OT: Tigers @ Twins Open Thread
Anybody else following the game at work via Gamecast or MLB.tv?
Looks like Victor is picking up right where he left off last night!
Ed: Tigers win 9-7! Game notes:
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Twins' SP Scott Baker has been yanked for Glen Perkins. Baker's final stat line:
- 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R (all earned), 5 BB, 6 Ks, 99 pitches.
- Victor Martinez is beyond hot right now. So far today: 3-3, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R. Just a triple away from the cycle!
- Cabrera has been ejected in the top of the 6th for arguing a called third strike. Sounds like it was a pretty quick reaction by the ump to toss him. Cabrera has been replaced by Don Kelly in the field.
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After 5.2 innings, Phil Coke's day is done. He has been replaced by Al Alburquerque. Coke did alright today, and certainly did enough to give the Tiger's a chance to win the game. Here's his final state line:
- 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R (both earned), 2 BB, 3Ks, 85 pitches.
- Our bullpen has caved: 5 ER between 3 pitchers in 2.1 IP.
- The offense really stepped up in the last couple innings to bail out the bullpen.
- I'll take a 2-game sweep on the road of a division rival (no matter how crippled they may be) any day of the week.
Go Tigers and go blue!
Yup on a 3-2 count as expected. It was after Santiago ranged far to his left to keep a ball hit by Valencia on the infield that Morneau probably could have even scored on.
Peralta with a pinch-hit two run homer off Matt Capps after a walk to give the tigers a 7-6 lead.
Peralta with a huge pinch-hit 2-run homer! Tigers lead 7-6 in the 8th!
Why is Peralta playing 1B? I feel like I should know this since I've been following baseball my whole life, but can you not move someone from the DH spot to the field? It seems like it would make more sense for Martinez to be playing first than for Peralta to be there.
I think you give up the DH spot if you do.
I'm not 100% sure, but I think once you move the DH to the field, the pitcher has to bat or something goofy.
I believe that is correct. I vaguely recall Sparky Anderson doing this once and someone like Mike Henneman having to bat.
How is that possible though? Because with a DH you have 10 players (your 9 position players, including the pitcher, and the DH) in the lineup. In this case, what would happen to Jhonny Peralta (the one who came in to play for Cabrera)? I guess I thought it would be just as easy as switching someone from RF to LF, or something like that.
I wasn't watching the game. Who was playing DH? Peralta?
I think (not positive) what happens is that the DH position is simply terminated, and the pitcher bats wherever the DH was batting in the order.
I think the pitcher actually would have batted for Peralta (he pinch hit for Kelly, who replaced Cabrera at 1b who was tossed) or whoever left the field to make room for Peralta.
It probably has something to do with shifting the DH spot around in the lineup. The AL allows one spot in the line-up to go to a guy that doesn't have to be a reasonable defensive player. I would gues it would be deemed unfair to have the ability to shift that position in the lineup depending on game situations. For instance, lets say your typical, can't field DH has the day off. You give your big hitting SS a half day, batting 3rd as the DH. Now lets say, it's the bottom of the 8th and your .200 hitting back up SS is up in the nine-hole with the leading run on first. If you could shift people in and out of the DH spot, you bring in your normal DH, and move your starting DH to his natural SS position. You've basically taken advantage of the DH twice that time through the lineup.
Now, one could say it's no different to the double switch in NL play, but in that scenario, you're replacing two guys instead of one, and the second batter still must be able to play in the field.
That at-bat for Henneman was a lot more crucial than I remembered:
On September 26, 1987, Detroit Tigers designated hitter Darrell Evans moved to first base in the bottom of the seventh inning in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays, causing pitcher Mike Henneman to be inserted into the first baseman's spot in the batting order. Henneman batted for himself in the ninth, but struck out attempting to bunt. The Blue Jays scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win the game 10–9 in the midst of a pennant race, with Henneman taking the loss.
Wow. That could have been a season-destroying move right there. Thankfully, they won the pennant on the last day of the season.
2 runs in the night huge. Hopefully Valverde can come through and hold it down in the 9th.
Did Austin Jackson and Brandon Inge just execute a suicide squeeze?? The only thing the Gamecast says is "Austin Jackson sacrificed to third, Brandon Inge scored."
wow, we could actually win a 2nd game that phil coke started
i'm stunned !
Al " New Mexico" alberqueque - will shake that off
The Alaskan Assassin (AKA Dan Schlereth) - daam, hes been bad lately, besides the web gem
glad they didnt put in brad thomas
Would Brad Thomas have been any worse? Don't answer that.
is a complete aberration so far. His FIP and xFIP are both over 5.00. He's been getting very lucky so far. His BABIP is .171 and his LOB % is 98.6. He's going to regress soon.
Great way to end the work day!