caulfield12

Peavy given yet ANOTHER lead to work with. What will happen this time around?

Laser beam out of there right down the RF line. 36 homers surrendered by Santana...22 against LHBers. Youk continuing his road struggles in the 2 hole. Walk off homer for the Yankees against the A's, only their 3rd of the season. Russell Martin off Doolittle. Angels clinging to slim WC hopes, 4 behind the A's right now, BALT likely to beat the Red Sox. Pretty sure the A's play Rangers 7 more times, not sure if they have one more head to head with the Angels. Maybe it's against the Mariners. Orioles have won a stunning 8 of 9 at Boston now. Never thought I'd say that in my lifetime. No Angels' announcers, it's NOT a walk-off homer for DeAza. Wishful thinking for Sox fans, but pretty hard to walk off on the road unless the home team quits or forfeits in the middle of the game. Angels' crowd is either very late arriving or a bit skeptical of their chances, with the loss last night.

QUOTE (flavum @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 07:19 PM) If rotations hold, this is what we're looking at: 9-21 Peavy vs Santana 9-22 Quintana vs Haren 9-23 Floyd vs Weaver 9-24 Sale vs McAllister 9-25 Liriano vs Kluber 9-26 Peavy vs Masterson 9-27 Quintana vs Shields 9-28 Floyd vs Moore 9-29 Sale vs Cobb 9-30 Liriano vs Hellickson 10-1 Peavy vs Kluber 10-2 Quintana vs Masterson 10-3 Floyd vs Jimenez Wow, we have the 20% odds of missing David Price and do so? That would be a huge break.

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 21, 2012 -> 07:32 PM) Still over paying for reputation. Exactly. If Peavy goes out there tonight like a Buehrle, Garcia and Garland did in 2005 and just completely shut down a dominant Angels' offense, then you start to believe in him a little more. But he's never shown the ability to do that with the White Sox.

They're not going to decline a one year option, eat $4 million, then turn around and give him another $30 million. They might as well just exercise the option if they're planning to do that. With how he's pitched the last two months, good but not great like in the first half, and with TONS of wear and tear on him thanks to numerous extended starts by Ventura/Cooper, you simply can't take that risk.

A's tied it up in the top of the 9th against Soriano. That pen can just shut down other teams. Lockdown. By the way, if the A's manage a one run win, it would be FIVE consecutive one-run wins this season by Oakland over the Yankees. Pretty incredible. So it will be Porcello with another extra day of rest, Fister Saturday afternoon and Scherzer/Smyly Sunday night. Harder to sweep a DH, so that works in our favor, psychologically. 2-1 for DET, 1-2 for Chicago, I think everyone would take that and be happy to go into the 7 game homestand against CLE and TB with the ALCD lead still intact.

Looks like Scherzer is pushing to get the start on Sunday still... DETROIT -- Max Scherzer sounds fairly confident he'll start for the Tigers on Sunday after testing his shoulder in a throwing session Friday afternoon. His manager wants a little more assurance that he's healthy before he makes his final decision. Welcome to the tug and pull of an injured pitcher down the stretch in a playoff chase. "Max feels real good," Jim Leyland said. "Max might feel good, but in the back of my mind, am I taking a chance with this guy for his future? For the Tigers' future? It's always a tough call. It's not easy, because I don't know: Does this thing lead to something else?" Scherzer threw for about five minutes off flat ground in Comerica Park's outfield, basically just enough to see how his arm felt in something resembling his normal delivery. He said the inflammation that had been bothering him is gone. "I'm expecting I should be able to make the start, seeing how my arm has responded to the treatment and the medicine," Scherzer said. "I'm getting the inflammation out. This wasn't a structural damage thing. This was just inflammation. After talking to doctors and realizing there's no structural damage, I don't have any fears or anything about hurting my arm any further. For me right now, it feels like the inflammation's out, so my arm feels good." Scherzer will throw again on Saturday, mixing in his full arsenal to make sure he can go. It's an unusual move for a pitcher that close to his start, but it's out of caution. Only after that session will Leyland and the team medical staff make the decision. "I'll have to be totally convinced by our medical team, which is excellent," Leyland said. "But that clearance will have to come from them." Leyland said he'll have Drew Smyly on hold for the next couple days until they know whether they'll need him to start Sunday. Smyly threw Thursday afternoon, entering with a bases-loaded situation in the ninth inning, but it basically amounted to a mound session like he would normally do before a start. He'll throw a little bit before the games this weekend, but nothing extensive. www.tigers.com

Ventura on the team's mistakes yesterday... http://www.chicagotribune.com/videogallery...and-sounds#gl-0

Now on to another dating rumor, which has been quiet for a while. The Justin Verlander-Kate Upton story is making the Internet rounds again after they reportedly were spotted together Sept. 12 in Chicago, when the Tigers were in town to play the White Sox. A few fans tweeted about seeing them strolling on Michigan Avenue, including chef (and Sox fan) John Gatsos: "Verlander and Kate Upton having lunch on Tavern on Rush patio. I wish Kate was pitching tomorrow night instead of Justin. Hehehe." Bustedcoverage.com even ran this photo, purportedly of them -- but why isn't there one that shows faces? freep.com/sports

Quote from Kansas City Royals slugger Billy Butler, after beating the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night: "If we take care of business against Detroit, those (Sox) have a good chance to be in the playoffs."

Are they going to be forced to play a DH or get to wait until after the final day of the regular season to make it up, if necessary? That would seem to work to our advantage, in a way. Because let's say the very worst possible thing happened, Angels sweep and the Tigers won 2 games (and one of those would be started by Smyly, Sunday, in all likelihood). We'd still only be 1/2 game back on Monday, and then there would be a lot more pressure on that final game for the Tigers than there is tonight. A DH would or at least could ruin the Tigers' bullpen this late in the season. Porcello/Fister or Fister/Smyly would have to pitch 6-7 innings each, and Smyly has been used out of the pen recently, so he'd probably get Hector Santiago deep into a game, 4-5 innings...not to mention he pitched in the 12-4 debacle yesterday, 11 pitches. http://www.weather.com/weather/map/interactive/USMI0229 There's a big wide swath of rain stretch from Detroit all the way west to Chicagoland. The most serious parts of the storm are in the Indianapolis area.

The Tigers missed a chance Thursday to impose scoreboard psychology on the White Sox. If they had won, their victory would glow on the out-of-town scoreboard at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., for the White Sox to ponder during their game against the Royals on Thursday night. The White Sox could have been thinking, "If we lose, we're only a game ahead of the Tigers, and now we've got this long flight tonight to Anaheim ..." But the Tigers lost to the A's, so the White Sox knew that if they lost in Kansas City on Thursday night, their lead on the Tigers would remain two games. With the White Sox visiting the Angels for the next three days in California, the Tigers have more chances for scoreboard psychology. On all three days this weekend, the Tigers' game against the Twins at Comerica Park will begin at least a few hours before Chicago's game. The Tigers can have a win posted on the scoreboard at Angel Stadium while the White Sox are trying to beat the formidable Angels. Former Mets general manager Steve Phillips has seen the Angels play regularly this year on a broadcasting assignment, including twice this week. "The Angels are a dynamic offensive team, the best offensive team in the AL since June 1," Phillips said by phone Thursday. "And their starting pitching is back on track." These next three days might be the Tigers' best chance to pull even with the White Sox. Beginning Monday, the Sox will play two of their three remaining series against the Indians. But this scoreboard psychology only works if the Tigers win. If they lose, then it's like the White Sox are playing later that day in Anaheim with house money -- their lead can't shrink. It only can grow. And I can hear what Sparky Anderson would say: "If we don't catch the ball better, you can take that psychology and file it." freep.com/sports (Lowe)

QUOTE (kitekrazy @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 11:17 PM) How often do ex Royals work out for this team? Tom "Flash" Gordon

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 11:36 PM) Can Minnesota's no names (besides Mauer) beat the Tigers one game in Detroit this weekend? I'd be shocked if that was the case. No way Detroit is going to let Minnie off the hook like we do KC. It would be awesome, though, if the Twins somehow won one game and we can get one in Anaheim. All we had to do was win tonight and we'd likely still be a game up after the weekend games. Now it looks like a tie at best after this weekend. Would you all sell out for a tie after this weekend's games?? Willingham, Morneau, Plouffe and Span disagree with your calling them no-names. Revere as well.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 11:16 PM) I have a sneaky feeling the best we do is a dead-heat tie with the Tigers and a playoff game in Detroit which I won't be watching. I'll watch it I guess if it's in The Cell. I'll watch all the real playoff games but not some dumb ass playoff game vs. Detroit that (I feel) we'd be destined to lose. I think the worst we can do is lose to the Tigers by a game or two. I mean would any of you be surprised if we get swept this weekend and they win all three? That'd put them up by one with a lot of baseball left. It's just inexcusable for the Sox to play such a sloppy game tonight with so much at stake. It's ridiculous. I know baseball is a funny game, but the pickoff? The out at home? WTF??? This game meant a ton to give it away. This is only #30 or 40 on the season. I made a thread up about this not so long ago, and this wasn't in the top 3 most agonizing losses to KC this season. Probably ranks around 4th at best, 6th at "worst." I'm sure the Tigers after jumping out to a 2-0 lead and with Milone on the ropes (AT HOME, too) thought they had that game well in hand. The most predictable thing was losing in the bottom of the 9th or extras. We're good at that. But you remember the Friday game we did somehow manage to win in KC. We tried to lose that about 10 different ways, and I think had two separate blown saves. Imagine if we had lost that one. This season will be about a LOT MORE than just the Royals/Tigers games, in the end.

QUOTE (Melissa1334 @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 11:01 PM) hey ,theyre in 3rd place Good one. We can refer to this idea if we somehow lost 2/3 to the Indians at home next week.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 10:27 PM) If that's the case, then Sox are probably not making the postseason. I can see a split. Also depends if we see Price...but they haven't been playing well and we're going to be at home, so you can easily see the Sox getting on another mini-roll at USCF. That said, they have to NOT get swept out in Anaheim this weekend, and it would be nice if the Twins could win ONE game. That's why giving that game away early when it should have been 4-5-6 to ZERO absolutely sucks. KC gift wrapped it for us with that Guthrie throw down the RF line, and we didn't take advantage, ONCE AGAIN. We had another Chris Sale loss on the road, too. In the end, if they don't start hitting with RISP, we would end up like the 2000 White Sox when they faced superior pitching and managing out in Seattle. 3 and out...3-1, whatever, it wouldn't be close, especially if we face/d the Orioles.

I just want Matt Thornton GONE this off-season. That's it, that's all. Sure, he's done better recently, but I would trust Donnie Veal 100X before Matt Thornton in a crucial situation. He might be a "one hit" wonder like Neal Cotts in 2006, but we have the depth with Santiago (if not a starter), Veal, Septimo, Santos Rodriguez, it's workable to jettison that salary and use it for 3B/P/C.

Melvin is going to be a strong contender. The White Sox still had a pretty high payroll, although some did predict 90+ losses. However, NOBODY was predicting much out of the A's or Orioles, especially Oakland. Thankfully the A's took out the Tigers today, and thankfully Scherzer might be hobbled down the stretch and not an automatic win for them every time out.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 09:59 PM) Our clutch hitting wasn't that bad. It was our baserunning that was. Beckham should have thrown out Alex Gordon at home. We lost two runs on the basepaths, once again. No hitting with RISP. We asked DeAza to sac bunt and he's just not comfortable doing that. Horrible bullpen management and decisions, yet again. Greg was right, there was no real reason to expect a different result after that 3-0 lead was cut to 3-2. Utterly predictable. Jones being used against Butler when he's been more dominant all season long against LHB'ers. This late season offensive choke job is getting to be embarassing. Maybe they'll put everyone out of their misery and get swept in Anaheim. Of course, then they'll come home against the Indians and Rays and probably get right back into it. That and the fact that Scherzer might be out for at least one start, that gives us some hope at least. As long as other teams don't pitch to Cabrera and Fielder, we could still accidentally win it, or we could choke down the stretch like the Twins in 2008 or Tigers in 2009.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 09:55 PM) Meh, that was more bad luck. Thornton doesn't have the stuff to get as many K's as he used to. He just doesn't miss as many bats, whichs always leads to the "lucky" hits off him...which happen over and over and over again, not surprisingly.

What else is new? Neither the White Sox nor the Tigers really deserve to make the playoffs, honestly. Why in Heaven's name you would walk Francouer, who's ABSOLUTELY SUCKED ALL SEASON EXCEPT AGAINST THE WHITE SOX WHEN THEY IDIOTICALLY THROW HIM FB's...to face Hosmer, with Thornton, just UNFATHOMABLE. It defies belief.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 09:02 PM) Hopefully they have Viciedo hit for Wise here. Problem with 3 lefties in a row is it's easy to bring in the LOOGY. Then you have to go to Danks later, but it's better than having a Donnie Veal or Holland type mow down all of our left handers in a row and waste an inning.

Guthrie has 107 pitches. The Royals have a great bullpen. So which direction will Yost go? Try to get him through one more inning for the win? Or turn it over to the pen?

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 20, 2012 -> 08:59 PM) Looked like Beckham didn't expect to throw home for some reason. Really bad baseball again. He SHOULD have been DEAD TO RIGHTS at home.