WEBVTT - Tigers respond to trade deadline chaos 0:00:08.920 --> 0:00:12.160 And welcome into another episode of Tiger Territory, part of 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:15.920 the Foul Territory Network Trot Tiger's podcast. I'm Karen Steckley 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:18.320 with me as always as a man who likely enjoyed 0:00:18.320 --> 0:00:22.160 a few local cold brews this morning. He is Cody Stavenhagen. 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:22.680 How are we doing? 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:23.480 Uh? 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:26.840 Went with a hot Americano But but yeah, doing all right. 0:00:28.000 --> 0:00:30.000 Good coffee town here in Seattle. 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.040 Good coffee town. And yeah, and and good baseball being 0:00:33.080 --> 0:00:37.000 played by the Tigers again. So the trade deadline comes, 0:00:37.000 --> 0:00:39.959 we speculate about what it's, what does it mean in 0:00:40.000 --> 0:00:43.839 the future, and all these things, and all the Tigers 0:00:43.920 --> 0:00:46.559 just do is keep on hitting the ball, keep on 0:00:46.600 --> 0:00:50.120 scoring runs, and keep on winning games of climbing and standing. 0:00:50.240 --> 0:00:54.720 So that's the diconomy that is just so appropriate for 0:00:54.840 --> 0:00:58.279 this team and this season that like, like you know, 0:00:58.320 --> 0:01:01.480 the sky is falling? Did they do enough? Blah blah blah? 0:01:01.560 --> 0:01:04.080 Was this the wrong decision? Should they have done this earlier? 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:05.679 Boy? 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.640 Mine is they continue to play good baseball. So we'll 0:01:08.680 --> 0:01:10.880 talk a little bit about the game that happened. Recording 0:01:10.880 --> 0:01:14.600 this early in the morning Eastern time, after the Tigers 0:01:14.640 --> 0:01:19.560 with a eight nothing win over the Seattle Mariners. Well, 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:21.720 what's the vibes Cody, you are there. I'm sure there's 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:23.920 some background noise that's being picked up on the mic, 0:01:24.000 --> 0:01:26.319 but and that's okay. You're in the press box. What 0:01:26.520 --> 0:01:29.559 is the vibes of the team right now? After having 0:01:29.840 --> 0:01:35.080 you know, cut their starting pitching and then like people 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.880 in Limbo, you got Jack Flaherty being like, you know, 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:40.560 the Will Smith Fresh Prince mean, like, what are the 0:01:40.640 --> 0:01:42.080 vibes of the clubhouse right now? 0:01:42.959 --> 0:01:43.160 Yeah? 0:01:43.640 --> 0:01:45.880 I wrote this, you know, my story for the Athletic 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:49.680 It's been almost difficult to describe. It's not quite been 0:01:49.920 --> 0:01:55.200 solemn or dejected or it's not been certainly not been happy. 0:01:55.520 --> 0:01:58.400 It's just been different. That's the word I sett alone. 0:01:58.440 --> 0:02:03.040 It's just different. There are some big personalities, important characters 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:06.360 sucked out of that room, not just Trek Schoubel and 0:02:06.400 --> 0:02:09.480 Casey Myz, but still going back to Jake Rogers, even 0:02:09.480 --> 0:02:11.519 going back to Jami Jones. Some guys who are really 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:14.960 part of the fabric of this team aren't in there anymore. 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:18.640 And you have a lot of new faces Eduardo Valencia, 0:02:18.720 --> 0:02:22.000 Max Clark, like you know, all these other guys and 0:02:22.440 --> 0:02:25.799 the complexion of this team has just materially changed over 0:02:25.840 --> 0:02:29.000 the past week a week plus, and so I'm not 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:32.160 sure anyone quite knows how to act or how to respond. 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:34.320 I think it's been a mix of emotions. It's obviously 0:02:34.400 --> 0:02:37.480 tough losing guys like that Trek and Casey and Jake 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:40.640 and others who were so close to so many guys 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:45.040 in that clubhouse. But Spencer Toorgelsen does something interesting. A 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:47.480 couple of days ago, we've talked a lot about like 0:02:47.520 --> 0:02:49.959 the leadership, who are the leaders? Is there a lack 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:53.119 of leadership? Thorgelsen said, you know, there's not really one 0:02:53.200 --> 0:02:57.200 ring leader. It's leadership by committee, anythings that can help 0:02:57.280 --> 0:02:59.919 the team in a time like this, And I'd never 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:03.920 really thought of it from that perspective. Is leadership committee 0:03:04.000 --> 0:03:07.040 by committee a real thing? Or is that like an oxymoron? 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:11.160 I'm not sure, but in a time like this, yeah, 0:03:11.200 --> 0:03:13.720 it's like, well, I don't know, there never really was 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:18.640 other than maybe Scooble, that one central guy who ran everything. 0:03:18.760 --> 0:03:22.960 And so now the leadership complexion changes, the responsibilities certainly 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:25.280 shift a little more on the way away from the field, 0:03:25.280 --> 0:03:28.720 maybe that falls more on Tourgulsen Rightley Green on the field. 0:03:28.800 --> 0:03:33.640 Maybe that falls more on Troy Melton. Clearly, despite all 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:35.840 the emotions of the past few days, they're doing okay 0:03:35.840 --> 0:03:38.960 because they've won four straight. They've scored eight plus runs 0:03:38.960 --> 0:03:42.600 in six straight games here in this little sample, they're 0:03:42.600 --> 0:03:45.240 playing some of their best baseball of the entire season. 0:03:45.280 --> 0:03:48.200 They're one and a half game out of a playoff spot, 0:03:48.200 --> 0:03:50.960 which is kind of ridiculous to say out loud given 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:52.880 what we've gone through here. 0:03:54.640 --> 0:03:59.080 Yeah, look, I would agree in a general sense that 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.640 leadership by committee is largely bs if you made me, 0:04:03.880 --> 0:04:06.040 like pick one or the other, Like that's just kind 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:09.640 of how I feel. Yeah, but that doesn't mean that 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.480 it never exists, and that doesn't mean that it can't, 0:04:13.520 --> 0:04:15.400 like it can't just kind of be more of a 0:04:15.440 --> 0:04:18.599 reflection of the way that Like, if you were to 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.800 pick a baseball team that would have leadership by committee, 0:04:21.839 --> 0:04:24.400 quote unquote, it would probably be a team that on 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:26.440 any given day is going to use the entire bench 0:04:26.480 --> 0:04:28.720 like AJ likes to do, right, It would probably be 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:31.279 a team that's gonna be so matchup dependent that every 0:04:31.320 --> 0:04:35.240 single arm available that day, like actually has to be 0:04:35.400 --> 0:04:38.680 available that day because you just never know what could 0:04:38.800 --> 0:04:41.640 what what AJ is gonna opt to do right. So 0:04:41.960 --> 0:04:46.960 like if rose colored glasses perhaps, But what do you 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:49.040 want me to say when they, like you said, when 0:04:49.040 --> 0:04:53.040 they've scored six straight games with eight plus runs, you 0:04:53.120 --> 0:04:56.400 know what I mean? Like that like something the formula 0:04:56.880 --> 0:05:01.000 and the ingredients are obviously meshing well. And again you 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:03.080 just kind of look at the box score. You know, 0:05:03.120 --> 0:05:05.440 you have Torres hits a home run. You know, Riley 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:09.279 Green hits a home run. You have contribution still from 0:05:08.680 --> 0:05:12.239 uh from McKinstry, a guy that you know, I can't 0:05:12.240 --> 0:05:16.080 say I've been elated by his play this season, like 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:19.160 like Cole Keith has been hot. So like that is 0:05:19.200 --> 0:05:21.719 the committee? Like this is the committee tags? Did we 0:05:21.720 --> 0:05:23.000 just come up with the next one? Cody? 0:05:23.279 --> 0:05:24.120 Are they the committee? 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:28.200 Are they? Are they the committee tags? Because that might 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:30.880 be that might be the case, and that might be 0:05:31.120 --> 0:05:34.920 how they you know, kind of scratch and cloth pun 0:05:35.200 --> 0:05:39.240 their way into the playoffs. And then if we were 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.920 to go with like a star of what we saw 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:45.800 on Tuesday night, it's it's it's obviously Troy Melton. And 0:05:45.839 --> 0:05:48.560 so like I I don't know if people are gonna 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:51.040 believe me, but I had I was like, Okay, I'm 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:54.080 gonna do the Colin Cowhert thing like Trek Schouoble, We're good, 0:05:54.480 --> 0:05:58.039 you know. Uh, And then clark is King on Twitter 0:05:58.400 --> 0:06:00.760 put it out there, so technically he's got it first. 0:06:00.800 --> 0:06:02.800 I'll I'll give him credit, but I promise you I 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:04.360 wrote it down. I was gonna do that thing. It's 0:06:04.400 --> 0:06:08.240 like Derek Scooble, We're good, we got Troy Melton, you 0:06:08.279 --> 0:06:11.479 know what I mean? And and and that's a joke, 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.760 especially given what the origin of the meme meme is. 0:06:15.160 --> 0:06:18.440 But I don't know what else to say about Troy Melton, 0:06:18.440 --> 0:06:22.599 neither Cody because seven ennis today, three hits, zero runs. 0:06:22.920 --> 0:06:28.480 This guy is ace material. That's really how he's pitched 0:06:29.600 --> 0:06:32.440 kind of his whole major league career. Like like, am 0:06:32.480 --> 0:06:35.279 I exaggerating here? Like am I exaggerating to say that 0:06:35.320 --> 0:06:35.880 he has pitched? 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:39.760 Is like what two point two or something like that. 0:06:40.520 --> 0:06:43.760 I'm looking kier and I'm getting scared by what Troy 0:06:43.800 --> 0:06:46.400 Melton is doing. So it's kind of like it's not 0:06:46.440 --> 0:06:49.000 sneaking up on me or you, like we've been watching 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:50.760 it and talking about it. But at the same time, 0:06:50.800 --> 0:06:54.520 it's like, wait, he's having a historic start to his 0:06:54.560 --> 0:06:57.279 major league career, and I don't think this is getting 0:06:57.320 --> 0:07:00.919 as much do. I mean, I remember in twenty three 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:04.360 when Schooble returned from his flexor tendon surgery and it's 0:07:04.480 --> 0:07:07.000 just lights out. You know, someone at the Athletic I 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:08.760 think they were playing like the I don't know if 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:12.320 it's the Phillies or the Guardian. Somebody. Someone sent me 0:07:12.320 --> 0:07:14.440 a message like, oh, this team is making Trek Scuball 0:07:14.480 --> 0:07:17.080 look like Steve Carlton, and he's like kind of making 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:19.000 fun of like the other team for sucking. And I 0:07:19.080 --> 0:07:22.880 was like, well, I'm not trying to say Steve Carlton, 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:25.440 but this guy's kind of really good. Maybe you should 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:28.680 start paying attention. And that's where we're at with Troy Melton, who, 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:31.000 from what I can tell's a game like zero National 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:36.240 pub and yet has just been the dude again. This 0:07:36.320 --> 0:07:39.720 is since Troy Melton got off the AL this season twelve. 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:43.760 This was before Tuesday Night's game. His first eleven starts 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:46.760 one point seven five ERA. That's now down to I 0:07:46.800 --> 0:07:49.880 think one point five to eight. The only pitcher in baseball, 0:07:50.360 --> 0:07:53.280 starting pitcher minimum fifty innings who has been better is 0:07:53.400 --> 0:07:57.080 Jacob Mizerowski, who is literally having a historic season now. 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.680 It is interesting if you look at this list for 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:01.960 your why on YouTube, Melton has one of the lowest 0:08:02.120 --> 0:08:06.640 wars of these top ten pitchers here. He's kind of 0:08:06.720 --> 0:08:11.119 underperformed or overperforming his FIP his expected era. It's because 0:08:11.160 --> 0:08:13.960 the strikeout numbers still aren't great. The eight K per 0:08:14.040 --> 0:08:16.720 nine range, even the home run ball is higher than 0:08:17.240 --> 0:08:20.320 all these other guys on this list, so that's something 0:08:20.360 --> 0:08:23.280 to like watch. But we've seen it. Man. He has 0:08:23.320 --> 0:08:26.080 a six pitch arsenal. He has multiple weapons to go to. 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:29.280 It's really been the cutter a lot, but tonight it 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.120 was more the splitter. It seems like Mariners hair has 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:34.520 almost tried to shy away from that cutter a little bit. 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:37.200 He mixed in the splitter really well. He has so 0:08:37.280 --> 0:08:39.640 many different ways to attack guys, and I think that's 0:08:39.679 --> 0:08:42.360 part of why he's able to succeed even if the 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:45.520 strikeout numbers aren't through the roof, and we've talked about 0:08:45.520 --> 0:08:48.280 that some. I think his stuff is good enough. He 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:50.839 has the capability to start getting more punch outs, and 0:08:50.880 --> 0:08:53.240 we've seen a couple outings where he has had a 0:08:53.240 --> 0:08:56.400 little bit more swing and miss. Still getting better. Still 0:08:56.400 --> 0:09:01.520 figuring things out. This guy's really good. And right now 0:09:01.559 --> 0:09:04.480 he is pitching like an Acy's pitching better believe it 0:09:04.559 --> 0:09:08.320 or not, than Trek Scoople was seven seven or more 0:09:08.360 --> 0:09:13.560 scoreless outings. He already has three in his Tiger's career. 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:19.199 Casey May is finished with three, Matthew Boyd finished with three. 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.600 He's already matched what those guys accomplished basically in terms 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.880 of peak dominance as Detroit Tigers, which is wild. 0:09:26.920 --> 0:09:27.120 Yeah. 0:09:27.160 --> 0:09:29.199 And I'll tell you what I love about him is that, 0:09:29.360 --> 0:09:32.280 like I know I've said this before, but I love 0:09:32.360 --> 0:09:35.520 his demeanor. I love like just like how nothing seems 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.280 to get to him. Even in the seventh inning, you know, 0:09:38.520 --> 0:09:40.960 he's one out away from getting through it. And he 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.600 gives up the single to cal Riley there and you know, 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:46.320 Fedder just wants to make sure, like, hey, everything's good, 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:48.200 goes out to the mound and I don't know if 0:09:48.240 --> 0:09:51.360 anybody caught it, but he's like laughing with Dylan Dingler. 0:09:51.840 --> 0:09:55.920 Melton is like right before Feedder gets you know, potentially 0:09:55.920 --> 0:09:58.760 into proximity and then and then he gets like really 0:09:58.800 --> 0:10:01.000 serious and then you know, takes coaching the points or 0:10:01.040 --> 0:10:03.000 you know whatever, blah, blah blah, and then he and 0:10:03.000 --> 0:10:04.680 then he gets in and then he catches the line 0:10:04.720 --> 0:10:07.760 out to end his uh end his outing right, so 0:10:07.920 --> 0:10:11.720 like like it's just it's perfect. It's like the way 0:10:11.920 --> 0:10:15.959 that he operates. I love and so like, if you're 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:20.240 looking for reasons to get hyped and excited, it's this 0:10:20.280 --> 0:10:21.439 guy Kieren. 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.320 How about after that fourth inning, he's in a little gym, 0:10:24.360 --> 0:10:29.120 two runners on base, Boom punch out to out, Boom 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:31.280 punch out of cal Raley, and what do we get. 0:10:31.559 --> 0:10:34.480 We get a little fist bump, a little a little yell, 0:10:34.960 --> 0:10:38.160 a little light version of the trek schoogle signature. 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:38.920 Roar. 0:10:39.120 --> 0:10:42.320 I thought that was really fitting. Maybe a little passing 0:10:42.320 --> 0:10:44.720 in the torch. You start doing more of that, you 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:47.719 can start captivating some audiences, maybe getting a little more 0:10:47.720 --> 0:10:50.720 of the national tension that it's certainly going to be 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:53.240 coming his way soon enough. If he continues to pitch like. 0:10:53.200 --> 0:10:58.960 This, like I said, we're good, and we are going 0:10:59.000 --> 0:11:01.400 to get to a quick break and then afterward we're 0:11:01.440 --> 0:11:04.320 gonna we're gonna just talk about this offense is just 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.679 how historic this offensive output is. But first a word 0:11:07.679 --> 0:11:08.960 from our sponsors. 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:15.840 My Dom Bella would do anything for a treat, and 0:11:15.880 --> 0:11:17.520 I want to give her a treat and that will 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:19.640 take care of her long term. 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:23.160 And a quick message from today's sponsor, the ASPCA Pet 0:11:23.160 --> 0:11:26.320 Health Insurance Program. 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This is a paid advertisement. 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:00.520 Insurance is underwritten by either Independence American and Surance Company 0:12:00.600 --> 0:12:03.880 or United States Fire Insurance Company and produced by PTZ 0:12:04.000 --> 0:12:07.360 Insurance Agency Limited. The ASPCA is not an insurance and 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.320 is not engaged in the business of insurance. 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:14.720 All right, coming back here, so I'm sure you guys 0:12:14.760 --> 0:12:18.000 saw the graphic the Tigers have scored six and more 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:20.960 run or, assuming two main numbers, eight or more runs 0:12:20.960 --> 0:12:23.640 in six consecutive games, the first time they've done that 0:12:23.960 --> 0:12:28.800 since early July of nineteen twenty seven. So it's crazy. 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:32.160 I went, yeah, it was a great year. I went 0:12:32.200 --> 0:12:35.120 and looked up the lineup. That was funny enough. So 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.559 this happens in the midst of you know, Derek Schooble, 0:12:39.240 --> 0:12:42.520 who knows what his projection is long term in terms 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:45.679 of what his legacy will be. But obviously a Hall 0:12:45.679 --> 0:12:50.240 of Fame stretch is going in here. Ty Cobb maybe 0:12:50.280 --> 0:12:53.400 the greatest Tiger of all time. This was his first 0:12:53.480 --> 0:12:57.280 year off the Tigers. You know, he played one year 0:12:57.320 --> 0:13:00.040 with the Philadelphia Athletics. So here's the lineup Cody for 0:13:00.120 --> 0:13:03.320 the nineteen twenty seven Tigers. That was the last time 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:06.560 this team had eight runs in six consecutive games or more. 0:13:07.320 --> 0:13:12.720 Jack Warner, Charlie Garrion, him Heeny Manush, Bob Father Gill, 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:19.480 Harry Hollman, Johnny Noon, Jackie Tavor, Johnny Bassar, Larry Woodhall, 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:23.559 and Earl Whitehall. And there's a obviously Pitcher's still bad 0:13:23.800 --> 0:13:29.200 personal friends, yes, yeah, friends of the podcast. Actually yeah, yeah, 0:13:29.240 --> 0:13:31.640 a lot of a lot of pinch hitters, obviously because 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:33.840 there was no DH back then. But that's two Hall 0:13:33.880 --> 0:13:35.760 of famers. The main point is that's two Hall of 0:13:35.800 --> 0:13:38.480 famers in the lineup there, Cody and two Hall of 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:41.560 famers that did it a lot with the bat too, 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:44.200 you know, not just not just with the gloves. So 0:13:45.440 --> 0:13:49.280 that's a little perspective that we have here. And what's 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:53.560 funny is like if you're just like looking for confirmation 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:55.880 bias as to why to not to give up like 0:13:55.960 --> 0:14:01.720 this is another example is like his story stretch of offense, 0:14:01.840 --> 0:14:04.520 like literally a historic stretch of offense from this team 0:14:06.240 --> 0:14:09.080 when every game is crucial. Now, again, that was when 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:11.439 only one team in nineteen twenty seven obviously goes to 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:13.679 the World Series. There's a lot more and that was 0:14:13.720 --> 0:14:16.400 earlier in the year. Now, like the pressure has been 0:14:16.440 --> 0:14:19.000 on for a long time. I think that's actually one 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.320 of the more impressive things about this, Cody, is that 0:14:21.400 --> 0:14:28.920 this isn't June fourth through ninth or whatever, right when 0:14:28.960 --> 0:14:30.880 they just got hot. You see what I'm saying, Like 0:14:30.960 --> 0:14:33.240 this is when like they've been having to kind of 0:14:33.240 --> 0:14:36.480 play playoff baseball for a couple months now and then 0:14:36.520 --> 0:14:39.120 you throw in the emotions of the trade deadline. That's 0:14:39.160 --> 0:14:42.520 to me as impressive as getting the ball out like 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.120 in the thick Seattle air, you know, right after coming 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.200 off the Sacramento Triple A Stateum, you see what I'm saying, 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:52.520 Like this is like a mental and like a four 0:14:52.600 --> 0:14:55.480 to two test for this team that they have passed 0:14:55.520 --> 0:14:57.880 with flying covers colors that they're able to do this. 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.040 Dan Dickerson set it on the radio, I think a 0:15:01.120 --> 0:15:03.840 fifty three game stretch where they've been averaging close to 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:05.880 five and a half runs a game. I haven't got 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:08.440 the fact check that because it almost seems unbelievable, but 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:12.160 they've put up some twelve thirteen spots, so maybe it's 0:15:12.160 --> 0:15:14.680 maybe it's true. I assume it's true. If Dan said 0:15:14.720 --> 0:15:18.360 it on the radio makes you take a step back. 0:15:18.360 --> 0:15:21.120 I mean, there's still been some weak offensive nights in there, 0:15:21.200 --> 0:15:23.400 some nice everything. I mean, they really have that good 0:15:23.400 --> 0:15:26.640 of a lineup, but they've been hitting the ball. They've 0:15:26.680 --> 0:15:28.760 been hitting the ball out of the ballpark. I think 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:32.520 more than ninety home runs in that stretch, and that's 0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.800 pretty impressive because you just look at this lineup on 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:39.720 paper and it still doesn't always feel all that formidable, 0:15:39.760 --> 0:15:42.960 and yet here they are. Since that turnaround data on 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:45.840 June first, they've been one of the best offenses in 0:15:45.920 --> 0:15:48.560 baseball and it hasn't really slowed down of it maybe 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:51.000 slowed down there for a while, and now it's now 0:15:51.040 --> 0:15:54.480 it's back in full force. These guys are hot, which 0:15:54.480 --> 0:15:56.560 almost makes me nervous because like, okay, can you really 0:15:56.600 --> 0:15:59.280 sustain that for two more months or is there They're 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:02.200 a dramatic fall off about to come. That's just how 0:16:02.240 --> 0:16:06.720 it seems like this game works sometime. But at credit 0:16:06.760 --> 0:16:08.760 a credit to these Tigers in a way here in 0:16:08.800 --> 0:16:11.360 this lineup, I mean, you have Valencia up here now 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:14.760 instead of Jake Rogers, you have Max Clark up here 0:16:15.520 --> 0:16:17.760 and playing instead of I don't know, like James Outman's 0:16:17.800 --> 0:16:20.920 not playing every day anymore. In a way, you have 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.240 more talent offensive talent on this roster than you did 0:16:24.360 --> 0:16:27.560 for the majority of that run. Although they're rookies, it's 0:16:27.560 --> 0:16:29.560 gonna be pretty interesting to see what's a hit. 0:16:31.600 --> 0:16:31.800 Well. 0:16:32.320 --> 0:16:35.080 One of the things that we've done recently is we've 0:16:35.120 --> 0:16:38.840 we've focused on the you know, the trade deadline, the 0:16:38.880 --> 0:16:41.600 school boy question, because obviously that was the biggest story 0:16:41.600 --> 0:16:44.680 in the sport. So we haven't really had a chance 0:16:44.720 --> 0:16:47.040 to kind of talk about Max Clark. And you've been 0:16:47.120 --> 0:16:51.200 there the entirety from Sacramento now to Seattle of his 0:16:51.480 --> 0:16:54.280 you know, major league career up to this point, and 0:16:54.320 --> 0:16:56.840 you and obviously you follow them interviewed him, you know 0:16:56.960 --> 0:17:01.640 prior uh, take us to the Max Clark experience right now, 0:17:01.640 --> 0:17:03.400 because I'll tell you what. I'll tell you what one 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:05.879 of the things that I always look for when a 0:17:05.960 --> 0:17:08.719 young guy comes up is not necessarily like when does 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:11.199 he get his first hit? And you know, like you know, 0:17:11.320 --> 0:17:14.439 like like the stat part of it, although obviously that 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:18.199 will be the most important thing. I look for comfort, Yeah, 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:22.080 and and and does he look like he belongs? And 0:17:22.560 --> 0:17:25.640 I'll tell you when you're six for sixteen and you've 0:17:25.640 --> 0:17:28.840 got four walks, and you're and and you're playing the 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:33.159 outfield aggressively and calmly, which I think is how is 0:17:33.160 --> 0:17:35.840 how he's played thus far, Max Clark does not look 0:17:36.040 --> 0:17:39.600 overwhelmed by being a major league baseball player. And and 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:43.000 four games in, that's about the best compliment I think 0:17:43.040 --> 0:17:45.800 I can give somebody given the stakes, given how he's 0:17:45.840 --> 0:17:49.040 been a like a celebrity in the game for this 0:17:49.200 --> 0:17:51.960 long and the criticisms that he's taken, just from even 0:17:52.000 --> 0:17:55.480 the Tigers fan base like he he looks like he 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:59.560 is just right in stride as a major league baseball player, 0:17:59.760 --> 0:18:02.040 and I think that's the best sign so far. 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:04.800 Yeah, one of the things I've really come to look 0:18:04.840 --> 0:18:07.880 for in young players over the years is just are 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:11.719 they making progress? Can you see signs of them getting better? 0:18:12.320 --> 0:18:14.480 So I go straight to the defensive side of the ball. 0:18:14.600 --> 0:18:16.600 I mean, we saw it in spring training. He did 0:18:16.640 --> 0:18:19.919 not look comfortable at all. He looked like he was 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:23.639 in his own head, even on defense. We talked about 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:26.919 it throughout this year. I was hearing from scouts. You know, 0:18:27.040 --> 0:18:29.240 he was built as this plus center fielder and is 0:18:29.440 --> 0:18:32.800 like the defensive instincts just aren't as good as they 0:18:32.800 --> 0:18:35.000 were billed to be or you think they would be. Well, 0:18:36.240 --> 0:18:37.960 it's just four games in the big leagues, but mex 0:18:38.040 --> 0:18:40.199 Clark has been stellar in center field and he is 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:43.840 getting just a plus jumps and making some really difficult plays. 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:46.000 And A. J. Hinch has talked a lot about all 0:18:46.040 --> 0:18:48.119 the work you know he did in TRIPAA on his 0:18:48.240 --> 0:18:52.480 pre pitch on getting reads and that is translating. Will 0:18:52.520 --> 0:18:55.600 it be this good for you know, one hundred and 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:59.080 sixty two games. I'm not sure, but you can see 0:18:59.160 --> 0:19:02.680 tangible signs of growth and progress. And then you still 0:19:02.680 --> 0:19:05.120 have seen a very steady approach at the plate. He's 0:19:05.160 --> 0:19:06.840 not trying to do too much. That's one of his 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:10.400 biggest strengths is making good swing decisions. The fact he's 0:19:10.440 --> 0:19:12.959 able to come to the major leagues and not stray 0:19:13.000 --> 0:19:16.879 from that approach, just like what Kevin McGonagall did. That's 0:19:16.920 --> 0:19:20.240 really encouraging. You know, there are other questions to answer. 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:22.879 Can you lift the ball consistently? Can you hit for power? 0:19:22.920 --> 0:19:26.560 Can you do all this? His process has been so 0:19:26.680 --> 0:19:30.919 good throughout four games, very small, but just really impressed with, 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:34.800 like you said, the comfort, the process, and the signs 0:19:34.840 --> 0:19:37.119 of growth, some of them subtle, some of them quite 0:19:38.320 --> 0:19:40.480 quite conspicuous, especially the defense. 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:44.360 So yeah, to the point about the defense, he had 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:48.680 that catch on can zone in the fourth ding today 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:51.920 and it was kind of like a slide, half die, 0:19:52.000 --> 0:19:53.200 whatever you want to call it, but he had to 0:19:53.240 --> 0:19:55.960 come up on that ball. According to Jason Beck, you 0:19:56.000 --> 0:19:58.520 put this on Twitter, traveled one hundred and twenty one 0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:00.960 feet thirty point one feet per second to get to 0:20:01.040 --> 0:20:05.960 that ball. And if you'll notice that he must have 0:20:06.080 --> 0:20:08.640 called that early because there was no one else really 0:20:08.760 --> 0:20:10.280 kind of because that was kind of like a little 0:20:10.280 --> 0:20:12.119 bit of a tweener. And you got Zach McKinstry and 0:20:12.200 --> 0:20:15.080 right field, who obviously has the ability to go chase 0:20:15.119 --> 0:20:17.800 down the ball. Zach McKinstry didn't make a real play 0:20:17.840 --> 0:20:20.359 on it. Obviously Glaber wasn't gonna get there. And that 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:23.000 was Max Clark's ball all the way he wanted it. 0:20:23.080 --> 0:20:26.280 And that's what I mean where it's like command and calm, 0:20:26.640 --> 0:20:28.879 like he knew that that was his ball, he was 0:20:28.880 --> 0:20:31.919 gonna go get it, and then and and he has 0:20:32.200 --> 0:20:37.760 enough of juice of presence of trust that we've seen 0:20:37.760 --> 0:20:41.119 collisions this year that like things like that aren't happening 0:20:41.160 --> 0:20:41.879 on plays like that. 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:49.520 This doesn't really chase balls over his head. Yes, that's okay. 0:20:49.640 --> 0:20:51.080 You got Max Clark out there, when you. 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:53.480 Got Max Clark behind you, like you can get away 0:20:53.480 --> 0:20:56.320 with that a little bit more. All right, We are 0:20:56.359 --> 0:20:58.840 going to get to a quick break and then afterward 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:02.520 get to some more exciting news regarding the Tigers and 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:05.560 top prospects. Returning to the Majors with first award from 0:21:05.560 --> 0:21:06.720 our responsors. 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:10.760 Hey for the families out there looking for a different 0:21:10.840 --> 0:21:13.159