Bring on the Astros. We will beat their ass. Curious what Hinch does against lefty in game 1. At this point, almost rather play Carpenter than Malloy or Ibanez.
I've been saying a couple days, the 6 seed potentially plays two teams with worse records than the 5 seed. On paper it's slightly easier. But I think they were pretty similar and not worth using any Pitchers we need in postseason to get one over other
I just think we have a competitive advantage by not having seen the Astros recently. Weather elements too, I'd rather play indoors.
Predicted to be on the roster: Dillon Dingler (C), Jake Rogers (C), Andy Ibáñez (2B/3B), Colt Keith (2B), Zach McKinstry (UTIL), Trey Sweeney (SS), Spencer Torkelson (1B), Kerry Carpenter (OF/DH), Riley Greene (OF), Justyn-Henry Malloy (DH/OF), Parker Meadows (CF), Wenceel Pérez (OF), Matt Vierling (OF/3B) Predicted to be added to roster: Akil Baddoo (OF) Predicted to be removed from roster: Jace Jung (3B) The buzz: At least 12 position players should be locked in, which leaves the Tigers to make decisions about Malloy and Jung. The Tigers love Malloy's right-handed bat against left-handed pitchers, so much so that he was the cleanup hitter in Friday's matchup with All-Star lefty Garrett Crochet. (He has an .893 OPS in 61 plate appearances vs. lefties.) Meanwhile, Jung is a gritty player, but he doesn't have a defined role, an elite skill or positional versatility. As for the predictions, the Tigers would be better off swapping Jung for Baddoo, a fellow left-handed hitter, to improve their team speed and get a legit game-changer in pinch-run situations. Remember, Baddoo stole 29 bases in 37 attempts across 82 games with Triple-A Toledo. He doesn't have to swing the bat to utilize his speed on the bases in the postseason. Predicted on the roster: Beau Brieske (RHP), Jason Foley(RHP), Sean Guenther (LHP), Brenan Hanifee (RHP), Tyler Holton (LHP), Brant Hurter (LHP), Jackson Jobe (RHP), Kenta Maeda (RHP), Casey Mize (RHP), Reese Olson (RHP), Tarik Skubal (LHP), Will Vest (RHP) Predicted removed from roster: Ty Madden (RHP), Keider Montero (RHP) The buzz: The Tigers could carry 11, 12 or 13 pitchers. Expect them to implement their strategy of openers and bulk relievers in non-Skubal starts, but the first series is only three games — with only two wins needed. In a five- or seven-game series, the Tigers would need to carry the maximum 13 pitchers, but in three games, they could afford to take an extra position player to ensure the matchup advantage in a pinch-hit situation. Skubal is the only pitcher the Tigers can count on for at least five innings, leaving a possible 22 innings for the other pitchers. As for the predictions, Madden has an 8.1% walk rate and Montero has struggled in playoff-like atmospheres in September, while Maeda has more than 40 innings of postseason experience and owns a 3.86 ERA since moving to the bullpen.
Luckily I already took Thursday off for a kids doctor appointment that got canceled and never removed my work day off from the schedule
gets to sleep in his own bed if he wants too as well. Could make big difference not having a tired manager for the series.
I’d rather have Madden or Montero than Maeda. But really, none of them should be required to pitch anyway.
I think Madden pitching yesterday means Hinch agrees with you. I wonder if Mize is on the bubble there, too. Hinch seems like he's kind of done with him, although I think he should be on there just in case you get extras or something.
Astros have some fantastic hitters against lefties. Skubal isn’t your standard lefty, but that’s still scary.
I would have kept Montero over Mize. Montero has the ability to shut down a team for a few innings, and Mize does not.
Also Colt Keith is hitting .305 with a plus .700 ops against LHP. Not sure I really like both not in lineup
Our lineup blows. Ibanez hitting 4th and Carpenter and Keith not in the lineup at all. Glad that’s what we are going with for the postseason!
A lineup with a 2-5 featuring the likes of Ibanez, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Wenceel Perez is in the playoffs. Let that sink in
Need to win every game. I'm not sure I can take losing and listening to these ESPN shit tier announcers.