Master Index of Archived Threads


AL Central

Frayed Knot Jun 29 2006 11:12 AM

This has been the crew most responsible for the lopsided AL/NL interleague stats. Tiggers: 54-25 (best in MLB) * 6 wins in a row, 9 of their last 10, 16 of their last 18 * Lowest league ERA (by .75/RG), lowest BAA ChiSox: 51-26 (2 GB) * 13 wins in their last 15 * 6.5 Game lead in Wild Card Twins: 42-35 (11 GB) * 7 in a row, 9 or their last 10, 17 of last 19 (and not gaining ground) *Joe Mauer: 2 for 3 last night, now hitting .392!! (.392/.458/.538) as a plus-defensive 25 y/o catcher -- well justifying their decision to take the local boy as a #1 overall pick, ahead of the much more heralded Mark Prior.

TransMonk Jun 29 2006 11:20 AM

The poor Twinkies. I feel bad for them...winning 17 of 19 games and not gaining ground on either team they're chasing...what a mess. The Sox and Tigers are awesome and for real. My dad has been a huge White Sox fan for years. For his birthday this year I got him tickets to Comisky for a September game against the Tigers...should be really exciting.

Yancy Street Gang Jun 29 2006 11:22 AM

Actually, thanks to the wild card, that series might not mean much of anything at all.

TransMonk Jun 29 2006 11:23 AM

Not in terms of playoff eligibility, but they should still be fighting for the division.

Gwreck Jun 29 2006 11:26 AM

The main benefit of having those two teams in the AL central so strong is that only one team from the AL East will make it. (I'm still rooting for Toronto).

Edgy DC Jun 29 2006 11:28 AM

The Tigers win home field advantage! The Tigers win home field advantage! The Tigers win home field advantage! The Tigers win home field advantage!

Yancy Street Gang Jun 29 2006 11:37 AM

A fight for a division title loses just about all of its juice when the loser goes to the playoffs anyway.

MFS62 Jun 29 2006 01:06 PM

So far in 2006, the Al has won interleague play by approximately 125-75. As for the AL Central, the only lineup that overpowers opponents is the White Sox'. And they have a well balanced pitching staff. Detroit has good pitching and a "do what they have to do" lineup. The Twins have two ace pitchers, two hot hitters and ????? The standings don't surprise me. Later

Frayed Knot Jul 17 2006 10:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 17 2006 10:34 PM

Maybe it's just me - but everytime I see the top teams in this division they're stinking up the joint. I trashed the Tiggers earlier in the year when they were stinking up a series against the Yanx, and now it's the ChiSox turn to look awful. Whenever I'm not looking, of course, they're ringing up the best records in the majors. But after losing 2 of 3 against the BoSox before the break (and needing 19 innings for the only won they did win), the defending champs laid a 3-game egg against the Yanx. This weekend they didn't pitch: Contreras lost his first game since last August and Burlehe was chased early; they didn't hit: stranded all kinds of runners, popped up constantly, hit into numerous DPs; they didn't field: at one point messing up two consecutive NFY bunts; and they didn't run: had multiple runners thrown out on the bases just yesterday alone. - 1st inning yesterday: 2nd & 3rd, none out, heart of the order up, and Jaret freakin Wright on the ropes ... they got nuthin - 8th inning: tying runs on, go-ahead at the plate, none out ... Nuthin! - 9th inning: tying runs on, go-ahead at the plate, none out ... NUTHIN! The ChiSox now have just a 3 game lead in the WC race and trail the Tiggers by 4.5 - and the two start a 3-game series in the Motor City on Tuesday. The Twins have also stalled somewhat, trail Detroit by 11, and now Toriiiiii Hunter's out for a while. Joe Mauer hitting .372

metirish Jul 17 2006 10:32 AM

The Tigers might just fall apart in the second half, they have 13 games left against the White Sox and still have trips to the Bronx and Boston and games against the Twins.

Elster88 Jul 17 2006 10:32 AM

It may be just me. And I may be way off. But when I look at the stats of the ChiSox rotation.....I'm not that impressed.

Edgy DC Jul 19 2006 09:43 AM

Ken Williams' godfather is John Carlos? Wow.

TransMonk Jul 25 2006 11:46 PM

White Sox have hit a skid and are now 7.5 back of the Tigers. Not only that, but by the end of play tomorrow, they could fall from first to third in the wildcard race...as the Yankees and Twins are knocking on the door.

Elster88 Aug 13 2006 09:14 PM

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd the Tigers have lost 5 in a row, including sweepage by the Pale Hose this weekend.

Frayed Knot Aug 13 2006 09:24 PM

Yup! The Tigger lead - which peaked at 10 games just recently - is now down to 5.5 as the Motor City Kitties head to Boston for a series. Twins lost 2 of 3 to Toronto (too little/too late for the Jays I'm afraid) as well as Frankie Liriano, maybe for the remainder of the season. ChiSox head home for 4 with KC (the team, not the poster) before series with Minny (3 in Mn), Tigers (4 in Det) then Minny again (3 in Chi). This could get real fun!!

metirish Aug 13 2006 09:26 PM

Liriano wanting to stay and pitch lied about an injury he had to his pitching arm, it may cost him the season and the reports on the injury are not good.

Willets Point Aug 13 2006 11:30 PM

Frayed Knot wrote: The Tigger lead - which peaked at 10 games just recently - is now down to 5.5 as the Motor City Kitties head to Boston for a series. This series will be hard for me to watch since I'm rooting for both teams to make the playoffs.

cleonjones11 Aug 13 2006 11:43 PM

Yancy Street Gang wrote: Actually, thanks to the wild card, that series might not mean much of anything at all. Killjoy

Frayed Knot Aug 26 2006 10:28 AM

The Tiggers - losers of 3 of 10 and 12 of their last 17 - have their lead whittled down to 5 games ... but now it's over the Twins! The Twinkies beat the ChiSox for the 3rd time in the last week, passing them in the standings and taking over the WC lead for the first time this season.

Frayed Knot Aug 30 2006 09:55 PM

They may have held the 'best record in baseball' title since not too long after opening day until ... well until right about now, but every time I see the Tigers play they're fucking incompetant. They're about to lose a DHer in which they scored a grand total of 2 runs.

Frayed Knot Aug 30 2006 10:11 PM

Or they could make a liar out of me like they've done every other time I've cursed them out ... as Craig Monroe hits a 2-out/9th inn/3R HR off Proctor to give the Tiggers a 5-2 lead. Now if they can close out the bottom of the 9th cleanly I'll promise to get off their case for a while.

sharpie Aug 30 2006 10:46 PM

They won. Get off their case.

Gwreck Aug 31 2006 12:17 AM

It was a fun night at the House of Evil. It was my fourth (?) game there in as many years and I thought for the first time I would actually see Rivera, the Sandman entrance and the whole deal. Just to compare it, y'know? Save situation...no Rivera...Craig Monroe 3-run Homer. Much goodness.

metirish Sep 01 2006 12:58 PM

Twins get Phil Nevin from the Cubs for cash and a PtNL.

Frayed Knot Sep 10 2006 10:18 PM

This continues to be the most interesting division in baseball this year. * The Twins - 12-1/2 games out in late July - are now within 2 games of the Tiggers after taking 3 of 4 from them this weekend. The've also opened up a 1-1/2 game WC lead over the ChiSox * Detroit - once on pace for a 108-win season - has lost their 'best record in AL' lead (to the Yanx) and are headed for only about 96-97 after going 7-18 in their last 25. * The defending champs are 11-15 over their last 26 - and are 1-/12 out of the WC spot and 3-1/2 off the division lead. [u:0102952301]This Week[/u:0102952301]: Det: Tex (2), Balt Minn: Oak, @Cleve (4) ChiSox: @LAA, @Oak

Willets Point Sep 11 2006 08:56 AM

Thankfully Detroit gets some easy teams this week (knock on wood).

Edgy DC Sep 14 2006 10:53 AM

So, damn, are the Tiggs going to be able to hang in there? It'd be a shame if the Mets miss out on a chance to face Kenny Rogers with everything on the line.

Frayed Knot Sep 18 2006 09:28 AM

TEAM RECORD PCT GB Last 10 TIGERS 89 - 60 .597 --- 4 - 6 TWINS 88 - 61 .591 1 8 - 2 CHISOX 84 - 65 .564 5 4 - 6 The Tiggers & Twinkies both coming off 2 of 3 weekends (Orioles & Indians) while the Chiox were getting swept by the A's as ex-Sock Frank Thomas went all vengeful on their butts. Tiggers and Sox hook up for 3 starting tonight on Chicago's south side. Detroit can pretty much bury the defending champs but have only won 8 of their last 23 and may need the WC to hang on as their huge early lead is virtually gone. Twins go to Fenway and then Camden Yards this week.

TransMonk Sep 19 2006 10:06 AM

I'll be scouting the Detroit/White Sox game tonight in Chicago for the CPF. The White Sox need a win badly tonight to keep their postseason hopes alive. Tigers will throw out Verlander while Garcia counters for the Sox.

Frayed Knot Sep 19 2006 10:14 AM

Tigers took game 1 last night as Buehrle got hit around in the 1st inning. It actually could have been a lot worse: he started the game by giving up a 2B then a HR, then two straight 1Bs ... before being bailed out by a triple play! 6 games out now, the defending champs have to virtually run the table in order to get back in.

MFS62 Sep 19 2006 11:00 AM

TransMonk wrote: I'll be scouting the Detroit/White Sox game tonight in Chicago for the CPF. We will expect a full report. Later

TransMonk Sep 20 2006 07:16 PM

So, I took my old man to the White Sox game last night for his birthday. It was overcast and cold all afternoon and then once the sun went down, the temperature fell into the 40's. More like Chicago football weather than baseball weather. Still, about 25,000 of Chicago faithful came out to cheer on their Sox. The mood standing outside before the game was almost somber. The WS fans all had defeated looks on their faces with their team facing not making the playoffs unless they can pull out a marvelous two weeks of baseball. I was wearing my Mets cap the night after the clinching, and one WS usher yelled to me, "At least someone's wearing the right cap." The matchup was Freddie Garcia vs. Justin Verlander, and most of the starters were playing for each team. I had seen Garcia pitch a heack of a game in Seattle a few years ago, so I've always liked his stuff. And I was excited to see Verlander for the first time. Garcia walked the first man he faced on 4 pitches and then allowed a single to the second. He then mowed down 23 Tigers in a row. It really was a great pitching performance...and on such a cold night to boot. Ozzie took the slow walk to the mound in the eighth after Garcia walked his second batter of the night and had thrown his 102nd pitch. Every single person in the stands booed the manager, myself included. Ozzie got to the mound...and turned right back around without making the call to the pen. Garcia got the last man in the eighth to ground out. While the Tigers offense was mastered, the Sox scored all of the runs. The first time through the order, Verlander looked every bit as good as Garcia. But in the 4th he hit Dye, walked Thome, gave up a single to Konerko, and the Pierzynski laced a grand slam to center. In the 5th, Dye and Thome hit back to back HRs, and Iguchi added another blast in the 7th. Verlander ended up giving six runs. He did pick off two runners. He has one of those good moves and then an even better move. Jenks pitched the ninth in a non-save situation and gave up a single to ex-Met Vance Wilson, Detroit's only other hit of the night after the single in the first. The crowd reveled in the win, but driving home listening to the call in shows on the radio, there is still a sense that no matter how well they do over the next 12 games, it may still be too little too late. Chicago scored all of it's runs off of homers. Other than that, they had nothing going, especially getting picked off twice. The World Champs may have learned lately that if you live by the long ball, then you die by the long ball...if no one's hitting homers, the Sox probably aren't winning. In my mind, they are definately the biggest dissapointment in baseball this year. It isn't too many times that a team wins the World Series, and then improves themselves in the next offseason. The Sox have as much if not more talent than anyone in baseball, yet they haven't been able to win when it matters...something they did so well last year. Detroit is fading too...they looked horrible. But their odds are still pretty good for making the playoffs where their pitching is as good as anyone's. And they started without all of the expectations that the Sox had this year, so the end result, no matter what it is, has to feel pretty good for them and their fans.

ScarletKnight41 Sep 20 2006 07:19 PM

What did you and your dad think of the ballpark? We were there when it opened in 1991, and I liked it, although it generally gets trashed as not being like Camden Yards (which I don't like as much as many others do).

TransMonk Sep 20 2006 07:25 PM

My Dad goes there a half a dozen times a year, so he loves it. It was my first time, and I was very surprised at how much I liked it. It had always been bashed as the last of the big cookie cutter ballparks. But we were in the upper deck (which I guess was re-done at one point to give it less of a slope) and still had a great view of the game. The sightlines are nice, it is clean and spacious in the aisles and walkways. The staff is friendly and the concessions had a decent variety (a bit pricy). I would give it two thumbs up, especially because I wasn't expecting much to begin with.

ScarletKnight41 Sep 20 2006 07:28 PM

I agree with that assessment. I never understood the bashing. I also remember really liking the fact that the organ is there for everyone to view from the concourse behind home plate. You have to love a park that not only still has organ music, but that actually features it. I also liked how there was a kids concession stand in the outfield, and you could watch the game from there. It was a great way to follow the game while getting your active toddler a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. That was the first stadium that I visited that I felt was designed with families in mind.

Willets Point Sep 20 2006 07:40 PM

I like the White Sox ballpark too. It feels like a larger version of the Norfolk Tides' Harbor Park. Like Shea, I think it suffers from the soulless exterior - a sea of parking and no real neighborhood in sight. Wrigley has a big advantage over Comiskey in that sense.

Frayed Knot Sep 20 2006 11:08 PM

The Sox is dead! Well, not officially, but for all intents and purposes. They just lost their 2nd of 3 to the Tiggers - at the same time the Twins were beating Boston - putting them 6 behind Detroit and 5-1/2 behind Minnesota with only 10 left to play.

Gwreck Sep 21 2006 12:14 AM

I saw the Mets play there in '02. I know some updates have been made since. The design sucks -- there's basically no middle deck. The scoreboard layout is one of my favorites. Among the best in baseball.

MFS62 Sep 22 2006 02:40 PM

Speaking of the AL Wild Card, the Red Sox were officially eliminated from that race this week. The team suffered a lot of key injuries this year. And they seemed not to have capable backups for the injured players in their organization/ on their roster. I can imagine their fans relating that to management's indecision over rehiring Theo and the time they lost by not having him for a major portion of the off season when many deals/ signings were happening. In fact, they may call what's happened this year "The Curse of the Epstino". (sorry for that) Later

smg58 Sep 23 2006 10:28 AM

Unfortunately, the collapse of the Red Sox and White Sox brings up the down side to the wild card system: there's no real drama left in the AL Central race, as it's now pretty evident that both the Tigers and Twins will be playing beyond next week. On the opposite end of the wild card system, the resurgence of the Phillies is making the San Diego/Los Angeles race very meaningful. The Phillies would have had nothing to play for for the last two months under the old system.

Frayed Knot Sep 23 2006 10:48 AM

Yup. The only remaining question in the AL is the Central race to see who wins the division and gets the A's in the first round, and who gets the Wild Card and draws the Yanx. The Angels technically still have a chance in the West only because they have a bunch of head-to-head w/Oakland; but then they promptly lost the first of those last night and they pretty much needed to run the table.

metirish Sep 24 2006 09:03 PM

The Tigers clinch a playoff spot with an 11-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday,that's some turn around by the tigers,was not long ago they were flirting with the Mets all time loss record.