Tigers (Melton) vs Blue Jays (Soriano): 09/14/26, 7:07 PM

[John_Havok]

4 minutes ago, max silver said:

This game was the emotional roller coaster variety of the highest highs and the lowest lows. If you were to encapsulate the 2026 Blue Jays season into a single game this would be the perfect kick in the nuts game to use. There were the early ominous signs of an offense that was putting runners on base seemingly at will but couldn't fully take advantage. Early on Soriano was pure filth as he produced a perfect game through 5 innings and no hitter through six with the only base runner reaching due to a likely strike 3 call had the pitch been challenged. The 7th inning saw him lose his ability to command his arsenal as he kept serving up mistake pitch after mistake pitch and the Tigers hitters were punishing him in plate appearance after plate appearance. I've noted this many times since being acquired that Soriano tends to unravel quickly later in games and that the manager has been caught asleep at the switch on multiple occasions with the opposition piling up a ton of damage against with it taking far too long to get the bullpen up and warming. This has often been compounded with his relievers letting him down and allowing all of the inherited runners to eventually score. I've found that Schneider is generally effective at pulling his starters before they completely lose it but with Soriano he just has no feel of when his starter is nearing the end of his effectiveness.

As badly managed as the delayed Soriano pull proved to be the choice of leverage arm to start the 8th inning was probably worse. It blew my mind that Mantiply was chosen as the arm to begin the inning against the top of the lineup of a potent offensive group. This was the most important game to lock down for the entirety of the season, and bringing in Mantiply felt like a situation where the manager crossed his fingers and hoped for the best instead of employing the best available arm given the game situation. I did like the decision to bring in Varland when Mantiply failed at his job, but the fielding curse that has afflicted Blue Jays pitchers this season has also affected Varland and he inevitably botched a nice fielding play from Vlad on the way to handing the Tigers the lead.

The 9th inning was the icing on the sh*t sundae as McAdoo was stapled to first base against a reliever with no hope of holding runners, Vlad watched a 94 MPH middle/middle meatball go by and then got caught sleeping on a strike 3 fastball well within the strike zone, and then Kirk grounded into a double play to end the game when the runner likely could have easily stolen second base. If the Blue Jays miss the post season this will be a game that haunts them in their sleep.

The "Vlad staring at the first pitch every time because reasons" thing is so weird. Granted he's only faced Jansen 3 times prior to last night's game... but defaulting to "be ready for the fastball" seems like a great idea for virtually all situations to start with. 

[John_Havok]

15 hours ago, Masterbather said:

People really don't understand how much of a problem this is in today's sports. 

Reporters used to challenge managers, manages used to get mad at them because they didn't like to be asked the tough questions. It's all softballs now, nobody wants to upset a manager, heaven forbid.

Reporters think they have to be friendly now, they may not be wrong, they may have their privileges revoked by ownership, MLB and rights holders if they aren't soft as Charmin. Most people now are too young to know how f***ed up this is because it's how they've always known it. But I remember when reporters mattered.

They are a mouthpiece, there at the shovel the ******** for the organization.

This I agree with wholeheartedly. When a decision gets made that went wrong when there seems to be a very obvious alternative, it seems a reasonable expectation would be to have the manager explain at least the high level version of why it happened. 

But, even back in the day there was a whole handful of completely contrary reporters who would nitptick every tiny detail to death even after winning by 10 runs. "Why did you take out 'insert superstar player here' when you were up by 10 in the 7th?"

A happy medium would be nice. 

[Olerud363.354]

21 minutes ago, max silver said:

This was the most important game to lock down for the entirety of the season, and bringing in Mantiply felt like a situation where the manager crossed his fingers and hoped for the best instead of employing the best available arm given the game situation.

This is what I don't get.  Schneider is notorious for bringing in relievers with a 3 or even 4 run lead.  This is often NOT the right move statistically, but they must think somehow, that blowing these kind of games is such a nut-cruncher that it could have downstream effects, and worth it to prevent.

Then last night.  Inspirational homerun that could live for all time.  The moment the 2026 miracle started. Win here bring joy to all, and good vibes forever.  Lose and devistation, despair, darkness, season over. 

I'm not saying I believe all that, just that it would seem to me, if you believe the first, that you need to use leverage with 4 run leads, to prevent the odd catastrophe, then you would you would also believe you need to do anything and everything to nail that one. 

Probably the best bet was Varland 8 and depending on pitch count Fisher 9th or Varland 2 innings. 

[John_Havok]

4 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

This is what I don't get.  Schneider is notorious for bringing in relievers with a 3 or even 4 run lead.  This is often NOT the right move statistically, but they must think somehow, that blowing these kind of games is such a nut-cruncher that it could have downstream effects, and worth it to prevent.

Then last night.  Inspirational homerun that could live for all time.  The moment the 2026 miracle started. Win here bring joy to all, and good vibes forever.  Lose and devistation, despair, darkness, season over. 

I'm not saying I believe all that, just that it would seem to me, if you believe the first, that you need to use leverage with 4 run leads, to prevent the odd catastrophe, then you would you would also believe you need to do anything and everything to nail that one. 

Probably the best bet was Varland 8 and depending on pitch count Fisher 9th or Varland 2 innings. 

And then Varland gave it up anyways, so... even the right decisions go sideways sometimes. 

[hanton]

7 hours ago, John_Havok said:

Vlad almost always takes the 1st pitch automatically from relievers he sees. It's like a programmed part of his brain or something. 

It's rather irritating

Interesting, never noticed.

Okamoto 52nd overall in most takes on the 1st pitch, Vlady is 61st

I expected Ernie to be at the bottom of the league but he's 117th, that's weird because he leads the league in the fewest pitches per PA