable statistically to MELKY Cabrera), Verlander, Ian Kinsler and Victor Martinez to get them through the World Series, and the complementary players just aren't good enough or were due for regressions statistically.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Aug 5, 2014 -> 09:30 AM) The team is going to need to find a LH power bat somewhere. To me the realistic options are re-sign Dunn or buy low on Domonic Brown or LoMo. Alvarez will probably be moved across the diamond after they non-tender Ike Davis. Greg will have a coronary episode. You've got Headley, Morrison, Adam Lind, Sandoval, Melky Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Colby Rasmus...not sure about Dave LaRoche. Didn't he sign an extension? Seth Smith did, for sure. Parra's going to be out there. With how poorly Kendrys Morales has been hitting, he would surely be available. Morneau, if the Rockies dump Tulo/CarGo/Cuddyer, etc. It would be interesting to see what type of package it would take to acquire CarGo? The answer is one we probably don't have that doesn't require gutting our minor league system again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 07:54 PM) Very sad to see the news about Robin Williams. It just goes to show that just because someone is laughing on the outside, doesn't mean they aren't crying on the inside. Lots of comedians with these issues. Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, John Belushi, John Candy, Owen Wilson (well, stretching definition of comedian...comic actor usually)...Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, etc.

QUOTE (The Wiz @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 10:59 PM) From the evidence we've see, I don't think there is anyway you can prove without a doubt that he is guilty. Then again, who knows, there might be evidence we don't know about. One huge piece of evidence would be any cockpit recordings with the crew...not unlike a flight data recorder. I doubt that exists...or if there's any damning evidence, they probably would have wiped it already, even though tampering with evidence would be considered a felony, Stewart saying something that demonstrates malice and forethought like "I'm going to teach this punk kid a lesson" that would be the end of his career.

Now why would the Pirates want to do that? Just to save money as Alvarez gets more expensive? Do they have anyone to replace him? Once again, with the premium on power...especially from non-traditional (the last 5 years, and that's starting more and more to include 3B) powers positions, you'd have to be bowled away to give up a player in his prime with that kind of power. I can see if he was in the last year of arbitration and they couldn't agree to a long-term deal, but they haven't reached that point with him yet as far as I know.

PITTSBURGH — At the start of the final stop on a deteriorating trip, on the day after a 19-inning, bullpen-exhausting loss in Toronto, the Tigers were walloped with an exacta of Justin Verlander woe in the first inning Monday night. Verlander, who has never missed a start because of a health issue, allowed five runs in the first and didn’t come out for the second. The club announced he departed the game because of “right shoulder soreness.” The only other detail the club immediately offered is that Verlander will be re-examined today. It was the shortest start of Verlander’s nine-year career. The previous shortest was 11⁄3 innings in 2008 against the Yankees. The Pirates won, 11-6, and Verlander’s record in interleague play dropped to 25-3. If Kansas City beat Oakland later Monday night, it would take over first in the AL Central from the Tigers by a half-game. Verlander’s shoulder trouble erupted two days after fellow starter Anibal Sanchez suffered a pectoral muscle strain that is expected to keep him out at least three to four weeks. Verlander was succeeded by the three pitchers the Tigers called up Monday in the wake of the bullpen being worn out by Sunday’s marathon. Justin Miller gave up three runs in two innings; Ian Krol threw two scoreless innings; and right-hander Kevin Whelan, who didn’t allow a homer in the minors this season, allowed back-to-back homers in the sixth in his first big-league inning this season as the Tigers fell behind, 10-4. The Tigers made three misplays in the first inning behind Verlander, and one of the runs was unearned. Verlander gave up four hits, including a bases-loaded triple to Starling Marte, and he walked two. All this from a lineup that lacked defending NL MVP Andrew McCutchen (who went on the disabled list Monday). The Tigers fell to 2-6 on a trip in which their many losses in Yankee Stadium and in Toronto tended to involve poor hitting, wasted starting pitching and blown ninth-inning leads. www.freep.com/sports Looks like the Tigers are thinking about adding yet another hitter...but they probably need at least one more starter, too. Rookie Robbie Ray is going Tuesday. Cano almost homered twice and the M's are killing the Blue Jays, fwiw.

QUOTE (The Wiz @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 09:46 PM) What if the tables were turned? And the driver who died actually caused Tony Stewart to swerve to avoid him and then he flips his car or some accident like that and Tony Stewart winds up as the one who is dead? Would people be calling for the 20 year old to be arrested and rot in jail? Personally, I think most likely Stewart was trying to scare him. However, him doing something stupid and reckless doesn't make the person who tragically died absolved of all guilt for doing something even more stupid and reckless as running in the middle of a dirt road at a racing car. I'm sorry the kid died, but I believe there is one fact here, you run out in the middle of a dirt track at a racing car and wind up dead or seriously injured, you have no one to blame but yourself. That's reasonable enough. The problem from the legal perspective will be determining how much, and if, Stewart also will be deemed responsible for his actions or part in the death.

QUOTE (The Wiz @ Aug 11, 2014 -> 09:52 PM) Am I the only one a bit disturbed by the fact it took much statistical analysis of lineups for this to be proven? Nobody beats the WIZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!