Batting Malloy leadoff, knowing that Carp would pinch-hit when the righties came in, was a very underrated Hinchpin move. Brilliant.
4 Likes
# Tigersâ Trey Sweeney was called a throw-in for Jack Flaherty trade. Give me a break
Full article at Link.
Letâs start with the double play.
Because it was a thing of beauty and helped the Detroit Tigers beat Cleveland on Monday in Game 2 of the ALDS, 3-0.
It started off looking improbable, but it came together because of a wonderful blend of youth and aggressiveness and fearlessness and athleticism and ended with sweet emotion â so, basically, it mirrored this incredible Tigers run through the last two months.
âI just thought ⌠it may not get turned by no fault of anyone,â Hinch said.
But Sweeneyâs aggressiveness changed the play â changed the game, really.
He didnât rush. Didnât freak out. It was controlled aggression.
âTrey did a good job of cutting the distance and being able to speed that play up a little bit without hurrying, which is a great attribute to have as a player,â Hinch said. âYou can play fast but not hurry. You can create extra outs by handling the ball cleanly.â
Sweeney snagged it and flipped it to Colt Keith at second.
Keith stood firm â completely fearless â even though Steven Kwan was barreling into his legs and Keith fired a fastball to Spencer Torkelson.
Double play.
==============================
âMy biggest fear for him coming up to the big leagues was not whether he could handle the competition. It was whether or not he could get to know everybodyâs name fast enough and get comfortable in a clubhouse that was emerging as a young, driven clubhouse,â Hinch said. âAnd heâs fit perfectly in. So playing a premium position and handling the ups and downs of breaking into the big ;eagues in the middle of a pennant race.â
Sweeney did not have a soft, easy landing in Detroit. He was thrown into the fire in a series of must-win games. And he has made it look easy.
âI feel like since Iâve been up here every game has kind of been important in the stretch of us even trying to get here," Sweeney said. "So I feel like I played in a lot of big games
=========================
Sweeney played one other huge role in Game 2.
In the top of the ninth, Sweeney came to the plate against Emmanuel Clase, the best closer in baseball.
He took a 100-mph heater for a ball. At such a huge moment, that showed poised and patience.
Then, he ripped a single off a 99-mph fastball.
âJust try to stay on the fastball and adjust," Sweeney said of his approach.
That opened the door for [Kerry Carpenter to win the game.
And it hinged on a rookie.
2 Likes
Hinch not tipping hand about pitching
Who will pitch for the Tigers in Game 3 on Wednesday?
Hinch said he wasnât sure during Tuesdayâs call with reporters.
âWeâre going to talk about it today,â Hinch said. âIâll talk to (pitching coach Chris Fetter) today and the rest of our group, and weâll devise the plan on how weâre going to lay out the beginning of our pitching.â
Hinch said he would inform Cleveland on Tuesday night.
âSo that they can build their lineup and build their strategy as well,â Hinch said. âWe just havenât come to that determination yet. Weâve got a lot of options.â
Everybody but Tarik Skubal and Reese Olson will be available.
âA lot of our guys can go a long ways,â Hinch said. "Every decision that I make in Game 3 will impact availability in Game 4. But this time of year, guys are more available than they are during the regular season. So if somebody throws 30 to 40 pitches, they will be available the next day if theyâre in the bullpen. If somebody goes 60 or 70 or 80, the way that Reese did the other day, then heâs on the natural five-day rest period.â
The Tigers uncertainty is âdefinitely different,â according to Clevelandâs Steven Kwan.
âWe obviously gameplan for a starter,â Kwan said, âand then you kind of get a feel for it as it goes second and third time. But with it being a new arm every time, itâs different.â
Thatâs the idea behind HInchâs âpitching chaos.â
âThankfully, weâve faced these guys before,â Kwan said. âI think if it was out-of-division, it would be a little tougher, seeing these guys for the first time in these high-leverage games. But (we) saw some of these guys in the minor leagues as well, which is really fortunate for us. Yeah, itâs definitely unique, but we have a good gameplan going into it.â
2 Likes
Iâd start Vest.
Reading this, starting Vest, had me thinking if Vest has started any of the pen days. I donât think he has.
Edit: he has not started this year. He started four games last year and two in 2022.
1 Like
Vest is so valuable to bring in situationally that I doubt Hinch would want to lose that piece early.
If you get in the 5th or 6th inning, and they have a couple of guys on with no outs, we will want Vest available.
Either way, I love how this whole chaos thing is being embraced. Itâs really become our identity, and rightfully so.
2 Likes
Offseason Chaos upgrade- ambidextrous pitcher
2 Likes
Lol, that would be a wet dream for Hinch.
I wouldnât be shocked if Jobe gets the nod. Cleveland hasnât seen him, and itâs not like Houston hit him hard at all! And he is a starter.
1 Like
I would argue that Jobe would be the second guy after a Holton etc etc. Hinch typically has the bulk pitcher come in after the 3 or 4 hitter, in theory it allows for the bulk guy to go through the lineup twice without the high stress of facing the top of the lineup to start the game.
But I do think that Jobe will pitch as he is the one pitcher the Indians havenât seen yet as you stated.
1 Like
Baseball illustrating again why being a favorite means very little. All the road teams except for one (San Diego) won the Wild Card round, the top 2 teams in the National League are on the brink of elimination and both series in the American League are toss ups. Itâs part of what makes the MLB playoffs so much fun, the unpredictability compared to the other 3 sports where the cream usually rises to the top.
1 Like
We really need to score early and not rely on late inning heroics. Their pen is usually elite, and like the odds of going off on Cobb rather than the pen.
Time is now for Tork to step up.
1 Like
MonteroâŚI think Hinch may let him go more than 1-2 if firing, unlike some of the other pen starters. But as always, he will adjust on feel at the time.
3 Likes
With the entire staff being available (other than Skubal and Olson) Montero is gonna have a very short leash.
Greene will be the hero today.
1 Like
With the exception of Lane Thomas, every hitter in Clevelandâs lineup today bats left handed (2 are switch hitters)
Good discussion on the pitching chaos on the pregame show.
Apparently the young lady doing in game interviews is from Michigan and gone to town on the coney dogs