WEBVTT 00:00:04.699 --> 00:00:08.660 Look, we get it, Tiger fans. We know the baseball 00:00:08.660 --> 00:00:11.640 season can be a grind. Luckily, when you're ready 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.960 to trade hot dogs for tailgates, we've got you 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:18.199 covered with Litterbox, a Detroit Lions podcast. 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.000 It's the same unfiltered Detroit sports talk 00:00:21.000 --> 00:00:23.839 you get here, just with more biting kneecaps 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:27.050 and fewer bullpen meltdowns. So when Sunday rolls 00:00:27.050 --> 00:00:29.850 around, don't just pace around like AJ Hinch 00:00:29.850 --> 00:00:33.229 waiting for a reliever. Fire up Litterbox, a 00:00:33.229 --> 00:00:35.729 Detroit Lions podcast, wherever you're listening 00:00:35.729 --> 00:00:39.109 now, and roar with us through the NFL season. 00:00:51.710 --> 00:00:54.369 Thank you all for listening to Litterbox, a Detroit 00:00:54.369 --> 00:00:56.969 Tigers podcast. If you enjoy the show, please 00:00:56.969 --> 00:00:58.750 make sure you hit that subscribe button so that 00:00:58.750 --> 00:01:00.810 you never miss an episode. We'd love hearing 00:01:00.810 --> 00:01:03.530 your thoughts too. Leave us a rating or just 00:01:03.530 --> 00:01:05.489 drop us a comment. Please let us know what you 00:01:05.489 --> 00:01:07.670 think and whatever you want us to cover next. 00:01:08.030 --> 00:01:10.450 Your feedback really helps us grow and keeps 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:13.170 the Tigers talk rolling all season long. Go Tigers 00:01:13.170 --> 00:01:23.760 and thank you. You're listening to the Litterbox, 00:01:24.019 --> 00:01:27.879 a Detroit Tigers podcast with your hosts, Chet 00:01:27.879 --> 00:01:34.400 West and Bill Patterson. Tiger fans, it's Bill 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.739 and Chet here, your Litterbox hosts. We are at 00:01:38.739 --> 00:01:43.180 the end. We have about six games to figure this 00:01:43.180 --> 00:01:45.579 thing out. We have a series coming up against 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:48.099 the Cleveland Indians that is extremely important 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:51.209 and we will cap it all off. Against a Red Sox 00:01:51.209 --> 00:01:54.730 team that is still in the hunt looking for a 00:01:54.730 --> 00:01:59.090 playoff spot We didn't get the best luck with 00:01:59.090 --> 00:02:01.870 our end of season schedule this year. I will 00:02:01.870 --> 00:02:06.769 say that I Would much rather be playing the lower 00:02:06.769 --> 00:02:10.330 end of these divisions like maybe the twins or 00:02:10.330 --> 00:02:13.090 Heck even give me the Royals from our division. 00:02:13.310 --> 00:02:18.090 But at this point we get to challenge ourselves 00:02:18.599 --> 00:02:21.300 And we are not living up to the challenge. Bill, 00:02:21.539 --> 00:02:24.039 what are your thoughts? Luck has nothing to do 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:27.400 with it. This team's bad and Scott Harris should 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:31.759 not keep his job given what little was done to 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.159 try to help this team in whatever silly saber 00:02:35.159 --> 00:02:38.780 metrics or algorithm he has going. Everything 00:02:38.780 --> 00:02:41.680 should have told him that these players would 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:45.259 revert back to whom they were and have been their 00:02:45.259 --> 00:02:48.889 entire careers. And I'm looking at a few players 00:02:48.889 --> 00:02:52.330 in particular, but ZMAC, Matt Vierling, I know 00:02:52.330 --> 00:02:54.710 he's hurt right now, and then Gleybar Torres. 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:57.310 It was unrealistic to think that they were going 00:02:57.310 --> 00:02:59.409 to continue with the toured pace they were at. 00:02:59.830 --> 00:03:02.750 What do you have to say about those three? So 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:04.990 I agree with you, actually, on all three of those 00:03:04.990 --> 00:03:06.849 guys. I want to throw somebody else in there. 00:03:07.930 --> 00:03:11.330 Where did Javier Baez go in the month of September? 00:03:12.210 --> 00:03:14.650 Where he usually goes, he reverted from Javier 00:03:14.650 --> 00:03:18.990 back to Javi. Can we can we talk about kind of 00:03:18.990 --> 00:03:23.069 his? Dissent here, and I don't know. I mean we 00:03:23.069 --> 00:03:27.629 gave We gave a lot of press to have your bias. 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:31.409 He deserved praise He did gave a lot of it. I 00:03:31.409 --> 00:03:34.129 mean, I'm I'm still gonna give him one shout 00:03:34.129 --> 00:03:37.210 No matter how bad his batting's gotten Chet the 00:03:37.210 --> 00:03:41.669 fact that he played Not serviceable not good 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:44.740 But in an elite level center field, having never 00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:46.620 played it before in the major leagues is still 00:03:46.620 --> 00:03:49.879 nothing short of remarkable. If only baseball 00:03:49.879 --> 00:03:52.620 had designated fielders, like they have designated 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:56.080 hitters, he could be ideal. He might have a career 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.360 until he's 42. Do you have, they do have designated 00:03:59.360 --> 00:04:01.599 fielders. They're called AAA baseball players. 00:04:02.300 --> 00:04:06.800 Do you have, so I'm curious. If they'd kept Javi 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:08.800 in center field, do you think his season would 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:12.580 have gone differently? At the plate? No. at the 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:14.819 plate. Okay, so you think this was doomed, this 00:04:14.819 --> 00:04:17.480 wasn't some vibe or mojo he was working off of 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:19.199 in center field that he could have kept going 00:04:19.199 --> 00:04:21.680 all season. No, I don't think that. I think that 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:24.939 we're seeing a reversion to the norm in the four 00:04:24.939 --> 00:04:28.120 players we're talking about now. I should have 00:04:28.120 --> 00:04:30.259 probably brought some scorched earth Javi's way, 00:04:30.339 --> 00:04:33.160 but I didn't. I brought him to the fray because 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:35.120 he's been the worst hitter in the month of September 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.459 on the team. Yeah, and so I would love you to 00:04:38.459 --> 00:04:40.060 start going through some of the metrics, and 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:42.329 if you don't mind, You know, after you give your 00:04:42.329 --> 00:04:44.589 exclamation point, I'll weigh in on it. If I 00:04:44.589 --> 00:04:47.370 can do one thing really quick. The Tigers obviously 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:51.069 were swept this weekend against the Atlanta Braves 00:04:51.069 --> 00:04:53.069 team. They lost 10 to one on Friday. They lost 00:04:53.069 --> 00:04:55.629 six to five on Saturday. They lost six to two 00:04:55.629 --> 00:04:58.509 on Sunday. Quick math tells us that the Braves 00:04:58.509 --> 00:05:03.649 scored 22 runs and the Tigers managed eight runs. 00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:07.629 But if you amortize that they scored five Saturday. 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:11.750 And you're just not it's it's not they are playing 00:05:11.750 --> 00:05:15.250 playoff baseball now Chet and I'm fired up and 00:05:15.250 --> 00:05:19.370 here's why They were up 15 and a half games over 00:05:19.370 --> 00:05:22.149 the Royals at that time and the twins believe 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:24.610 it or not the Guardians were in fourth place 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:29.329 on July 8th And if the Tigers do botch this it'll 00:05:29.329 --> 00:05:34.509 be the biggest division lead lost in the history 00:05:34.509 --> 00:05:38.360 of baseball You have to go back to 1914, the 00:05:38.360 --> 00:05:42.300 year Wrigley Field was built, the year that the 00:05:42.300 --> 00:05:46.000 friendly confines became a thing. If you're Scott 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:48.939 Harris right now, and you're sitting there at 00:05:48.939 --> 00:05:53.839 the interview podium, season's over, and we don't 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:55.680 make the playoffs, what are you saying? Like, 00:05:55.699 --> 00:05:57.620 what is your response to that whole entire thing? 00:05:57.699 --> 00:06:00.379 How do you even answer what happened, Scott? 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:02.779 I don't even know how I would answer it other 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:05.439 than... We left the cupboard bare in too many 00:06:05.439 --> 00:06:08.379 places and or we didn't think would be this good 00:06:08.379 --> 00:06:10.740 again We thought the pundits were gonna be right 00:06:10.740 --> 00:06:13.220 and we had no shot at getting to the postseason 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:15.860 Which either way is just a terrible indictment 00:06:15.860 --> 00:06:19.019 on the management of this club He can't say that 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:22.459 when one week ago they had a 99 % chance But 00:06:22.459 --> 00:06:25.040 then what's the excuse is it just rolling the 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:28.360 dice and hoping everything all you know? The 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.240 team keeps playing at a level that was well above 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.079 their mean I think his only out is to hide behind 00:06:35.079 --> 00:06:38.120 the farm system and the value that's there and 00:06:38.120 --> 00:06:42.500 that their assets Especially at eerie. Yeah were 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:45.060 so valuable that there was nothing out there 00:06:45.060 --> 00:06:48.720 or anybody's asking price for Suarez who ended 00:06:48.720 --> 00:06:51.259 up going to the Mariners outside of that I'm 00:06:51.259 --> 00:06:54.319 still gonna say the Devers move was the single 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:58.079 biggest move in season this year And nothing 00:06:58.079 --> 00:07:01.439 else really jumped out at me. You know, I actually 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:04.519 Kyle Finnegan has been fantastic. He allowed 00:07:04.519 --> 00:07:07.899 his first run Saturday as a tiger outside of 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:10.199 that. Scott Harris did nothing. So I think the 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:12.319 again, answering your question, the only thing 00:07:12.319 --> 00:07:15.860 he can hide behind is that there's so many assets 00:07:15.860 --> 00:07:19.259 there that they have financial flexibility because 00:07:19.259 --> 00:07:22.459 of Javier is the only major contract and that 00:07:22.459 --> 00:07:26.439 maybe They exceeded expectations all season to 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:30.240 your point as well. And the pundits point. You're 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:32.759 going to hear, oh, well, you know, we lost free 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:35.819 salsa and we lost Jackson job. Well, the injuries 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:38.839 happen. You got to have a well -stocked squad 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:41.459 and we thought we did we remember we talked at 00:07:41.459 --> 00:07:43.259 the beginning of the season We're like, wow, 00:07:43.500 --> 00:07:45.600 I don't know if you know, we have enough opportunities 00:07:45.600 --> 00:07:47.879 to go around for all these guys We got a good 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.160 problem here. We have seven starting pitchers. 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.339 We've got you know, remember this we're having 00:07:52.339 --> 00:07:55.379 these conversations and Exactly. There are a 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:58.160 lot of guys that didn't pan out there were injuries 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:02.379 but only two We could have I think played those 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:04.980 scenarios differently. I've got a counterpoint 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:08.579 to this sure If I may, when Parker Meadows and 00:08:08.579 --> 00:08:12.040 Matt Vierling were out, the Tigers played excellent 00:08:12.040 --> 00:08:13.800 baseball at the beginning of the year. So the 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:16.519 injuries, you can't use it to your advantage. 00:08:17.019 --> 00:08:19.959 You're not, I'm saying Scott Harris can't use 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.139 it both ways. And unfortunately, those of us 00:08:23.139 --> 00:08:25.920 with short memories might not, but I hope the 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:28.639 beat writers hold him accountable. And I hope 00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:31.000 the national media holds him accountable. If 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.059 this collapse does go through the way that you 00:08:34.059 --> 00:08:38.169 and I, After a six game losing streak and the 00:08:38.169 --> 00:08:41.289 teammate your heels has won 11 of 12 We have 00:08:41.289 --> 00:08:43.509 every right to feel the way we're feeling I think 00:08:43.509 --> 00:08:47.009 you're gonna hear a lot of kind of we crested 00:08:47.009 --> 00:08:49.929 this hump way before we thought we were going 00:08:49.929 --> 00:08:53.090 to or We feel we probably got lucky in the first 00:08:53.090 --> 00:08:55.049 half of the season which a lot of people I think 00:08:55.049 --> 00:08:58.549 think they did we did not expect to be competing 00:08:58.549 --> 00:09:02.039 this early in the process And last year was we 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:04.620 figured was an aberration. And this year we were 00:09:04.620 --> 00:09:07.200 going to be back down there and maybe agreeing 00:09:07.200 --> 00:09:09.480 with what a lot of the pundits had said at the 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:10.759 beginning of the season that they didn't have 00:09:10.759 --> 00:09:13.320 a postseason shot. But here they were competing. 00:09:13.500 --> 00:09:15.639 Hell, one of the best teams in baseball in the 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:17.840 power rankings forever in the first two thirds 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:21.759 of this season. And how do you run a team not 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:25.080 expecting to compete? Scott, can I poke a hole 00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:27.879 in your argument there? This is Dave, please 00:09:27.879 --> 00:09:31.480 do catch Detroit Free Press. Why did you go all 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:33.419 in on Alex Bregman if you didn't think you could 00:09:33.419 --> 00:09:36.259 compete this year? That's a great I see. That's 00:09:36.259 --> 00:09:39.919 an excellent thought. And why what I don't understand 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:43.139 is you went kind of all in on one guy, but then 00:09:43.139 --> 00:09:45.320 just back completely off of everything else. 00:09:45.779 --> 00:09:49.139 So I don't really understand. I just don't understand 00:09:49.139 --> 00:09:51.759 the gamesmanship here by the front office. What 00:09:51.759 --> 00:09:54.000 was left, though, after that point? Because at 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:56.299 that point, there wasn't a whole lot out there. 00:09:56.480 --> 00:09:58.659 Well, you know what? I'll go back to you. They 00:09:58.659 --> 00:10:00.860 could have gotten creative at the start of the 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:02.879 season. A hundred percent. I mean, they could 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:04.759 have been creative at the trade deadline, too. 00:10:04.779 --> 00:10:07.080 I just don't know that creativity is there anymore, 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:09.419 because I think creativity starts looking a little 00:10:09.419 --> 00:10:11.600 like desperation, and you start throwing things 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:14.080 out there that maybe you shouldn't. It worked 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.179 for San Francisco, obviously. I don't know if 00:10:17.179 --> 00:10:20.080 it would have worked as well for us. And it worked 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:21.899 for San Francisco because at the beginning of 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:25.240 the season, we thought that Rafael Devers wouldn't... 00:10:25.240 --> 00:10:27.639 that he was going to be okay with Bregman being 00:10:27.639 --> 00:10:32.070 at third base. Sure. Or at least not... do what 00:10:32.070 --> 00:10:34.190 he did, which John Henry and company thought 00:10:34.190 --> 00:10:38.070 was a toxin or a disease in the clubhouse. Maybe 00:10:38.070 --> 00:10:40.629 they thought they had a third baseman in Jace 00:10:40.629 --> 00:10:42.710 Young. Maybe they thought they had a third baseman 00:10:42.710 --> 00:10:44.929 in him and that he was going to be the answer. 00:10:45.450 --> 00:10:48.669 I don't know. Do you know that Young has now 00:10:48.669 --> 00:10:51.830 been called up and how many home runs do you 00:10:51.830 --> 00:10:54.990 think he's hit in his major league career? I 00:10:54.990 --> 00:10:58.090 don't even know. I don't. I haven't even. Is 00:10:58.090 --> 00:11:00.950 it a big zero? It's a goose egg, Chet. Yeah. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:03.799 Well, he doesn't have that many at -bats, but 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:07.000 he's had enough. And so, if I can go through 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:10.759 this. Yeah. Parker Meadows regressed to his worst 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:14.659 mean, and we have our three big bats, Torque, 00:11:15.080 --> 00:11:17.500 Green, and Carp. Do you know that they are all 00:11:17.500 --> 00:11:21.580 within five to six points of having OPSs below 00:11:21.580 --> 00:11:25.159 800? Yeah. Those are your big bats. Which is 00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:27.720 out of nowhere now. Because that was our big, 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:31.350 you know. That was what we were leaning on for 00:11:31.350 --> 00:11:34.549 months was, wow, the OPS is still up there. So 00:11:34.549 --> 00:11:37.389 one last, this is going to be from, I don't know, 00:11:37.549 --> 00:11:40.190 Chris Solari or, you know, with the Lansing State 00:11:40.190 --> 00:11:44.289 Journal. What? Why could you justify trading 00:11:44.289 --> 00:11:47.889 any type of asset to sign Charlie Morton, who 00:11:47.889 --> 00:11:50.909 you knew had a really high ERA when you traded 00:11:50.909 --> 00:11:55.539 for him, only to get him? Watch him promptly 00:11:55.539 --> 00:11:59.159 assist in losing, by my count, three to four 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:01.779 games with bad starts, bad pitching, putting 00:12:01.779 --> 00:12:04.539 the bullpen in awkward positions. You could probably 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:07.840 double that number, Chet. And then cutting him, 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:10.039 which they just cut him outright this past weekend. 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:11.899 Well, and the interesting thing about cutting 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:14.720 him, it could have been him. It could have been 00:12:14.720 --> 00:12:17.720 Paddock. Paddock got the bullpen roll. I think 00:12:17.720 --> 00:12:19.960 they see him as like a younger, more, you know. 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:23.000 Has maybe a little more possibility in front 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:25.980 of them, but like I don't you could cut either 00:12:25.980 --> 00:12:27.740 one of them There's both their stats have been 00:12:27.740 --> 00:12:31.000 terrible and those were our two big Acquisitions 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:35.100 during the whole trade deadline so non Kyle Finnegan 00:12:35.100 --> 00:12:38.600 non Kyle Finnegan if you want to you know Say 00:12:38.600 --> 00:12:41.320 non Kyle Finnegan, but neither one of those guys 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:44.320 belongs on a roster right now. It's amazing They 00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:47.360 should both be designated so Morton got the designation 00:12:47.360 --> 00:12:50.679 deserves it. I mean he's He's looked pretty pitiful, 00:12:50.899 --> 00:12:52.820 especially in the last month. He gave us three 00:12:52.820 --> 00:12:55.460 good starts back in August. So did Paddock, gave 00:12:55.460 --> 00:12:57.220 us two or three good starts, but the rest of 00:12:57.220 --> 00:12:59.440 their starts have been absolute blowups. The 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:02.259 other thing to call out here, what's a shame 00:13:02.259 --> 00:13:04.320 is Parker has actually looked pretty good since 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.100 he came back from injury in September. He could 00:13:07.100 --> 00:13:09.519 have been a good help down the stretch. Guy by 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:12.220 the name of Spencer Torkelson, I'm gonna fanboy 00:13:12.220 --> 00:13:15.399 this guy a little more for you here. You know 00:13:15.399 --> 00:13:19.480 he's batting like 297 this month? He has a crazy 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:21.240 batting average in the month of September right 00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:23.500 now and he's got an off -the -charts babbitt. 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:26.360 It's like 405 or sport 50 He's getting lucky, 00:13:26.419 --> 00:13:29.500 but he's getting hits and he's still hitting 00:13:29.500 --> 00:13:33.940 He's been kind of one of the only guys Who has 00:13:33.940 --> 00:13:36.659 kept an entire season of consistency together? 00:13:37.379 --> 00:13:40.019 I look today in the in the stats and granted 00:13:40.019 --> 00:13:42.620 he hasn't been incredible all the time He sits 00:13:42.620 --> 00:13:47.409 right around that 240 245 kept his OVP up Above 00:13:47.409 --> 00:13:50.649 800 the whole time. I think you know Spencer 00:13:50.649 --> 00:13:53.049 deserves a little tip of the cap for his 2025 00:13:53.049 --> 00:13:55.470 season It's not been incredible, but it's been 00:13:55.470 --> 00:13:59.190 consistent and he has produced Riley green on 00:13:59.190 --> 00:14:01.470 the other hand is striking out at a 30 % clip 00:14:01.470 --> 00:14:04.789 in the month of September and His batting average 00:14:04.789 --> 00:14:08.029 is in the toilet. It's below 200 right now for 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:12.399 the month Riley has you know look he's Team leader 00:14:12.399 --> 00:14:15.220 and every offensive category in the season But 00:14:15.220 --> 00:14:17.320 he decided to disappear at the most critical 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:19.980 time of the year and for a guy who already gets 00:14:19.980 --> 00:14:23.200 railed on for his clutchness his ability to be 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:26.700 clutch Like this is yet another hit towards that 00:14:26.700 --> 00:14:29.899 now. He's young. Did you know here's the craziest 00:14:29.899 --> 00:14:33.159 thing? I was kicking around tiger stats trying 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:36.639 to make sense of what the heck's going on He 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.399 is the second youngest player position player 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:42.750 on our team Been making that argument behind 00:14:42.750 --> 00:14:45.149 colt Keith. I've been making that argument all 00:14:45.149 --> 00:14:49.750 year that he's still 24 Colt keys 23 Riley's 00:14:49.750 --> 00:14:52.190 24 turns 25 at the end of this month in about 00:14:52.190 --> 00:14:54.730 six days But he's still the youngest position 00:14:54.730 --> 00:14:57.070 player. We've got right now and he's gonna believe 00:14:57.070 --> 00:15:01.350 it He's been up for since he was 20. Yeah. Yeah, 00:15:01.389 --> 00:15:03.350 he's been up for a couple years. So he's got 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:05.759 He's got a ways like, right? We're not even to 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:08.059 his peak yet. Whatever times on his side would 00:15:08.059 --> 00:15:10.580 be the totally only argument you can make. And 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:12.340 we have control of him through the twenty twenty 00:15:12.340 --> 00:15:14.700 eight season. So he starts our in twenty twenty 00:15:14.700 --> 00:15:18.600 six. And if he delivers, then you pay him. And 00:15:18.600 --> 00:15:20.940 if he doesn't, then it's an easy decision. So 00:15:20.940 --> 00:15:23.659 and you still got some really good years. I mean, 00:15:23.740 --> 00:15:26.139 he's still an above average ballplayer. He's 00:15:26.139 --> 00:15:28.759 just not the guy you can. build this type of 00:15:28.759 --> 00:15:32.200 franchise around because, unfortunately, the 00:15:32.200 --> 00:15:36.159 previous regime decided that signing Javier or 00:15:36.159 --> 00:15:39.580 Javi Baez was a great idea when his plate discipline 00:15:39.580 --> 00:15:41.960 and his slug had been on the decline already. 00:15:42.700 --> 00:15:45.379 So, all right, I think we've covered a lot of 00:15:45.379 --> 00:15:48.799 what we think is terrible. We have three games 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:52.639 upcoming against the Guardians in Cleveland and 00:15:52.639 --> 00:15:56.580 what I find fascinating, Chet, is I think the 00:15:56.580 --> 00:15:59.960 Tigers hit the panic button officially because 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:02.799 Tarek Scoobal is starting tomorrow evening on 00:16:02.799 --> 00:16:05.740 Tuesday, which means the Tigers bumped him up 00:16:05.740 --> 00:16:07.600 even though they had an off day. So it's really 00:16:07.600 --> 00:16:09.639 not that big of a deal, but they bumped up his 00:16:09.639 --> 00:16:12.240 schedule start from Wednesday to Tuesday so that 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:15.320 he can pitch Tuesday against the Guardians and 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:18.620 Sunday against the Red Sox. Which means if the 00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:21.379 Tigers have to be in the wild card round, he 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:24.480 will be unavailable for one of a three game series. 00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:26.659 Going all in to get into the postseason right 00:16:26.659 --> 00:16:28.639 now after we've had the dominant season that 00:16:28.639 --> 00:16:30.779 we had up until the month of September. It's 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:34.139 quite interesting. So if you weren't all in to 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:38.379 win Scott Harris in company, yeah, that's another 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.019 hole we can point at you because you would delay 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:43.850 the guy that probably will not. Resign with you 00:16:43.850 --> 00:16:46.809 after next season because he's been Eric Scoobel 00:16:46.809 --> 00:16:50.269 the only tiger outside of I agree with your torque 00:16:50.269 --> 00:16:52.490 props And then we've got to give a little more 00:16:52.490 --> 00:16:56.009 Dylan Dingler love. Yeah, however There is an 00:16:56.009 --> 00:16:58.950 alarming stat on Dylan Dingler. He does not walk 00:16:58.950 --> 00:17:02.509 to do with strikeouts No, he doesn't walk. Yeah, 00:17:02.649 --> 00:17:06.029 he strikes out quite a bit, too So he needs to 00:17:06.029 --> 00:17:08.289 learn because if he doesn't learn how to take 00:17:08.289 --> 00:17:11.329 pitches he is gonna get abused in the postseason 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.140 if they make it and he'll have a very short major 00:17:14.140 --> 00:17:16.859 league career because they'll know how pitchers 00:17:16.859 --> 00:17:18.640 will learn how to pitch to them. You can't hit 00:17:18.640 --> 00:17:21.660 everything. So, all right. What's your prediction 00:17:21.660 --> 00:17:24.460 for the upcoming series, Chet? I a couple of 00:17:24.460 --> 00:17:26.720 things that I'll say here. I don't remember the 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:31.079 last time the Tigers blew a premium player in 00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:33.420 his premium years like they. Like, they have 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:36.420 with Scubal two Cy Youngs in a row. This is almost 00:17:36.420 --> 00:17:38.619 something out of, like, a Lions -esque thing, 00:17:39.059 --> 00:17:41.279 with, like, Calvin Johnson or Barry Sanders at 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:44.200 this point. They still have an 85 % chance, but 00:17:44.200 --> 00:17:46.640 they gotta get some work done here in the last 00:17:46.640 --> 00:17:50.460 couple games of the season. I'm gonna say that 00:17:50.460 --> 00:17:53.779 we get... This is a tough one. This is really 00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:56.220 tough. I dread the Red Sox series more than I 00:17:56.220 --> 00:17:58.660 actually dread this Cleveland series, in an odd 00:17:58.660 --> 00:18:01.569 way. Even though it's just the perfect like the 00:18:01.569 --> 00:18:04.069 Red Sox series sets up as the perfect letdown 00:18:04.069 --> 00:18:06.650 for this team Like even if they go two out of 00:18:06.650 --> 00:18:09.390 three against Cleveland here I don't think they're 00:18:09.390 --> 00:18:11.589 sweeping them if they go two out of three against 00:18:11.589 --> 00:18:13.589 Cleveland here and we come out of this thing 00:18:13.589 --> 00:18:17.009 two games up I could just see him just getting 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:19.769 swept out of Boston and the thing ending with 00:18:19.769 --> 00:18:23.000 giving odd giving it all up Just giving it all 00:18:23.000 --> 00:18:25.579 up and won three games. Just giving it all back. 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:27.960 To end the season. I just hate to say it, but 00:18:27.960 --> 00:18:30.319 I can see that happening. And this mirrors the 00:18:30.319 --> 00:18:33.039 Twins' collapse last year in a lot of ways, too. 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:35.119 Yeah, it does. That we all mocked and made fun 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.579 of and then we enjoyed because it worked for 00:18:37.579 --> 00:18:41.299 us. And now it's... It helped the Tigers' fortunes. 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.380 I don't know that... It did. The Twins have won 00:18:43.380 --> 00:18:46.079 that division so many years with teams that you 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:49.079 knew would do nothing in the playoffs. Yes, and 00:18:49.079 --> 00:18:52.039 now we've become instead of you know, the hunted 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:55.400 becoming the hunter The tigers like we're the 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:59.859 hunter all year and now they are Yeah, it's I 00:18:59.859 --> 00:19:02.599 I get what you're saying and yeah, I get what 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:05.779 you're saying. Don't I I think we get one game 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:07.599 out of the next three against the Indians I'm 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:11.539 hoping for two. No way we I sweet They definitely 00:19:11.539 --> 00:19:14.500 get two out of three. You think so? Okay, that's 00:19:14.500 --> 00:19:16.619 I'm feeling pretty confident about that against 00:19:16.619 --> 00:19:19.789 it And then we'll follow up with that, but go 00:19:19.789 --> 00:19:22.730 Tigers. Those of you that are sticking with it, 00:19:22.849 --> 00:19:29.829 stay true. Keep the faith. Go Tigers. All right. 00:19:30.150 --> 00:19:32.009 That's going to do it for this episode of the 00:19:32.009 --> 00:19:34.970 Litterbox, a Detroit Tigers podcast. Thanks for 00:19:34.970 --> 00:19:37.210 hanging out with us. We're Bill and Chet. We'll 00:19:37.210 --> 00:19:40.109 be back soon with more Tigers Talk. If you're 00:19:40.109 --> 00:19:42.690 enjoying the show, be sure to follow or subscribe 00:19:42.690 --> 00:19:46.430 on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 00:19:46.430 --> 00:19:48.990 your podcasts. And hey, if you got a minute, 00:19:49.369 --> 00:19:53.230 leave us a quick review. Till next time, Go Tigers!