Transmogrified Tiger

Iowa's 2nd inning at the plate: E-5 Flyout HBP Pop out HBP HBP Infield single HBP Groundout 4 runs, 1 (infield) hit

ball go far

There's something that always bugs me about the 'manager lost the game' framing. I think it's that it flattens difficult decisions into right/wrong, smart/stupid when in many cases it's a very narrow margin and the 'answer' is only there with the benefit of hindsight. At the time of that decision, Assad didn't have trouble with his first inning, 7-8-9 was due up and was a string of 5 straight RHH(though it was prime PH territory), the weather and game thus far had given no indication the Brewers were going to rally. Letting Assad go a 2nd inning carries risk, but so does introducing a new pitcher who might not have their control or stuff that day. If Merryweather comes in and walks a pair of guys or hits a guy and gives up a bloop the same amount of danger has been created and at least one of us wonders aloud "Assad was stretched out and got 2 Ks and a weak GB, why didn't he stay in?" This is not to say that I think leaving Assad in was the right call, I was the first person to question it in the game thread when it happened, and I think an irrefutable mistake is not having someone warming to start the inning so Assad didn't have to face Winker. But bullpen management is making a bunch of 52/48, 55/45 type of decisions, and in a game with so many individual events that could be influential I think framing the responsibility for the loss on one or two of those creates a false impression that the manager took them from sure winners to sure losers(and therefore implies their lack of competence/intelligence).

honestly Bellinger just sit changeup on the first pitch and try to hit it to the moon

he was what, an inch from getting Prior'd

I've enjoyed Girardi more in this game than opening day, but that "hey that sounds a lot like the Sports Reporters show" is killing me

yeesh, really telling on myself that I'm second screening this one

why is Fulmer allowed to come out after 2 hitters?

8 man pen, coming off a day off, with a day off in each of the next two weeks, I get that Assad has been effective and is stretched out but not sure I love him getting a 2nd inning

I can't believe that got out

one job hosmer, one job

Swanson playing at a casual 24 WAR full season pace

Not very competitive on the velocity there Bellinger

Also I wonder when the last time we had 5 LHH in the lineup was, feels like it's been ages

Feels like at least until Seiya gets back we're gonna see one of Wisdom/Rios and one of Mastro/Madrigal

The closer comparison in terms of disappointing outcomes is probably post-Boston Jackie Bradley Jr.

They showed up for me in the app for both Roku and iPad. If you haven't, set the Cubs as your favorite team in your MLB.com account, because of that I had the I-Cubs game specifically called out in one of the first rows of content.

Hosmer:

Morel 3B high off the CF wall Mervis 2B high off the RCF wall

the 2022 other games thread was 4 pages

I moved/merged them. This doesn't have to be the singular thread for the whole year but I kept the overarching title so no one felt obligated to start a new one if the current thread was working fine for the purpose.

Slaughter did make Iowa after all. Of course, he has to fight Morel and Bote for time at 3B, Mervis and Young for time at 1B plus a couple OF for time at DH, but that's a testament to the depth that's there.

Remember if you have MLB.tv you also have access to minor league games too. A quick scan of the schedule seemed to imply all 4 levels will be televised(I didn't see a Cubs MiLB game in the first week or so that wasn't listed) so you can likely count on most every game being available.

FWIW I see it in Safari