Just Before Gleyber Day

 

There was a brief moment where it looked like the Tigers were about to come roaring back with a vengeance and stare down the rest of the AL Central, but right as they were about to reach .500, they went 4-14 to finish out August. And now they're so far out of the playoff race that Justin Verlander's swan song might just be an inning in September rather than an October sendoff. It got sad FAST in Detroit, and I think it was difficult for this team to do anything once Riley Greene got hurt. But he's back now...in time for the anticlimax I guess.

What I'm getting from this team is that all the people that are coming up now, like Max Clark, Ben Malgeri, Brett Callahan and John Peck, are put here to do the work that the actual depth guys [Matt Vierling, Kerry Carpenter, Wenceel Perez, Javier Baez, Parker Meadows, Jace Jung] REFUSED TO DO. In past years, the Tigers have had so many little guys who could jump in and shock you, or come in for a pinch hit and flip the game. None of them could do a damn thing this year, so the Tigers just brought up the next stage. Eduardo Valencia is now the backup catcher, he's a .312 hitter with a .636 SLG, 6 homers and 17 RBIs in 27 games, and even if Dillon Dingler is the guy right now, he's a very handy #2. Clark has more triples than homers right now but the future's still very bright. Malgeri's just a solid extra piece, he's an above average hitter with some real contact spark. Callahan might be something useful too. The hope is that when they make another run next year, and I think they well, just with Jackson Jobe and Troy Melton stepping up in the absence of Mize and Skubal, this bench depth and hitting armada will do everything this year's's could not. 

The other thing that sort of screwed the Tigers over this year was losing Gleyber Torres for a couple months. Torres never became the superstar that the Yankees thought he'd be, but he's still an incredibly useful infield bat with tons of perks. Last year he was an all-star, and deservingly so at that. This year he's only played 79 games, but at least he's hit .261 with 8 homers and 36 RBIs, and has been relatively productive since coming back. The word's out on whether or not Torres will be resigned for next year, though Javier Baez and John Peck seem to indicate that some infield flexibility could be instituted if he signs elsewhere [which...there's a decent chance that he will]. The team is trying to go younger all over, Torres is pushing thirty, it all fits. Meanwhile, Colt Keith, Kevin McGonigle, Max Clark, Brett Callahan and Hao-Yu Lee are all under the 25-year mark and can certainly make up the core for rest of the 2020s. 

At the very least, this team has a definite Rookie of the Year candidate in Kevin McGonigle, a possible MVP candidate in Dillon Dingler, 7 more saves to get Kenley Jansen to 500, and the potential for that storybook ending for JV. It wasn't a pretty year, but at the very least they might end with some dignity, which is more than I can say for the Royals.

Coming Tomorrow- The Rays gave him up when they could have paid him, so instead he became a fan-favorite outfield bat for a different low-market team. 

A Glow-Up, or a Gley-Up

 

The Tigers right now are the best kind of 'look at them now' team. For years we were talking about how all the development was for nothing, or how so much didn't go according to plan, or how many free agent signings weren't panning out. And then, like the flip of a switch, last year the Tigers became amazing, made a playoff run, and are now the best team in the AL. This team has used Casey Mize, Spencer Turnbull, Javier Baez, Kerry Carpenter and Dillon Dingler, all pieces previously thought useless, to ascend to the very top of the food chain. Not since the 2016 Cubs have I been more pleased to see a team become truly great.

I'm also very happy to see Gleyber Torres still get a starring role in all this, despite not getting the hero's welcome he got in the Bronx every day for like 6 years. I was hesitant seeing Gleyber go to Detroit, because the last handful of Yankees to leave haven't fared especially well. Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez have struggled to find long-term homes. Austin Romine, himself escaping to Tampa, never was the same. Didi Gregorius had a good year or so in Philly then petered off. I guess Jameson Taillon and Clay Holmes have been successful, but sporadically. Torres was good as a Yankee, but came infuriatingly close, without surpassing, to great. I figured the Tigers would get something, though not the quality. And as it turns out, Gleyber was a much needed missing infield piece, hitting .272 with 30 RBIs and 5 homers. Basically continuing his Yankee run, which is a good thing. Torres plugged in alongside Greene, Torkelson, Carpenter and Baez is leading to a very nice offensive run for this team.

Also, I need to single out Will Vest, because this guy is one of the best relievers in baseball, and it came out of nowhere. Vest was drafted by the Tigers, was claimed by Seattle prior to the 2021 season, didn't do much and was returned. He's sort of mulled around the bullpen for a while, having two straight seasons of exemplary work starting in 2023, and now he's graduated to RP1 and has 12 saves and a 1.83 ERA. Though Jason Foley had the position down prior to this year, his demotion left the field open, and Vest has not only taken the mantle but earned it, providing stability. The bullpen as a whole is very strong this year, with Tommy Kahnle [another departed Yankee], Brant Hurter, Chase Lee and Tyler Holton providing a solid core. It also helps that the rotation of Skubal-Flaherty-Mize-Montero-GipsonLong doesn't really need them to do much other than hold the line. 

The Tigers are now at the point where they can outhit, and outpitch, the competition. The Twins, Royals and Guardians have all shown serious flaws this season, and while the Tigers obviously have some weak spots, they comparatively have less to worry about immediately. They're making great pace, and can hopefully withstand the divisional rivals to make something of this great team. 

Coming Tonight: There's been a video going around of Justin Turner wagging a pair of fake cajones in celebration that somehow got caught on a broadcast, and I want the record to show that technically it was this guy's fault. 

Division Series' Day 1: Immediate Tension

 

The difference between a great September story and a great October story is that if a great September story doesn't have any goddamned starting pitching, it's never gonna become a great October story.

The Tigers were fun to watch, and it was wonderful to see them take out the Astros, but eventually you realize that all they really have right now in terms of viable starting options is Tarik Skubal. Aside from that, many of the other starters made appearances during Game 1 against Cleveland. Reese Olson, Keider Montero. Neither did especially well. Olson gave up the homer to Lane Thomas. 

The Guardians also have some starting depth issues, but they at least had someone like Tanner Bibee ready for today, and he absolutely delivered. And then once he's out, you just give it to the bullpen and...forget it. The Tigers will have Skubal on Monday, and that will help, but aside from that...they kinda have to hope the lineup comes through, and against a more uniform pitching staff, I dunno if it will.

The Guardians' bats really came out today, though. Thomas, Ramirez, Kwan, Fry, the whole bunch basically. They're hungry and ready, and they want an ALCS. The Tigers could rally, as they tend to, and I think Game 2 will go better for them, but they don't have enough to outlast the Guardians in 5 games.

Mets-Phillies Game 1 was all about pitching leverage. How do you utilize good pitching, and when does it steer you wrong. Kodai Senga only needed a couple innings, but aside from a leadoff Schwarbomb he had the Phils right where he wanted them. Save with David Peterson. The Phils' hitters would later complain that the shadow coverage at 4 PM made it difficult to really see anything for the first 7 innings, and it's a viable complaint, but the Mets' pitching was also very good.

Zach Wheeler also made it difficult for the Mets for 7 innings, mostly due to his own consistency today. It was a truly excellent postseason performance, and I wish the bullpen hadn't spoiled it for him. Ultimately, the Phils let it get away from them, and the still-strong Mets pounded away in the 8th. We did it to ourselves, and it's not a position we want to be in for Game 2 tomorrow. 

Meanwhile, Yanks-Royals was tense as hell. Two really good teams just going back and forth. Cole gave up some runs early, the Royals' bullpen gave up some late. The big heroes had moments to deliver and didn't. People like M.J. Melendez, Gleyber Torres, Garrett Hampson and ALEX VERDUGO SOMEHOW were the heroes. Torres had a sharp homer early to get things rolling. I wish that Judge wasn't off tonight, because we got very lucky walking 2 guys home and he could have given us a hand at any point, but I'll still take the win. We fought for it, we earned it. I can breathe easy. The next one, with Cole Ragans on the mound, won't be much easier.

Similarly back-and-forth was the Padres-Dodgers Game 1, a match between two teams with history who both want to one-up each other. It didn't shock me at all that this was a competitive one. Machado would do something huge, Ohtani would do something huge, Bogaerts would add on. I kinda figured Dylan Cease would hold down runs a little better but all things considered it's not solely the reason the Padres lost.

I think the Dodgers were a little bit more successful in their late-game rallying. Tommy Edman would come on and bat some people home. Anytime the Padres would be in position to do so, they...wouldn't. And believe me, they tried. Michael Kopech loaded the bases, Blake Treinen made it sticky late, but the bullpen remained spotless. As good as the Padres' bullpen was this season, the Dodgers' bullpen already is having the better October.

We'll see if the Padres strike back tomorrow, along with the Phillies. But man, this was a fun start to the proper postseason opening. 

Gleyber Shortage

 

When Gleyber Torres left the game this weekend with a thankfully mild injury, my first thought was 'figures'.

The Yankees' modern culture is getting injured and losing ALCSs. There's no legacy of winning or getting to the World Series, there's no perennial standouts, there's just 'well, you could have been there if you were healthier'. We're not the 70s Steelers anymore, we're the 70s Raiders. And even they managed to win once or twice. 

The Yankee experience has been boiled down to 'oh, well once x gets back off the IL we'll be set', and then that player gets off the IL and isn't the same. Carlos Rodon still hasn't reached any of the material that made him great with Chicago or San Francisco, he's more along the lines of the stuff he had before then that nearly got him cut from the White Sox. 7.36 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 3 starts? Either we rushed him from the injury or he just doesn't have it this year. Severino similarly looks shaken in his return from the injury plagued years, and it's kinda upsetting. At least Tommy Kahnle isn't a shell of his former self post-injury, but I'm still worried for Jonathan Loiasiga when he comes back. 

On top of that, we're still waiting for Frankie Montas's first start of the season, we've lost Jose Trevino and Josh Donaldson for the season, and we're hoping that Nestor Cortes and Aaron Judge are back soon enough. Because unlike the 2019 year, where we had enough depth pieces to stop up from completely submarining when everybody got hurt, we're in 5th place right now. The Red Sox are selling and they're doing about as well as we are. And I bet Cashman still wants to buy.

Hence why I got so worried when Torres left early. Gleyber has been one of the few bright spots of the Yankees in July, hitting .325 this month with 11 RBIs and 25 hits. Torres hasn't been a super-duper-star like many fans wanted him to be, but he's been consistent, reliable and capable of several different types of winning moves. Though Bader has had his moments, Rizzo's been heating up and Stanton's been hitting lots of home runs, Torres has been carrying this team, as we've always wanted him to. It's just...not enough right now because half the team's injured.

As I write this, the Yankees are getting killed by the Mets. They're headed to Baltimore this weekend. It's a little odd that I may have been there for one of their few wins of July 2023. I really hope that there's an uptick of some sort, but...again, I'm putting all my hope on the backs of people who are injured to get right back into where they were, and that's not sustainable. It hasn't been this far.

Coming Tonight [?]: Conversely, someone who's honestly playing really well as I write this.

Manual Gleyber

 

After MONTHS of being the absolute alpha in baseball...the New York Yankees are looking mighty human. July was their most normal month yet, going 13-13 the whole month. So far in August they are 2-6. Most Yankee fans have been waiting either for this team to waltz to a title or for the other shoe to drop, and the latter has happened.

How have we gotten to this point? It's not really the fault of injuries or communal coldness, even if we did just lose Matt Carpenter in the midst of his incredible comeback year. Since July began, the Yankees have had series against some very tough teams, including the Astros, Mets, Mariners and Cardinals. This sort of scheduling difficulty has led to the team even failing show up in crucial games against Boston and Cincinnati. Does it mean the team is suddenly bad? No, it just means the team has had more tough, truly competitive teams at their peaks than before. 

The offense being in a bit of a dry spell is concerning but not a death nell for the season. Even as Judge stays pat at 44 homers and Torres and Rizzo cool down a bit, we still have great stretches from Josh Donaldson and Aaron Hicks this week. Benintendi is taking a little bit to hit for average but I'm not getting a Joey Gallo vibe from him, and he at least has 5 RBIs and 3 steals in 12 games. Trevino, IKF and LeMahieu are all still hot. It's not like everyone's down at once, it's just a bit more scattered right now, but I'm not exactly thinking they're completely cooked. Not with Judge on the roster.

The rotation has at least been solid in this stretch. Gerrit Cole got clobbered by Seattle last week and responded with a steady, scoreless effort for them last night. Frankie Montas had a decent debut for us, and looks to be a steady innings-eater. German is slowly getting his ERA down. Nestor Cortes...okay, real talk, I'm writing this before 6, he's looking real good right now, and I don't wanna jinx anything [edit: AAAAGH]. But he's still one of the most reliable pitchers on this team, which is...odd, but welcome.

The next few series are all against division rivals, most of whom are sagging in the standings, and will lead up to a Blue Jays series as they attempt to meet the Yankees for the East. Hopefully it won't be a make-or-break series for the division, and considering that I will be ATTENDING one of those Yanks-Jays games in the Bronx, I'd relax a bit more if it were simply a fun game with enough of a cushion for me not to worry about losing another division year to Toronto.

Coming Tomorrow- Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, a starter that everyone wrote off earlier this year takes his place among an impenetrable rotation.

Gleyber of Love

 

Y'all are just spoiled cause Jeter didn't have many down seasons.

Gleyber Torres has 37 RBIs, as many as Gary Sanchez and D.J. LeMahieu, leads the team in stolen bases with 10, and because he's only hitting .246 with a 0.7 WAR, people have begun calling Torres one of the biggest busts in recent history. You know, people were calling Shohei Ohtani that last year, so maybe we shouldn't really give a shit about how a person looks during one down season. Ohtani had TWO down years and now he's setting the league on fire. It took Vlad Jr. 2 years to find the average he was looking for. Hell, it took Kendall Graveman four years to figure out how to stay healthy and now he's on his way to a bullpen gig in Houston.

This shit takes time, y'all. Which, coincidentally, is what I'm also finding myself saying to my fellow Yankee fans a lot.

The team's in third right now, nowhere near the bulk of the wild card race, but it's also July, right before the trade deadline, and before a lot of other variables might be factored in. The Yanks have two straight series' in Florida, against the Rays and Marlins. The Rays this team can technically be a match for, even despite Nelson Cruz being himself. The Marlins they'll have no trouble with. Meanwhile, the Jays are falling, the Mariners might lap the A's, and the Yanks are only 3 games behind them both. This is very doable.

Also, Judge, Urshela and Loiasiga are all back, and they look to be in good shape. Odor, Taillon and Greg Allen are coming through for us when we never expected them to. Sanchez, LeMahieu, Torres and Stanton can still produce on a regular basis. Cole and Montgomery are still excellent starting options. Odds are that Clay Holmes is gonna be a cool bullpen addition, and odds are also that the eventual centerfield addition is gonna bring this team some huge strides.

It's easy to look at a team in slow-motion at one single point and go 'they're worthless'. But until our number is up, I'm not gonna give up on believing that this team can still accomplish great things. They're just streaky, like usual this era. They could come clawing back like never before given the right circumstances. Just you wait.

Coming Tonight: Pitcher for a still-struggling NL East squad.

Division Series' Day Four: World's Most Boring Playoff Year Taking Shape

Dansby Swanson has every right to be overjoyed right now. Not just because his Braves battered Sixto Sanchez and the Marlins to claim a spot in the NLCS for the first time since 2001. But because the Atlanta Braves may soon be the only interesting team left in the playoff arrangement. 

Folks. The fun, oddball teams are all dying out. The Marlins are done. The Padres are done. The A's are done. And even if the Yankees were to somehow make it, that wouldn't be fun for most of you. This is looking like an Astros-Rays ALCS and a Braves-Dodgers NLCS. Woop-de-doo. You honestly could have guessed that in February, before any of this horseshit year even happened. "Uhhh, I dunno...the Braves and Dodgers are gonna be good this year. So are the Astros and Rays". If it's obvious at the beginning AND the end, the same outcome, that's not exactly a gripping race.

The Braves have the most character and spontaneity to them. Their rotation is incredibly young, the bullpen is strong, the lineup has a sort of piecemeal, anyone-can-hit-here sort of quality [Pablo Sandoval is still on the roster!], and everyone's playing well. They're also the least predictable of the four teams [likely to] make the next round, and therefore I have to root for them. 

The odd part is that any other year, a team finishing below .500 and still making the playoffs, and the ALCS, would be a feel-good, underdog story.

But because it's the friggin Astros, it's the worst thing ever. 

The A's and Twins were supposed to keep this team down, using their status as division leaders and above-500 teams, as well as using their non-disappointing averages following seasons where they didn't cheat. Somehow, the Astros got to the A's pitching ONCE AGAIN, overpowered Oakland 11-6, and now are sitting comfortably in the ALCS for the umpteenth damned year. It pisses me off to no avail, and of all the teams in this next playoff rung, I want them to win the least.

Mostly because they've won most recently, as opposed to everyone else, who've been waiting 20, 30 years. But also because, you know, of the cheating thing. 

The Yankees also won, which I was not expecting whatsoever. Especially considering the start by Jordan Montgomery, which gave up a run in a silly way. Somehow, the Yankees bats prevailed, and home runs from Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres kept us alive against a bullpen day from the Rays.

And yet...this gives me a strange, conflicted feeling. If the Rays win, they have a better chance of beating the Astros. Yet, if the Yankees win...it could potentially mean a SECOND consecutive drubbing by Houston in the ALCS for us, and we do not want the Astros to get to the World Series again. Houston is very good at illuminating lackluster pitching, and we certainly have that. I fear if the Yankees win tomorrow, it won't be any different from how we usually fare against the Astros in October. There's a chance, but...I know our luck.

It does mean we have to get past the Rays first, which is difficult enough. I have no idea who Tampa's starting tomorrow. I have no idea who NEW YORK is starting tomorrow. Are we on enough rest that Gerrit Cole can start for us again? Does that also mean Blake Snell is good for that start? Is it a bullpen day for both of us? Either way, I'm predicting a bloody fight to the finish, a lot like the Yankees' series with Cleveland. 

And thanks to a 12-point drubbing of the Padres' bullpen, the Dodgers, the team that has been fantastic all decade yet somehow has yet to get a ring since 88, seem to be heading back to glory with a return trip to the NLCS against Atlanta. Will Smith, Justin Turner, Cody Bellinger, Mookie Betts and AJ Pollock led the charge, and Julio Urias went five innings without allowing a run, more proof that the once-forgotten prospect has officially made it, and is kicking ass this postseason.

As sad as it is that the Padres' ascent had to end here, the Dodgers are still looking like the most powerful team in baseball, and their clash against the Braves is gonna be epic. 

Tonight...Yanks-Rays for all the marbles. Either outcome means something different. I'm still rooting for my Yankees, but I'm also rooting for the Astros to not figure out the Yankee rotation.

The Yanks Come Back

Monday could be a very big day for the New York Yankees.

According to BaseballReference.com, that is the day that two of their biggest stars are eligible to come off the Injured List. Now, it's not guaranteed that we'll get them both back on that day, because they may need more time, but...Aaron Judge AND Giancarlo Stanton have been working towards monday. The Yankees could get their two best hitters back in a single day.

Meanwhile, in the past month they've reattained James Paxton, Didi Gregorius and Aaron Hicks from the IL, and all but Hicks have immediately gotten back to what they were good at. Didi has been explosive at the plate in his fourteen at-bats. And while Domingo German has just landed on the IL, CC has just returned, and is well on his way to notching that elusive 250th win.

What intrigues me is what's going to happen to the outfield once Judge and Stanton return. I imagine Stanton will usurp Kendrys Morales' spot at DH, and Judge will replace either Gardy or Frazier. I don't know if Cameron Maybin will be demoted or not, but this may be his last full week of consistent Yankee action, which is sad, as he's done wonderfully in the Bronx.

And as for everyone else? I guess they're gonna keep on rolling. That infield of Voit-LeMahieu-Didi-Torres has shaped into something pretty great, even if this means that Gio Urshela is gonna be used less. Tanaka, Happ and Paxton have gelled into a solid unit under CC. And Chapman is having a fantastic year in the ninth.

With the oncoming activations, and with competition from Tampa looming, I sincerely hope the Yankees keep things up. This has been an insanely fun team to follow, and I'd hate for the fun to stop now.

Coming Tonight: One of two insane rookie pitching talents for the Braves.

The Gleyber Torres Era Begins

Well, Yankee fans. We've been waiting for this for a year or so, but it's finally happened. Gleyber Torres is starting games in New York, at second base. And he's doing a fantastic job so far.

Of course, then again, so is the rest of this landmark Yankees team. I know it's tough to separate the Yanks from the Red Sox at the top of the division, but the Yankees are doing some incredible stuff in ways we may not have completely predicted. We all thought the infield situation would be messy, but Torres and Miguel Andujar have become fixtures, and Tyler Austin had a 2-homer day while playing first. We were worried about Giancarlo Stanton's early strikeouts, but he's been doing a ton better, and his home run totals are helping his average a ton.

This is the kind of team that might be better than the one that took down the Indians last year. There's more spontaneity. When you think Sonny Gray will disappoint you, he pitches a gem. When you think you'll ease into extras, Neil Walker will hit an RBI single to win. And when it feels like Greg Bird's injury will doom the team, the flexibility of Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar will make the infield feel fresh again.

Right now the Yanks and Sox are technically tied for first, despite the fact that the Sox have played more games, and I imagine it'll stay this close for the entire season. They're both THAT GOOD. They're both October ready, like now. And it's only gonna get more heated as they go along.

Still...it's nice that Gleyber Torres is succeeding in the majors. It was something the Yankee fans only dreamed of happening.

UPDATE: He's hit 2 home runs against Bartolo Colon tonight. So I guess this was kinda timely.

Coming Tonight: The talk in his town is of some rookies who are playing like champs, but he's in his mid 30s and having his best season in years.